Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S03.E14: The Female Of The Species


Recommended Posts

Am I the only one who gets a vibe from that promo that Sherlock may have planned the whole poison thing to get Watson to the point she is at in the promo? Nah. It's just promo monkeys faking us out, right?

 

 

You are joking, yes?

 

Also, what's with the "Can one death give Watson a reason to live?' in the promo?

 

Have we ever had any indication that Watson feels she doesn't have a reason to live?

Link to comment
But they can't make that as DRAMATIC with HUGE LETTERING. ;-)

 

 

LOL, very true. Funny, they actually sort of foreshadowed this during the dinner with Andrew's dad. Joan seemed a bit defensive about her unusual career changes, using the word "meandering" (iirc).

 

I'm guessing the promo monkeys were trying to point up that Andrew's death (if he is, in fact dead, which seems likely) has made it a "NOW IT'S PERSONAL" thing.

Link to comment

I think I squealed a bit when I heard Moriarty's voice. That's what happens when you have two nemeses, Joan, one of them will take out the other. Only Moriarty gets to mess with Joan. She's like a genus psychotic sister that you don't want in your life. 

 

I loved Marcus and Sherlock working together on the case of the missing ZEBra's and however you spell that other animal that I thought was a donkey. I thought they were going to go with they created a Zonkey.

 

Joan moving back into the Brownstone, good. So we can get back to the show. However Joan still looks like she needs some help dealing with what happened. She didn't seem to care that Moriarty murdered someone from prison even if that person murdered her boyfriend. 

Edited by Sakura12
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Thoughts so far:

 

*Awww, baby quagga

*Marcus and Sherlock!!

*Moriarity?! Awesome! and freakin' scary.

*Back to the brownstone!

 

I also loved the window-view to the bust! That's why Sherlock's an artist. *g*

Also, also- Andrew's dad wasn't wrong.

Edited by Actionmage
  • Love 2
Link to comment

The "Previously" certainly gave the game away early that it was Elaine who tried to kill Joan.  They weren't even trying.  But, the resolution though, I totally did not see coming!  Hell yeah!  Moriarty doesn't want anyone messing with her Joan!  I love how they made Joan/Moriarty almost just as important as Sherlock/Moriarty.  Even in just a voice-over, Natalie Dormer was awesome.

 

Fun case, with it being about zebras (or ZEbra, as Sherlock was caling them), and Marcus in the Joan role.  It was fun watching those two play off one another, and Marcus react to Sherlock's "methods."  Just disappointed he didn't meet Clyde, because it's about time they share a scene.

 

Lucy Liu directed again, but we still got a decent amount of Joan.  Andrew's death clearly is effecting her, even if she's putting up a strong stance.  Looks like she is going back to the Brownstone.  On one hand, at least it gets things a bit back to normal.  On the other hand, it felt like it was played in a way where Joan might be regressing or going down a depressing path, by deciding to do this and forgo a "normal" life.  Not sure what to think, yet.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Hel-LO, Detective Bell! He was certainly looking very good in his civvies.

I've heard a lot of British accents in my time, but that's the first time I ever heard "zebra" sound like "Debra".

At first I thought Mycroft must have written Joan. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I realized who it was from.

Really good episode.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Count me in as that being the first time I've ever heard "zebra" pronounced "zehbra." It drove me a little nuts. I understand the difference in cultural language, but I half-expected Marcus to ask him why he pronounced it that way. Then again, Marcus is a smart man and knows when not to engage the "lecture" mode of Sherlock Holmes, LOL.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

 

I've heard a lot of British accents in my time, but that's the first time I ever heard "zebra" sound like "Debra".

For what it's worth, my Londoner husband says zebra like Debra (and, of course, "zed" instead of "zee", but that's a different issue).

 

Really enjoyed this episode for several reasons:

1. So much love for the Bronx Zoo location shots; the renovated Reptile House looked great. Of course, the ZEBra wouldn't have been outside in the middle of winter, but whatevs. They must've gotten this in the can very recently, based on the snow.

