7.09.2018

Television: Elementary, "Sober Companions"

I've been watching, I just haven't had time to write anything up. That's what happens when you're on a deadline for a novel release.

Now, of course, with many weeks between viewing and writing, everything has become very foggy. I guess the point to this episode is/was to create a "true" Moriarty. Which is what they spent the first few episodes of the season building up to. And it works, to a point. Michael is suitably creepy, though I still think it would have been better for viewers not to know before Sherlock did that Michael was a murderer. The writers tried to amend the problem a bit by not drawing out Sherlock's lack of observation—after a brief interview with Michael, Sherlock is suddenly certain Michael is a serial killer. Uh, no s***, Sherlock? Took you long enough.

The episode felt like a capping stone: Sherlock's PCS is more or less gone, and we've discovered that Michael is a baddie. Joan's interest in adoption is something that swims in and out of episodes . . . It's like, when they can't think of a B plot, they shove that in, or Bell's love life, or Gregson's daughter. The show can't decide how much to delve. (Hint: not that much; we don't care enough about these characters for that. Maybe work on getting us to care more? The answer there is not to suddenly give them girlfriends and children, btw. It's to build more rapport between them and the MCs.)

By the end of the episode, Michael is at large in the world, though he promises to be back. I'm sure he will be.

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