S04.E08: Burden Of Blood

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Elementary is now airing on Wednesdays in Canada, so beware to any non-Canadians who do not want to be spoiled before watching on Thursdays!

 

Holmes and Watson investigate a homicide in which the victim was murdered in a manner reminiscent of the crimes of an infamous, and already incarcerated, serial killer. Also, Sherlock and Joan tutor Detective Bell for a police sergeant’s exam that would lead to a promotion and a post at another precinct.

[TV Anonymous]

My regret is that at the end the brother just spills everything even though Holmes & Co. have no idea about his motive - and therefore does not have strong enough case to arrest him. That makes this episode like other special-man-who-consults-for-the-police show (e.g. The Mentalist and Castle). This show usually has Holmes deducts the hell out of everything.

Edited January 15, 2016 by TV Anonymous

[Primetimer]

Or is this merely a ship of fools?

Read the story

[whatsatool]

Great ep for Detective Bell. But the recapper didn't show the Sherlock list. Sulk.

Edited January 15, 2016 by whatsatool

[Actionmage]

I enjoyed the episode more for the concern over Bell than the case. The case was okay, but I will always be more interested in the goings on of the four primary characters.  I just about swooned when Gregson intro'd himself as "Tom Gregson", I swear. I don't know why, exactly, but I am beginning to believe it's just the confidence Gregson  just exudes.

 

I wouldn't mind a Watson/Bell 'ship. I think, if it didn't last, that these two could be professional and still work together believably. Which seems to be rare on TV, at least to me.

 

Then again, I love the Holmes/Bell friendship too. The discussion about Rollo was great. See, Bell? Give Holmes a day or so and he'll have your back in an everyone wins way! Trust him!

 

But the recapper didn't show the Sherlock list.

 

That's because it was an Expedited Shipping article, not a Show-O-Matic one.

[roseha]

Usually I only guess the perp if the actor somehow seems to be giving it away, which is another way of saying I'd be a lousy detective.   But I just felt from the very first scene that the brother was acting very weird.  I kept thinking it would end up being him.  Felt so sorry for the poor victim, though, at least, Law and Order style,  she wasn't killed on camera.

 

The Bell story was entertaining, though I didn't get the vibe that something was actually going on between Joan and him.  She seemed too calm and he seemed distracted by his mother's financial problems.  I did like that we got a lot of him and Gregson in this one.

[twoods]

Damn it, I recognized the brother from Nikita so knew he was the killer immediately but had no idea what the motive was.

Love Bell, and glad they didn't go there with him and Watson. I enjoy their friendship.

[Actionmage]

My only real gripe was about the sheer repetition of the dead woman's last call.  Now, I've watched enough cop shows so I get that Sherlock was trying to figure out tonal differences and other aural clues, but I could only really stand a few repetitions myself and was about to take sanity over dialogue. Then the listening at the end. Again, only sooner, I was about to push the mute, but the dialogue was able to largely distract me.

 

Kudos to the audio team, though, for making a horrible moment, cringe-inducingly horrible and unsettling. As it should be. ( And the actress, of course.)

[sinkwriter]

I like that they didn't go with the "genetics made him do it" route (as if he has the same murderous behavior inside of him as his dad). I mean, he must have a little of it, because he was able to kill his own sister, but... I still felt a little bit for him because he wasn't doing it because he actually wanted to hurt her. He was doing it because he wanted to stop that kind of horrific violence from ever having the opportunity to pass along in a blood line for future generations to come. It wasn't a sinister scary murderer. 

 

Well, except for when they kept playing that damn audio tape over and over again. I really didn't want to hear that.  :(

I loved Joan and Sherlock helping Marcus. I wish we'd gotten to see more of their study habits. I can imagine there would be any number of ways Sherlock would drive Marcus crazy with studying, but I also recall those early season 1 episodes when we got to hear about Joan studying to be a doctor (and that one episode when she talked about how she would make herself stay awake when she needed to stay up all night, teaching Sherlock how to do it too), so I'd bet she has some fun techniques to teach Marcus too. 

 

I also appreciate that they trusted Marcus would be able to figure out the case study. I like that they show Bell and Gregson are not just a couple of clueless cops who need Sherlock and Watson to solve their cases for them. I like when there's intelligence all around, even if they may not be able to see the minute details in the way Sherlock would. They still have game of their own.