2. Bell and Holmes working the case together was fun. Yay for the Marcus sleepover!

3. Watson giving Holmes the desk-slam wake-up call at her place was a nice touch, but I'm glad she's returning to the brownstone (assuming Holmes agrees--we didn't actually see his response to her declaration).

4. Loved hearing from Moriarty at the end. Nice twist.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

I really liked this episode.

 

I loved how Sherlock kept bringing Joan food so she could focus on grieving. His behavior reminded me a little of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, where it's not that Sherlock feels some sort of emotional need to take care of Joan; it's simply the "established convention" (to bring mourning people food) and he probably also recognizes it as perhaps a helpful thing so that Joan can work through her pain and eventually get back to work. But I do think Sherlock has more feelings than Sheldon on TBBT (or at least expresses them better), so my heart was warmed seeing him serve her lasagna.

 

I loved that Joan finally got the opportunity to wake Sherlock up in an obnoxious way. (I think her approach was a hell of a lot milder than his usually are, and she should have taken full advantage of tormenting him. Though I imagine she probably doesn't happen to have a bugle or ten alarm clocks at her disposal like he does. Heee.)

 

I loved seeing Marcus and Sherlock work together, and especially having Marcus get a taste of the full Sherlock Holmes "process." Working insane hours, no time off for the evening, falling asleep on couches and getting woken up with formal notes and alarm clocks and bizarre requests to come to strange settings so that Sherlock can present his latest findings or (marvelously so in this episode) the final bust in action from the window of a café. Love it! And I really liked Marcus wanting to be called Marcus instead of Detective Bell, in their less formal "work" environment, and Sherlock finally addressing him as such and offering a hand to shake, treating him as an equal. That, and his (paraphrasing from memory) "the pleasure was mine and mine alone" just made me smile.

 

And the twist at the end where Moriarty took out Joan's tormentor because there's no room for others in their drama... that was wonderfully creepy.

Edited by sinkwriter
  • Love 2
Link to comment

I wonder when they filmed this? As in, when was that snow storm in NYC? (Gotham also had snow this week too!)

 

I liked that it wasn't the typical murder case -- at least at first. Missing zebras!

 

Bell and Sherlock were a good team.

 

Wasn't expecting the return of Joan's "nemesis. Or Moriarty. So I guess she'll be back later this season? Eh, wasn't really a fan.

Link to comment

I am concerned about Joan's drive to come back to the brownstone. I feel like her reason is both good and bad. Good, that she is finally committing whole-heartedly to the work as something very important to her that she wants, instead of perhaps thinking of it as (if it didn't work out the way she wanted) something she could walk away from like she did her surgical career. But it's also bad, because she's talking about it like it's a life she "has to" live now, rather than having it be a choice that she truly wants. She's talking about it as if -- because her work might subject her loved ones to grave danger -- she can never have a normal life. Like she has no choice in the matter, rather than the realization it seemed we were leading up to last week which was that she doesn't want a normal life and needed to search herself to figure out what kind of life she does want. I'm afraid she's closing herself off to that inner searching because she feels like this is now her lot in life, instead of something she can heartily desire and go after. 

 

But one thing I did appreciate was Sherlock's growth in the matter. He never once asked or pushed her to come back. He was very supportive throughout this episode, endearingly so. Even when it seemed she was hinting about coming to the brownstone, he merely told her that she was always welcome to stop by anytime. He didn't treat it as anything permanent. Joan was the one who brought it up and made it a true declaration, that she wanted to come back to stay, not just stop by for occasional conversation or case help. I really liked seeing Sherlock behave this way. He can be ridiculously arrogant, condescending and difficult, but when he's a good and loyal friend, he's really good at it and throws himself into it like he would any case.


 

I wonder when they filmed this? As in, when was that snow storm in NYC? (Gotham also had snow this week too!)

 

I was cringing at that first scene where Sherlock and Marcus went to the zoo. Sherlock had no scarf on, and his ears were completely uncovered by his cap; as the snow kept coming down, all I (a native of Wisconsin and Illinois, and no stranger to below zero temperatures) could think about were his poor red ears and how easily that could turn to frostbite if he wasn't careful. He never wore a warmer, safer hat throughout the episode, but I was relieved that the rest of the scenes showed him wearing a scarf.

