S03.E24: A Controlled Descent

[Athena]

Holmes and Watson take on an investigation of a personal nature when Holmes’ recovery sponsor, Alfredo, suddenly disappears. As they delve into Alfredo’s life for clues, Holmes questions whether their friend has been abducted, or worse, if he suffered a relapse into addiction.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Season finale promo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK2jy2QRXjE

[roseha]

Not to speculate too much, but has the show been officially renewed?  Just wondering if this will turn out to be a cliffhanger (personally I hope not...)

[Athena]

Not to speculate too much, but has the show been officially renewed?  Just wondering if this will turn out to be a cliffhanger (personally I hope not...)

 

Not yet, but it's likely to be renewed because S4 will give that syndication number. There is a likehood that they move the show to another time slot when it does happen though.

[roseha]

Thanks Athena, I hope the show will be renewed, personally I wouldn't mind another night, though I agree with the poster who said 10pm is a little late considering the involved plots the show sometimes comes up with!  Maybe 9pm would be better, if possible.

[Wynterwolf]

The official renewal has finally come through.  **phew**  Hopefully whatever happens to Alfredo in this ep isn't permanent... I am hoping we'll see more of him next season.  

[roseha]

The official renewal has finally come through.  **phew**  Hopefully whatever happens to Alfredo in this ep isn't permanent... I am hoping we'll see more of him next season.  

Me too, I love Alfredo!

[whatsatool]

Trying to stay awake for my dear show.

[Brattinella]

Oh, my!   I can hardly bear to think of what is happening to Sherlock!

[Primetimer]

Holmes goes under the bridge to face his demons, probably thinking twice about that whole 'having friends' thing.

Read the story

[jch323]

I know we're meant to infer he relapsed, but we never saw him shoot up. Maybe he didn't just pummel Oscar into unconciousness but actually killed him and is in shock?

[AimingforYoko]

Ah, we will finally meet the Holmes pere'. I wonder who'll they'll get? My hope would be Charles Dance, but that's just a hope.

[whatsatool]

I think he gave into the two temptations of anger and heroin, alas.

[Magic Drop]

So if we went through all that then kills the guy he used to get high with just to shoot up I'm going to be pretty pissed

[frenchtoast]

It would not surprise me at all if he used. The talk with Alfredo's mother was sort of like Chekov's gun, no? I don't want him to, he was trying so hard. But I think everything that had happened--not just that day, but everything with Kitty and Watson and Andrew and Alfredo--it became too much for him and at that moment, I think he escaped. It breaks my heart, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. In fact, it's more probable that he would relapse, sadly. I'm just glad Watson is there with him.

 

What a way to end the season, by hinting at Papa Holmes? I don't know what they'll do next, but that episode will take a bit to digest. Also, I want to kick Oscar in the head a few times, too.

[jch323]

 

Ah, we will finally meet the Holmes pere'. I wonder who'll they'll get? My hope would be Charles Dance, but that's just a hope.

 

I actually kind of hate the idea of Dance because it would feel like Tywin 2.0. I'd like them to be a litt offbeat with the casting (though perhaps not as offbeat as the casting of Mycroft).

[MisterGlass]

I kept thinking with Oscar just lying there that Sherlock had killed him.  He just kept kicking him.  Oscar said himself that he was in poor physical condition.

[thuganomics85]

Well, at least they found Alfredo.  I honestly was worried, if hopeful, because he really is a character I could see the show being willing to kill off.  Joan, Gregson, or Bell wouldn't have been as suspenseful, but a recurring one like him?  Yeah, I could have seen it.  It certainly made the case more interesting, since there was a big, emotional stake in it, and the results will still be felt next season, I have to think.

 

Damn, I have to think Sherlock relapsed.  That would be a reason for Daddy Holmes to finally show up.  I was really rooting for him to keep it together, but I think it was too much.  That damn bastard, Oscar, knew what he was doing.  The only option would be if he killed Oscar in the beatdown, and that's why he is messed up now. Either way, this has clearly hurt him, and I'm curious to see how this will effect him going forward.  Joan too.

