S03.E18: The View From Olympus

[Athena]

When a driver for a ridesharing company is intentionally run over by a city cab, Holmes and Watson wonder if it’s a case of professional jealousy. Meanwhile, a casual romance Holmes has with one of his longtime “Irregular” consultants  becomes complicated when the woman makes a shocking request...

[roseha]

Oh I misread, this is not showing until April 2 due to NCAA?  Oh well.

[Athena]

Oh I misread, this is not showing until April 2 due to NCAA?  Oh well.

 

Show is on hiatus for March Madness, but it will return with seven new episodes in a row!

 

Sorry for the early post. I saw they put up the episode synopsis and was a bit bored and missing the show too.

[roseha]

That's OK Athena :)

 

I was thinking it would be nice if they at least would show us the full Rube Goldberg intro (I have favorited it on Youtube) and maybe a preview or two before the game. 

[Primetimer]

Unraveling the mystery of one of the industry's unsung heroes.

Read the story

[sinkwriter]

Allison, I don't even know what to say about your "review" of this week's episode. LOL. There are no words.

I wonder if Sherlock (in asking if Joan had plans to procreate at some point) asked her that because he was hoping she would agree with him about the state of the world, the pain it brings, and why on earth would anyone want to bring a child into it.

 

I don't think he was asking because he planned to save his goods for her to use someday. But I did crack up at the various ways he described to Joan said goods and the "arrangement" his irregular had requested. I expected him to be more blunt, actually, but instead he kind of danced around the words, coming up with things like "procurement" and "issuance." (Or something like that.) LOL.

I have a weird urge to go back through the first 2 seasons of Elementary and see if that blanket ever made an appearance before this, and in what ways. Joan did spend some time falling asleep on Sherlock's couch... did she inadvertently borrow the "sex blanket"?

[GaT]

Eh, I knew he was the killer. 

[possibilities]

[...sex blanket]

 

But Sherlock asked Joan to stop calling it that. I found that particularly funny.

Edited April 3, 2015 by possibilities

[frenchtoast]

The mystery was rather meh, and Sherlock's conflict was meh (though that's a big ask and to come from Papa Holmes is kinda gross) but I do love me some snarky deadpan Bell, almost chipper Watson and having them all work together again. It may be filler, but it's enjoyable filler. And it was nice to hear Bell explain that he can't hold a crime scene indefinitely due to traffic concerns. 

 

In fact, I would have almost preferred just a routine day for Sherlock and Joan--they have a case (usually a bit weird) and they work with Bell. It sets off the dramatic stuff when it gets included. I hope we get an episode or two like that.

[sinkwriter]

 

Sherlock's conflict was meh (though that's a big ask and to come from Papa Holmes is kinda gross)

 

Agreed! I thought it was disturbing. I don't know if we'll ever meet the mysterious man, but I can't imagine who could fill the shoes of someone who seems so awful.

[Kat]

This made me laugh and giggle out loud at my desk like a lunatic. Good thing I'm like the only one in the office today.

[paigow]

Agreed! I thought it was disturbing. I don't know if we'll ever meet the mysterious man, but I can't imagine who could fill the shoes of someone who seems so awful.

Brian Cox should be on the short list. 

[sinkwriter]

Hmm... I like Brian Cox, but I don't necessarily see him as spawning both Sherlock and Mycroft (I'd like someone a little closer to the appearances of Jonny and Rhys). Who else could we see as playing Holmes Senior? I'm going to have to ponder that one.  *GRIN*

[thuganomics85]

 

I don't know if we'll ever meet the mysterious man, but I can't imagine who could fill the shoes of someone who seems so awful.

I still vote for Charles Dance as Daddy Holmes.

 

Hey, they finally got another former Copper actor to go along with Ato Essandoh (Alfredo): Agatha was played by Anastasia Griffith who was Elizabeth on that show.  I liked the idea of Sherlock having a casual relationship, that was still important enough to tidy up (well, mainly because he didn't want his things to get broken), but it's too bad that it all ended up involving Daddy Holmes.  Dude finds the worst ways to get involved in Sherlock's life.

 

The case didn't grab me, but there was some good Sherlock/Joan stuff at least.  And, Sherlock wanting some ice cream at the end was great.  He's becoming more human!

[sinkwriter]

 

I still vote for Charles Dance as Daddy Holmes.