Edited by sinkwriter
  • Love 6
Link to comment

 

I was cringing at that first scene where Sherlock and Marcus went to the zoo. Sherlock had no scarf on, and his ears were completely uncovered by his cap; as the snow kept coming down, all I (a native of Wisconsin and Illinois, and no stranger to below zero temperatures) could think about were his poor red ears and how easily that could turn to frostbite if he wasn't careful. He never wore a warmer, safer hat throughout the episode, but I was relieved that the rest of the scenes showed him wearing a scarf.

 

Yeah, that bothered me, too. New York has plenty of winter, and New Yorkers (natives and transplants) dress accordingly, so the lack of neck protection (which also served to highlight Holmes' annoying closed top-button thing, so thanks, Show) was odd. It made Holmes look like a tourist.

Edited by spaceghostess
  • Love 1
Link to comment

The "Previously" certainly gave the game away early that it was Elaine who tried to kill Joan.  They weren't even trying.  

That annoyed the hell out of me, it gave away the entire plot. I thought it was going to turn out that Andrew was the intended victim all along, but a big old WRONG for me LOL. The Moriarty twist caught me by surprise, I wonder if this means she'll be appearing again soon? 

 

I found the "zehbra" thing to be really distracting.

 

So they're going full circle & Joan will be back in the brownstone. Kind of negates the past two seasons.

Link to comment

Huh, as a half-Canadian, half-English person, I've heard Zeh-bra many times. We are taught zed instead of zee. Also leh-mur instead of lee-mur.

You have lemurs? I've never heard my Welsh or Canadian relatives mention either animal, and I found it a little tiresome to hear over and over again without anyone Sherlock encountered mentioning it to him. I'm guessing it was supposed to be a little humorous that none of the Yanks mentioned his pronunciation.

At least there was mention of Sherlock having been responsibly for Bell being shot. I don't expect them to spend time on the resentment Bell felt when he was seemingly permanently disabled by it, since that is no longer an issue, but as a long-time viewer, the pairing seemed a little hard to believe. Now that I've read here that the writers probably did it since Lucy Liu was busy directing (and Kitty is gone), it makes sense, but it didn't make sense to me within the confines of their fictional world. Yes, they had Bell explain that he knew he was standing in for Joan in her time of grief--but the grief didn't seem to be written in that well either. The scene with Andrew's father was pretty intense, but then Joan just seemed to move on from it without much struggle. Maybe some fake time passing would have helped. </disappointment-rant>

Link to comment

I wonder when they filmed this? As in, when was that snow storm in NYC? (Gotham also had snow this week too!)

I was wondering the same thing and I remembered in snowed in the Northeast before Thanksgiving and am thinking it may have been filmed then. 

 

 

You have lemurs? I've never heard my Welsh or Canadian relatives mention either animal, and I found it a little tiresome to hear over and over again without anyone Sherlock encountered mentioning it to him. I'm guessing it was supposed to be a little humorous that none of the Yanks mentioned his pronunciation.

At least there was mention of Sherlock having been responsibly for Bell being shot. I don't expect them to spend time on the resentment Bell felt when he was seemingly permanently disabled by it, since that is no longer an issue, but as a long-time viewer, the pairing seemed a little hard to believe. Now that I've read here that the writers probably did it since Lucy Liu was busy directing (and Kitty is gone), it makes sense, but it didn't make sense to me within the confines of their fictional world. Yes, they had Bell explain that he knew he was standing in for Joan in her time of grief--but the grief didn't seem to be written in that well either. The scene with Andrew's father was pretty intense, but then Joan just seemed to move on from it without much struggle. Maybe some fake time passing would have helped. </disappointment-rant>

I was glad it was mentioned, and part of me wishes it was addressed more thoroughly. I'm hoping their relationship just needed time to adjust and give Marcus some time to process. Marcus has been a part of Sherlock trying to be a good and supportive friend to not only Watson, but also Kitty. I would say that even Sherlock is even handling himself better around Captain Gregson. Time heals and I like to think while the rapprochement was a little slow, but it never seemed like Marcus was against it. He just needed time.

