S05.E12: Crowned Clown, Downtown Brown

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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When Holmes and Watson investigate a clown's murder upstate, they discover a connection between his death and the creation of a new weaponized virus. Also, Watson helps Bell when he's targeted by his new love interest Chantal's ex-husband in attempt to sabotage her career at the district attorney's office.

Promo:

[paigow]

A virus that only kills clowns??? 

[Loandbehold]

Either that or a virus only spread by clowns. I always heard that it takes a special kind of person to become a clown. Maybe it's genetic.

[shapeshifter]

So the clown was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This was the first episode in awhile in which the plot(s) actually seemed plausible.

[DeLurker]

There is no right place & right time for a clown.

[roseha]

It was pretty interesting.   I liked the case, it did keep me guessing.  I liked Joan helping out Marcus also, it was good to have a plot involving him again.

[Gregg247]

I didn't care for this one.  At the 45 minute mark, there was no motive for any of the characters we'd previously met to have been the mastermind.  Then, they trot out some "new evidence" that just so happens to nail one of the nameless bureaucrats.  (I guess making the owner of the ad company who hired the clowns ALSO the owner of the filtration patent would have been one twist too much!)

I don't like when the solution is some late-arriving evidence that turns everything upside down.  Give us a mystery and some suspects, and let us work at figuring it out along with Sherlock and Joan!

[Vermicious Knid]

It is true about the New York City water being so pure. Now I really miss being able to just get a glass from the tap.

The dead clown looked he came off the set of Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

[DeLurker]

I thought Debra Jo Rupp would have been a bigger part of the story, so I was a bit disappointed.  And I admit I yelled "Kitty!" when I saw her and crossed my fingers that she wasn't the killer.

[iMonrey]

This show so often has me scratching my head trying to figure out where I've seen somebody before. The guy who played the EPA agent, Damian Young, played Lisa Kudrow's husband on The Comeback. He looked so emaciated here I wondered if he'd been sick. 

I thought it was a pretty good episode overall, and bonus points for no Shinwell.

[tennisgurl]

I cant decide if I find the convoluted nature of the mysteries on this show to be annoying, or a part of its charm. I mean, this episode was one of the cases that made more sense then a lot of them, and it still included the Creepy Clowns, which lead to gorilla marketing, which lead to an undercover reporter who was actually working for the jerk company he was working for, leading to a virus in the water, which lead them to a crazy formally rich woman, which lead them to a biologist and diarrhea, which lead to...

I was so excited to see Debra Jo Rupp, and disappointed when she disappeared from the movie. I hope she comes back again. And I was glad to see Joan and Bell hanging out and being friends, and later working together. Although, I am laughing really hard that even the lawyers are playing these elaborate con games to what they want that could be gotten through easier means. 

[AlwaysWatching]

Geezuzz! Who dresses Lucy Liu?  I started watching this show for Jonny Lee Miller and still do.  Not that I don't find the plot of the week interesting, because I do, it's just that now I can't wait each week to see what Joan is wearing.  Sherlock always looks good too ;).  But dang Joan, that sweater and tie outfit was a killer.

[Clanstarling]

I'm clearly no fashionista - I thought Joan's clothes were all rather drab this episode.

Count me in as being disappointed Debra Jo Rupp didn't have more of a role to play.

I don't mind new evidence showing up in the middle of a show, as long as there's a logical path to it. Which I think happened here. Once terrorism was ruled out, they assumed a financial motive. The billion dollar filtration plant was a reasonable direction to take, and when that didn't pan out, they looked into a different financial motive and found the evidence then. There would have been no reason to investigate the EPA guy until they looked at the patent. I thought it worked and had the added bonus that we didn't immediately clock the person responsible.

Somehow I don't think the drama with Marcus' girlfriend's ex is over.

[Mama No Life]

I'm sorry, but the title of this episode cracks me up.  Downtown Brown, indeed.

I kept waiting for Kitty Foreman to laugh her crazy laugh.   Sad face.

I don't watch this show for the mysteries, and it's a good thing because they rarely entertain me.  Little things, like Joan's reaction to Sherlock's circus music machine (is there a name for that thing?) and his disgust with her water filter...those are the things that keep me coming back.

[MissLucas]

I really liked this one, great mystery with good red herrings and in addition I got to learn a lot about New York's water supply system. Incidentally one of my favorite historical mysteries deals with the water supply system of ancient Rome (Three Hands in the Fountain by Lindsey Davis - I learned more about Roman aqueducts there than I did during 5 years of Latin classes).

Joan's wardrobe is drifting more and more into the direction of strict governess - considering Sherlock's posh background that's not a good thing (just kidding - Lucy Liu rocks those cravats and suits).

