Elementary: Through the Fog (6x14)

Elementary doesn't often do personal peril stories, by which I mean that it actually takes a fairly realistic look at the danger level faced by detectives. The main characters aren't constantly being held at gunpoint or anything like that. This means that when we do have a story with some very personal risk attached, it feels all the more elevated.

Cons:

I actually thought some of the acting from some guest characters was a little hokey. The head of the task force, the man with the crutches, they were over performing just a tad. It wasn't bad enough to ruin the episode, but it was just a tad distracting, when you surround these guest actors with the talented and subtle performances of the core cast.

Pros:

Starting with the main story, the setup is very basic. Bell sees a suspicious package, and it turns out to be a biological attack. Due to the timing, Bell and Gregson deduce that the guilty party is likely still in the building with them, so they set to investigating, all while trying to keep calm. Joan and Sherlock put their minds to investigating so that they can figure out what kind of compound was in the device. The sooner they can do this, the sooner they can get treatment to Bell, who might be in serious danger. Of course, by the time we get to the end, we learn that the gas was harmless, and that the whole thing was a heist to steal precinct computer servers, to sell the information therein.

The first thing I want to praise is Gregson's reaction to the situation. There's no histrionics, he's not outwardly desperate or scared... but you can see how devastated he is at the thought of Bell being in danger. He hovers. He stares. He worries. Bell tries to remain stoic in the face of his potential impending symptoms, but you can see some of his fear bleed through. I like that he can't quite hide his fear. That felt realistic to me.

Meanwhile, Gregson tells Joan and Sherlock not to interfere by talking to a dangerous cartel, but they decide to do so anyway. Sherlock usually isn't reckless in exactly this manner, but we see here that he lashes out physically when one of the cartel members attempts to grab him, he steals someone's car as leverage, and he walks right in to the lion's den without his usual layers of protection and forethought. I like that we find out that there are some police officers somewhere who know where they are and what they're doing, so we can see that there is a modicum of common sense still in play here. Still, the risk being taken is a real one, and it goes to show just how much Sherlock cares about Bell and Gregson.

I also like the misdirect here. I was sure that Bell was going to be fine, but I did wonder as to the true motives of the guilty party, and who might be the culprit. I kind of like the fact that the first suspect they land on is the right guy. Once they figure out it was an inside job, the truth unravels pretty easily, thanks to Sherlock's unique brand of genius. This makes sense to me. Our heroes are certainly motivated to find an answer quickly.

The subplot features Joan's mom, who has alzheimer's, getting confused and showing up for lunch with Joan, a scheduled date from four years earlier. Sherlock gives Joan the advice that she needs to put her foot down and insist that her mother get help. When Joan goes to have this conversation, it turns out that her mom has already come to this conclusion, and has agreed to find help.

This little subplot was pretty disconnected from most of this season thus far, but I really enjoyed it. One of the things I've adored about this show from the beginning is the wonderfully subtle undercurrent of domesticity between Joan and Sherlock, the way in which their lives together are intertwined through the basic routines of living in a house together. We see them working together to clip Clyde's toenails. We see Joan fetching Sherlock's gross leftovers for him out of the fridge. And we see Sherlock gently but firmly offer his opinion about Joan's situation with her mother. It's not rude or out of place for Sherlock to do so. He knows, Joan knows, and we know, that he has earned the right to an opinion in something like this.

Also, I got a little weepy when Joan and her mother were talking, and her mom said she was proud to have a daughter who cared enough about her to be willing to have such a tough conversation. That was just lovely!

I'll stop there. This show is just... it's indescribable. I honestly wonder what casual viewers think of it, because I think if you were to just have it on in the background, it might come across like any old procedural. But the inner life of these characters, and the care taken with the relationships, is unlike anything else I've seen on network TV. Onward to next week!

9/10