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Elementary Season 1 Episode 5

Lesser Evils

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AIRED: Nov 01, 2012

8.5

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Episode Summary

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Sherlock searches for an angel of death after coming across a series of murders during his research in a hospital morgue. Sherlock finds out more about why Watson left her surgical career.

Fan Episode Reviews (9)

Sublime again!

10

By amazing_race, Mar 03, 2013

This episode featured another really interesting case! I loved how it all started up. That was very intriguing. And I loved the little twist at the end with the girl who was the 8th (?) victim. It was definitely very well written and very intriguing to watch.

Great character development for Watson as well. Nice to see her back in her element but I wonder if she will go back into the medical field? Even in some small capacity...

Anyway, the case was brilliant! I loved it a lot, and I can't wait for more!moreless
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Another solid episode of "Elementary"....

8.5

By uk6strings, Nov 07, 2012

.... "Lesser Evils" continues the streak of quality, entertaining episodes from this revisionist Sherlock Holmes series. In this episode, Holmes and Watson are on the trail of an angel of death, someone who murdered patients they felt were in too much pain to go on living, lurking through the halls of a New York hospital. The mystery itself is enjoyable although more on the predictable side than other episodes of the series (not helped by the recognizable guest stars) but what really makes this episode interesting is the greater exposition of Watson and the further development of the Holmes/Watson dynamic. I really enjoy how the series is taking its time to create a relationship between the two characters in a believable fashion, rather than build it up prematurely. Also, the nods to Arthur Conan Doyle are beginning to trickle in and I hope to see more!moreless
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Pretty Good but

8.0

By Mike_Schmidt, Nov 06, 2012

I was going to give the program a big thumbs up because... acting is good, script good, directing good and so on and so forth - great charcater development for Watson and so on and so forth but...

I was reading thru some of the other views below and I felt that "Stanking" makes a good point... it is becoming very common now that, in many series, as soon as you see certain charcater actors (and many of them very good actors) you just know they are guilty!

If they have a taling part or hide in the background you just think... uh oh... somethings up... and in this particular episode there were two such actors!

With the amount of great talent around I hope that the casting team willbe a bit more adventurous and choose some lesser known actors, give them and us a break, and put them into small but vital roles.moreless
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Holmes investigates a series of murders at a local hospital and discovers that an "Angel of Death" is at large.

8.5

By meathead704, Nov 05, 2012

Quite a few of CBS's popular shows, "CSI", Survivor", "Vegas", have aired their best episodes of the season to date in the same week. "Elementary" can be added to that list. "Lesser Evils" is a great episode. The best of the series so far. Both Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu are excellent here. If you had any doubts about their casting they were certainly erased with this episode. I normally am not a person who likes dwelling into the pasts of characters but hearing more about why Dr. Watson decided to stop practicing medicine works well here. Sometimes those backstories take away from the overall enjoyment of an episode. That's not the case here. What also makes this episode work so well is the twist at the end once the Angel of Death is discovered. I certainly did not see that coming. When "Elementary" was announced a co-worker of mine who is a fan of the original British series "Sherlock" told me that he doubted this series would be any good. I think it's safe to say that he is wrong.moreless
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Lesser Evils

10

By TrueTvWatcher, Nov 05, 2012

Lesser Evils was a brilliant episode of Elementary! I really enjoyed watching because the story was one of the best so far with lots of significant character development for Watson. It was intriguing to learn more of her history. Sherlock hunts for a Angel of Death at a hospital and it was fun watching him investigate and question suspects. Watson had some great scenes with a former good friend and colleague which added to her depth, especially as she tried to save a young girls life. I liked how every thing played out and look forward to watching what happens next!!!!!!!!!moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Jonny Lee Miller	Sherlock Holmes
Lucy Liu	Dr. Joan Watson
Aidan Quinn	Captain Tobias Gregson
Jon Michael Hill	Detective Marcus Bell

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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David Harbour	Dr. Baldwin	Guest Star
David Costabile	Danilo Gura (Janitor)	Guest Star
Anika Noni Rose	Dr. Carrie Dwyer	Guest Star

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Episode Photos

Jonny Lee Miller in Elementary from "Les...

© 2012 CBS Broadcasting
Lucy Liu in Elementary from "Lesser Evils"

© 2012 CBS Broadcasting
Lucy Liu in Elementary from "Lesser Evils"

© 2012 CBS Broadcasting
Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller in Element...

© 2012 CBS Broadcasting

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- When Holmes confronts Dr. Baldwin, he shows him the copy Danilo Gura took with his cell phone of Samantha Cropsey's final pathologic diagnosis with Baldwin's signature. The QR code in the photo contains contact info for Kelly Goto of gotomedia LLC, rather than that of the patient on the document. Kelly Goto is a principal and design ethnographer of gotomedia LLC who developed a fresh look and feel for the design palette of the CBScorp website. The QR code is readable with a smartphone while watching the episode in HD.
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QUOTES (1)
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- (after Watson saved Carrie's patient's life by anonymously requesting a TEE test)
  Watson: Remember on our vascular rotation, how the chief resident always used to say, "better lucky than good"? Sounds to me like you were lucky.
  Carrie: Yeah, I guess I was.
  Watson: I know what it's like not to be lucky. It turned my life upside-down.
  Carrie: You were always a good friend, Joanie, but you were a better doctor.
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NOTES (3)
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- Featured Music:
  "Travelin' On" by Norah Jones (end scenes)
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- Special billing was given to Aidan Quinn (and) and Anika Noni Rose (and) for this episode.
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Canada: November 1, 2012 on Global
  United Kingdom: November 20, 2012 on Sky Living
  Czech Republic: December 11, 2012 on AXN
  Germany: February 7, 2013 on Sat.1
  Belgium: February 17, 2013 on VIER
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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