Sherlock's disgust with the water filter was funny as was Marcus' reaction to the cover art on stepdad's books. ('Am I gonna be the next one kissing your partner?' - he!) And I also liked how Watson's medical background was playing a part into bringing shady ex-cop down. It was not spelled out in detail but I guess she was the one pointing out to Marcus that the supposed injury would have prevented the guy from reacting to the bouncer the way he did.

[Isle Of Why]

11 minutes ago, Mama No Life said:

I don't watch this show for the mysteries, and it's a good thing because they rarely entertain me. Little things, like Joan's reaction to Sherlock's circus music machine (is there a name for that thing?) and his disgust with her water filter...those are the things that keep me coming back.

Don't forget Bell's changing hair and the various annoying ways Sherlock finds to wake up a sleeping Joan.

I agree about being here for the relationships and not so much the cases. On the other hand, I'm one of the fans of the BBC's Sherlock who are fed up because that show has wandered away from mysteries in order to focus on character personalities. Apparently there's no pleasing me.

[Driad]

Why was the circus music machine playing "On, Wisconsin" instead of, say, "Entrance of the Gladiators"?

[sinkwriter]

20 minutes ago, Driad said:

Why was the circus music machine playing "On, Wisconsin" instead of, say, "Entrance of the Gladiators"?

Apparently to creep me out. (I say as someone originally from Wisconsin.) LOL. Freakin' clowns. *shakes head*

I cracked up over Sherlock's emphatic, "I'm not making my tea with THAT water." Heee.

Edited January 17, 2017 by sinkwriter

[mojoween]

I am having a hard time reconciling Joan getting the water purifiers put in and then staying in her office while the plumber goes on his merry way, which is upstairs so he can look at crime scene photos that are laying around.  You would think she would have escorted him out.

I lost focus and now I realize I don't even know who did it.  Or why.

[MisterGlass]

The music machine is a kind of calliope.  I think this is the same model.  And here is one playing Bohemian Rhapsody.

I thought this one progressed pretty well.  There was team work between Sherlock and Watson, Bell and the Captain had good moments, and Debra Jo Rupp was not the killer (though I also wanted see more of her).

[Texasmom1970]

Okay Bell's new love interest did not start off on my good side. How she came charging in at him all pissed because he hit her ex. I know it was probably because her ex then made a scene at her office. But she needs to slow it down, breathe, gather some facts before she gets all up in his face like that. 

Just curious have we had a Clyde sighting lately, I miss him!

Edited January 17, 2017 by Texasmom1970
spelling error

[basil]

11 hours ago, Mama No Life said:

I don't watch this show for the mysteries, and it's a good thing because they rarely entertain me.  Little things, like Joan's reaction to Sherlock's circus music machine

I keep hearing how Lucy Liu isn't a comic actress, but I've always found her amusing. That was an hilarious triple take at the mini calliope. This mystery actually made a bit of sense to me, for a change. Some of my favorite lines:

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"The attack was thwarted, Watson. Don't let your lizard brain run away with you."

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"One of the reasons I chose to move to NY as opposed to other American cities was its water - a taste and odor unmatched."

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Lady cop: "We haven't been dealing with one clown, but two."

Sherlock "At least two - you never know with clowns".

 

 

9 hours ago, mojoween said:

I am having a hard time reconciling Joan getting the water purifiers put in and then staying in her office while the plumber goes on his merry way, which is upstairs so he can look at crime scene photos that are laying around.  You would think she would have escorted him out.

It's very common in NYC to give workmen keys and leave them alone to work in your house. Even if you are at home, you don't stand over someone while they are working. A plumber like this guy would be bonded, and while he ought not have been looking over the photographs, he was probably waiting downstairs to let her know he was done. Besides, Sherlock has cameras everywhere.

Looks like I'm having a bit of a quote issue. I'd meant to separate Sherlock's quote about NYC water from the others. As Vermicious Knid said above, it's true that NYC water from the tap is some of the best in the world. I've lived a lot of places where one dares not drink anything unbottled, nor use ice. Many places where the water is drinkable, but unpleasant. NY is, as Sherlock says, so close to its aquifers that it is still quite pure, and hasn't been processed to death so as to lose its unique taste.

Kudos to the show for ripping clowns from the headlines as advertisement, and touching on Flint Michigan's water woes. Wish they'd thrown in a line about DAPL, but you can't have everything.

ETA: NYC's water is so unfiltered that some Hasidic Jews have requested filters be put in to get rid of nearly microscopic crustaceans in the water. The creatures are harmless, but not kosher in the strictest sense. So far the city has said no.

