Elementary "M." Review: Now We're Getting Somewhere!
Elementary S01E12: "M."
At first I thought last night’s episode of Elementary was going to go a little off-book and center on a chubby business man’s unorthodox workouts as overseen by his stern physical trainer, but it turned out the show was about to slap us with the most intense episode of the series so far, at last dropping on us Sherlock’s beloved arch-nemesis Moriarty, if only by proxy.
Moriarty in Doyle’s series—notice I do not say Sir Doyle, because I live in mothaf*ckin’ America where we don’t let our rich folks call themselves fancy titles like their own private 24-7 Ren Faire, I won’t be bobbing a curtsey to any of that shit, ladies, princesses, whatever, unless y’all willing to address me by my Dungeons and Dragons character name, Majesto—Moriarty was a criminal mastermind staying above reproach while orchestrating a “vast and subtle” criminal ring. So at first I thought, okay, here’s a nice little twist, they went entirely Lock Stock N’ Two Smokin’ Barrels An’ All That on Moriarty. Of course, we would find—once he was strung up on some scaffolding like a leather-clad passion play—that the big charismatic brawler was merely a pawn, with Moriarty as a big bad boss we haven’t met yet. Wise decision! Actually suspenseful long-form arc that has nothing to do with sobriety, at long last!
And Jonny Lee Miller was so fantastic this episode. His voice was a little rough in the opening scenes (cold perhaps?), but his acting in the torture sequence and throughout a very demanding script was frankly masterful. So much sensitivity in his portrayal of an inner moral debate that wasn’t necessarily on the page, and he also brought so much heart to talking about Irene—a sort of trite justification for revenge, but I’ll buy it when JLM’s selling.
Lucy Liu matched him in her own restrained way: Watson, as usual, out-sleuthed Sherlock, coming up with small details and sussing out Sherlock’s security system and abbreviated crime spree. Her emotional moment when she admitted she loved the work, and his reply, gave me chills. Finally our two acting greats are being given a thorough obstacle course to display their skills! (Although obviously it annoyed me to no end that she was sent packing on a therapist appointment early on... but they explained he had to get her out of the way to avoid her connecting Irene with ‘M’ satisfactorily, so I’ll give it a pass.)
Here’s my theory: I am hoping Irene Adler’s death was faked so Moriarty could use her criminal wiles in some larger scheme. I just can’t believe they would kill off what could be such a useful character, and making her death responsible for his dependency would put her directly across Watson as a foil and opponent if she came back to life/the States.
Also it did occur to me that for an American take on Sherlock it's funny how all the major events have already happened in London and all the major characters are based in London. Not a complaint, I was basking in the different sorts of English accent last night, but it's funny how it seemingly never crossed the creator’s minds to do an American counterpart of Sherlock. No, he just got on a plane and came here, his whole mythos is entirely British. It works and all, but I do think it’s very telling of how we identify heroes in the States.
I also was sort of appalled that Sherlock stabbed him. I know it was a non-fatal situation and it was good TV but A) I don’t buy that the brawler would almost instantly forgive him and conspire to cover up his assault on the promise that he would go after Moriarty and B) Sherlock is a thinker, not a gut-popper! Because JLM is JLM he made it work, and the wound being non-fatal kept it consistent with character, but still, let’s try and shy away from any more Robert Downey Jr.-esque “deduction in the throes of physical contest” = superpowers.
In sum, this episode was genuinely engrossing, laid down a promising foundation for the rest of the series, and at long last proved to us that Watson wants to be here. I am genuinely excited about the next episode! How did you feel about it?
QUESTIONS:
1. Who claims the Coca-Cola?
2. Do you think it's realistic that the brawler would ‘forgive’ Sherlock for stabbing him?
3. How long until Sherlock finds out Watson is volunteering her services?
4. Irene Adler: What are the odds she’s alive?
A real writer would have left that nonsense out.
Either way, it makes for better television than uncovering Russian spies and catching teen killers.
Besides, he's been a soldier, he's clearly no stranger to pain, he's killed people in quite nasty ways - a quick, non-fatal stab is probably something he'd shrug off, philosophically accepting it as the price of doing business.
Also: "Arsenal fan. As if I didn't have enough reason to despise you". Instant classic.
MORIARTY! :O
I think they ought to get Hugh Laurie to play Moriarty. It's not like he's doing anything nowadays... :-)
3. I imagine it wouldn't be long at all. The fact of the matter is they've reached this brilliant and beautiful part in their relationship where it doesn't really matter. He wants her around. She wants to be around. Neither of them are willing to fully admit that on some level but both of them known and accept it. When he does find out he probably won't even mention it, until some intense moment where he flippantly makes it know.
4. I'd imagine she is. As it was said, she's too pivotal of a character to not be alive.
I suppose we did have our American version of Sherlock in House. Even then, he was an American played by a Brit. LOL! I found that interesting too.