 

At least we got a brief moment of humor in the beginning, with Sherlock and Alfredo watching "Who's On First?", and then Sherlock trying to give Alfredo relationship advice.

 

Wished we got a Clyde appearance.  Hopefully, he'll be there for Sherlock in these trying times.

 

So, Daddy Holmes will be showing up next season.  Hope they get someone good.  I know I fantasy-casted Charles Dance, but there should be several good choices, and they are usually good about it. I also wonder if other characters will find out about Sherlock's possible relapse, like Kitty or Moriarty.

[HalcyonDays]

Good episode. I too want to kick Oscar in the head a few times. I would not be surprised is Oscar is in a coma or dead, because those heel shots Sherlock was making should almost bash in his skull. But honestly, Oscar is a total asshole to do that to Sherlock and Alfredo - he deserves the beatdown.

 

Sherlock was definitely using. The very end scene when they showed him, his eyes were glassy, skin was pale, dark shadows under his eyes and his hair was messy - just like the way Oscar appeared. 100% sure of it. Of course the twist could be that Sherlock is being charged with murder.

 

Papa Holmes - that should be interesting too. And on a lighter but not really light note, having recently watched the movie and listened to the full soundtrack, when Oscar and Sherlock were in the shooting gallery, I kept thinking of young blond JLM - he played Sick Boy in Trainspotting which is about *drumroll* heroin addicts - while Underworld's Born Slippy was playing in my head.

 

ETA: Apparently one of the Elementary EP's confirmed that yeah - Sherlock relapsed. Sad.

[DeLurker]

They just broke me.

[frenchtoast]

I don't know how much self loathing I can take next season. He was so genuinely disgusted by himself as an addict, how he talked about himself and he never wanted to see that again. It reminds me when he was talking to Joan about his sobriety date. The control matters to him and he didn't have it. It is completely understandable why he didn't, but he hates that about himself. I think Joan was trying to say that he does such good work, he helps so many people, that he can't be defined by the failure. But I understand why it matters to him. 

 

And right now, I don't care that Oscar might be dead. What he did was so heinous and cruel. 

[shapeshifter]

While there was no doubt in my mind that the last shot of Jonny Lee Miller was showing us Sherlock on heroin, I had decided that Oscar just had a few broken ribs. But reading this:

I kept thinking with Oscar just lying there that Sherlock had killed him.  He just kept kicking him.  Oscar said himself that he was in poor physical condition.

I realize that we were also told of Oscar's Chekhov's gun of his medical conditions, and that he is likely dead--murdered by Sherlock. But if that is the case, why isn't Sherlock in jail? Is he out on bail?

I hate Sherlock's relapse just like I hate Booth's relapse into gambling on Bones. But I suppose it's cannonical. From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes#Drug_use:

...In "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter" Watson says that although he has "weaned" Holmes from drugs, he remains an addict whose habit is "not dead, but merely sleeping".

[Delwyn]

So, two relapse season finale cliff hangers in a row, then? I was kind of hoping that his father was coming because he was being charged with murdering a drug dealer or similar. I don't know if I really want to watch a ton more recovery episodes. I understand that it's an important part of this incarnation of Sherlock and a very serious subject, but I prefer to see it portrayed as an aspect of his character, not a plot point. That's just me, though.

[Xantar]

After all this, after facing down a criminal mastermind, countless psychopaths, and the intelligence services of both the USA and the UK, what brings Sherlock down is his addiction and his inner demons. It's actually fitting if you think about it.

[Brattinella]

Oscar deserves to die for putting them through all that shit.  What an asshole.

[Actionmage]

Oscar deserves to die for putting them through all that shit.  What an asshole.

 

While I normally try not to say even a pretend person deserves to die, in this case, ITA. My disgust at Oscar comes from his stated goal and how he tried to achieve it.