 

Oooh... that would be a GOOD one! I just got chills. He could play the aristocrat very well, he looks kind of like Rhys (at least in coloring), and he can certainly play the intense, scary bastard. Love it. Can we make that happen?  *GRIN*

 

And, Sherlock wanting some ice cream at the end was great.

 

I had a good chuckle over that moment. He seemed so "I'm fine with what I have" and Joan was okay with giving him that space, so it was fun to have him take a beat and then ask, "What kind of ice cream?" Heeee.

[kitmerlot1213]

[...sex blanket]

 

But Sherlock asked Joan to stop calling it that. I found that particularly funny.

The humor on this show is wonderfully subtle and it's JLM's extreme dry and deadpan delivery that always cracks me up.

 

Agatha reminded me a great deal of Jamie Moriarty--both actresses bring a cool blonde intelligence to their characters--and it appears that Sherlock has a definite type.  I can understand that he wouldn't want to curse another child with the particular hell he went through of being a super-observant but socially awkward child and just as a side note, in the original ACD stories, Sherlock always said that the only person smarter then him was his brother Mycroft and in the BBC version Mycroft it's definitely true, but it doesn't seem to be true with this show's Mycrof and I wonder why they went with that?  I mean Mycroft is obviously intelligent but not a genius.

 

I do like how the detective work has become practically seemless between Sherlock, Joan, Det. Bell and Gregson--they seem like a well oiled machine.

[sinkwriter]

 

Agatha reminded me a great deal of Jamie Moriarty--both actresses bring a cool blonde intelligence to their characters--and it appears that Sherlock has a definite type.

 

She also reminded me a tiny bit of the Marchioness. Without the snobbery, of course. Again, fits that blonde type you mentioned, though I highly doubt Sherlock would consider the Marchioness intelligent. He has other choice words for her. *GRIN*

Edited April 3, 2015 by sinkwriter

[Check Sanity]

I can understand that he wouldn't want to curse another child with the particular hell he went through of being a super-observant but socially awkward child and just as a side note, in the original ACD stories, Sherlock always said that the only person smarter then him was his brother Mycroft and in the BBC version Mycroft it's definitely true, but it doesn't seem to be true with this show's Mycrof and I wonder why they went with that?  I mean Mycroft is obviously intelligent but not a genius.

I think that's how this show gets away with the father being manipulative about having an heir after his own children. Sherlock here suggests she should have gotten his fathers seed, but maybe the thought is that Sherlock's is more likely to produce more geniuses? I was not great in biology, so I don't know if it works like that. But just  thought.

Edited to add "Ditto to sinkwriter's sentiments on this weeks recap". 

Edited April 3, 2015 by Check Sanity

[dr pepper]

I vote Geoffrey Palmer for Holmes Sr.

Although i found the portrayal of notUber to be well done, it was also very silly, better suited to a comedy.

[MaryHedwig]

My vote for Papa Holmes: Alan Rickman.

 

How can Sherlock be sure there is a not already a baby Sherlock running around the planet?  Birth control is fallible, and can Sherlock be sure that each of his sex-sport partners used a reliable method anyway? Has he maintaining peace of mind from reliance on condoms?  A lot of us are here because a condom broke.  And how can Sherlock be positive that Agatha did not already get herself pregnant, with Sherlock's help, prior to her bringing up this issue? 

 

I have always assumed that if this show went on long enough, there be finally be an episode where someone claims they are raising Sherlock's love child. False accusation or not, Sherlock  should be worried about that knock on the door.  To quote my Irish great-grandmother, "If you dance you have to pay the piper."

 

Unto to another topic I am probably over-thinking.  A sex blanket?  That looked like a rug from a real, not faux, bear.  That rug is big enough to cover Sherlock and two partners, one fully so covered to be hidden from view as we learned in Hemlock. How is it washed?  I doubt that it can fit into a washing machine, in fact, I bet that is some expensive dry cleaning. 

Edited April 4, 2015 by MaryHedwig

[aemom]

If Sherlock is so adamant about not wanting children, you would think that he would have had a vasectomy to eliminate the possible risk with anyone.

[Sakura12]

Moriarty has a daughter, I wonder how she's going to turn out. That would be an interesting study of nature vs nurture.

Sherlock does have a type. The case wasn't at all interesting.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Sakura12

[Clanstarling]

I still vote for Charles Dance as Daddy Holmes.

This, and the other suggestions, are great. I think, however, it would be more fun and surprising if they cast someone who has not done this type of role before, and who isn't obviously devious and controlling. I don't have a good example, but I've seen a number of actors typically cast in the affable roles who are brilliant at evil (JK Simmons, for one).