Edited January 15, 2016 by sinkwriter

[sinkwriter]

I'm sorry we didn't get to see more of Michael O'Keefe in the episode. I was expecting something else to happen, to bring him back to the conversation again, rather than just that one scene.

[thuganomics85]

Once again, the familiar face syndrome effected the case.  Focusing so much on the husband and boyfriend, while having Noah Bean as her brother in one random scene, made it obvious it was going to be him.  Well, for a brief second, I wonder if it was going to be his wife and he would be covering for her.  But, nope, it was him. No doubt disappointing Nikita very much!

 

I also thought something seemed off by the first "No" in the video log, so I was glad I was right.  Didn't see the whole "No" being short for "Nolan" twist though, so the episode had that going for it.

 

So, the whole potential Joan/Marcus hook-up in the previews was a misdirect, and she was actually helping him study to take the sergeant's exam.  Not surprising; I can see them trying something with them in the future, but it is probably too soon now.  I did like both Sherlock and Joan finding a way to get out of it, since it sounded like he would have had to leave the precinct if he passed.  They already did that before, so I'm glad they didn't retread into that again.

[sjohnson]

The cunning way the show highlighted the "No" clue gave the case's solution real snap. The confession of the motive was kind of lazy. 

 

Liked the Bell's mother subplot. But what did Holmes collect a finder's fee for? It was Bell who independently found the dude.

[rhys]

What did Bell toss in the trash container before walking up the steps? He wouldn't have tossed the $36,000 check would he? Please tell me it was the envelope. But why even show that?

[Trey]

 

But what did Holmes collect a finder's fee for? It was Bell who independently found the dude.

 

Bell found the perp by solving the puzzle set by Watson and Holmes as part of his study for sargeant, and he gave them his solution and Holmes acted on it, thereby collecting the reward. So Bell didn't do it independently, he did it for Holmes.  I liked Marcus thanking him at first and then was all "Hey, wait! You said the reward was $40,000 - but you only gave me $36,000 - where's the rest?"

 

 

What did Bell toss in the trash container before walking up the steps? He wouldn't have tossed the $36,000 check would he? Please tell me it was the envelope. But why even show that?

I assumed it was the envelope or it might have been something to do with the sargeant's exam, which would have had more meaning.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Trey

[sinkwriter]

 

Once again, the familiar face syndrome effected the case.  Focusing so much on the husband and boyfriend, while having Noah Bean as her brother in one random scene, made it obvious it was going to be him.

 

I'm unfamiliar with the actor who played the brother, so thankfully this was one episode where it didn't seem glaring to me because of casting. (I also like when they make me think it's going to be one character, because the actor is familiar and/or often plays bad guys, but instead they go with a different option, throwing me off.)

[DEM]

I was familiar with both the brother and the realtor (both Bean and Basche have extensive resumes), so the familiarity factor didn't help much.  I did guess that it might be the brother and for the very reason that he stated, but semi-discarded the idea for the same reason Sherlock did: the children. I suppose if they had revealed the children were adopted earlier in the story, that would have been too big a clue.

 

I would have liked for the Bell plot to remain primarily Bell and Watson. I can't articulate my issues regarding Watson's stories very clearly, but suffice it to say they often feel like "big overture, little show."

[swimmyfish]

The cunning way the show highlighted the "No" clue gave the case's solution real snap. The confession of the motive was kind of lazy. 

 

Liked the Bell's mother subplot. But what did Holmes collect a finder's fee for? It was Bell who independently found the dude.

 

From what Sherlock said, Bell is unable to collect the reward for finding a fugitive because he's a cop. Sherlock, as an independent contractor, would not have quite the same conflict of interest. I would imagine that's also in part why Sherlock presented the situation to Bell as a case study, with fake names: so that Bell wouldn't be directly tied to the capture of the perp. Sherlock caught the perp and, as an individual, could make a loan to his friend without crossing any ethical boundaries caused by Bell being on the force.

 

From the article:

 

 

Is it so subtle that I am the only one seeing it just because I sort of want to see it? Possibly.

 

 

You are not the only one seeing it, nor the only one who wants to see it. I hadn't considered Watson/Bell as a possible romantic pairing before this episode, but now that it's been broached, even hypothetically, I would like very much to see it happen.

