Elementary: How the Sausage Is Made (5x08)

Can you guess what I'm going to say? ... The subplot was more compelling than the main story.

Cons:

In fact, the main story lost me a couple of times. It wasn't horrible, but it didn't really grab me, either. Some scientists create a meat product that's grown in the lab, and hope to make a bunch of money off of it. The only trouble is that "Big Meat," as Sherlock keeps referring to them, doesn't want this new product on the market as a competitor. I won't really get into the specifics here. In the end, one of the bad guys is arrested for murder, while his co-conspirator gets to go free.

Pros:

The best part of the case was the way it started - Sherlock and Joan go to the morgue see a guy who was killed by horse tranquilizer. But he didn't ingest this tranquilizer directly - he ate some sausage that ends up being human meat... Ugh! And that meat has the tranquilizer in it. This was a really clever, albeit disgusting, way to get the case started.

The subplot is about Sherlock and Joan's relationship, and the tensions that have been rising between them. Joan learns from another addict that Sherlock has not been attending his meetings. She follows him one day when he says he's going to a meeting, and confirms it. Later, Sherlock tells her that he feels bored with the meetings, but he is just as committed to his sobriety as ever. Joan doesn't like this, and tells him that everybody feels bored with meetings. That's no reason to stop going. In the end, Sherlock does indeed to back to his meeting, where he volunteers to speak.

There's just so much to unpack, here. Sherlock trusts Joan's judgment, and ends up following her advice in the end, but there's still the very real sense that things are not all good between them. As Sherlock gets more and more anxious about their partnership, Joan seems more and more determined to carve out an identity separate from him. At the same time, she fears failing Sherlock the way she feels she's failed Shinwell. Keeping him on track with his sobriety is an important part of their partnership, even though Joan is not involved in any official capacity.

It's such a tough situation, and I'm really excited to see this show continue to unpack it. The rumor mill has suggested that Elementary might not make it beyond this season, or that if it does have a Season Six, that'll be the end. I think that would be a real shame. Even though this show doesn't exactly dazzle me with its cases-of-the-week, I still really love it. The character work between Joan and Sherlock is a thing of beauty. I can't wait to see more!

7.5/10