 

Goal: Show Holmes he's just a stupid-ass junkie like him (Oscar.)

Means: Letting his sister rot in the open, under a bridge, for two days/48 hours (give or take). Also the kidnapping and attempted  manslaughter/murder by neglect. 

 

Death would be too easy for Oscar, though. I cringed at every kick Holmes took ( glad I wasn't alone in the Trainspotting flashback corner). For Oscar to survive would also haunt Holmes, I believe.  While he did  try to help Oscar, despite how Holmes personally felt, to have killed is one thing. To have Oscar in a coma or brain-damaged would be another kettle of fish.

 

No doubt there are extenuating circumstances, but the cops knew Oscar was a kidnapper. Add to that, whatever a competent lawyer could pile on about Oliva's body being unreported and danger to public health (?), the DA may not really  feel like going hard for Sherlock.  That might even horrify Sherlock to a  degree- being lauded for a "public service" murder/manslaughter. (I wouldn't think the case would make the papers/ tabloids, so I hope that isn't how Papa Holmes heard the news. For that, I think MI-6 or Mycroft.  What?  Like Mycroft doesn't have Means to keep tabs on Sherlock.)

 

I hope that this doesn't lead to a break in Alfredo and Sherlock's friendship. We had a similar journey with Marcus last season.

 

On a brighter note: I love how well Joan and Marcus work together. They are getting to be a well-oiled machine.  Add in Captain Gregson and it's such a lovely mutual admiration society ( in the best way)!  

 

I also enjoyed the "Who's On First" footage. It is such a classic. I loved Alfredo's response to Sherlock's question:" I dunno. Third base."

 

Summer project: Head-casting for Holmes the Elder.  

 

Uneven  season, but I still love this show. Here we come, Season 4!

Edited May 15, 2015 by Actionmage

[GaT]

I don't like that they decided to end on a cliffhanger like that, I feel manipulated, & I don't like it.

[shapeshifter]

Holmes goes under the bridge to face his demons, probably thinking twice about that whole 'having friends' thing.http://previously.tv/elementary/needle-and-the-damage-done/"> Read the story

I voted the episode "Thumbs Down," but if I could, I would vote the (season) review 100% "Thumbs Up."

Oscar deserves to die for putting them through all that shit.  What an asshole.

To me, Oscar just doesn't have the mustache-twirling persona necessary to be so evil, which makes me wonder if someone put him up to it--didn't someone put him up to his last evil deed? I don't recall. But my theory doesn't make sense either, given his sister's death. IDK. Maybe there's still a mother figure Oscar was protecting in exchange for getting Sherlock hooked on drugs and out of the way.

I don't like that they decided to end on a cliffhanger like that, I feel manipulated, & I don't like it.

I know what you mean, but, aside from the tradition of TV series' cliffhangers, I think the writers are justified in anticipating that viewers of a show about Sherlock Holmes will enjoy trying to solve the puzzle of what will happen next.

I think they could do a good job of showing Sherlock being useful in solving crimes in his drug addled state, but not as good as he would be.

I'm kind of dreading Papa Holmes.

[duckyone]

I don't know if I really want to watch a ton more recovery episodes.

This is exactly why I stoppped watching after the first season. I began watching again this season after several episodes in a row where there were no mentions of 12 step programs, meetings or making amends but if that is where they are heading back to, even the brilliant talent that is Jonny Lee Miller won't be enough to keep me watching.

[frenchtoast]

It didn't feel like a cliffhanger to me. If they had left it with him walking into the tunnel with the box of drug paraphernalia then it would have been the cliffhanger of did he use or not. But for this I feel like we're left with the idea that there will be fall out from his actions next season and left to speculate what it will be. Much in the same way that last season ended with Sherlock and Joan going in different directions. It wasn't a cliffhanger, we knew they were separate, it was just setting up the for the next season. I get the same feeling. 