Edited January 17, 2017 by basil

[iMonrey]

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I kept waiting for Kitty Foreman to laugh her crazy laugh.   Sad face.

It's always sad when you see an actor who used to be a regular on a weekly show playing a bit part years later on someone else's show. Clearly Rupp needed a paycheck. 

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NYC's water is so unfiltered that some Hasidic Jews have requested filters be put in to get rid of nearly microscopic crustaceans in the water. 

Crustaceans? Nearly microscopic? Ick. Thanks, I'll stick with my midwestern filtered water, thanks.

[Dagny]

Finally a topic I know a little bit about.  I thought it was weird that Sherlock went after the contractor who builds the plant first as the culprit.  This just teals me that Sherlock (and the writers) have never seen a design-bid-build or design-build project in their life.  If there ever is going to be a billion dollar plant, everyone is going to be sniffing at it: first the engineers (planning, designs and making sure the contractors install it correctly), then the contractors, then the 1MG filter manufacturers, the DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation) manufacturers, etc. There is always heavy competition between all of the groups for the projects.

Way too much work for a bug that won't be killed by UV or chlorine.

[kay1864]

On 1/16/2017 at 9:29 AM, DeLurker said:

I thought Debra Jo Rupp would have been a bigger part of the story, so I was a bit disappointed.  And I admit I yelled "Kitty!" when I saw her and crossed my fingers that she wasn't the killer.

To me she'll always be Jerry Seinfeld's way-too-helpful manager.  Or Phoebe's brother's gf/teacher on Friends--but I tend to block out that role due to the PDA scenes ::yikes::

[withanaich]

49 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Crustaceans? Nearly microscopic? Ick. Thanks, I'll stick with my midwestern filtered water, thanks.

For real. Ew ew ew ew EW. I don't need my water to "taste" like anything, thanks. I'll stick with water that (hopefully) does not have crustaceans in it.

[fastiller]

Almost all water has teeny-weeny life forms in it.  I do recall reading about whether NY water is kosher.  NY water really is the best tasting that I've encountered.  Also: the pH balance makes it best for pizza and for bagels.  

[Clanstarling]

57 minutes ago, withanaich said:

For real. Ew ew ew ew EW. I don't need my water to "taste" like anything, thanks. I'll stick with water that (hopefully) does not have crustaceans in it.

I assume it's a little like well water. The first time I drank well water (I'm sure mileage varies well by well) the water was incredibly delicious. It's  not so much that it tasted LIKE anything, it just seemed leaps and bounds better than any water - tap or bottled - than I'd ever had in my life.

[basil]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Crustaceans? Nearly microscopic? Ick. Thanks, I'll stick with my midwestern filtered water, thanks.

I have bad news for you. Tens of thousands of living creatures (plant and animal) pass through filters, this kind of crustacean (also known as copepods) included. Copepods are actually beneficial, as they feed on toxins. If you drink water, you ingest them every day.

3 hours ago, withanaich said:

For real. Ew ew ew ew EW. I don't need my water to "taste" like anything, thanks. I'll stick with water that (hopefully) does not have crustaceans in it.

You may not notice it, but water most definitely has a taste - just try something as simple as putting a liter of water from the tap in the fridge, and filtering, then boiling another liter (plus a bit more to allow for evaporation), them allow it, too, to cool. Drink from each. There will be a marked difference, and on a blind test, most will prefer the unadulterated water, critters, plants, minerals and all.

As fastiller posted, almost all water has creatures living in it (right about the ph for pizza dough and bagels - and as Sherlock will tell you, tea - too). Virtually all water has crustaceans in it - and water bears, oh my! Thanks for that link, fastiller. I remember that time well, and the discussions became absurd (as one can read in your link).

This is not to say that we don't need filtering in many places, but mankind and ironically enough, water-processing stations have in part created this problem. New York City, so far, is lucky enough to be so close to her water sources that such measures are not necessary yet.

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I assume it's a little like well water. The first time I drank well water (I'm sure mileage varies well by well) the water was incredibly delicious. It's  not so much that it tasted LIKE anything, it just seemed leaps and bounds better than any water - tap or bottled - than I'd ever had in my life.

Or water from a mountain spring. I remember, as a child, drinking cold water from a spring high up in the Ozarks. Heaven.

Edited January 17, 2017 by basil

[sinkwriter]

When I was a little kid, my grandma's house had well water which smelled like eggs (sulfur). And it did NOT taste good.

Edited January 18, 2017 by sinkwriter

[basil]

On 1/16/2017 at 10:51 PM, Texasmom1970 said:

Just curious have we had a Clyde sighting lately, I miss him!