This episode was definitely the best one of the season so far! I love the point in their relationship, Watson and Sherlock are at. They have a great chemistry and I love how we've seen it progress and grow, but it was at it's best in this episode, more in your face. You could sense this inexplicably bond and fondness they have for one another that even they don't really understand and it truly felt like from this point forward we have them as partners. I love especially that Watson is finally carrying her weight as far as deducing etc, w/o Holmes being dumbed down in the process. Love it.There was this darkness and intensity to the episode that I thoroughly enjoyed. It also went very well with POI coming in before that.
as to the brawler forgiving him, He declared himself as an assassin. Being screwed by Moriarty, the "forgiveness" is more like what he wants more. To see Holmes in jail for the stab, or keep the guy who has the best chance of getting Moriarty in play.
Blood = Body is the cliche for TV shows that want to have someone's death faked, (The old 'if theres enough blood, you dont need a body - so stockpile your blood and spill it all at once, trick), although I do like that the writers never even mentioned that her body was one of the ones that didn't wash up (which will be noted lately).
I can only hope that Sherlock realises soon that she is still alive, because nothing is worse that a twist that the audience can see miles away but the genius main character is stumped by (See: Dexter Season 6...)
... yes, this was a pretty great episode. I like the slight twist with M and Moriarty being different people. Seeing the title of the episode, I'm sure many thought M would be for Moriarty... then we see Vinnie Jones as M and I can picture some people reacting like "WTF?!" So, uh, good decision to make him Moriarty's play-toy.
As for Adler... I keep thinking she's alive... but I'm actually siding on the side that believes she's really dead. My reasoning? Adler being alive almost seems too obvious a plot-twist that it'd be better if it was twist-less and she was really dead. Elementary hasn't exactly shown GREAT writing, but I do think it's trying to do something a little different.
I can understand why you'd think Irene Adler is still alive. That crazy method for killing and leaving nothing behind but blood added to the fact that only about half of the bodies were recovered makes it easy enough to fake someone's death in the middle of a spree. Just bag 10-12 pints over time and keep it in cold storage.
While it is clearly NO Sherlock it seems that the series can stand on its own with its own interpretation. And of course its roots would be in the UK, nobody would like an Amercan that cocky and arrogant.
When he did his screen test, he was so good they thought he WAS American!
Also, Moritarty is a character that should be as smart if not smarter than Sherlock himself, pushing him beyond his limits. Also, Moriarty should be the type not as easily tracked down like Sebastian was here.
As for who Moriarty is, I would rather him be someone separate from other characters. I like Chiwetel Ejiofor, who played the Operative in Serenity. Now if they go with him being another character, maybe Mycroft Holmes, Sherlocks brother.
Irene is most likely dead but it is possible that she faked her death and is either working for Moriarty or is in captivity. She could have faked her death by periodically having her blood drawn and saved and then simply planting the amount needed to make the police believe she was drained and killed.
I don't think that Sebastian actually forgives Sherlock, but he does respect him. Sherlock did what no one else could, he caught him. He killed 36 people and outsmarted police on two continents, and suddenly someone gets the drop on him, he was impressed. He has also been betrayed and sold out by Moriarty. His payback for that betrayal is actually quite simple, Sherlock. Sebsastian knows that he can't take on Moriarty but he thinks Holmes can. Sebastian may be going to jail, but he has seen to it that Moriarty now has to deal with someone who Sebastian truly believes is smart enough to go toe to toe with Moriarty, the one man most likely to take him down.
Sherlock: Me. BATON *wham*
Boom! If I didn't already love JLM, that pretty much sealed the deal. Not the violence part of it, just that he whipped that dandy out when I least expected it. Well played episode the whole way around.
Not all major characters are British. You forget that Watson is an Asian American woman. Alternatively Irene Adler is suppose to be originally American but in the show, she is implied British. So I wouldn't go on and say 'all' major characters are British.
Although I don't think this is the type of show that does flashback, its actually good that there is a bit back story or history in London. I can't wait until they reveal more of it.
I'm glad that Sherlock is British. Watch The Mentalist if you want an American Sherlock.
Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way...
I too wonder if we'll somehow find that Irene's murder was faked, but it would require some doing and Irene's collaboration. It's posible that Irene's body was never found, as was the case with several of M's victim's, but there would have at least been enough blood found to attribute her death to M. There's just no way that would have been possible unless Irene helped by supplying her blood ahead of time. We'll see though.
I actually thought M would target Joan, and we would see Sherlock's concern for her, along of the lines of the ones displayed for Watson when he was shot in "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs." I guess it was a bit too soon to blow that load though.
I'm very excited to see what they do next. This almost felt like a season finale though, so I was glad to find that we have another 12 episodes to go.
Slim to none, the show is setting up Watson as the woman in Sherlock's life so there's no need for, yet another, brilliant woman for Sherlock to develop a case of mutual admiration with. He already is vulnerable towards Joan, in a similar vein as the character used to be vulnerable to Adler in movies/books. which means the dynamic is covered and Irene is most certainly dead IMO.
"How long until Sherlock finds out Watson is volunteering her services?"
As soon as he catches her looking for a part-time job to cover her expenses, would be my guess.
