Elementary: You've Come a Long Way, Baby

July 13, 2018 3:45 AM - Season 6, Episode 11

Holmes engages an old foe to protect his father, Morland. Holmes and Watson search for a killer connected to the tobacco industry when a lawyer, who was reviewing a major cigarette distributor's finances, is murdered.
posted by carbide (9 comments total)

I'm finally all caught up and bubbling over with excitement to be there, so I'm posting the episode and hoping nobody minds!

I'm baffled that they paired such a convoluted mystery with the Moriarty story - I didn't really see parallels between the two plots that would make sense of it?

It's also strange to see the Moriarty threat loom and retreat, though I'm not sure whether what Sherlock told Morland is true: we know he told Ellory that he'd prefer to kill his father, but whether that's "...so I can take his place" as relayed to Morland or as double-crossing, I wasn't sure. (I was drowsily knitting through it, though.) Dropping the cup in the cafe felt like it had suddenly turned into Person of Interest.
posted by carbide at 3:52 AM on July 13, 2018

What I meant to say was: it's strange to see the Moriarty threat loom and retreat, right after we've had a Sherlock-obsessed serial killer take a hiatus timed to let Sherlock rest up. It's not even mid-season so who knows, but they seem like heavy gestures.
posted by carbide at 4:06 AM on July 13, 2018

I'm pretty sure the Moriarty plot was expressly to explain why we once again won't actually be seeing Moriarty for the foreseeable future, if ever, because the showrunners explained earlier this year that they can't get Natalie Dormer back to play her. Also I'm pretty sure they thought this was going to be the last season, as did most people, before CBS gave it a surprise season 7 renewal while they were still filming season 6. So they felt they needed an explainer episode as to why Sherlock's major nemesis wouldn't be appearing in what was supposed to be the last season. I agree it was oddly placed, but that might explain why.

Sometimes I almost feel regret that Dormer was cast as Moriarty. Don't get me wrong, she's been an amazing Moriarty all the times she's appeared, but since season two they haven't been able to get her back, because her star has been steadily rising, and she always has scheduling conflicts with higher profile projects.
posted by katyggls at 3:56 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

Wait, did you guys get a new episode this week? My DVR didn't record it, and when I looked up the schedule, it looked like they had skipped a week, and this episode is scheduled to air next Monday (July 16), which is why I didn't post anything.

I'm glad the thread at least got posted, but I'm jealous you guys got a new episode this week. I wonder if it's just in the Boston area that it got preempted for some reason.
posted by litera scripta manet at 5:05 PM on July 13, 2018 [1 favorite]

I think it got mostly preempted by the SCOTUS nomination. It'll be rebroadcast this coming Monday.
posted by purpleclover at 5:44 PM on July 13, 2018

katyggls: Thank you, I didn't have the Dormer context, so that makes a ton of sense now. Phew.
posted by carbide at 11:50 PM on July 17, 2018

I was kinda meh on the mystery, except for the return of The Nose.

This season feels very fragmented; like they couldn't decide what the major story arc of it was going to be, so they've ended up trying to play out four stories (Sherlock's ill! Joan's maternal! Creepy-ass Serial killer! Morland vs. Moriarty!) and not really succeeding very well at any of them.

So they felt they needed an explainer episode as to why Sherlock's major nemesis wouldn't be appearing in what was supposed to be the last season.

Hrrm, yeah. But now that they do have another final season, this closing moments of this episode set up a very strong expectation that it'll contain (a) the death of Morland and (b) the resulting climactic Sherlock/Moriarty showdown.

They're going to need a Moriarty before they finish the series. Maybe they should recast.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:30 PM on July 18, 2018

They're going to need a Moriarty before they finish the series. Maybe they should recast.

Master criminals almost always have a use for radical plastic surgery. Then we could have ANYONE. In fact, maybe Moriarity already slipped in one night, killed Joan, and has been masquerading ever since?
posted by ubiquity at 9:51 AM on July 19, 2018

I wonder if it's just in the Boston area that it got preempted for some reason.

I've been watching through a friend's plex and somehow he missed LAST weeks episode so I missed all the dad stuff and was a little confused to see him lizarding all over this episode.

So correct me if I am wrong

- Joan's maternal stuff hasn't been seen in three episodes now
- Sherlock's brother who has definitely faked his own death is now definitely dead
- Moriarty is smart enough to do almost anything but not change her own appearance?
posted by jessamyn at 5:16 PM on July 27, 2018