 

Also, I just want to say that I really, really like Bell. He doesn't get a lot of showcase episodes (I don't think; I haven't seen every season), but the actor does extremely good work with the character. He's always a great, steady part of the show, and even when it is his time to shine, he doesn't go over the top. I don't know if that makes sense, but even when it's a Bell-centric episode, he still remains Bell the whole time. He is a real pleasure to watch.

[elle]

From the article

because Aidan Quinn is fire, no matter the age)

SO true! *sigh*

[sinkwriter]

 

From what Sherlock said, Bell is unable to collect the reward for finding a fugitive because he's a cop. Sherlock, as an independent contractor, would not have quite the same conflict of interest.

 

I think he also told Bell that he knew Bell doesn't like receiving financial help (charity) - so if Holmes takes a "finder's fee," then it's "business" between them, not charity.

[tennisgurl]

Bell trying to imitate Sherlocks accent was hilarious. And, yeah I saw it being the brother coming, and while the confession was kind of lame, I can buy that he was genuinely racked with guilt and spilled his guts the second he was confronted.  

 

Even if it did not play out this week, I can kind of see Joan/Bell. Lord knows I`ll take that over Joan/Mycroft ever rearing its ugly head again. 

[Hobo.PassingThru]

 

Quote

    

    What did Bell toss in the trash container before walking up the steps? He wouldn't have tossed the $36,000 check would he? Please tell me it was the envelope. But why even show that?

I assumed it was the envelope or it might have been something to do with the sargeant's exam, which would have had more meaning.

At first glance given the way that part was shot- from a distance and from behind- it was confusing. They should have had a close up of him tossing it in the trash.

 

However, rewatching it, Bell clearly puts the envelope in his jacket and switches the book he was carrying to his other hand. So, when he throws something in the trash, he is definitely tossing the book away.

 

"Whew!" right?

 

If they hadn't settled on that distance, static shot of him from behind, we would have seen it clearly and it would have had a better impact as closure.

 

Bell did make a definite choice to not go for the demotion/ promotion. He's a detective. Admittedly, that is why having him take a "test" to prove his detective skills was a clever ruse.

 

 

Also, I just want to say that I really, really like Bell. He doesn't get a lot of showcase episodes (I don't think; I haven't seen every season), but the actor does extremely

good work with the character.

 

He's gotten some story lines. There was an episode with him and his brother. And, for a whlle (half a season?) he left the precinct and worked for a threat assessment task force. He is a good character and the actor does great even in limited roles.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Hobo.PassingThru

[MaryHedwig]

I'm unfamiliar with the actor who played the brother, so thankfully this was one episode where it didn't seem glaring to me because of casting. (I also like when they make me think it's going to be one character, because the actor is familiar and/or often plays bad guys, but instead they go with a different option, throwing me off.)

I did not recognize Noah Bean so I was not tipped off by Familiar Face Syndrome; however, I was tipped off by its corollary: Best-Looking Face Syndrome.  Noah Bean is hot. Also, those children it the yard seemed like props to me, as did the for sale sign at the victim's property.

Even if it did not play out this week, I can kind of see Joan/Bell. Lord knows I`ll take that over Joan/Mycroft ever rearing its ugly head again.

So true, my brain stills needs a palate cleanser from Joan/Mycroft bed shots.

 

I really can't imagine Joan taking a shower while Bell was still in the house.  Did they give an explanation for that that I missed?

 

So what about that man/child husband of the victim?  Was that a young teenager playing an adult?

I'm unfamiliar with the actor who played the brother, so thankfully this was one episode where it didn't seem glaring to me because of casting. (I also like when they make me think it's going to be one character, because the actor is familiar and/or often plays bad guys, but instead they go with a different option, throwing me off.)

I did not recognize Noah Bean so I was not tipped off by Familiar Face Syndrome; however, I was tipped off by its corollary: Best-Looking Face Syndrome.  Noah Bean is hot. Also, those children it the yard seemed like props to me, as did the for sale sign at the victim's property.

Even if it did not play out this week, I can kind of see Joan/Bell. Lord knows I`ll take that over Joan/Mycroft ever rearing its ugly head again.

So true, my brain stills needs a palate cleanser from Joan/Mycroft bed shots.

