S04.E20: Art Imitates Art

[Tara Ariano]

Splitting the threads since there will be a separate editorial post on each.

 

As Holmes and Watson investigate a woman's murder, they discover her death is linked to a piece of artwork that has ties to a crime that was committed when she was in college. Also, in the wake of a shocking personal revelation, Watson attempts to forge a connection with a recent client.

[thuganomics85]

I'm not sure if I should laugh over the whole "blown-up selfies as art" part for being so silly, or start getting in on that, because these days, it feels like anything can find some success.  Really, it wouldn't surprise me at all if that is already a thing, and someone is a millionaire because of that or some other crazy shit like drawling emojis with watermarks or carving tweets into wooden statues (actually, if you picked the right tweet and it was done by Nick Offerman, I would so consider it.)

 

I didn't exactly predict how the case would play out since we didn't seen meet one of the killers till the very end, but I knew the DA was going to somehow be involved, since she was played by Christina Cox, who I had seen in a few things (most recently, a not so pleasant run as the Mayor on Arrow.  Worst job ever.)

 

I wonder if Sherlock using Clyde's saliva  as part of the sampling means his DNA is now on file.  Clyde better not get into any mischief just to be safe!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I'm not sure if I should laugh over the whole "blown-up selfies as art" part for being so silly, or start getting in on that, because these days, it feels like anything can find some success.  Really, it wouldn't surprise me at all if that is already a thing, and someone is a millionaire because of that

Sadly, it's already a real thing. The "artist" who did this took screenshots of people's instagram selfies without getting permission from any of the users, held an exhibit, and sold the enlarged versions for $90K each.

 

Joan's new sister was getting on my nerves in this episode. So it's okay for YOU to show up in Joan's life without telling her who you really are, live in her house, eat her food, borrow her shoes and clothes, and have her figure out who tried to kill you as a result of your illegal poker game but Joan calling your mom and that's a bridge too far? Okay then. I'm glad they apologized to each other but Joan is smart to go slow with this. Mr. EB's family has a long lost relative (totally different situation but nonetheless someone who just popped up recently) and everyone is interested in getting to know each other but we have deliberately taking things slow, partly because it's a lot for everyone to take in.

[greekmom]

I found the whole "faking DNA sample tests" to be a reflection on the Steven Avery's case from Making a Murderer. Other than that, entertaining.  Chose this over Outlander last night.

[Gregg247]

This double episode was okay.  However, it pointed out something that I hadn't noticed before, and I'm wondering if its a "thing" with the show now.  On both episodes, one of the characters just happened to have photographic/video evidence that, through sheer dumb luck, allowed Sherlock to solve the murder(s).  WAY too coincidental for me, especially seeing it happen twice in a row.

 

I watch this show every week, but rarely spend much time analyzing the cases afterwards.  Has the use of coincidence like this seeping into "Elementary" without me noticing?  I hope not.  I generally find the mysteries here very involving and fun (if I don't look too closely at them, I guess).

[Primetimer]

Al Lowe can't with Watson's weird sister or this congealed word casserole of an episode.

Read the story

[MissLucas]

I was waiting for the revelation that little sister's contrite act had been caused by some stern talking to by Sherlock. She came across as dodgy enough in the first episode that he might have unearthed more skeletons in her closet than just running an illegal gambling den and used them as leverage for an apology after he had noticed evidence of crying on Watson.

I hope we won't see her again - she was a thoroughly unlikeable character. And yes it bugged me too that she was able to find all the info on Sherlock, Joan and Mycroft (!) on-line.

[possibilities]

It really is weird that she knew about Joan and Mycroft. I can imagine she knew about Sherlock and Joan being detectives, but knowing that Mycroft and Joan were "sex partners" (as Sherlock said) seems odd. Maybe she's a member of Everyone. They probably know things.

 

Also, her incredibly angry behavior directed at Joan seems very irrational. She didn't seem like a garden variety stressed person, she seemed erratic and basically off her rocker. So maybe that is a plot point to be further explored if they keep her around. She also didn't seem nearly concerned enough about the murdering that was swirling around her.

 

This week the show managed to kill a lesbian who didn't even exist on the show until after she was dead, and make two more into murderers as a bonus. That is a new level of the dead lesbian trope.

[Blakeston]

I was waiting for the revelation that little sister's contrite act had been caused by some stern talking to by Sherlock. She came across as dodgy enough in the first episode that he might have unearthed more skeletons in her closet than just running an illegal gambling den and used them as leverage for an apology after he had noticed evidence of crying on Watson.

