Whoa. Just whoa. That was so intense, and wow. Lucy Lui was amazing in this episode, and I’m just like jhjksgfkjdhfksdhfksydfhsldkkjsdfklsldkhf - why oh why did the writers & showrunner decide to this NOW and not have it all season?! It was like these last two episodes something just snapped back into place, and Elementary went back into good writing again, with the promise of being even better. We finally have Watson being given a strong storyline and character arc, and it really has paid off. I knew she was going down the vigilante route, but wow, I got chills when she was talking to the Mara Tres guy about allowing her to take down Tyus and SBK, whereupon once Tyus gets thrown in jail, he could have his way with him. It was so badass and chilling, I think the criminals of New York better watch out with Joan Watson protecting the city. You DO NOT want to mess with her. O_O
They just let Lucy Lui go for this episode and it was so great! Why haven’t they been doing this for the whole season? Why didn’t we get to see more of her and Shinwell bond? Why didn’t we get to see some semblance of the emotion and intensity that she expressed in this episode? Obviously, not a lot, because it would be something they would have been building towards, but we didn’t get much indication. There are plenty of show don’t tell methods the writers could have utilized during this season to show this. Like giving us sneak peaks of Watson by herself, or perhaps a lot more subtext! Anything would have been great!
However, what I’m most upset about is the lack of build up to Sherlock Holmes’ new predicament. Oh, my poor Sherlock. His life is just one big careening catastrophe of pain and heartache. I don’t know if I am prepared to watch his mind deteriorate! The episode ends on a cliffhanger so we are unsure of what could be causing his hallucinations and memory loss, but whatever it is, it isn’t going to be good. Then the connection with his better self taking on the image of his mother, I was just like - no, I can’t! Make it STAHP! Yet again, here we had no indication of any of this throughout the season. This whole memory loss, hallucination thing just came from absolutely NO WHERE. Literally episode 23, that’s it. Why didn’t they have this happening throughout the episodes? Where Sherlock forgets a thing here and a thing there? Where he fails to be there for Watson in this moment or that moment? There was obviously tension between them over Shinwell, but that too has been pretty unclear and mysterious what their true thoughts and emotions have been. Until, of course, that scene in this episode when they let it all out. I will say, though, I think that it is one of the best scenes of this entire show. Hands down. Without a doubt. Wow. It goes without saying that Miller and Lui were phenomenal, but the subtleties and subtext that went into all of that argument was just SO good. THIS is why I watch this show. THIS is why I LOVE it. Why couldn’t we have had this kind of material throughout Season 5? I just feel like season 5, for the most, has been a major waste. I’M SO SAD.
I just recently discovered that Season 6 only got an order of 13 episodes, so things aren’t look good for Elementary. I blame CBS, of course, because I don’t think they make good decisions as a television studio, but I also kind of blame Doherty and his writing team. I kind of feel like they brought this on themselves by not delivering a stronger season 5. Perhaps if they would have done so, the show wouldn’t be in the predicament it is now. I think the season finale proves that they really could’ve done so much better.
At any rate, it is what it is. I guess I should be grateful that the writing looks like it will be taking a big turn for the better. I’m actually really looking forward to Season 6 (which was not the case after the lackluster Season 4 finale and going into Season 5), so I’m very excited. Excited to have my heart ripped to shreds! YAY.
#curls up in a cold, dark corner
