1. They’ve reached out to Ophelia and are planning to have her back. Way to go, Oph!
2. Doherty admits: "The deeper we get into the run of the series, it’s harder and harder to come up with character stories, what’s new for their partnership, how has Joan changed after being a detective after four years, where is Sherlock with his sobriety. Those are the most satisfying part of the show, but I think we sweat a little more when we come up with those.”
The above is very sad -- the character stuff should be the EASIEST to come up with in a longer run. So he’s basically admitting he’s in over his head -- cause we ain’t seen shit about “how Joan has changed” nor how Sherly’s fall off the wagon affected him/the partnership. Sheesh!!
Short (Ha! Not Bloody Likely) Review of Elementary 3x24, A Controlled Descent. Grade: D
The good: The acting. Watson pretty much solves crime/finds Alfredo. The story was blessedly easy to follow until falling completely apart at the end, the plot moved fairly well, there were strong stakes, and plenty of subtext -- the rich junkie, a stand in for Sherlock, is no better than the gutter dwellers; people as seemingly “cured” as Alfredo do fall off the wagon and get back on in an endless cycle.
The bad/ugly:
That decision itself to kick Sherlock off the wagon works fine for me. My beef is the way in which it was executed.
A. I do not buy for one millisecond that after spending two days with Oscar berating, hounding and manipulating him, that the strong-willed, stubborn Sherlock would immediately then turn around and give Oscar the satisfaction of getting exactly what he wanted and start shooting up.
B. Didn’t Doherty hint at one point that Moriarty might be involved in this somehow? I took that to mean that she was behind the entire plot and just using Oscar to throw Sherlock off balance and weaken him, so she could either attack or swoop in and save him. Now, I’m thinking that Moriarty is the one who called the dad. Big f-ing whoop.
B. So Oscar found his sister dead and THEN concocted this whole plot? HUH?
Wouldn’t Sherlock finding a dead junkie, in such a sad and gruesome state, want to make Sherlock LIVE and not risk death again in such a stupid way? If Oscar really wanted to drive Sherlock over the edge, why not put Joan in jeopardy or least trick him into thinking she was.
C. The sequence of events in the final half of the final act is STILL mightily unclear.
My first thought on the roof was -- WTF is going on? Is Oscar dead? Did Sherlock use or not?
I mean, maybe Sherlock realizes he’s killed Oscar (he’s done what he warned Kitty against) and is going to face legal trouble and the end of his career because of it, and that’s why he’s morose on the roof and why Dad is coming.
But I guess we’re supposed to assume he’s used because he’s kinda glassy eyed and not wearing his shirt buttoned up to the top? But why would he be home at all if he’d relapsed? Wouldn’t he be ashamed and hiding from Watson?
Anyway, the ONLY way I might buy that this incident has caused him to relapse is if he realized on the train tracks that he’s killed Oscar and is so disgusted with himself for losing control that way, that he decides to use.
Otherwise, sorry. Makes no story sense for Alfredo to be rescued and for him to then go off and shoot up.
E. Why must every major emotional moment in the lives of these characters happen offscreen? THREE F-ING DAYS have passed??? Excuse me?
First, we're missing MONTHS at the beginning of Season 3. WTH happened when Joan found that note? How did she pick herself up and decide to go on with the business? What the hell was Sherlock doing in London with MI-6? Was he hoping to help Mycroft? We still know none of this.
Then, we don’t get to see anything between Andrew lying gasping for breath on the ground and a week later after he’s dead and buried and they’ve already caught the f-ing killer.
Now, Sherlock walks off into a tunnel, and three days later he’s sitting on the roof, with Joan calmly asking him if he’s ready to talk?? Can you imagine how devastated and disappointed she would be when she sees him for the first time after he’s relapsed? But also outwardly matter-of-fact, cause this is what junkies do? I am absolutely furious with these writers/producers for not allowing us to experience that with her.
I am really going to ramp up this Joan Watson Deserves More campaign. Stay tuned.