I hope we won't see her again - she was a thoroughly unlikeable character. And yes it bugged me too that she was able to find all the info on Sherlock, Joan and Mycroft (!) on-line.

I would love it if they revealed that, because I wasn't buying that turnaround for a second. Someone being as over-the-top nasty as the sister isn't going to have a complete change of heart so quickly without some serious prodding.

[Athena]

It really is weird that she knew about Joan and Mycroft. I can imagine she knew about Sherlock and Joan being detectives, but knowing that Mycroft and Joan were "sex partners" (as Sherlock said) seems odd. Maybe she's a member of Everyone. They probably know things.

 

Also, her incredibly angry behavior directed at Joan seems very irrational. She didn't seem like a garden variety stressed person, she seemed erratic and basically off her rocker. So maybe that is a plot point to be further explored if they keep her around. She also didn't seem nearly concerned enough about the murdering that was swirling around her.

 

I don't think she knew that initially. It was part of her background story since Mycroft was dead so where was he to confirm it. I think she only knew once she realized how much it bothered Joan and made the guess they were seeing each other.

 

Yeah, I think the genetic factor may be in play knowing that their birth father was/is schizophrenic. While the genetic incidents of it are not high, they are if both parents have the gene so Lyn may be susceptible to developing it or has a bit of it already.

[minamurray78]

"I would never kill anyone. I'm a vegan."

 

Lord, give me strength.

[johntfs]

I'm feeling grateful for Fiona because you know that otherwise Sherlock would end up banging Lin.

[GaT]

This week the show managed to kill a lesbian who didn't even exist on the show until after she was dead, and make two more into murderers as a bonus. That is a new level of the dead lesbian trope.

LOL, you're right & one of the lesbians was black, so bonus points!

[johntfs]

LOL, you're right & one of the lesbians was black, so bonus points!

I'm sure we'll get a few Evil White Businesspeople as perps fairly soon.

[Kathira]

 

Yeah, I think the genetic factor may be in play knowing that their birth father was/is schizophrenic. While the genetic incidents of it are not high, they are if both parents have the gene so Lyn may be susceptible to developing it or has a bit of it already.

 

I agree, I thought she seemed a little on the crazy side, myself. Mental illness does tend to more or less run in families. I mean, there may be only one person who has a total schizophrenic break, while other family members may be generally functional, with only a side order of crazy. I've seen this more than once. I have a friend who is totally normal, but one of her siblings is institutionalized with schizophrenia and the others are varying degrees of batshit. 

[AimingforYoko]

I found the whole "faking DNA sample tests" to be a reflection on the Steven Avery's case from Making a Murderer. Other than that, entertaining.  Chose this over Outlander last night.

Actually, it's based on a real case from Massachusetts.

[johntfs]

I don't think she knew that initially. It was part of her background story since Mycroft was dead so where was he to confirm it. I think she only knew once she realized how much it bothered Joan and made the guess they were seeing each other.

 

Yeah, I think the genetic factor may be in play knowing that their birth father was/is schizophrenic. While the genetic incidents of it are not high, they are if both parents have the gene so Lyn may be susceptible to developing it or has a bit of it already.

 

I don't think Lin was mentally ill so much as bitter when she compared her life to Joan's.  When Joan's father left, her mother married a wealthy author.  Joan got good schools including medical school.  Now she's living with the son of Morland Holmes who is a multi-billionaire.  Meanwhile, Lin has to sell real estate and host poker games to get a little extra money, which blew up in her face,  Lin only went to Sherlock and Joan because she was desperate.  Even then she hated the idea of coming off as Joan's "poor relation" that she made up the story about Mycroft.  Apparently real estate agents are really good liars because even Sherlock bought her story until Joan uncovered the lie via Morland and Mycroft.

 

In the previous episode it was interesting how Joan seems to have lost a bit of touch with the idea of workaday life.  With Sherlock, she works when and if she chooses to and doesn't want Lin meeting her client.  Lin, of course, has to work to maintain her life even if that might put her life in danger.  Lin doesn't want Joan calling or meeting her mother because she doesn't want her mother to feel "less than" like Lin feels.  Toward the end of this episode we see Lin likely having worked through her bitterness and accepting that some kind of relationship with Joan wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

[mandigirl]

 

I hope we won't see her again - she was a thoroughly unlikeable character. And yes it bugged me too that she was able to find all the info on Sherlock, Joan and Mycroft (!) on-line.

