Elementary: The Visions of Norman P. Horowitz (6x18)

I'm always pretty proud of myself when I figure out a good mystery ahead of time.

Cons:

I often praise Elementary for avoiding unnecessary melodrama, and I stand by that. But this episode starts with a premise that Sherlock Holmes is going to be shot on a given day, and that idea is not explored whatsoever. I'm not saying it should have happened, or we should have had weepy worried friends refusing to leave Sherlock's side... but I wanted a bit more concern, a bit more paranoia, maybe a bit more drama.

If I could pinpoint the biggest problem overall with Elementary, I'd have to say it would be the fact that this show is on CBS, and has more than twenty episodes a season. The pacing always gets wonky. There's always a mid-season slump. There's always a lack of momentum. We've just introduced the return of a serial killer, which is all sorts of exciting, but this episode contains none of that. It also contains nothing of the season's other subplots, like Joan's quest to adopt a child, or Bell's career advancement. This episode could be dropped in at any point in the season, or even in previous seasons, and you wouldn't be able to tell. That's a shame.

Pros:

The case of the week was actually a lot of fun. I predicted almost immediately that the "prophecies" coming true was an inside job by Norman's brother and sister-in-law. Actually, at first I thought it was just the sister-in-law, but you get my point. The very first scene they were in, I felt suspicious of them, and it was satisfying to see that suspicion play out. I also like the fact that Sherlock Holmes got played - this wasn't a case where he was an outside observer who took a while to come to the right answer. This was a case where the murderer sought him out, and manipulated him into getting involved. Sherlock inadvertently helps the bad guys out quite a bit before he finally figures out what's going on. That's a nice little subversion of the usual pattern.

I also just thought the concept was fun. Elementary is pretty good at taking ACD originals and examining them through the lens of modern concerns and technology. This show also likes to examine strange conspiracy theories and internet culture. I don't think the show is trying to make fun of people who believe in these things, and it's also not trying to voice support for any of these theories. But by studying these conspiracies, like the idea that we're all part of a Matrix-style simulation and are being used for entertainment, we can draw some conclusions about the anxieties facing certain types of people in the real world. I think this show does a good job of being a spring-board for these kinds of thoughts, even if it doesn't go super in-depth about them.

Because of the potential threat to his life, Sherlock contemplates what will happen to his estate when he dies. He is leaving everything to Joan, but when the two of them look into his accounts, it appears that vast sums have been stolen. Sherlock quickly surmises that the family lawyer is responsible, and gets the funds returned to him in the form of bullion. He decides to donate the bulk of his money, still leaving Joan the remainder of Sherlock's estate.

I love this because it doesn't feel like it's coming out of the blue. Sherlock has always been willing to throw his family name around when it will help him in his work, but he's always been made uncomfortable by the money and the invisible empire that goes along with it. As a second son, I'm sure he also has a complicated relationship with the very concept of inheritance, as all of the money Mycroft would have received from Morland will now go to Sherlock upon Morland's death. Obviously it's sweet that Joan is Sherlock's only individual recipient, although it's difficult to imagine who else he would leave anything to. Maybe Kitty? Regardless, I'm proud of him for giving most of the money away to charity, especially because he does so thoughtfully, considering the charities that Joan supports and acting accordingly.

I think that's all I've got for now. This was a solid, if somewhat unremarkable, episode of Elementary. I enjoyed most of it, but I'm looking forward to some more story-arc content in the coming weeks.

8.5/10