#elementary 2x23

As an addition to my last post about romantic text and subtext in BBC Johnlock vs. Elementary Joanlock

The situation above draws a comparison between Mycroft working for MI6 and Sherlock who starts working for MI6. This scene also includes the line “take her (Joan) into my bed” spoken by Sherlock.

Taking all shipper feeling aside this sentence is mainly about the fact that Mycroft had sex with Joan and Sherlock tends to make angry and sarcastic comments about that. Nevertheless, the authors also could have not take that line in. The scene would also have worked without it. The left it in anyway. Why? Because it is in character. But I think it has two other reasons:

1) they trust their viewers to not be 100% heteronormativ and to understand that a line like this can be spoken between two people of the opposite gender who are so close like Joan and Sherlock, without implying romantic and sexual feelings for eachother

2) On the other hand, this show loves the feed the shipper. In elementary shipping is never a main topic but also nothing shameful. You ship Joan and Sherlock. Here have all this romantic coded scenes. You ship Joan and Mycroft? Irene/Moriaty and Sherlock? Canon on screen moments for you. Sherlock and Marcus? Cool. Have a scene were Marcus asks if he will be the next one to kiss Sherlock. Marcus/Sherlock/Joan. Aboslutly. Why not? Have OT3 on a case and mutual love and caring for eachother.

This show understood perfectly how you can feed the shippers without baiting them. And how to play around with the heteronormativ expectations of the viewers.

I maintain...a dossier of interesting facts. (Moriarty, 2x12)

I had a capacity for storing facts. Quite a remarkable one....I became a sort of clearinghouse for MI6. (Mycroft, 2x23)

...I was a clearinghouse for MI6. I stored facts. (Mycroft, 2x24)

I had to write a fic to get the bad taste out of my mouth, but it is kind of still there. It's like I can think through why she did it, but I hate that she did it, and I see how it ends and it is just dumb, not to mention WTF RHYS IFANS NO.

first of all, I agree with the comments already made in response to your question about Sherlock's glance at Watson about Mycroft's knife-trick scar, which is why I'm not adding my response to that post. My own interpretation of that exchange goes in an entirely different direction.

what did Sherlock's "pathetic" comment and glance to Watson mean? It didn't occur to me to hear it as a sexual insult. I actually saw it as an indication of a tiny turn towards the rapprochement he referred to at the end of 2x01; to me it seemed to be more like his usual snark about everything his brother does. As such, it acknowledged Mycroft as his brother, not as someone he never wanted to see again and would be pleased to see prosecuted for treason. Whatever he learned that told him Mycroft was being framed changed his attitude enough to want to save him. He's bursting with resentment at having to care, I think, but he's not going to let that happen to his brother.

(that he directed the comment to Watson instead of to Mycroft implied to me that he still saw her as his companion in all things that annoy him, despite the context. no small amount of 'what the hell do you see in this oaf,' to be sure. but she's still his partner.)

I don't assume (am desperately hoping) that Mycroft's version of what happened with Sherlock and Han is not the whole story. They laid some groundwork for the notion of Sherlock being incompetent when he was using (Dead Clade Walking), so it is possible he had no idea what he'd ventured into then, as Mycroft said. But still, we haven't heard what Sherlock did think he was doing. I'm also not certain Marion West told the whole truth and nothing but the truth (and she didn't seem to be very fond of Mycroft when talking to Joan about his return to MI6).

Probably kidding myself by staying with you, Elementary,

Or rather, I should say, in defense of her portrayal in Elementary 2x23 (look at me, caught up on Elementary!! This actually happened for the first time ever!!)

First of all, I, like everyone else, was disappointed that Joan slept with Mycroft after telling him off in no uncertain terms. I was further disappointed to see her considering her platonic relationship with Sherlock as somehow insufficient or limiting, since one of the things I love about Elementary is that it prioritizes a non-romantic relationship. (Then again, canonically John Watson does seek a personal life outside of his partnership with Sherlock - but we've gotten used to Elementary's frequent, and usually wonderful, deviations from canon, so it's easy to expect otherwise.)

However, I don't think that the portrayal of Joan was entirely off the wall. For one thing, they actually made some ACKNOWLEDGMENT of her trauma - characters expected her to be traumatized; Sherlock made an effort to address it; Joan herself expressed what she needed, even when it was just "to get back to work." The kidnapped partner is a huge trope in shows like this, obviously, and I feel like so often it's just back to the grind without acknowledging the trauma that the person went through. At least Joan's trauma is specifically spoken about.

Her decision to sleep with Mycroft, while incomprehensible and reprehensible to us, is not so off-the-wall either, especially in light of the fact that she is traumatized. People react to trauma in vastly different ways. Even excluding that, Joan has always been attracted to Mycroft - the show almost seems to go to pains to show this in her body language, the tone of her voice, her facial expression when he comes onscreen. When it comes to people we are sexually/romantically attracted to, many of us make poor decisions. Look for something to redeem them, pounce on a reason to be with them again. It's a human failing, and there's no reason to suppose that Joan wouldn't be susceptible to it. Particularly in light of the fact that she's been traumatized and emotionally wounded, thus putting her in a vulnerable position. Criticism of the episode I've seen doesn't attack Joan per se, but it seems to place more blame on her character than Mycroft's, which - ????? Mycroft is the one who took advantage of Joan in a vulnerable position! We should only be focusing on how he is a shithead! 

That being said, I do hope that the writers aren't hoping to take this in the direction of a "healthy" relationship between Joan and Mycroft. While her actions make sense for a humanly fallible and traumatized person, they wouldn't for someone who is hoping to repair in the long run.