Elementary: Alma Matters

January 29, 2016 8:15 PM - Season 4, Episode 10

Holmes and Watson learn that Morland has been keeping a secret that puts their safety at risk; two murders are connected to a for-profit college that utilizes illegal recruitment practices.
posted by oh yeah! (9 comments total)

If this were in the 1980s, or styled more after murder mysteries of the era, this would have been titled Alma Murder (lo and behold, that's the title of an episode of Murder, She Wrote).

Decent murder of the week with an interesting twist on the details that tied things together in the last 10 minutes or so, but the best lines (said and unsaid) were from the interactions between Morland and Sherlock --

"Oh. And if you have any lingering doubts, here's how you can be certain I'm not the one who tried to kill you.

You're alive."
posted by filthy light thief at 9:38 PM on January 29, 2016 [3 favorites]

My favorite part of this episode:
"Were you in a fight or having sex?"
"The two aren't mutually exclusive."
posted by Roger Pittman at 3:39 AM on January 30, 2016 [4 favorites]

The episode felt very uneven to me. I had loved how chilling Morland was when he threatened Interpol dude, so finding out it was a bluff was kind of disappointing. And the murder-of-the-week B-plot suffered from the 'most-famous-guest-star did it' syndrome, which would be fine, but it felt like it got solved off-camera and we just got to see the gloat.

The AV Club recap pointed out that Joan should have been more involved/emotionally invested in the murders, since her biological father is a possibly-homeless schizophrenic (which I must admit I've completely forgotten about. I wish this series was on Netflix, I really want to go back and binge rewatch someday).

I did like this reveal that Morland suspected Sherlock of being behind the murder attempt, didn't see it coming at all.
posted by oh yeah! at 5:48 AM on January 30, 2016 [1 favorite]

I did like this reveal that Morland suspected Sherlock of being behind the murder attempt, didn't see it coming at all.

Given Sherlock's distaste for him, now you know the reason...
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 9:59 AM on January 30, 2016

Does anyone else think that Morland is (STILL) deliberately manipulating the situation? Why invite Joan to a dinner he could not enjoy except to show her he couldn't enjoy it? I may not think that Morland is smarter than his son, but he is clearly a master of withholding information, and I really think he could have avoided giving the scent to Sherlock and Joan had that been his aim. I can only conclude that Morland wants Sherlock to be looking for his enemy (or for someone he has made, or will make, Sherlock think is his enemy), and does not feel that Sherlock would have cooperated had he simply asked.

I feel this must also be a part of the dynamic between Morland and Sherlock. Clearly Morland is a manipulator, and Sherlock resents it, but I think if Morland had been an ineffective manipulator, Sherlock would have laughed it off. But if Morland has consistently manipulated Sherlock in the past, and gotten away with it, then Sherlock's attitude towards him makes perfect sense.
posted by ubiquity at 3:08 PM on January 30, 2016 [4 favorites]

ubiquity - I'm with you.
posted by amtho at 6:10 PM on January 30, 2016

but the best lines (said and unsaid) were from the interactions between Morland and Sherlock

"I didn't do it, but if I'd done it, I betcha I would've done it competently!"
posted by nicebookrack at 4:08 PM on February 1, 2016

Also liked the bit at the end, where Sherlock assures his father that he will investigate the murder out of pure self-interest, not because he has any feelings for his father whatsoever. Nope. Nosiree.
posted by Mogur at 9:10 AM on February 2, 2016

i <3 john noble
posted by nadawi at 9:34 PM on February 12, 2016