Elementary 2x14

[killerweasel.livejournal.com]

Discussion post for Elementary 2x14 'Dead Clade Walking'.

Spoilers in the comments.

What did you think?

Comments

[darknessfactor.livejournal.com]

I thought it was pretty good. Mystery wasn't exactly compelling, but the sometimes-painful awkwardness of Sherlock's conversations with Randy were interesting. I think it's interesting to seem him entrusted with that kind of responsibility, and how he's choosing to act instead of completely distancing himself from it.

[midori-yee.livejournal.com]

It's interesting to see how in the episode Sherlock was struggling to 'be a good person.' It's interesting that he's already internalized Joan's perspective to the point where he assumes he knows what advice she would have given him about Randy.

I had hoped that Sherlock would have been more forthcoming about his own struggles with drugs in order to help Randy... I think it was a bit of a missed chance for him to show some vulnerability like when he talked to Gregson about his past drug use.

[darknessfactor.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I also think it's realistic to think that Sherlock wouldn't be willing to open up to Randy, someone who was relatively new to Sherlock's little circle of allies/friends in New York. Sherlock only very reluctantly agreed to even listen to Randy, so maybe in a future episode he'll be more willing to talk to him.

[venusinthenight]

I would have been more interested if Joan actually got to solve the case herself, like she should have done. It was her case, now, not Sherlock's. Meanwhile, Sherlock could have had the side plot of working with Randy.

Basically, my head is full of murmuring sounds.

[midori-yee.livejournal.com]

Yes, it would have been great for Joan to take on a solo case! Maybe in future episodes it will happen.

[bowl-of-glow.livejournal.com]

Joan got pushed a bit to the side this season didn't she? She seemed to have a more significant role in S1 - obviously because she still was Sherlock's sober companion, ok, I get it - but she didn't do much of anything in quite a few eps of this season, or am I wrong? It's like the writers didn't quite know what to do with her ("let's bring up her dead patient again, that'd be interesting, what if she starts looking for a boyfriend now? oh wait, what if she slept with Sherlock's brother instead!") there was nothing really consistent? or is it just me? idk.

I like S2 so far but S1 was better I think. I really want to re-watch when I have some time.

[venusinthenight]

A LOT to the side, IMO.

She's basically had one episode that was remotely about her and her alone this season (2x02), and that's it. Virtually everything else connected to her this season? All About Sherlock.

She sleeps with Mycroft = Sherlock is finally correct about a sexual deduction in regards to her.

She hangs out at a flea market with her friend Jen = Jen wants Joan to find, as it turns out, Sherlock, whom she slept with shortly after Joan became his sober companion. (Hello, invasion of privacy! Why the hell wasn't Joan furious? Why didn't she reset her boundaries?)

She gets to spend time with Emily = Sherlock has to quiz her deduction abilities in the process.

In the previous episode we learned that Joan used to follow the NYC Mafia while growing up in Queens, and that she isn't happy about Sherlock wanting to work with Demographics, for multiple reasons. Rather than expound on that, we had Sherlock vs. Marcus. (While I love the confrontation between Sherlock and Marcus from an acting point of view, and I understand that it was done to get Marcus back to Major Crimes more quickly, I don't like that the focus was on Sherlock being an ableist, White Saviour asshat, and that it was focused on his manpain rather than on Marcus stating why he's angry with Sherlock, asserting that he may not fully recover because of Sherlock's behaviour. I also don't like that Joan was pushed to the side, or that Sherlock presumed to speak for her.)

This episode, Joan consults an expert from her inner circle (Gaye). How do they know each other? How did they meet? We don't know.

And even "C", Sherlock's fan-of-erotica pen pal, wasn't used to full potential. She was just, y'know, there.

And the biggest problem: The writers are in lust with Natalie Dormer/Moriarty. The 45-year-old woman of colour LEAD is shoved aside in favour of the younger, blonde white girl. I loved the twist of Irene being Moriarty, and I do like the character herself, particularly her dynamic with Joan. What I'm not into is that they would rather focus on her (and Mycroft), and not on the existing characters, especially Joan.

I'd rather see Alfredo again. I want to know why the hell Ms. Hudson isn't a recurring character. I want to know where the hell Andre was when Marcus was in hospital (ditto other members of the Bell family). I'd love to see Cheryl Gregson again; she was great, IMO. And I want to know more about Joan and her family and friends, and her backstory.

Instead of building on the awesomeness of the first season, the second season is falling very flat. I'll likely finish it out but I'm not sure I'll be back for a third season (if there is one).

Why can't we have nice things?

[p-for-polkadots.livejournal.com]

I agree with many of the things you said. It's as if they're opening up more and more plot possibilities, but without really using them to their full (or even half full) potential. I'm really missing a consistent bigger plot arc in this season.

The first season was an introduction of the partnership and a giant lead up to Moriarty (as expected), but I'm unsure where the overall plot is going now. At first, I thought it would be Mycroft and Sherlock, then Sherlock going darker (and the resulting conflict with Joan and others), then the resolution of the Moriarty arc... and now with this filler episode I'm pretty clueless. I mean, I wouldn't mind so much, if it was episode 4, but I expected a bit more this far into the season.

[rap541.livejournal.com]

Squee! Dinosaurs! :D

A reasonable discussion of the K-T Boundary and who might have crossed it!

GEO GEEK HERE!

[raktajinos.livejournal.com]

haha! I really enjoyed the totally nerdy mystery as well. Was refreshing to see an academic style case - those aren't done too often and if they are not even that well. But I liked it. Elementary has done a few of them.

and also, DINOSAURS!

[bowl-of-glow.livejournal.com]

I guessed the killer's identity right away tbh
But we got to see more Randy so yay?

[p-for-polkadots.livejournal.com]

Not sure what to think. I enjoyed it well enough, but it was pretty much a filler episode that didn't add much to the overall themes of the season. *shrugs*