 

And if it gives me the scene where Sherlock isn't sure of doing a fist bump, I'm happy.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I love that Elementary understands that a villain like Moriarty is best used sparingly. Thus far we've had six appearances by Natalie Dormer as Moriarty. Two were voice-overs. One she appeared as Irene briefly at the end of an episode. The next episode she mostly spent as Irene. There's only been two episodes where she appears onscreen as Moriarty for any length of time, "Heroine" and "The Diabolical Kind."

  • Love 2
Link to comment

I had no problem with "zehbra." I enjoy hearing other accents, and how they can make a word I'm familiar with fresh and fun. I watch a lot of British tv, but I don't believe any shows have referenced zebras, so it was a new discovery for me.

 

I think Joan was more relieved than anything else when she heard what Moriarty did. Who wouldn't be? You have someone you know is out to kill you, and they die. Problem solved. Fear level reduced.

 

The zoo scene w/o scarves bothered me too. It doesn't often get snowy where I'm at, but it does get below freezing often enough, and I'd never walk out without a scarf covering that vulnerable V area.

 

It seems to me that Marcus has relaxed around Sherlock over the last season, so their coupling felt natural to me. Not to mention, very enjoyable.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I love that Elementary understands that a villain like Moriarty is best used sparingly. Thus far we've had six appearances by Natalie Dormer as Moriarty. Two were voice-overs. One she appeared as Irene briefly at the end of an episode. The next episode she mostly spent as Irene. There's only been two episodes where she appears onscreen as Moriarty for any length of time, "Heroine" and "The Diabolical Kind."

 

I don't think it's their decision with that. Natalie Dormer was busy with Game of Thrones and the Hunger Games making her unavailable. We have her schedule to thank for the sparse appearances. I do agree that makes her a better long term villain we never know when she's going to show up. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I don't think it's their decision with that. Natalie Dormer was busy with Game of Thrones and the Hunger Games making her unavailable. We have her schedule to thank for the sparse appearances. I do agree that makes her a better long term villain we never know when she's going to show up. 

 

I'm contrasting that with Andrew Scott as Moriarty on Sherlock.  On that programme Moriarty appears in some fashion in six of the nine Sherlock episodes.  Further, he's an important figure in two other episode.  There is only one episode of Sherlock in which he is not even mentioned, the second episode of series 3. 

Link to comment

I just got into this show about 7 episodes ago and it really hooked me. Love the dynamic between Watson and Sherlock. Great show. How are the rest of the seasons??

 

Really enjoyed this episode too. I will question why Joan feels the need to completely nix her personal life for detective work. I understand her fear of loved ones getting hurt, but the same kind of logic can apply to anyone in the actual police department, FBI agents, lawyers who prosecute, juries who convict and judges who sentence, prison wardens, etc. There is a risk of course, but these people have lives and families. Sad though because it seemed like she wasn't fulfilled before, joined that company, but now is telling herself that she really didn't need a life or a relationship and has to devote herself only to investigations. It's like she's trying to convince herself otherwise due to grief.

 

When Sherlock said 'Zeb-rahs', I had to rewind to ensure I heard it correctly. God, I love that pronunciation. I've actually never heard it pronounced like that before. I'm Canadian, so for me, the end of the alphabet goes EX - WHY - ZEE, but if I were to pronounce the letter Z individually, it's ZED. But I still say Zee-brah. It's that US/British mix some of us were taught!

 

Oh, and I covet Watson's apartment and Sherlocks brownstone. Beautiful living spaces.

  • Love 4
Link to comment

I've heard Zehbra before, only because I know the rest the world pronounces "Z", Zed, instead of Zee. It's still weird to hear it so many times though and no one commenting on it.

 

I just got into this show about 7 episodes ago and it really hooked me. Love the dynamic between Watson and Sherlock. Great show. How are the rest of the seasons??

 

For me the season 1 and 2 are great to see how Sherlock and Watson got to where they are now and you also haven't met Moriarty, so you need to watch those episodes to get why the ending with Joan is important. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment

Zeh-bra was amusing. 

