Friday, March 13, 2015

Elementary S3E17 - 'T-Bone and the Iceman' - almost got across Thor Bridge

I think the thing that is bothering me the most about Elementary at the moment is that the plots are not keeping up to the back story of the characters. (Like another reviewer said, we don't watch Elementary for the plots.)

What I mean is; The plots or stories are becoming to repetitive in plot and criminal type, while it is doing a great job making back stories for Holmes and Watson.
(James comments made me rethink some of that back story stuff.)

Holmes is asked to help investigate the death of a young women found after a hit and run, and I guess another hit. Her body appears to be mummified. Which in it self seems to be the start of a good story.
Holmes deduces that her body appeared the way it did from exposure to a refrigerant.
The case then becomes who stole the refrigerant and why did they kill her.

It turns out the plot involved a cancer victim taking revenge against an estranged cousin who would not help him in his time of need.

My question about the plot is this; The cancer victim already got away with killing his cousin, why did he feel he needed to get rid of the body after it had already been accepted into the freezer program.
Now I was a little distracted near the end of this episode, so I may have missed that point and will try to watch the end again tonight to catch it.

James comments in my last episode post made me really think about how this show is attempting to fill in back story for both Holmes and Watson. While I don't always like the approach it takes, it is making a good case for itself.

We know Watson was, for what ever reason, estranged from any living relatives in his family.
Elementary explored that somewhat in this episode.

In this episode Holmes also commented on keeping at a  distance his kin, and Canonically we never see a close relationship between Holmes and what ever remaining family he has.

It will also be interesting to see Watson's dealings with her mother over the next season.

Another thing Elementary makes us do is to examine societies acceptance of Holmes' behavior as he is perceived by others in his own time. Would the image we all create of Holmes in our minds be out of place in Victorian times, or thought of as socially strange. Millers Holmes is often portrayed like that.

Looking at it through slightly more open eyes, I give this episode;


4 comments:

  1. Did I hear Joan Watson say - 25 (r22 freon refrigerant tanks) x $200 (per tank black market) = $4,000 - Joan you are not smarter than a fifth grader, nor are the writer's of "Elementary".

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    Replies
    1. LOL. I lost interest in the episode at around the fifth minute and did not see the rest. But that is truly abysmal.

      B2B.

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    2. It will not be the shows first math puzzle. Once making a measurement based on a persons stride, Holmes was way off.

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  2. "The plots or stories are becoming to repetitive in plot and criminal type, while it is doing a great job making back stories for Holmes and Watson." - That is not surprising, since it is much more easier to write melodrama, compared to creating really good mysteries/plots. I would say this points to the laziness on the part of writers.

    The lack of Canonical nods is another proof that the show exists only to make money by exploiting the hot streak enjoyed by Sherlock Holmes in the recent past.

    B2B.

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