Elementary: Uncanny Valley of the Dolls (6x16)

Sherlock is hilarious!

Cons:

At one point we find out that the murder victim used the physical characteristics of his ex-girlfriend to make a hyper-realistic sex robot. Not just for himself, but for mass production. This is such a gross violation, and I feel like we didn't get enough of a resolution. The woman in question is briefly a suspect, but she has an alibi and she quickly drops out of the story. That rubbed me the wrong way, because I feel like she should have gotten retribution, or some sort of affirmation that her image would not be used in this way any longer.

Pros:

The case is just the right mix of funny and serious. I love Sherlock's unabashed delight every time he's faced with some bizarre new piece of technology or the illusion of an AI, or anything like that. He banters with the sex doll in a way that the others don't, responding to offers of fooling around with good cheer. It's also funny to me that Sherlock was the one who found this case, and he found it interesting precisely for the novelty of having a sex robot as a potential witness. Also, the scene at the end was HILARIOUS. Sherlock programs the sex doll to talk to Bell directly, asking for his help in getting away with the grizzly murder. Bell is taken in for a moment, and then calls for Sherlock to come out of his hiding place. Sherlock then requests that Bell send Joan down on his way out, and Bell counters with a better offer, as he sees Gregson coming around the corner! I love the two of them having some fun together. It's always nice when we can see Sherlock have a genuinely fun time, especially when it's not at anyone else's expense, really.

Also, I really appreciated the fact that the company making the sex dolls were not the bad guys in any way. It was oddly refreshing to see these high-end sex toys being nothing more than high-end sex toys. No sinister plot at work with them at all! The real reason for the murder was unrelated.

Another aspect of the case that I really enjoyed is that Joan is the one who figures it out. She uses a combination of standard detective work, combing through all the details, and a flash of insight that can't be learned or taught. Sherlock is the one who sets the trap for the potential murderer and pulls out all the flashy stops in the interrogation room, but it's Joan who, in the privacy of their own home, actually finds the final clue that brings everything together. I always love it when she's the one who gets to do that.

The subplot involves a snafu in Bell's quest to advance in his career. He needs to get an advanced degree, but he is stonewalled from registering for a certain class that he needs. The reason for this becomes clear when Bell learns that the professor is a man who used to work with Sherlock in Scotland Yard. Sherlock goes to him and apologizes for his past behavior, but the man says he's not holding a grudge for Sherlock's general rudeness, but because Sherlock solved a case before him, and it was a case that could have made this man's career. Sherlock won't apologize for catching a killer, but he does recommend the man for a better job so that he'll leave and Bell can have a different professor and get back on track.

I'm always so jaded about the plot threads involving Bell and Gregson on this show, because they're so often wildly underutilized. I'm thrilled that this stuff with Bell is maintaining a nice big focus this season! It's nice to see Sherlock willing to do whatever it takes to help him. I like that he doesn't want to apologize to the guy, but it's not because of his pride or anything. Sherlock has gotten better about not being an asshole to people just because he can. This former colleague of his was "competent but unremarkable," according to Sherlock. I feel like in the past he would have focused on the "unremarkable" part, and ignored the "competent" part. Sherlock's not really interested in the ordinary, but he has learned to interact with society using basic human decorum and decency.

So, that's that! It was kind of odd having two episodes of Elementary back-to-back... can't wait to see what next week brings!

8.5/10