 

That last scene, with Watson resigning herself to the life of a detective and living in the Brownstone,  seemed depressing -- it seemed as if Watson had just gotten news of being diagnosed with a debilitating condition. Why not return to a medical career? How about blogging?  Damn, even Batman isn't that bummed out about being a crime fighter.

Of course, I know the true endgame was Watson living with Sherlock again..

 

And speaking of masked crime fighting, if Joan and Sherlock stuck to the detective work and handed over their evidence to the police for follow-up, they might not make themselves targets for revenge-seeking evil masterminds. But since this is a TV show, we know Joan and Sherlock have to confront the criminals and announce "I caught you!  I'm the reason you're going to spend your life in jail!" 

...And it makes more sense in a show like this rather than CSI, where the lab analysts also do the work of detectives, investigators, and interrogators.  Which is crazy.. 

Edited by shrewd.buddha
  • Love 1
Link to comment

I've been watching from the start and have really enjoyed. It's hit a few rough patches for me, but others have felt those patches were ok or better (looking at you Mycroft).

It is often pretty easy to guess the baddie of the week (name recognition), but they do an exceptional job with supporting cast and some 1x (2x if we're lucky) guests. I have no regrets when they spend time with Det. Bell, the captain, Alfredo...Ms. Hudson, Roger Rees, Pam (Mrs. Weir from Freaks & Geeks).

Link to comment

It just occurred to me that Joan's storyline parallels Watson's in the stories. Dr. Watson in the stories meets someone, gets married, and moves out of the apartment leaving Sherlock along at Baker Street for a time. But then after a "sad bereavement", Watson moves back into the apartment with Holmes.

 

The case of the week was nothing special even if the animals were cute. I watch this show for the interaction between the characters and especially the nice way that Sherlock left Joan alone to make up her own mind about what she wanted to do.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

I'm guessing the promo monkeys were trying to point up that Andrew's death (if he is, in fact dead, which seems likely) has made it a "NOW IT'S PERSONAL" thing.

 

THIS!  I this this episode had Joan realizing that her life is not going to be “normal”, that her career as a detective precludes that because she's always going to be rushing off to crime scenes and talking to strange people who are suspects and/or informants and she needs to embrace that her life is different now, and Moriarty’s letter cemented that.

 

It was good to hear Natalie Dormer’s voice again as Ms. Jamie Moriarty.  I like that she realizes that when she has her final confrontation with Sherlock, Joan is going to be right there at his side.  And how awesome is her, “No one takes you out of the game until I want you out of the way.”  Now that’s deeply badass.

 

It’s always a treat to see Sherlock interacting with the police and he has a nice rapport with Det. Bell and I especially liked that Bell encouraged Sherlock to reach out to Joan and to make sure she was alright. He and Joan are friends but he knows that Joan and Sherlock are friends as well as partners and that’s a deeper bond.

Link to comment

I think the most unbelievable thing in the entire episode was not the manufacturing of not-zebrahs or battling evil mastermind women, but that a man as good-looking and personable as Marcus Bell has nothing to do and no one to do it with on an enforced vacation day!

  • Love 6
Link to comment

I'm going to try to work zeh-bra into my normal everyday conversation.  I loved that he kept saying it like that and just figured it was a normal English pronunciation.

 

I also covet Watson's apartment.  I don't know how she can leave it to live at the brownstone.  But then, I also don't know how she can afford it.  Nothing against the brownstone.  It's quite unique.

 

Filming in the snow made that part of the episode look so authentic (and beautiful) 

  • Love 2
Link to comment

I also liked that they showed her apartment in a bit of disarray - small things like a blanket left on the couch, a laundry basket sitting on the floor randomly, some piles of paper here and there...nothing that screamed Red Alert, but just the flotsam and jetsam of existence that she normally squares away immediately.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

This show does like its equine mysteries. It's nice and not typical even if it did involve murder.

 

Love the Marcus/Sherlock pairing. Many good moments, but I liked Marcus's face when Sherlock said "But they did not check the zebra droppings." I've heard "zeh-bras" from David Attenborough.

