Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Elementary - Worth Several Cities


Made an offer he can't refuse from a local gangster (Castle's Jon Huertas), Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) is hired to find the person responsible for killing three members of his crew and the dock worker who (before someone put a bullet in his head) got the gang's merchandise through customs. What he will discover will lead the detective and Watson (LucyLiu) on a chase of one of the most sought-after missing relics in history which both individuals and countries will spend millions to obtain.

Although the method by which Holmes is hired is different than how he normally is brought on-board a case by the NYPD, and the fact that the prize which everyone is seeking is nearly priceless, the mystery itself is rather straightforward. Once again Holmes relies on the help of the hacker community Everyone to do some legwork in the case. While the introduction of the collective has provided some strong moments over the series run, in cases like this it begins to feel like a crutch for both the show and detective. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original detective used a variety of sources in the pursuit of justice and I'd like to see the show get back to introducing a few more odd recurring characters rather than simply relying on the faceless community.

The episode's B-story continues Joan's involvement with one of her former patients, an ex-con (Nelsan Ellis) trying to put his life back together. Searching for the convict's family turns out to have more of a hopeful and responsible message than the dark turn I was expecting. I'll be curious to see whether or not this storyline will continue over more episodes or if the show moves on to other subplots.

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