 

I really can't imagine Joan taking a shower while Bell was still in the house.  Did they give an explanation for that that I missed?

 

So what about that man/child husband of the victim?  Was that a young teenager playing an adult?

[alias1]

I hated the Mycroft/Joan thing (well I basically hated Mycroft) .  I like Detective Bell, but please, no romance between the principal characters.  I love that this show hasn't done the usual in that regard.  I hope it stays that way.  More screen time for Bell and Gregson would be great, though.

 

I saw the brother thing coming a mile away.  Mainly because I did recognize the actor.  But also because it seemed obvious that the victim initially was not afraid of her assailant.  To have his name be Nolan seemed overkill.  I even suspected what his motive was when we knew she was pregnant.  That made me suspect that his children were adopted.  I don't think I've ever seen a more transparent case.  Maybe I saw something similar on another show, but the whole thing seemed so obvious.

[AnnaMayWong]

Yes, unfortunately for me, the episode was a tad too obvious. I enjoy more twists/turns expressed in a SIGNIFICANT manner.

Also, I want more energy in the show. Not running about pointlessly and violently, but in plot, character--a more dynamic aura and ambience.

For instance, Joan needs deeper facial expressions. More varied looks. Oftentimes, she seems to simply walk in and deliver some line then just abruptly walk out.

And Bell, well, he appears exhausted(mental/physical(?)) much of the time.

I enjoy the program. One of my favorites...especially considering the moronic multitude of programming. Buuut, I would enjoy it much more with a heavier oomph.

...

Edited January 17, 2016 by BookElitist

[theatremouse]

I knew it was the brother the second he said "well it must be family of the victims, right?" the way he pushed it. The actor said it in a way that immediately implied to me he did it mimicking the father to intentionally cast suspicion on that pool of people. Didn't know quite why he did it, but knew it was him.

Edited January 16, 2016 by theatremouse

[snarktini]

I thought this one was obvious, despite not recognizing the brother. I don't try to solve the whodunnit because it's more fun for me to just let the story reveal itself. But in this case, it was screaming at me. It seemed like she probably had a tubal ligation young, which immediately tipped me to not wanting to pass on the serial killer genes and I figured she and her brother would have made a pact. I expected that to be addressed in dialogue when they talked to the brother, and when no one remarked on that it jumped out at me.

But guessing never ruins anything for me, except to be impatient that Sherlock wasn't getting it. (I really shouldn't be smarter than Sherlock.)

I enjoyed Bell's story. He's such a believable, low-key character, very likable. And such a cutie! Short, smart, and a little intense and brooding is my type I guess. I was thankful we didn't see too much of Sherlock's well-intentioned-but-annoying tutoring.

Speaking of, if I'm going by MaryHedwig's Best-Looking Face metric, it would have been the realtor all the way for me. I looked up Noah Bean because he was totally unfamiliar -- turns out I do know his face, I just didn't recognize him because he looked rough!

[Vermicious Knid]

Did anyone catch what syndrome the husband had?

[j5cochran]

Did anyone catch what syndrome the husband had?

Kallman syndrome -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kallmann_syndrome -- Sherlock described it pretty accurately, according to Wikipedia.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As soon as I saw Noah Bean's name in the credits at the beginning of the episode, I knew he would end up being the killer. Obviously I have watched way too many episodes of L&O: SVU because at first I thought his sketchiness would turn out to be due to the secret incestuous relationship he was having with his sister. Thank goodness it turned out to be just a regular old sibling murder!

While I support the doctor's decision to maintain her patient's privacy, she was so dumb to leave Joan alone in her office.

Hee, loved Marcus imitating Sherlock's accent. I was surprised that Sherlock made no comment about the accent.

I really can't imagine Joan taking a shower while Bell was still in the house. Did they give an explanation for that that I missed?

After it was revealed that she was helping him study, I fanwanked that she had finished the review/instructional portion of their study time and gave him some sort of quiz or assignment to work on while she took a shower so that she would be dressed by the time Sherlock got home. Edited January 16, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Kathira]

I knew it was the brother the second he said "well it must be family of the victims, right?" the way he pushed it. The actor said it in a way that immediately implied to me he did it mimicking the father to intentional cast suspicion on that pool of people. Didn't know quite why he did it, but knew it was him.