Hear, hear! She is truly an obnoxious character and easily my least favorite they've introduced. I also don't see the 'need' for her narratively. I think she was supposed to be played by someone younger (not a diss on the actress who played her, I just mean I could see the character being so naive, irresponsible and flighty if she were in her early 20's). I too was suspicious when she came to apologize. The woman is clearly a liar.

 

Also, the guy who the gun gambler guy sent to her house isn't very good at his job. A person riddled with bullets can't exactly tell you where the rest of your money is.

 

I enjoyed the second episode much more. One of the better CotW on the show.  I thought for sure the sketchy CT trooper woman had something to do with everything. 

Edited April 12, 2016 by mandigirl

[sinkwriter]

 

"I would never kill anyone. I'm a vegan."

 

That part made me laugh.

 

I was waiting for Sherlock to bust out a bunch of statistics to prove that isn't a measurable factor for homicidal tendencies. In fact, wasn't Adolf Hitler a vegetarian? I thought I remembered reading that somewhere, but I don't know if it was disproven on snopes or anything like that.

Edited April 12, 2016 by sinkwriter

[withanaich]

 

Toward the end of this episode we see Lin likely having worked through her bitterness and accepting that some kind of relationship with Joan wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

I like that they left it open-ended. For one thing, someone that bitter wouldn't do a complete 180 just because they got a stern talking-to from their mom or Sherlock or whomever. She's not obligated to want a relationship with Joan and whether she's still bitter or not, there's no need for them to force or rush into a relationship. For another, the character was unnecessary, and leaving it open-ended ("let's have tea when you're ready") allows the writers to sweep the whole thing under the rug if they so choose (and I rather hope they do).

 

 

Also, the guy who the gun gambler guy sent to her house isn't very good at his job. A person riddled with bullets can't exactly tell you where the rest of your money is.

I thought it was Jimmer (hee) himself who shot Lin, not someone he'd sent? So I assumed he saw her with the money (right after she found it) and got trigger-happy. He had no way of knowing that all of the money wasn't there.

[theatremouse]

This week the show managed to kill a lesbian who didn't even exist on the show until after she was dead, and make two more into murderers as a bonus. That is a new level of the dead lesbian trope.

When I was watching, at first I had the same sort of reaction, but then I thought about it some more and I don't think I mind it here for a couple of reasons. 1) Hey look three gay characters on one whole television episode and not a one a massive stereotype. 2) They didn't hit the "the married person she was having an affair with was a woman married to a woman! duh duhn duhnnnn aren't we special for doing this twisty twist." It was just sort of there, like a regular thing that happens, which it should be since gay people exist. So on a show that's mostly a homicide-specific procedural, if they're going to include characters of all kinds, there's a higher probability any characters on the show will be: a murderer or murdered or suspected of murder, since besides our main characters, those are the people you see and usually get any kind of backstory on. So, given the nature of the show, for them to include gay characters in general on a regular basis pretty much means somebody's dead (mostly, not strictly). So I've decided to cut some slack because in retrospect, I think it was handled fairly well, by which I mean matter of factly. Edited April 13, 2016 by theatremouse

[DeLurker]

I don't think she knew that initially. It was part of her background story since Mycroft was dead so where was he to confirm it. I think she only knew once she realized how much it bothered Joan and made the guess they were seeing each other.

 

Yeah, I think the genetic factor may be in play knowing that their birth father was/is schizophrenic. While the genetic incidents of it are not high, they are if both parents have the gene so Lyn may be susceptible to developing it or has a bit of it already.

This, the bolded, is what I thought too.

[TV Anonymous]

So Lin comes back to her realty business and just doing business as usual? Should her licence not be in jeopardy for all the illegal activities she did in her client's property? Not to mention that she covered up the bullet holes without telling the seller and the buyer?

I know that she gets 18 months probation, but that is for criminal court. Should the seller and the buyer sue her by now?And even if there is no legal consequence of her actions, should her business not be dropping by now? She will forever be known as an untrustworthy broker.

[johntfs]

So Lin comes back to her realty business and just doing business as usual? Should her licence not be in jeopardy for all the illegal activities she did in her client's property? Not to mention that she covered up the bullet holes without telling the seller and the buyer?

I know that she gets 18 months probation, but that is for criminal court. Should the seller and the buyer sue her by now?And even if there is no legal consequence of her actions, should her business not be dropping by now? She will forever be known as an untrustworthy broker.