[basiltherat]

Jeremy Irons for Papa Holmes!

 

I almost expected Sherlock to ask for sprinkles on his ice cream.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I think, however, it would be more fun and surprising if they cast someone who has not done this type of role before, and who isn't obviously devious and controlling. I don't have a good example, but I've seen a number of actors typically cast in the affable roles who are brilliant at evil (JK Simmons, for one).

John Cleese.

[MaryHedwig]

This, and the other suggestions, are great. I think, however, it would be more fun and surprising if they cast someone who has not done this type of role before, and who isn't obviously devious and controlling. I don't have a good example, but I've seen a number of actors typically cast in the affable roles who are brilliant at evil (JK Simmons, for one).

Then how about Michael Palin?

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Then how about Michael Palin?

I'd actually go for any of the Pythons, but somehow I think Cleese would be the most disturbing and thus the funniest.

[MorbidPet]

I just came here to say I agree with the guy in the clothes shop - Joan has the best wardrobe & is the one TV character I would love to be able to dress like. She manages to look cool but still dress her age so to speak, her outfits look comfy but yet stylish. Love it.

[Neurochick]

Hey, they finally got another former Copper actor to go along with Ato Essandoh (Alfredo): Agatha was played by Anastasia Griffith who was Elizabeth on that show.

 

 

Oh, I knew she looked familiar.  

 

The case was a lot of build up to a big nothing.  

[Eneya]

The case was awesome. The thinly veiled reference to Uber, the display of how easy is to be observed with information we give freely, the reference to stalking... nice.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I didn't like Anastasia Griffith on Copper or Once Upon a Time but strangely I didn't mind her on Elementary, despite her character wanting a sperm donation from Sherlock.

[Maelstrom]

in the original ACD stories, Sherlock always said that the only person smarter then him was his brother Mycroft and in the BBC version Mycroft it's definitely true, but it doesn't seem to be true with this show's Mycrof and I wonder why they went with that?  I mean Mycroft is obviously intelligent but not a genius.

In defense of (this) Mycroft, Sherlock had no clue he was MI6 for all those years. IMO, the writers kept the misdirect of Mycroft being a loser, lazy, etc etc, going too long, and missed a chance to really delve into who this Mycroft truly is. Not to mention to show how he is more intelligent than Sherlock in his own way. And as a fan of Rhys Ifans, I'd've loved to see more of he and Sherlock getting to know each other as mature(ish) adults. And solve crimes together, because Paint it Black was one of my favorite episodes, and their interactions were priceless.

 

I think that's how this show gets away with the father being manipulative about having an heir after his own children.

Doesn't Daddy Holmes think Mycroft is dead? I can't think either Holmes boy would trust their father to know Mycroft faked his death. Perhaps Daddy Holmes is having some sort of confronting-his-mortality crisis in reaction to Mycroft's "death", and figures another kid (or grandkid) could come in handy down the line. Also, John Cleese as Daddy Holmes would be awesome.

 

I do seem to recall seeing the sex blanket before, though I can't remember specific episodes. Count me among everyone who loved the ice cream bit at the end. We all know Sherlock's not like a normal person, but really, what kind of inhuman monster would turn down ice cream? Though this skirts one of the deeper questions this show has ever encountered: what kind of ice cream would be Sherlock's favorite?

Edited April 5, 2015 by Maelstrom

[Helena Dax]

Agreed! I thought it was disturbing. I don't know if we'll ever meet the mysterious man, but I can't imagine who could fill the shoes of someone who seems so awful.

To me, the best daddy Holmes would be Bill Nighy. He's the perfect mix between Ifans and JLM. He'd nail that role.

 

The case was okay but I really enjoyed everything else. I get why Sherlock doesn't want to have kids. I wonder if Mycroft feels the same, since  he's supposed to be even smarter. 

[Zahdii]

I, like Sherlock, gave minimal thought to the case of the week, because I was much more interested in the baby storyline. 

 

Sherlock claimed that it wasn't a problem for him to impregnant what's her name because he wouldn't have any dealings with the baby.  But he gave minimal thought to the case at hand while he researched why what's her name wanted him to provide the sperm.  (And kudos to her for not just having sex with him and getting pregnant without his consent.  She could have done that, and claimed it was an accident later, but she didn't.  At least I hope so - they apparently did have sex the night before she asked him to father her child.)