 

Me, too. I don't watch much regular tv, and I'm not great at remembering faces, so I almost never recognize known actors as a tip-off to guilt, but he was seriously sketchy from word one. I also agree that he copied his father's MO to implicate the survivor families. He would have been smarter to try to make it look like a robbery. Or at the very least to wait until she was done with her phone call!

Edited January 16, 2016 by Kathira

[Mom x 3]

While I support the doctor's decision to maintain her patient's privacy, she was so dumb to leave Joan alone in her office.

 

 

I disagree.  Joan was exactly right that the obligation ends when the patient is deceased.  And this could help find her murderer.  

I have never seen a computer in a health care facility that wasn't password protected ten times over.  

[Athena]

I have never seen a computer in a health care facility that wasn't password protected ten times over.  

 

I think the obstetrician was still logged in so the computer was probably still unlocked. Though I wouldn't put it pass Joanie to know how to hack a little under Sherlock's tutelage. She's also more familiar with medical software and data being a former Dr so it wouldn't have taken long for her to find the information.

[DEM]

I disagree.  Joan was exactly right that the obligation ends when the patient is deceased.  And this could help find her murderer.

 

No, that is not true.  Both the American Medical Association and "the Feds" via HIPAA Privacy policy state that confidentiality continues to apply postmortem with very limited exceptions.  TV shows are very, very bad about this in that they tend to portray health care professionals as uptight, selfish obstructionists.  This ep of Elementary was better than most, but the premise that "LOL she dead, follow your bliss!" was flawed.

 

The actual pertinent issue was not that the patient was dead, but rather that the NYPD: a) were pursuing relevant information on the victim of a crime and b) trying to identify a suspect.  A subpoena would have been easy to obtain and would have resolved the matter right away.

Edited January 17, 2016 by DEM

[Neurochick]

I really like Bell and I also hope they don't go the romantic route with Bell/Joan.  I think in a previous season there was a woman who Bell was interested in.

 

I like that they didn't go with the "genetics made him do it" route (as if he has the same murderous behavior inside of him as his dad). I mean, he must have a little of it, because he was able to kill his own sister, but... I still felt a little bit for him because he wasn't doing it because he actually wanted to hurt her. He was doing it because he wanted to stop that kind of horrific violence from ever having the opportunity to pass along in a blood line for future generations to come. It wasn't a sinister scary murderer.

 

 

I'm going to say something real unpopular now but fuck it.  I thought the victim in this case was very selfish to keep the baby.  I mean she was married to a man who could not have children, she had an affair with a married man.  Did she intend to keep the baby or put it up for adoption?  If she kept the baby to raise herself, IMO that's selfish.  Her husband would be gutted,  because his wife had an affair, the married man and his family would be disrupted (don't care about the cheater but what of his family?) and eventually, the child too would have to deal with a lot and could have many issues as they got older.    I once knew a man who was the product of an affair, he carried the rejection of his father on his shoulders, so much so that he became addicted to crack and eventually died.  

 

Just my two cents.

[Mom x 3]

No, that is not true.  Both the American Medical Association and "the Feds" via HIPAA Privacy policy state that confidentiality continues to apply postmortem with very limited exceptions.  TV shows are very, very bad about this in that they tend to portray health care professionals as uptight, selfish obstructionists.  This ep of Elementary was better than most, but the premise that "LOL she dead, follow your bliss!" was flawed.

 

The actual pertinent issue was not that the patient was dead, but rather that the NYPD: a) were pursuing relevant information on the victim of a crime and b) trying to identify a suspect.  A subpoena would have been easy to obtain and would have resolved the matter right away.

I agree that a subpoena would have solved everything, but in this particular case they were not specifically looking for the patients health information, but merely the possible father of the baby.  Of course not all patient information would be available.  I re-read what I typed and it was said badly.  Forgive me.  

 

From this link from the AMA: 

 

The American Medical Association adopted guidelines to help physicians resolve conflicts between a patient’s right to privacy and a third party’s right to know. Opinion 5.051 of the AMA’s Code of Medical Ethics states that, in deciding whether disclosure of medical information postmortem is appropriate, the following factors must be considered: (1) the imminence of harm to identifiable individuals or the public health;

 

Technically, if they thought a family member of one of the dad's victims was a suspect, they could claim potential imminent harm to the brother.