 

At first, I thought the conversation with Alfredo's mom was somewhat out of place. I appreciate now that it was there to show how friends and families still love and live with addicts and their actions when they relapse. 

[fauntleroy]

I don't know if I really want to watch a ton more recovery episodes. I understand that it's an important part of this incarnation of Sherlock and a very serious subject, but I prefer to see it portrayed as an aspect of his character, not a plot point.

 

I agree, but it seems the temptation for writers to milk any and all personal issues for all possible plot value is too difficult to resist. The daughter of any lead detective on a crime show will always be kidnapped, for example. You can't just have a daughter, she must be placed in peril. It's the inevitable result of the pressure to squeeze out yet another episode.

 

Likewise with any addiction--any personal failing will sooner or later be latched on to and shaken again. And if the series runs to more than three seasons, yet again. Why bother having him be just a recovered addict if he doesn't relapse? I think this is because complex, coherent crime mysteries are a bear to write against deadline, compared to melodrama- or relationship-based plots, around which you can spin a flimsy crime narrative. You can get lots of emoting among the main characters. They get to do acting. Especially since a lot of the effort of concocting cases too difficult for the police but interesting to Sherlock, are so often referred to off-handedly as the 'case of the week'.

 

I'm a case of the week fan and wish they'd keep the personal drama to a minimum, used as 'seasoning' if you will, but it rarely works that way.

Edited May 15, 2015 by fauntleroy

[DeLurker]

frenchtoast - You're right about the cliffhanger, although I did not view it that way until I read your post so thank you!

 

I haven't seen much with Michael Weston (Oscar) in it, but I probably will forever hold this role against him.  My knowledge of heroin addicts is thin, but he seemed a little too coherent and healthy looking to me.

 

Was Papa Holmes a presence in the books?  I've only read a few of the stories and that was a long long time ago, but I don't remember him being mentioned (at least not in the ones I read).

 

Thinking of casting, I might like Stephen Fry as Papa Holmes.  He's probably a bit young to be JLM's Dad, but I can roll with it.  Or John Cleese.

[Trey]

I guess I am naive because I did not think Sherlock had relapsed.  I thought he picked up the drug paraphernalia just so it wasn't lying around.  And I figured Senior was coming because he thought it was Sherlock who was in the rehab center, not knowing it was just Sherlock paying for the room for someone else.

 

I figured early on that Oscar's whole agenda was to get Sherlock using again so I was so relieved that the others found Alfredo in time (great detective work by Joan, Bell and Gregson, btw) ) and let Sherlock know, so he wouldn't be forced into using.  Now you tell me he really did relapse.  I don't like it.

 

I am sorry the season is over already.  It will be a long summer.

[Boton]

I hate Sherlock's relapse just like I hate Booth's relapse into gambling on Bones. But I suppose it's cannonical. From en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes#Drug_use:

 

You know, I don't care if it's canon or not.  I guess I'm either extremely internally consistent in my logic, or I'm a complete hypocrit, but I have different standards for all of the different incarnations of Sherlock Holmes.  And for this one, it will really piss me off if he's relapsed.  This is a tough, gritty Holmes, and this is the one that I most believe could descend not just into drug abuse but into street drug abuse and pull himself out of it by sheer force of will.  If they go with what I consider to be the tired trope of "drug abusers always relapse because the siren song of the triggers and bad situations is too much," I'll be very disappointed.

 

I kind of want to see him sitting and being interviewed by Gregson about Oscar's death and saying "Well, in the past five years I've gotten two useless druggies off the street:  me and Oscar.  I'd consider that a good piece of work."

[whatsatool]

Did dropping the phone symbolize anything?

[basiltherat]

The irony of Sherlock becoming increassinglly more "human" and then  having a fellow junkie use that humanity to abase and humiliate him makes it even more painful to watch  That is what you get when you open yourself up -- pain and humiliation.  Better to be a hermit than to be a friend.  So thought Sherlock.

[DeLurker]

Did dropping the phone symbolize anything?