Sherlock was rambling instead of adding something to the plot like he usually does on this show. Watson discoverd something Sherlock couldn't deduct, but it had no influence whatsoever. And then the murder... The blood pool and the tripod thing was ridiculous. How the hell are you removing a body and a tripod from a blood pool which by the looks of it spread wider than the tripods legs without disturbing it? Also not making an immediate connection with the murderer following him from London...weak at best. Also the fact that Sherlock did not know this man was just a proxy..weak. Leaving clues for Watson to find him after his brilliant abduction scheme...weak. Watson staying on for free and not telling...weak. Also Sherlock gathering his torture kit was just ridiculous...an icepick from bookshelf a, an pair of pliers from bookshel b, a drill from dresser c COME ON!! These are things everybody keeps in a toolbox there's nothing so special about them you should keep them in hidden caches...WEAK! I'm going to torture you and I brought my bees, but maybe you're allergic so I'm not going to do that..bring an epi pen Sherlock...WEAK!!
And that's my growing annoyance with this show... They are jumping through hoops making Sherlock seem special while all they are able to accomplish is portraying him as a very rude yet smart anoying addict who just blurts random facts and shows off the obvious when there is no reason for it.
I also find Watson's loyalty to Sherlock unbelievable. It's just not natural unless Watson is a full on masochist (in which case they would get along splenditly in the kinky sex department) who likes to be insulted and getting nothing in return..
Wait 'till blood stops dripping and simply tilt the tripod back a little and "walk" it away, complete with body.
When clear of the blood pool, remove body from tripod and tidy up.
Addler's alive I wouldn't be surprised if Addler is actually M.
Anyway, I liked Sherlock getting dark and intense, and I like when he and Watson clash a bit, as long as neither one of them get too stupid about it. I hope for the show's sake that Sherlock knew she was lying about his father employing her. Since Sherlock wants her around and he knows that she enjoys him and his cases, I'll assume he doesn't mind the why. The question is how long he'll let her twist, e.g. work for free.
As for Sherlock stabbing the hitman, that didn't bother me at all. Moran's a pro, and Moriarty sold him out to take the rap for the 30+ murders Moriarty orchestrated. As the stabbing didn't hit any vital organs (Sherlock's now a ninja / samurai in addition to his many skills), it was pretty much a flesh wound to free Sherlock up to take Moriarty down. From what Moran knows of them both, Sherlock's the only guy with a chance of getting revenge for him, not to mention that Sherlock had just spared his life.
Yeah, there's no way Irene's dead. She's potentially too good and too interesting a character to throw her away before the show even started. The mind games, the sexual tension, and the love / hate....Watson may have found her match!
And I guess Sherlock will somehow fit in there, too. I like this show. I'm glad I stuck with it.
I am not impressed with this choice.
Oh, and does anyone believe for a minute than Irene Adler is actually dead?
But yeah, at the time they introduced the actor-friend I thought it was odd that for such a good actor they gave him such a small part. He had no backstory, other than him saying he's known Sherlock for while, and he is sometimes used by him. He also said that Sherlock didn't have friends, in the traditional sense of the word. Basically, if we never see him again, the writers wasted a great actor on a very hollow character.
2. Actually, I do think it's realistic. The brawler is presumably a psychopath, and therefore cares all about himself. It makes sense then, that what angers him most is that he was betrayed, and that he would want vengeance to be exacted. Also, it seems that the brawler has a strange code of ethics about himself, in that he isn't a liar, torturer and murderer that he may be. This is true of many psychopaths, so it makes sense that its important to him that Sherlock understand that he didn't kill Irene Adler. I also think that the brawler sees hanging out in prison as a smart move, as that way he will hopefully be protected from Moriarty, additional crimes cannot be pinned on him, and he'll be able to arrange a deal for assisting in the capture of Moriarty. So yeah, it makes a lot of sense from his standpoint.
3. I really hope they don't make this one of those annoying "what will he do when he finds out arcs," where their relationship is going great, but then Sherlock finds out Watson has been lying to him so he's not happy with her. Honestly, it's hard to say when he'll figure it out, since he's pretty shaken up right now and all of his deductive skills are focused on Moriarty. Still, he could figure it out in the next episode. I'm more interested in what his reaction will be when he learns the truth. As I indicated earlier, the usual TV answer is to make an issue of it and have such dishonesty drive a wedge between the two characters. However, I think that Sherlock would realistically appreciate the fact that Watson wants to be with him and work with him even though she isn't getting paid.
4. Considering this is a TV show based on a very popular franchise, I'm going to say that the chances are good she's alive. Realistically, I find it hard to believe that Sherlock wouldn't have established beyond any doubt that she was dead, before he started mourning her so much. But as I said, Irene Adler is a very popular character, so the writers would be smart to at least have flashbacks, though having her still be alive is far more preferable. It's even possible that she faked her own death. The more likely answer is that Moriarty has imprisoned her all these years, and will use her in a twisted game with Sherlock.
I'm really glad that Elementary has stepped up its game and shown that its ready to create a serious arc, and one about crime this time. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they're reveal Moriarty. Maybe she'll even be a woman. Crazy thought.
That being said I liked Vinnie Jones in this episode by far his best acting to date - kudos to his acting coach.
Irene in the original source was smart and outsmarted Sherlock.
not much else to back up this idea.