Elementary: The Further Adventures (7x01)

We're back! Joan is blonde! Let's get talking.

Cons:

This was a stellar opening episode, but I think anything would feel a little underwhelming after last season's finale. When a show thinks it's going to end, and creates a really satisfactory ending, and then suddenly has to keep going? There's something a bit dissatisfying about the results. The idea that Joan ends last season saying that they're exactly where they need to be, but when we find her here, she's dissatisfied with London... I don't know. It doesn't gel with me. I like the idea of Joan struggling in London. That's fine. But she talks about how she misses her family and friends in New York, and that rings really hollow, since we don't really spend any time with Joan's life outside of Sherlock and her work anyway. The show has always wanted to do more with that, but never quite manages to stick the landing.

Pros:

I like the plethora of cases and mysteries this week. We get little nods to other cases going on, and then the main case has a good number of red herrings and interesting side-avenues going on. I was able to guess that the plastic surgeon had something to do with it, as soon as I realized that the victim hadn't been posting new pictures on social media. I like being able to figure out at least part of the mystery ahead of time, even if this one wasn't exactly the most complex mystery in the world.

Seeing Kitty was a real treat. I honestly can't tell if this was a cameo for the premiere, or if we're going to see her around at all for the rest of the season, but either way, I'm happy. Sherlock buying her son ice cream at ten in the morning was honestly the best thing ever. And Kitty plays the role of emotional interpreter for Joan and Sherlock this episode, clearly deducing that Joan is struggling, and alerting Sherlock to the issue.

That's obviously where the meat of this episode rests for me. Sherlock Holmes loves Joan Watson so much. He'd do anything for her, and he's clearly terrified of losing her. This has been true for a long while, but here we're seeing this really interesting manifestation of their relationship dynamic play out. Sherlock is incredibly observant, so the fact that he didn't notice how unhappy Joan was is a testament to his own willful denial. But once the problem has been spelled out for him, he tries to show Joan, using gestures, how much it means to him that she's there. He'll fix things with their contact at Scotland Yard, who has been snippy with Joan all this time. He'll deal with her hot water issue in 221A. Whatever she needs. Of course, these are just superficial things, symptoms of the fact that Joan is not settling down in London the way Sherlock hoped she would.

That was such a great insight into what's really going on here. The idea that Sherlock wants to stay with Joan is obvious. The idea that he wants her to love London like he does is less obvious, but now we know about this added texture to the drama. Despite the dramatic ending to this episode, I hope that we get a chance to continue exploring Joan's feelings about London and Sherlock throughout the season. It's a rich vein for good character drama.

Back in New York, Bell is getting ready to move on from the precinct as a sergeant, but first he encourages Gregson to reach out to Sherlock and Joan and make things right between them. Bell has figured out the truth about Hannah. As the episode ends, Sherlock receives a call from Gregson, but it's actually Bell on the other end, telling them that Gregson has been shot and is in critical condition.

I love it when men talk about their feelings. It's so nice to see Gregson and Bell sharing this bond. Gregson freely admits how much he'll miss Bell, and Bell is loyal enough to keep a terrible secret to protect his friends. I love the idea of Bell trying to help Gregson patch up his important relationships in this way.

And that ending... oh no! Bell's voice was so weak and choked when he told Sherlock on the phone what was going on. I can't wait to see where things go from here. I'm definitely hooked.

That's all I've got! This season of Elementary feels like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. I didn't feel like it was necessary, but I'm so glad we have it all the same!

9/10