Friday, March 1, 2013

TV Review: Elementary Episode # 17 - Possibility Two


Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes in CBS Elementary Episode 17 Possibility Two
Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes
Gerald Lydon (Dennis Boutsikaris) is the victim of a medical condition that is genetic in nature. He does not have that in the family and believes that he has been the victim of a deliberate infliction. He tries to hire Holmes to figure out the guilty party.

Holmes refuses to take his case and is bribed with a rare species of bee. Shortly, Lydon is taken into custody for the murder of his driver, Crabtree (Steven Hauck).

The plot thickens with the death of a scientist, Natasha Kademan (Jennifer Lim). Natasha is killed soon after she arranges to meet Holmes to share sensitive information that might help solve the mystery.

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In the customary subplot, Holmes has started mentoring Joan in the skills of detection. He lets her do the deductions on crime scenes and advises her to carry evidence bags all the time.

He also assigns the laundry work to her and keeps the fridge cleaning duties to himself. This is another tactic to hone her observation skills.

In the Canon, Holmes never teaches Watson the methods of deduction. This aspect is unique to Elementary. Unfortunately, this development does not seem to be a good omen for the show. As good it is to see Holmes and Watson in a mentor-student relationship, things seem to be headed in an altogether different direction. Holmes seems jealous of Joan’s intimacy with her college professor.

Lucy Liu as Joan Watson in CBS Elementary Episode 17 Possibility Two
Lucy Liu as Joan Watson
The mystery itself was quite convoluted.

I did enjoy the scenes at the dry cleaning service. They were genuinely funny.

The scene where Holmes texted Gregson and Bell while they were interrogating a suspect, instantly reminded me of the press briefing scene in BBC Sherlock’s “A Study in Scarlet”, where Cumberbatch’s Holmes texts Lestrade and everyone else in the room.

The scene did have one redeeming feature - Holmes quotes Benjamin Franklin: “You may delay, but time will not”.

Jennifer Lim as Natasha Kademan in CBS Elementary Episode 17 Possibility Two
Jennifer Lim as Natasha Kademan

Canonical references

  1. Someone named Musgrave has recommended Gerald Lydon to contact Holmes – Reference to Holmes’ college mate from The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual: “Reginald Musgrave had been in the same college as myself, and I had some slight acquaintance with him.”
  2. Holmes receives a bee as a bribe from a prospective client - In the story His Last Bow, Sherlock mentions he is writing a book on Bee Keeping entitled “Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen”.
  3. Holmes teaching Single stick fighting to Joan - Watson mentions about Holmes in A Study in Scarlet: “Is an expert singlestick player, boxer, and swordsman.” Holmes himself states in The Adventure of the Illustrious Client:  “I’m a bit of a single-stick expert, as you know.”
  4. Holmes is seen speaking Norwegian language – Reference to this line spoken by Holmes in The Adventure of the Empty House: “You may have read of the remarkable explorations of a Norwegian named Sigerson, but I am sure that it never occurred to you that you were receiving news of your friend.”
  5. Holmes is seen listening to a French song (“La Vieille Chanteuse” by Claire Diterzi) – Reference to this line stated by Holmes in The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter: “But, none the less, my turn that way is in my veins, and may have come with my grandmother, who was the sister of Vernet, the French artist.”
Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes smiling in CBS Elementary Episode 17 Possibility Two
Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes
Elementary is proving to be a very average adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I do not find anything outstanding in this show.

The show seems more like a character-driven drama than a show based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories. I am guessing that the show will score very well with audience who are yet to familiarize themselves with the Sherlock Holmes Canon.

I do give credit to the show for the Canonical nods that pop up now and then. Even this aspect of the show is becoming stagnant. The Bee Canonical Nod has been used in a number of episodes and the Single stick has also made a couple of appearances.

It is becoming increasingly tedious to sit through the episodes. That is something that rarely happens with an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes stories.

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Image Source: CBS