Elementary: Rip Off

November 29, 2014 4:52 AM - Season 3, Episode 5

The owner of a small postal store is murdered -- and a connection to the illegal diamond trade is revealed; Captain Gregson hits a fellow officer, putting his career at risk.
posted by oh yeah! (8 comments total)

It's interesting, because it doesn't feel like Gregson was ever really in trouble. Maybe he will in future episodes? A.V. Club noted that we saw more of the Captain, but the slice of Gregson as a concerned father was pretty limited. Maybe we'll see more of his daughter, Hannah Gregson?

The episode seemed like more of a way for Kitty to grow as a character, discussing her past experiences, and how she could help others learn from what she went through. I was also happy she was the one to see through Amit Hattengatti's subterfuge, while Sherlock was still stuck on the surface story.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:45 AM on November 29, 2014

I felt a little disloyal, enjoying a Watson-free episode. But this was the first episode where Kitty seemed to fit into the story as her own character, instead of just being Not-Joan. Also, I didn't realize how much I was missing the S1 & 2 Holmes+Watson dynamic -- I assume the writers are building towards the partnership resuming, but it was kind of a relief have an episode without the strained/distant thing they've got going on now.
posted by oh yeah! at 1:03 PM on November 29, 2014

i dont really feel good about kitty yet. i feel like she still is Not-Joan. The hinting that she did.... something to that bad cop would be interesting. But mostly she only filled in obvious conversation reflections for Sherlock.

I hope that this isn't the last we see of Watson's book, because I love how it brings up the idea that perhaps it would not be good to publish the methods of the worlds best detective.

I do love that sherlock was wrong about how the hand was removed in the beginning, but I feel like it was a little convenient that he could be wrong, but still find the body at the impound lot. Makes you wonder: How often is he right, and how often is he just lucky?
posted by rebent at 1:53 PM on November 29, 2014 [1 favorite]

I do love that sherlock was wrong about how the hand was removed in the beginning, but I feel like it was a little convenient that he could be wrong, but still find the body at the impound lot.

Sure but Sherlock's reasoning on how the hand was severed wasn't his justification for where the body wound up, it was the other way around. He determined that there had been an illegally-parked car there from the street cleaning tracks, and then reasoned that the car had been towed. That's how he got to the body in the tow lot. The tow truck lopping off the hand was just the most fitting explanation given the story to that point.

I'm liking Kitty's increased agency. I wonder what'll happen when she gets fed up with Sherlock.
posted by carsonb at 8:56 AM on November 30, 2014

I just can't wrap my head around the idea that Kitty could say something so convincing to push an officer (willing to beat another cop) off the force.
posted by Julnyes at 12:02 PM on December 3, 2014

Also I liked that Clyde the Tortoise appears to hate Kitty.
posted by Julnyes at 12:08 PM on December 3, 2014 [2 favorites]

I nearly didn't catch it, but near the end of the episode Sherlock is the one feeding Clyde and you hear the bell ring several times.
posted by carsonb at 1:06 PM on December 3, 2014

yes but you will also notice that sherlock is not hooked up to the shock wires. Probably this functions as an SD for pushing the shock lever, giving clyde little choice but to ring the bell.
posted by rebent at 7:33 AM on December 4, 2014