It was the phone he stole off a junky (sp?) at the heroin den since Oscar had taken his.  It was how he got in touch with Joan and how she told him they found Alfredo.

 

So dropping the phone meant that Joan,  h̶i̶s̶ ̶f̶r̶i̶e̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶m̶e̶r̶ ̶s̶o̶b̶r̶i̶e̶t̶y̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶a̶n̶i̶o̶n̶, was cut off from reaching him as he walked off with the box and into the dark.

 

ETA: Strikethrough because if you watched the season 3 finale I probably don't need to explain the importance of Joan.  Sorry!

Edited May 15, 2015 by DeLurker

[fauntleroy]

I think the phone he took off the junkie was the already-stolen phone of that guy, whose arm was in a sling, that Sherlock and Oscar interviewed. Interesting character--bright, bad but not over-the-top, had one scene that moved the plot along, and was gone. He reminded me a bit of Sean Pertwee who played Lestrade earlier.

[tpel]

I'm not sure I bought Oscar's motivation here. He apparently loved his sister, and in a way Sherlock helped her unwittingly by setting up the rehab stint for Oscar. Yet he was willing to leave her body under a bridge just to get Sherlock to use again? I guess it is possible, but it felt a little off to me. I am glad that Sherlock's relapse was not part of a bargain to get the information on Alfredo's whereabouts, but rather a reaction to the whole situation.

 

As for Sherlock's father, I know he's not quite old enough, but Hugh Laurie would be awesome! Hey, female actors play the parents of actors who are only a dozen years their junior all the time :-)

[DeLurker]

I was speculating while watching if Sherlock or Alfredo had somehow been involved with the sister's drug use in the bad ol'days...glad they didn't go that route.

 

I felt really bad for Alfredo when they showed him when they rescued him.  I was wondering how the hell Oscar managed to kidnap Alfredo since Alfredo is a good sized guy, healthy and coherent -I a glad they gave that a line to explain.  Seeing his mugshot from user days was tough.

 

I had considered Hugh Laurie as the dad but dismissed him because as being too young, but you talked me into it tpel!

[Driad]

 

Yes, Hugh Laurie!  And Stephen Fry too, with them in some scenes together.  For a little extra heart-throb, have Hugh Laurie wear glasses.

[MaryHedwig]

Did dropping the phone symbolize anything?

I assumed Sherlock dropped the phone so that Oscar and his sister could be found. 

Edited May 15, 2015 by MaryHedwig

[sinkwriter]

I think the phone he took off the junkie was the already-stolen phone of that guy, whose arm was in a sling, that Sherlock and Oscar interviewed. Interesting character--bright, bad but not over-the-top, had one scene that moved the plot along, and was gone. He reminded me a bit of Sean Pertwee who played Lestrade earlier.

 

I kept staring at that guy (the arm sling guy) because he reminded me of John Larroquette. Occasionally the voice, a few of his mannerisms... I kept looking at him to see if maybe this was actually him, just with a short haircut and really well messed up by the makeup department. I came to decide it wasn't him, but I'm still curious who the actor actually was.

 

Regarding Oscar's motivation - that threw me as well. I suppose you could say that Oscar is a bit of a sadist, that his entire drug dealing job was based on seduction and using sweet torture to get his victims ("clients") to keep coming back because he knows they want it. He wanted to lure people into giving his product a try, because once they're hooked, he's got them. With Holmes, Oscar may have seen that trying his usual schpiels to get people to come back to him and back to the drugs wasn't working on Sherlock, so he felt he had to be more hardcore vicious and torturous. Also, if he truly loved his sister and wanted to get her help, but saw in the end that it wasn't doing any good and felt that it was Sherlock's fault that she relapsed and used to the point of overdose, then he may have wanted to take that out on Sherlock rather than truly blame himself for influencing her to get hooked in the first place. Sherlock was the easy target to blame for everything. And in Oscar's messed-up mind, he may have thought it was his right, to seek revenge and punish Sherlock by bringing him back to drugs. Bring him back down to Oscar's level.