The seller got his money so he didn't care and the buyer didn't seem to care much either since he barely paused moving in to let the police investigate.  Does anyone really want to explore the subplot of "Will Lin lose her real estate license and then have to move in with Joan and Sherlock and thus showcase her bitchy little sister act even more?"  I didn't think so.

[DeLurker]

The bitchy little sister might be fun - just to see someone who can get under Joan's skin in a bratty way.  Wouldn't want a large dose of her, but...

 

I had a bit of a hard time following the case - too many possible suspects for my tastes.  Plus, I was distracted by Bell's hair - it looked a little different to me.

[MissLucas]

Plus, I was distracted by Bell's hair - it looked a little different to me.

 

I think the actor wears his hair a bit longer than in previous seasons. I liked the somewhat convoluted case... too bad we did not get to see more of the 'artist'. He was completely unimpressed by Holmes' sarcasm and it looked as if some verbal sparring between these two would ensue. Alas, it was not meant to be.

 

I wonder if Lin's introduction was not meant to follow some sort of Kitty blue-print: Strong-willed female character, gets immediately on a collision course with Watson. Or maybe they just wanted Watson to have some sibling drama too...

[roseha]

I liked the somewhat convoluted case... too bad we did not get to see more of the 'artist'. He was completely unimpressed by Holmes' sarcasm and it looked as if some verbal sparring between these two would ensue. Alas, it was not meant to be.

 

I liked that part too.   What a fake that guy was, of course that was pretty much the point.  I had half a mind to wonder if he would somehow turn out to be the killer.  That wouldn't have been logical I guess, but it might have been interesting to see it play out.

 

I wonder when we get to see Clyde again, instead of just hearing him name-dropped?

 

I didn't have that strong a reaction to Joan's half sister per se, but I do think it's strange that they apparently never revealed Joan's birth name before?

Edited April 12, 2016 by roseha

[MissLucas]

I wonder when we get to see Clyde again, instead of just hearing him name-dropped?

Think of Clyde as this show's Scott Caan.

[Clanstarling]

I kind of love that in the last episode, Sherlock commented on Watson coming down with a cold, and in this one, Lucy's definitely recovering from a cold. I wonder if they just tossed that in to see if anyone noticed?

The mystery was convoluted, but the DA was the most recognizable person to me, so I decided it was her (without knowing the motive) early on. I get a little tired of the selfie = narcissistic generation lines. I don't take selfies (my arms are too short and my age is too high), but I wish I had more pictures of myself back in the day when I was at my best. I'm all for women (and men) memorializing their fine, youthful selves. It takes a long time to get old, and yet it happens faster than you think. It's nice to have something to look back on and realize you were a lot better looking than you thought at the time.

I'm not sure I like the idea of a newly discovered half-sister who seems to be a bit off of a moral center, but hey - I absolutely hated Kitty for the first few episodes she was in, and now hate that she's no longer on the show. So I'm willing to wait and see.

Edited April 12, 2016 by clanstarling

[possibilities]

I wonder when we get to see Clyde again, instead of just hearing him name-dropped?

I laughed when they did that. It's like they know he's popular, but what? Did the actor have a scheduling conflict, and they couldn't get him for a real appearance?

[thuganomics85]

 

I laughed when they did that. It's like they know he's popular, but what? Did the actor have a scheduling conflict, and they couldn't get him for a real appearance?

Maybe he's going to be the new Witness on Sleepy Hollow.  What?  That would be the dumbest thing that show has ever done...

[fauntleroy]

Good job on the recap. I was listening as hard as I could to Sherlock, Gregson, Marcus and Joan take turns expositioning at top speed at the end, to get it all in:

"But you knew from prior cases that..."

"And then when you realized that the only connection to..."

blah blah blah 50

Gah, make it stop!

And if that wasn't enough, Joan's sister who, WGAS.

They need some less is more. What happened to the neuro-whatchamacallit girlfriend? She was interesting.

[johntfs]

That part made me laugh.

 

I was waiting for Sherlock to bust out a bunch of statistics to prove that isn't a measurable factor for homicidal tendencies. In fact, wasn't Adolf Hitler a vegetarian? I thought I remembered reading that somewhere, but I don't know if it was disproven on snopes or anything like that.

 

Vegans are just better than other people

 

[tennisgurl]

Wow, what a parade of smug, unlikable characters. Hell, the least insufferable of them was probably the woman who killed the college student! Joan is a far more forgiving person than me, because if my mysterious half sister showed up in my life, and then such hateful things to me at my place of work, I would not have been so nice when she showed up again to apologize. I probably would have accepted it, but at least I would have had to give her a little sass over her extreme levels of asshole behavior. 