 

Sherlock is so attuned to the minutiae of others, he realizes things that others would want to hide, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge in so many fields.  He almost considers his abilities as a curse, yet he uses those same abilities to help.  He hasn't tried to become some kind of uber-villian, he's helping people.  He's a better person than he thinks he is.

 

I think that he's incredibly intelligent, super aware of things around him, and possibly mildly on the autistic spectrum.  While general human emotions seem to elude him, I think that he's more emotional than he lets on.  Sherlock's older brother is also intelligent and doesn't seem to have quite as many problems dealing with the average person, but he's also shown to have problems forming long lasting romantic relationships.

 

So far all signs point to Papa Holmes being a real dick who's managed to really screw up his kids.  And Papa Holmes didn't have these kids alone.  Where is their mother?

[MaryHedwig]

So far all signs point to Papa Holmes being a real dick who's managed to really screw up his kids.  And Papa Holmes didn't have these kids alone.  Where is their mother?

I would love the back story on that.  I always assumed that the mother died early and the Sherlock somehow blames his father for either neglecting or mistreating her.

Also, wouldn't it more make sense for Mycroft and Sherlock have different mothers, each with their own scars, emotional and otherwise, from trying to make a go of a life with Papa?

[Athena]

They are building up Papa Holmes so much. He has to come into the story at some point. I wonder which British actors TPTB have prospected or have on their wishlist. I like that the show uses Papa Holmes in small doses. We only hear about it him a couple of times a season, but it does excite me the idea of when and who he'll be.

 

I like the Nighy, Rickman, and Dance suggestions. Not sure how viable any of them are for an American network TV show at the moment.

 

ETA: I was impressed with the guest actress they hired to play the sister of the blackmailer. She really nailed her character and lines in that one scene. This show has great casting.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Athena

[basiltherat]

Sherlock's favorite ice cream flavor:  honey!

[MaryHedwig]

I was impressed with the guest actress they hired to play the sister of the blackmailer. She really nailed her character and lines in that one scene. This show has great casting.

I totally agree. Some of their one-players are so fleshed out I want to visit them again to see how they are fairing.  I am still waiting for Pam to return with her snow mobile.  I also thought the cab owner who told Bell who would want to kill Zooss driver and who wouldn't really nailed it as well.

 

Sherlock's favorite ice cream flavor:  honey!

I'll bite.  How about English Rose or Peaches and Cream?

[sunnyface]

The line delivery of "What facet of my being would suggest that I have any desire to reproduce?" was the best that I have seen in some time on the idiot box!   Sherlock and Watson were en fuego.  It's too bad that the writing for the mystery portion of the episodes is at a much lower level. 

[frenchtoast]

My mom called me and said Sherlock asking for ice cream was, for her, so poignant. And I can see that. Even though he does confide in Joan, it was a moment where he allowed himself to be like the rest of us, and indulge in some wallowing and ice cream. It didn't woobify him, but it did make him relatable. (And I don't care spell check if I made up a word!!)

[MaryHedwig]

Sherlock's favorite ice cream flavor:  honey!

I just got the honey connection, maybe it took me so long because we haven't seen the bees on the roof for so long. Your suggestion is brilliant!

 

My mom called me and said Sherlock asking for ice cream was, for her, so poignant.

It was an intimate moment.  There was another one that has stayed with me: the scene where Sherlock finds Watson trying to fix the wires behind the monitors.  The interchange there, where Sherlock gets her out of the way to fix things his own way, was that of an old married couple.  That is the same scene where Sherlock asks Watson if she has even considered procreating.  I can't imagine them as a couple but I could imagine them raising together more lost souls like Kitty.

[LADreamr]

Ian McKellen could bring the disturbing to Papa Holmes. Everyone has pretty much covered the high points, but I just wanted to add, listening to him talk about why he's "remarkable" made me very sad for him. I think Jonny Lee Miller is really underrated.

Edited April 8, 2015 by LADreamr

[basil]

If Sherlock is so adamant about not wanting children, you would think that he would have had a vasectomy to eliminate the possible risk with anyone

 

.

 

We don't know that he hasn't, do we?

 

Though there was the episode where Joan almost managed to convince Holmes that he'd impregnated her friend - such a look he gave her! You could almost hear him thinking, before she broke and said "Almost got you" and he agreed "Yes.....almost".

[sinkwriter]

 

We don't know that he hasn't, do we?

