Elementary: Unfriended (7x11)

I was not at all surprised that this happened, but it still punched me in the gut.

Cons:

This is something I mention periodically, but the script for this show sometimes leaves something to be desired, when it comes to exposition. There are several clunky moments in this episode. For example, Sherlock explains what's going on to Gregson, with Reichenbach, and why he got shot, all of that. Gregson then summarizes it back, as if to remind the audience succinctly of the bad guy's plan and why we don't like him. There's no subtlety there. There's also some back-fill, with Sherlock recognizing a company name that has never been mentioned before on the show. Hints could have been built into earlier episodes, you would think, especially since this clue ends up being so integral to figuring out what Reichenbach is up to.

Pros:

That's a nitpick. This episode was pretty great, and it set up the next two weeks, the final two episodes, pretty brilliantly. There's no case-of-the-week, just the season's A-plot getting room to breathe and develop, which I thought was so smart. Basically, Morland Holmes is in town, ready to help Sherlock make a move against his foe. Morland makes a move by working with his other business contacts to try and oust Odin from his own company. At first it appears to be working, but then Odin makes a move on Morland's associates, and Morland is killed.

That's basically the whole plot - just Sherlock and Joan making a play, almost succeeding, and then Odin countering it and coming out with a big win. It was simple, but involved Sherlock and Joan both crossing some lines (kidnapping one of Odin's recruited assassins), using NYPD resources without explaining why (getting the list of people murdered around the dates of suspected hits), and even a tense one-on-one confrontation between Sherlock and Odin about Morland's involvement. I was truly on the edge of my seat through all of this, even though I knew from the moment I saw Morland would be in this episode, that he was probably going to be killed off. What a perfect way to raise the stakes - killing off Sherlock's father, with whom he had an extremely complicated relationship!

Let's talk about Morland for a moment. This is the kind of character that I just adore, because he's a bad guy but he's got this utter soft spot for his son. What he's doing, in moving against Odin in this way, is undeniably risky, and Morland clearly knows that. But Sherlock asked him for his help. That's kind of monumental. Sure, Sherlock will leverage the power of his name and family to get what he needs sometimes, but an offer of ally-ship is much less common. And as Morland says, he always comes when called. Then, his final moments. He accepts with dignity that he's played his hand, and there's no wiggling his way out of what is about to happen to him. He doesn't beg for his life, or try and cut a deal. He just says - "what's going to happen to my son?" his last thoughts are of Sherlock. I am all sorts of emotional about this. Sherlock has never liked his father. He has even despised him for large portions of his life. But his reaction, upon learning that he is now without a father, was truly heartrending. This poor guy does not deserve more heartbreak at this point. I can't wait to see how this motivates him to act in the final two episodes.

On a somewhat lighter note, I really enjoyed the scenes where Sherlock, and then Joan, talked to the elementary school teacher who had turned into a recruit of Odin Reichenbach. They didn't exactly do bad cop/good cop, but merely came at her from slightly different angles. The actress playing this woman did such a good job of displaying the dismay and remorse she felt, but also the burning anger and fear she has been carrying with her ever since her school fell prey to a shooting. That anger is understandable, and comes from a real, personal place. It gives a much more personal and intense aspect to Odin Reichenbach's terrible evil. His detached methods of saving lives are obviously sickening to us, but this woman was manipulated because of the horrors of her life. We all want to believe that wouldn't happen to us, but can we really say?

I really liked it when the teacher was being all salty with Sherlock about his big discovery, and Sherlock took the time to correct her and give Joan credit for the breakthrough. He actually did that a couple of times, giving compliments to Joan when it was totally superfluous. That was cute. The sadder side of the coin came at the very end, when Sherlock came home to find Marcus and Joan waiting for him. Marcus explains that a body was found, and when it starts to dawn on Sherlock what happened, he looks to Joan for confirmation and support. It's her slight shake of the head that seems to make him accept the reality of it. Their trust and love for one another is so precious.

I'm going to miss the heck out of this show in a couple of weeks, but I'm so glad they appear to be going out on a somewhat strong note. There are so many things about this season that don't quite work the way I wanted them to - I was still hoping they were going to return to London at some point, for example - but for what we were given, I'm pretty pleased.

9/10