S04.E02: Evidence Of Things Not Seen

[johntfs]

I am certainly no expert, but I was somehow under the impression that property sales for substantially less than market value (with no known major defect) are often flagged as suspicious if it's not a sale between family members. She said it sold for $3M less than market value. Even in the Hamptons, that's not chump change. I'm not saying the super PAC etc connection would be conspicuous, but I would think that because the transaction was so on the cheap it would call attention to itself, and because Sherlock theoretically should be famous-ish enough in-show-universe to at least merit a mention on local news (although perhaps not), if for example anyone had heard about him being charged in a beating, then any person in a position where it would be their job to notice said suspicious transactions, had they also heard the news, could hear Holmes and Holmes and too easily make a connection. I think that's where it hit my spidey sense as too easy.

I don't think it was done illegally, not really, just conspicuously and in a suspicious manner. Joan didn't say anything about selling the house to any kind of proxy for the DA. Just straight up the DA. Although I suppose they might play more innocently that way, since as you point out: one rich guy sold a house to another rich guy, and there are a limited number of people who can afford the price range in question. So maybe making it so conspicuous helps the "nothing to see here" argument they might try to make if called out? Yet the price and timing still strike as sketchy and too easy to find out about. I still think "DA buys vacation house in Black Friday sale and charges suddenly dropped against seller's son" still has too much air of impropriety easily inferred (even if they did cross T dot i in doing it). Things don't need to be illegal to make someone look bad and result in bad PR. And basic google and not major detective work seems to unravel that one. I'm not saying they would/should be caught by someone other than Joan who was intentionally digging. I'm just saying it wasn't done very stealthily in general, which made my ears perk and wonder why.

 

Morland didn't sell the home to the DA.  He sold the home to the person who funded the superPAC which funded the DA (and probably quite a few other candidates).

[theatremouse]

Thank you! That makes it a lot less annoying to me. Clearly I misunderstood the original explanation.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Elementary Meets The Parent
Watson gets face time with the elusive Morland Holmes in this week's Elementary, setting off a chain reaction of questions.

[Driad]

 

Joan has been corresponding with Papa Holmes for years, since she became Sherlock's sober companion.  She may well have had strong opinions about Papa before she met him.

 

What happened to Mycroft?  He was sick, but is he still around somewhere?

[Actionmage]

What happened to Mycroft?  He was sick, but is he still around somewhere?

 

He is either in WitSec or working for some branch of American spies.  It would be nice if there could be an arrangement for him to visit NYC during his father's visit. Mycroft's handlers probably hate the idea, but Mycroft is sly.

 

I'm going to consider him as evil as Sherlock has said (despite knowing he lies and is an unreliable narrator) simply because I find the name highly unpleasant.

 

The name itself isn't unpleasant to me, but it speaks to Papa Holmes' implied greediness- More land- when I hear it. 

[MisterGlass]

I thought Joan said that the home was sold to a major donor of a superpac supporting the DA.  There is some insulation there.  I'm sure Morland can produce documents showing he had to sell at a significant loss to free up capital for another obligation or investment.

[AnnaMayWong]

I was hoping that the rift with the NYPD would force Sherlock and Holmes to go out on their own and establish an actual detective agency, with clients and a variety of cases. I'm sure the writers could find ways to incorporate Bell and Gregson in some ancillary capacity but if not, I wouldn't miss them.

Does seem like it, and too bad.

I agree.

Although I like the NYPD characters, I would not miss them.

I think Holmes 'n' Watson Damn Good Detecting Consultants would be a blast. More variety in the cases, and make the NYPD come TO them.

Thank Bob that this show is on again.

[Mislav]

Yes, and for no apparent reason. So she discovered he basically bribed a judge by selling one of his properties under market price (or something like that) in order to have charges against Sherlock dropped. It isn't as though she and Sherlock haven't broken the law repeatedly "for the greater good". Did she want Sherlock to go to jail? It reminds me of when Joan got all pissy to Holmes and wanted to move out, or when she was just horrible to Lestrade after he'd been mugged. It's all out of character and I don't like it a bit. Threatening Papa just makes her look stupid.

Sherlock is really a chip off the old block. He has tortured and stabbed a man, attempted to frame another, blackmailed another into cooperating (the guy who shot Bell), threatened another in his jail hospital bed by saying he would leak it to other inmates that he was a rapist (or something like that. It was in Dead Man's Switch). All that and much more - very cold, calculated stuff. Papa seems like a schoolboy in comparison - though of course, we haven't really looked under those rocks yet.

I may be the only one who didn't have problems with Joan's behavior.

Though Sherlock can exaggerate, he has been honest with her. A lot. So she does know that Sherlock dislikes his father and that it must be for something other than unresolved childlish issues.

Heck, the guy never once visited Sherlock before (during his stay in New York anyway), and even made a dinner plan with Joan only to cancel it at last minute, just like Sherlock had predicted. And he did resort to something illegal in order to get Sherlock his job back and get rid off the assault charge.

And I don't think Morland is a schoolboy in comparison. For God's sake, he runs a major corporation that helps people get their way no matter the means-as long as they have enough money. Though Sherlock has done some questionable things, it was so he could protect innocent people as quick as possible (except stabbing M. I don't confone that.).

She only made it clear, to Morland, that he can't get away with anything and always do what he thinks is the best for Sherlock, despite his power and him sometimes being right.

[DeLurker]

Did she know prior to that encounter with Morland about the suspected killer of Sabine's  mysterious disappearance from the Russian jail?

[Mislav]

Did she know prior to that encounter with Morland about the suspected killer of Sabine's mysterious disappearance from the Russian jail?

I don't think so.

[theatremouse]

Did she know prior to that encounter with Morland about the suspected killer of Sabine's  mysterious disappearance from the Russian jail?

The impression I got was not really? Or if so, not very much prior. Edited March 26, 2016 by theatremouse

[DeLurker]

Thanks!  Dang leaky memory of mine.