 

Too bad we left the post modern art world so quickly, I thought that stuff was kind of interesting, although I always roll my eyes at the whole "young people take selfies, what a bunch of narcissist!" cracks. People have been getting their pictures taken or painted for ages, its just easier now! It always comes off as very "those kids these days..."

 

I did like the episode though, and the stuff about the lab tech messing with samples to get the results the cops want was interesting. Its funny how often their cases take them into such odd places. Went from a drive by to selfies to modern art to fraud in the crime lab, to affair gone wrong.  

[shapeshifter]

Joan is a far more forgiving person than me, because if my mysterious half sister showed up in my life, and then such hateful things to me at my place of work, I would not have been so nice when she showed up again to apologize. I probably would have accepted it, but at least I would have had to give her a little sass over her extreme levels of asshole behavior.

I, OTOH, would have acted like Joan outwardly while steaming inwardly (which I interpreted her as doing too), figuring it was too soon to respond verbally. I would also avoid her, which I hope the show does.

[Clanstarling]

I, OTOH, would have acted like Joan outwardly while steaming inwardly (which I interpreted her as doing too), figuring it was too soon to respond verbally. I would also avoid her, which I hope the show does.

Me too. I'm always polite on the surface and won't ever make a scene. Because rage gibberish would come out if I spoke. If people (who tend to think I'm nice) only knew what was going on in my head - they'd be so afraid. LOL.

[shapeshifter]

Me too. I'm always polite on the surface and won't ever make a scene. Because rage gibberish would come out if I spoke. If people (who tend to think I'm nice) only knew what was going on in my head - they'd be so afraid. LOL.

Hee! Me too!

I suspect Joan is less inwardly angry, though.

[Neurochick]

Question: How did the police figure out that the DA had an affair with Marissa three years before?

Edited April 17, 2016 by Neurochick

[frenchtoast]

Didn't the CT state trooper say that Marissa was having an affair? And then they started looking for police/prosecutors that asked for the "helpful" lab director to handle the testing.

[Neurochick]

The last thing Sherlock told the DA really got to me.  He told her something like, "I'm glad to hear that your children have very loving grandparents."  That made me want to smack the shit out of that smug, nasty DA.  She thought she was keeping her family together by putting an innocent man in prison and now her selfishness has fucked up her children.  Having parents of a different race, having parents the same sex is okay by me, but having two parents who are murderers?  I'd keep my kids away from their kids forever.

 

It used to be when scandal happened people would move away, start anew.  Today with the Internet that's impossible, shit follows you everywhere for the rest of your life.  

 

That's also why so many people don't trust the system, because too many times, the people inside it, DA, police, etc, can bend the rules to suit them. 

Edited April 17, 2016 by Neurochick

[jhlipton]

From the recap:

The director of the lab who processed DNA in both murder cases is caught fabricating evidence not because she herself is a killer but because...well, I can't even explain the reasons. She's really bad at her job.

 

No, she was very pro "law and order".  She wanted to "help" the police and DA, so when there was an obvious suspect, she would bend her results to match.

 

 

This week the show managed to kill a lesbian who didn't even exist on the show until after she was dead, and make two more into murderers as a bonus. That is a new level of the dead lesbian trope.

When I was watching, at first I had the same sort of reaction, but then I thought about it some more and I don't think I mind it here for a couple of reasons....

 

I agree.  There was no mention of them being lesbians, or even of other races.  This particular pattern has been used for straight characters for so long, it would be weirder for them not to use lesbians.  Further, the "dead lesbian" is for continuing characters, not CotW characters, isn't it?  Seems a bit stretching to include every character who's been on a TV show ever...

 

Think of Clyde as this show's Scott Caan.

I laughed when they did that. It's like they know he's popular, but what? Did the actor have a scheduling conflict, and they couldn't get him for a real appearance?

Maybe he's going to be the new Witness on Sleepy Hollow.  What?  That would be the dumbest thing that show has ever done...

 

Much as I like the Sleepy Hollow idea, I think Clyde just wants to be with his wife/girlfriend and new baby in Hawaii!

[Ailianna]

This reminded me a lot of the Law & Order episode "The Myth of Fingerprints."  But they were so all over the place with suspects and motives (which I am not complaining about), that they didn't explore it as deeply.