 

Actually, in a twisted way, Sherlock may be the only one he has left -- if his sister's dead, then he needs a new drug buddy, and since Sherlock's not going to be that willingly, Oscar may have decided he needed to force it to happen. Especially because he kept talking in this episode and in one of the previous episodes about how he'd "held" Sherlock, like he had done this amazing thing for Sherlock, like he loves him (in a very warped way). He seemed to take such pride in that, how he'd "helped" him (by helping him numb all that pain leftover from Irene?), and he seemed very angry that Sherlock wasn't more thankful about that. Oscar seems very stalkery to me.

 

Frankly, I was very afraid that Oscar was going to force the heroin on him, by stabbing him with a needle, or getting the jump on Sherlock and knocking him out so that Sherlock can wake up tied to a chair, with a needle stuck in his arm. Or by telling him that he wouldn't tell Sherlock where Alfredo was until he'd done some of Oscar's drugs (and Joan and Marcus and the Captain would just miss getting to him in time). I was very afraid of any of these options, especially one where Sherlock would have it forced upon him. That would be torture for him, to be forcefully re-exposed to a drug that he has fought so hard to avoid.

 

One thing I really liked was how pissed off the Captain and Marcus were that Sherlock went to meet Oscar all by himself. "We're his friends! Who's going to have HIS back?" That was wonderful.

Edited May 15, 2015 by sinkwriter

[Blakeston]

I get that it isn't easy to dramatize a recovering addict's struggle to stay on the wagon in a way that's exciting. But did they really just give us an episode where someone kidnaps Sherlock's friend, and says, "Shoot up with this heroin right now, or your friend dies!"?

 

I understand that Oscar was bitter and vengeful, and resentful toward Sherlock for being sober...but I still think the whole plot line was kind of ridiculous. They might as well have had him tie a litter of kittens to those train tracks.

 

Something tells me that Oscar would have used that heroin himself (or sold it), instead of leaving it there as part of a convoluted scheme.

[Tarasme]

[with regard to Papa Holmes] I actually kind of hate the idea of Dance because it would feel like Tywin 2.0. I'd like them to be a litt offbeat with the casting (though perhaps not as offbeat as the casting of Mycroft).

Part of me wants them to totally go against type- is Bob Hoskins still alive (kudos to Hugh Laurie and John Cleese suggestions too)?

 

But then, John Noble isn't doing much so far next season. More to type, maybe Timothy Dalton could come back from the comedy action side and make an appearance.

 

I sorta hope we get a serious, hard ass but charismatic, takes no prisoners but- in the early days- made the admirers swoon captain of industry. Ian McKellen would cost too much and maybe be too aged. Derek Jackoby would be amazing. Crud, could someone bribe Kenneth Branagh to show for a couple of scenes? 

 

The ep itself was another fine display of JLM at his best. The whole season was great for him (though the mysteries of the week were often... well.. weak). I'm sad that they've left us with defeat when Sherlock struggled so valiantly to create a full rich life for himself.

[Brattinella]

Did anyone else notice that Oscar's sister was named Olivia, and that The actor who plays Oscar was Olivia Benson's brother in SVU?

[kitmerlot1213]

Did anyone else notice that Oscar's sister was named Olivia, and that The actor who plays Oscar was Olivia Benson's brother in SVU?

 

Good call!  I knew he looked familiar but I couldn't recall where I saw the actor before.

 

Now that was a freakin’ season finale!  And there were so many great character moments:

 

Alfredo:  I liked watching Sherlock and Alfredo hanging out and trying to do “guy talk” and Joan was encouraging their bonding by making popcorn.  I also like that Sherlock knows Alfredo’s mother and that she’s just as concerned for his sobriety as for her own son’s.

