Elementary 2x1

[killerweasel.livejournal.com]

Discussion post for Elementary 2x1 'Step Nine'

Spoilers in the comments.

What did you think?

Comments

[ghanimasun]

Enjoyed the episode, but wish they were spending more time in London!

[venusinthenight]

*nods*

[dragonsally.livejournal.com]

Loved it, nice to have them back.

Interesting twist with Mycroft.

[venusinthenight]

Not keen on Sherlock waxing not-so-poetic about Joan's sex life or lack thereof/assuming she wants to get it on with Mycroft. Ugh. (Also not keen on her staying largely silent when he's saying all that.)

Also not keen on all the fat shaming. Yes, I know ACD!Mycroft was fat. Yes, I know the remarks are canonical nods. But they're really just Sherlock being an asshole.

Wish Lestrade's arc wasn't self-contained. I'd like to see him again.

I'm glad we're getting more Mycroft, though. Maybe through that, we'll get more of the Holmes family backstory. I can haz Patrick Stewart as their father?

Joan's deduction skills... YES GOOD.

London = also good.

[unovis.livejournal.com]

What annoys me about the fat comments is the desperate need of this show, like Sherlock and the Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, to have a Mycroft who is not overweight. They have to hang fat issues on the thin version to make a nod to canon. It seems as though they're saying that a thin character is a more flexible and appealing human being to work with.

Not wild about them continuing the modern portrayal, also seemingly rooted in Private Life, of animosity between the brothers. Would have loved some large display of Mycroft's superior deductive abilities. BUT still, I liked the actor and some of the dialogue between the brothers and the mention that Mycroft talks to daddy and daddy talks about Joan.

More London, please! Maybe they shot background footage for future shows...

[venusinthenight]

Given Mycroft will be back, maybe we will see his superior deductive skills later? :)

[nrgburst]

I can haz Patrick Stewart as their father?

YAS PLEASE

[capeachino.livejournal.com]

I agree with you on the hateful fat remarks. That comment about the travesty of 'sitting next to a morbidly obese person on the plane' just had me gagging. And the fact that Joan seemed to either agree with or not deem necessary calling him out on it, that brief nod she gives afterwards just broke my heart a bit.

I'm hoping they'll have a moment somewhere in season 2 to address this behaviour and make amends.

[ponygirl72.livejournal.com]

Mixed feelings on this one, since my brain seems to be fighting with my ovaries. One the one hand, I was kicked out of the story by plot problems like the police being unconcerned that Joan beat the crap out of a suspect to subdue him (not remotely in self defense), and there being no apparent repercussions to setting off a bomb in the middle of London if your last name is Holmes. Also, the character of Mycroft was almost completely unrecognizable as Mycroft. He had a fiance? He runs restaurants? He's basically just some normal guy (who speaks French and can cook really well, but still)? Bwuh--?

On the other hand, when did Rhys Ifans get so hot? Apparently I missed that, somehow. This was the episode full of actors who might have been the next Doctor from Doctor Who, and while I am a fairly rabid Peter Capaldi supporter, I found myself mourning the lost chance at Rhys Ifans!Doctor. I would seriously not have blamed Joan if she'd tapped that when she had the chance.

Wow, I've just realized that I now ship Joan/Mycroft. Any chance of that happening this season, Elementary writers?

[capeachino.livejournal.com]

As many have already pointed out, there were some issues with this episode that somewhat spoiled much of the fun I was expecting to have with Elementary's return.

Since we still get 20+(?) episodes to go, I'm willing to believe some of the plot holes will be tended to along the way, as well as bigger and better things shall come and make up for the bad stuff.

Now, what I liked about 'Step Nine':

Sherlock's actively doing his best to follow the steps of recovery. His attempted apology to Lestrade was a great scene;

Sibling rivalry: I'm sorry, I just love all that sass and the fact that, deep down, it was crystal clear that they do love each other a lot;

Mycroft: fantastic casting choice and Ifans did not disappoint by playing such a smooth, suave version. I personally liked the route the writers took for this character, for what is worth;

Joan seemed in her element even more than before, all that cloudy self-doubt long gone;

The Lestrade arc is really interesting and I particularly liked the writers' take on his unhealthy vanity and need for spotlight, pushing further the conversation on the topic of addiction (considering how widely accepted the idea of it being restricted to alcohol, drugs and gambling is). Plus, having Sherlock realize how painful it really is to be on the 'other side';

Aim alone here or does anyone thinks that the outside of 221b is architecture porn? What a sweet looking building, damn;

Cap. Gregson got his hair did.

[flippet.livejournal.com]

I didn't see the fat remarks as 'fat-shaming', exactly, although I fully understand how it sounds that way.

And Sherlock *is* being an asshole with the remarks, I won't absolve him for that.


But what it is, for him, in context, is - he is going back to London. He left London in utter disgrace. He's not sure what he's going to find there, and how the people he used to know will treat him. And most importantly for these remarks - he knows that Mycroft is in London, and he is deeply dreading the thought of accidentally running into him. Those subconscious fears are exiting his mouth in the 'fat' comments. It's not exactly that Sherlock has an aversion to fat people. It's that he has an aversion to Mycroft, and he's projecting one of Mycroft's salient traits (one that has always been a sore spot between brothers) onto potential random strangers.



Remember too, that Sherlock has an aversion to flying, because he 'sees too much', and can't turn off his brain. They didn't address this directly in Step Nine, but it stands to reason that Sherlock is also rather nervous about having to get on a plane to go back to London, which includes sitting next to strangers, and so he is bundling all of his current fears up into one handy scapegoat.