After a solid episode last week that gave Joan Watson some of her most interesting material this season, Elementary returns with a more Sherlock-centric episode that, barring his interactions with his brother and nemesis, stands out as one of this year’s highlights for the character.
The biggest strength of Elementary as a series is perhaps how well it draws on the relationships of its characters or else how it delves into their individual lives. Even if some episodes have crime plots that are a bit lacking, Sherlock and Joan can almost always elevate the material to make an episode stand out in a way it otherwise wouldn’t have.
Continuing with the previous Elementary episode’s concerns of challenging Sherlock and Joan’s methods of catching bad guys, “Tremors” raises the philosophical and emotional stakes much higher by having Detective Bell get caught in the crossfire.
Part of the virtue of Elementary’s 24-episode season structure is that there is no pressure to dump on character development every week. Like a sitcom that tacks on its short, sweet heartwarming moments late in the third act, Elementary shifts its narrative camera from the weekly crime plot to remind us that Holmes and Watson are real people dealing with personal conflict. Occasionally, that conflict will take center stage, but more often than not – and in the case of “Poison Pen” – it is painted in light strokes on the episode’s much larger canvas.
Elementary, Season 1, Episode 22: “Risk Management” Directed by Liz Friedman Written by Liz Friedman and Robert Doherty Airs Thursdays at 10pm (ET) on CBS The penultimate episode of any television series always has a certain promise of anticipation as to what will happen. Elementary is no exception, and with this episode directly following on …
Elementary Season 1, Episode 20: “Dead Man’s Switch” Directed by Larry Teng Written by Christopher Silber and Liz Friedman Airs Thursdays at 10pm (ET) on CBS After yet another extended break from our screens, Elementary returns and the good news is that it will remain in its weekly slot until the epic two-hour season finale …
Elementary, Season 1, Episode 11: “Dirty Laundry” Directed by John Coles Written by Liz Friedman and Jonathan Silber Airs Thursdays at 10pm (ET) on CBS. Starring Jonny Lee Miller (Sherlock Holmes), Lucy Liu (Joan Watson), Aidan Quinn (Captain Gregson), Jon Michael Hill (Detective Bell). Guest starring Melissa Farman (Carly Purcell), Mark Moses (Oliver Purcell) and …
Elementary, Season 1, Episode 5: “Lesser Evils” Directed by Colin Bucksey Written by Liz Friedman Airs Thursdays at 10pm (ET) on CBS. It has been over a month since Elementary premiered and over the last couple of episodes, the series has developed quite nicely, going from strength to strength and not overindulging in the direct …