 

Gregson:  At the beginning of this season, Gregson made sure to draw a line with Sherlock by emphatically stating that “he wanted good things for Sherlock, but they weren’t friends.”  Then we had the lovely moment of Gregson’s protectiveness in “For All You Know” when the detectives from another precinct wanted to question Sherlock and they were treating him like a suspect.  “You wanted five minutes with him; you got your five minutes.”  And that protectiveness came out again in last night’s episode when Gregson learned that Sherlock went off unarmed with Oscar:  “We’re his friends; we would have helped him find Alfredo.”  I love this!  Gregson and Bell are like Joan in that they are completely in Sherlock’s corner and will help him in a minute.

 

Joan:  The best friend and partner Sherlock could have asked for.  She helped find Alfredo and offered unwavering support—yes, she asked questions but she was never not going to help and she always has his best interests in mind.

 

Sherlock.  JLM hit it out of the ball park in last night’s episode.  His simmering rage at Oscar’s callousness regarding Alfredo’s life but also of Sherlock’s was gorgeous to see.  We could see how Sherlock was barely holding it together in that drug den—not just because he was in the presence of his drug of choice, but also because that he wanted to find Alfredo alive and well and he knew they were wasting time.  And when Sherlock figured out that not only had Olivia been dead for two days but that Oscar knew it and kidnapped Alfredo to simply hurt Sherlock and you could pinpoint exactly when Sherlock lost his grip on his self-control.

 

Oscar.  He is the most evil character this show has ever created.  He sees that Sherlock has gone through rehab and is rebuilding his life as a sober person bit by bit and he decides that he wants to destroy that.  Instead of trying to get clean himself, he sought to ruin Sherlock’s own sobriety simply because he couldn’t stand to see Sherlock doing well.  He still wants Sherlock to the addict crying on the floor, begging for the drugs.

 

I think Season 4 is going to be brilliant in that we will see Sherlock rebuilding his sober life once more but this time he won’t be so complacent.  He will attend meetings, speak to his sponsor daily and he’ll realize that his recovery is a long fought battle that he has to win every day.

 

I am going on the record and saying that I don’t care if Oscar is dead and that Sherlock may have killed him.  I would prefer that Oscar face the kidnapping charges and that he gets put away and suffers in jail but if it turns out that he died after Sherlock beat him, I can’t get too upset about it.

[sinkwriter]

 

Part of me wants them to totally go against type- is Bob Hoskins still alive (kudos to Hugh Laurie and John Cleese suggestions too)?

 

Sadly, Bob Hoskins died last year.  :(

[partofme]

Did anyone else notice that Oscar's sister was named Olivia, and that The actor who plays Oscar was Olivia Benson's brother in SVU?

Yes this was all I could think about throughtout the episode.  I was wondering if it was on purpose.

[stealinghome]

This may just have been a function of the cliffhanger, but I'm not sure Sherlock was high at the end (though I definitely think he relapsed in the tunnel). I have to think Watson would have noticed and I have to think she wouldn't have been nearly so zen about it. Leaving a high addict unattended on a rooftop? No way would Joan do that.

 

I'm nervous about Papa Holmes coming. Mycroft ruined S2, hoping the father doesn't ruin S4 after the show did really well this season recovering from the debacle of S2.

 

I really don't get why Oscar is so obsessed with Sherlock he would go to THESE LENGTHS to get at him. By far the weakest part of the episode for me, and tbh it really took me out of the episode. I just found it completely unconvincing, esp given that Oscar had just been in 1 episode previous (maybe 2? I missed a few this spring). He was more freaking obsessed with Sherlock than Moriarty is, which is seriously saying something, and all because Sherlock is a jerk to him? Just weak all the way around. Not the note I necessarily wanted the show to finale on. Holmes relapsing would have been fine--and I like that at the end he made the decision to get high, I think it would have been way too much of a copout if Oscar had held him at gunpoint and forced him to do so or anything like that--but Oscar's motivation was so weak for me that it really ruined the ep.

Edited May 15, 2015 by stealinghome