 

I think Joan has struggled for a long time to balance her detective life and her "personal/normal" life. To be fair, she's always been very introverted and solitary, but she started dating again. It didn't work out not only because of the assassination attempt, but as she told Andrew, she wasn't sure what she was looking for. Joan's only recently started this calling and work, she may need a little more time to balance it out. She loves it though and it can be all consuming. It's also why when the work affects her life, it's heartbreaking. That happened when her patient died as well. I do think she'll stick with detective work for the rest of her life in some way, but it may take for her to adjust and reflect on how to balance it out. This is also very canon as Book!Watson did move back in due to grief and moved back out when he married again (but still worked on cases).

 

I think the most unbelievable thing in the entire episode was not the manufacturing of not-zebrahs or battling evil mastermind women, but that a man as good-looking and personable as Marcus Bell has nothing to do and no one to do it with on an enforced vacation day!

 

Hehe. I really liked the return of casual Marcus. I do think it's in character because we've had hints that Bell is a workaholic. He's very committed to his work so I can believe his social life is not as active; it was also a weekday so I can see how he wouldn't have a ton of plans.

 

Can't say how much I adored Sherlock as the caring friend who brings over food and tries to watch TV with Joan (and fails).

 

I enjoyed Liu's directorial choices too especially with the shots of Marcus and Sherlock at the end of their case. Too bad about Marcus not being able to eat most of is food.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

 

I think Joan was more relieved than anything else when she heard what Moriarty did. Who wouldn't be? You have someone you know is out to kill you, and they die. Problem solved. Fear level reduced.

 

I think it would be a mixed bag of feelings. Definitely relief at knowing the person who had been gunning for you and killed your boyfriend in the process is gone and won't try to hurt you again. But also back of the neck hair-raising fear because Moriarty's letter was creepy. She was basically saying, you're too valuable to MY game, so anyone messing with that balance is going to be taken out, but when *I* decide you should be dead, that's when you'll be dead.

 

So if I were Joan, I might feel this warped sense of gratitude but at the same time want to run and hide out somewhere I'll never be found because after reading that letter I'd feel very exposed and vulnerable to Moriarty.

 

Hehe. I really liked the return of casual Marcus. I do think it's in character because we've had hints that Bell is a workaholic. He's very committed to his work so I can believe his social life is not as active; it was also a weekday so I can see how he wouldn't have a ton of plans.

 

Yeah, agreed! And I'm trying to remember back to the episode where Marcus was suspected of foul play. Didn't we get to see Marcus's apartment, and it was spotless? Like complete organization and very streamlined? As if he's either very meticulous (in a way Sherlock could appreciate), or he's never home (always working) so his place is immaculate.

  • Love 2
Link to comment

Those of us with small children were probably not too taken aback with "zeh-bra" - Peppa Pig is big in my house and she has a friend called Zoe Zebra and they pronounce it the same way. Outside of anthropomorphic animals designed to delight preschoolers, though, I imagine zebras don't come up much, so I can see why it would take someone outside of the episode, a little.

  • Love 3
Link to comment

Just a curious question not related to this episode, in this series has Sherlock ever said the words "Elementary my dear Watson."?

 

I don't think so, but canon Holmes never said it in the stories either. Here's the real quotation from "The Crooked Man":

 

 

'I have the advantage of knowing your habits, my dear Watson,' said he. 'When your round is a short one you walk, and when it is a long one you use a hansom.  As I perceive that your boots, although used, are by no means dirty, I cannot doubt that you are at present busy enough to justify a hansom.'

'Excellent!', I cried.

'Elementary,' said he. 'It is one of those instances where the reasoner can produce an effect which seems remarkable to his neighbor, because the latter has missed the one little point which is the basis of the deduction.'
Link to comment

They certainly didn't waste any time getting the identity of, tracking down, apprehending, and questioning the assassin! Joan laid it all out in twenty seconds of exposition and that was that. All taken care of offscreen between one episode and the next. You'd thing such a professional would be more elusive.

Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...