Elementary: Up to Heaven and Down to Hell

March 4, 2016 5:34 AM - Season 4, Episode 15

When Watson runs into Greyson and his girlfriend, she accidentally causes problems in their relationship; a woman who willed her considerable estate to a beloved dog is murdered.
posted by oh yeah! (10 comments total)

The ManhattAnt is a real thing!

And thanks for linking to AV Club, where Genevieve Valentine provides information on the episode title:

“Cujus est solum, ejus est usque ad coelum, is the maxim of the law...” - William Blackstone, Commentaries On The Laws of England
...
The Latin phrase after which the episode is named is often truncated in legal description; it appears as Blackstone wrote it down, safely missing the slightly-heretical leanings of et ad inferos. Technically that clause still exists, since the right of the owner to the land beneath them, as far down as it goes, is clearly still granted by this legal concept; it’s implied but somehow rarely stated in official literature. Heaven has to be carefully delineated; hell takes care of itself.

Not their best episode, but not a bad bit of TV.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:49 AM on March 4, 2016

I know it's a little shallow but one of the reasons I watch this show is because Lucy Liu's clothes are always amazing looking.
Like Audrey Hepburn levels of stunning.
posted by fullerine at 12:53 PM on March 4, 2016 [7 favorites]

Agreed :)
posted by filthy light thief at 1:16 PM on March 4, 2016

Does anyone else think there was a moment when Watson suddenly developed a very deep regard for Gregson? Potentially heartfelt love levels of regard?
posted by amtho at 1:27 PM on March 4, 2016

Oh, I LOVE Lucy Liu's clothes, it is definitely part of the joy of the show!
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:18 PM on March 4, 2016 [1 favorite]

Not sure what it was about the scene, but even before the murderer spoke, it was TV aparent who the murderer was. I spent the rest of the show looking for clues as to how it could be the case. The show has lost some of its very tight cases and seems to be following the CBS habit of just solving the case without providing any clues for you. Not their best case.

With that said, I look forward to The Hound of the Baskervilles next week. May they do the modern twist justice.
posted by Nanukthedog at 9:51 PM on March 4, 2016

There was never a doubt captain would do what he did, either, but it was still wrenching to watch his journey.
posted by Mogur at 8:23 AM on March 5, 2016

To this show's credit, I'm always annoyed by "B stories" but I was far more interested in what happened with Greyson's love life than who the murderer was. Not their best case but at this point I could watch the chemistry between Sherlock and Joan all day -- the "steakout" at the beginning especially.

As soon as Sherlock said "I did not make that up" I had to look up the Manhattant, and of course he did not.

The murderer was predictable but the motive was not -- I had a feeling when they showed a picture of the building it would involve stability engineering, but I wasn't sure how.
posted by mmoncur at 1:08 AM on March 7, 2016

OMG Lucy Liu's coat! I think this is the second episode at least where she has worn that coat and I must have it.

I love this show, even when it has a PSA in it like this one did.
posted by biscotti at 5:21 AM on March 7, 2016

i love joan's clothes! and when i try to explain to people how so often this show seems to do things for a female gaze more than a male i use her styling as a point. she's styled as relatable but still aspirational. it's never showy for no reason. audrey hepburn is a good parallel, but maybe a notch more comfortable.

i didn't care a whit about the crime(s) this week, and i thought the step up in both greyson's personal life and joan's affections for him were weird. i would have preferred more breadcrumbs for this resolution sprinkled throughout the season. all the same, i had an absolutely terrible day and the only thing i wanted to do after it was watch elementary and it still has that secret sauce that makes it one of my favorite shows on tv.
posted by nadawi at 7:58 PM on March 9, 2016