 

Wouldn't he have told his friend outright that he couldn't do it, if that were the case? Otherwise it would be cruel to string her along for days, letting her think he was considering it when all along he had no capability of actually doing it. Sherlock's so brutally honest, I can't imagine he wouldn't just tell her right away.

[basil]

Wouldn't he have told his friend outright that he couldn't do it, if that were the case? Otherwise it would be cruel to string her along for days, letting her think he was considering it when all along he had no capability of actually doing it. Sherlock's so brutally honest, I can't imagine he wouldn't just tell her right away.

 

 

I'll have to rewatch, but it didn't seem to me that Sherlock considered her request for even a second. Do we know he didn't refuse her right away? She seemed a little chilly after the time they spent together. I think he was simply disturbed by the thought of having a child.

[sinkwriter]

I wasn't sure either, so I just rewatched some scenes from the episode. Most of his responses were vague, even when Joan asked him outright what his answer to his friend had been (very Sherlockian non-answers throughout, or outright changes of subject, LOL).

 

But the final scene, when he meets up with his friend in the hotel overlooking the skyline, they have an exchange that seems to indicate he had not answered her yet or outright said no up to that point, especially based on her first statement to him when she arrives:

 

FRIEND (apologies, I forget her name): I assume since you asked to meet me here rather than a room downstairs, you've decided not to impregnate me. At least the old-fashioned way... it's okay, Sherlock. The things I said yesterday, I put too much pressure on you.

SHERLOCK: You made some good points.

FRIEND: Not enough to sway you, though.

SHERLOCK: You're right. I am... remarkable. That's precisely why I can't help you.

 

After he explains further about his struggles, he says, "So I cannot in good conscience pass all that on to someone else. Sorry."

Edited April 11, 2015 by sinkwriter

[basil]

Most of his responses were vague, even when Joan asked him outright what his answer to his friend had been (very Sherlockian non-answers throughout, or outright changes of subject,

 

 

Was just coming back to edit, sinkwriter. You are of course, absolutely correct. I was thrown off early in the episode. When Sherlock tells Joan Agatha had requested a donation of Sherlock's "issue" aka "mettle" aka "genetic material" aka semen to her uterus, he responded to Joan's question "What did you say?" with "Do I exude the traits of fatherhood to you?"- which I erroneously took as the equvalent of "Is the Pope Catholic?", except the answer was "No".

 

They never have sex again after the first night. Sherlock wonders aloud, almost angrily, why Agatha would so "egregiously" violate their sexual arrangement. When he confronts her about his father's involvement, she sounds as if she is trying to get him to reconsider. I deduced incorrectly ("not all things are deducible") and totally blanked out their final scene together, in which it is made pretty clear he had, in fact, not answered her yet.

 

It just makes no sense at all to me that such a sexually active "misanthrope" such as Sherlock wouldn't have a vasectomy, or would consider being a sperm donor for a minute. Seems totally out of character.

[sinkwriter]

Absolutely no worries, dear basil.  :)   I couldn't remember exactly either. I had to fast forward around and watch quite a few scenes before I finally got to the end and remembered that last exchange. 

 

I do wonder if the part of him that isn't dark and doesn't think of his "gifts" as something terrible to pass on to someone else might see something good in passing on his talents, not unlike his enjoyment of teaching others and connecting in that way. Perhaps one part of him wonders if he might be able to be a much better father (and teacher) than his own father. But I also imagine the angrier, darker part of him skips past the possibilities and instead worries that he would instead pass on the "bad" stuff (addictive personality, hyper-connectedness to the world and all its details, the exhausting parts of his brain that never seem to let him rest).

 

Side note: I laugh every time Sherlock says "my... issue." I don't know why, but the way Jonny says just cracks me up.

Edited April 11, 2015 by sinkwriter

[basil]

Thank you, sinkwriter.

 

Side note: I laugh every time Sherlock says "my... issue." I don't know why, but the way Jonny says just cracks me up.

 

 

For me, it was "fetch mettle", which one doesn't hear all that often on this side of the pond (or the other, for that matter. It's a bit of an old term). In retrospect, it wasn't until the penny dropped and Sherlock realised his father was behind this that he became adamant about his refusal. 

 

The whole thing just doesn't make sense to me. TMI, perhaps, but I had a vasectomy quite young (before I realised I was bi). I always knew I wasn't suited to be a father, and I can't imagine Sherlock ever thought he would be. So perhaps I was projecting.