It has been awhile, hasn't it? I can't recall the last time, though he was probably either waking Joan up or standing in as a prop for one of Sherlock's scenarios.

No excuse for their  lack of appearance, either, really. Clyde (and his alternate/stand-in, Bonnie (seriously) are clear fan faves, and while Candice Cayne (Miss Hudson) is off doing other projects, aren't Clyde (and Bonnie) off just eating lettuce and sleeping a lot? Clyde/Bonnie can be a prop when he's hibernating. Besides, put him under a heat lamp in an aquarium with a warm stone and his tortoise tucchus will perk right up.

 

3 hours ago, sinkwriter said:

When I was a little kid, my grandma's house had well water which smelled like eggs (sulfur). And it did NOT taste good.

Yeah, this is what I'm talking about. In parts of Florida, the tap water is a bit sulphurous (it used to be worse). A few years ago, two people died when they used tap water in Louisiana in their nettipots. Basically, amoebas ate their brains. Probably safe to drink, but not tasty. In Georgia it can be briny, in parts of the former USSR, it tasted strongly if not unpleasantly of minerals, and then there's places where I won't use tap water for anything at all.

Give me water from NYC, give me water from anywhere in Scandinavia, or, like Watson, give me a white wine (it doesn't have to be Belguian).

[fastiller]

7 hours ago, basil said:

Give me water from NYC, give me water from anywhere in Scandinavia, or, like Watson, give me a white wine (it doesn't have to be Belguian).

I think Watson probably was drinking a Belgian white beer, not wine. Which shouldn't stop you from enjoying a vino.

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, basil said:

It has been awhile, hasn't it? I can't recall the last time, though he was probably either waking Joan up or standing in as a prop for one of Sherlock's scenarios.

IIRC, the last time we saw him, Sherlock was putting him the fridge for hibernation.

[Trey]

I think we've seen him since then - he was out running around because he was rousted from his terrarium so Sherlock could put a snake there - that was a few episodes ago, I forget which one.

[iMonrey]

Episode S05:E06 was the last time we saw Clyde.

[Driad]

Maybe we need a mystery involving Clyde. Think about how much he sees and hears, with no one suspecting he is an evil genius.

[Loandbehold]

I like to think that when Joan and Sherlock are away, Clyde spends some time picking locks.

[basil]

13 hours ago, fastiller said:

I think Watson probably was drinking a Belgian white beer, not wine. Which shouldn't stop you from enjoying a vino.

That does make more sense, thanks. It's like the old saying:"In wine there is wisdom. In beer, freedom. In water, bacteria (Ben Franklin, I think).

[Loandbehold]

13 hours ago, basil said:

That does make more sense, thanks. It's like the old saying:"In wine there is wisdom. In beer, freedom. In water, bacteria (Ben Franklin, I think).

According to yahoo answers (fwiw) through the God o'Google, bacteria wasn't discovered until sometime in the 1800s (1820s or later) , so not Franklin. Did Ben Franklin say ...

Also, it seems that good ol' Ben did not say that "Beer is proof that God loves us." From a brewing company's website, no less: Ben Franklin did not say "Beer is proof that God loves us."

[thuganomics85]

I automatically figured it would be one of the agents, since both Barry Shabaka Henley and Damian Young are pretty well known.  I called it wrong though, since Damian usually plays the more slimy characters and Barry the nice ones, so the show wins this round!

And, yeah, I was really surprised over how little they used Debra Jo Rupp.  Is she just friends with someone and just wanted to show up for a day to film (I'm sure they got all of her scenes wrapped before lunch)?  A waste.  Although, maybe Kurtwood Smith will be next and they can find some way to have him call Sherlock a dumbass.

Should have known the clowns will be a fake-out, and it ends up a good old conspiracy involving water!

I'm all for Bell getting a love interest, but she was kind of a jerk to him, considering her ex was the aggressor in the situation.  Bell clearly tried several ways to defuse the situation.  It wasn't like he just cold-cocked him because he was angry or the guy was shit-talking him.  He physically shoved him.  Really, Bell probably could have just hauled his ass in.  In retrospect, he probably should have.

[jhlipton]

Just now, sinkwriter said:

When I was a little kid, my grandma's house had well water which smelled like eggs (sulfur). And it did NOT taste good.

The well at my dad's house smelled like sulfur (yuck).  Highly filtered before it got to the tap.

[paigow]

On 1/17/2017 at 9:02 PM, sinkwriter said:

When I was a little kid, my grandma's house had well water which smelled like eggs (sulfur). And it did NOT taste good.

Any fracking nearby??

On 1/17/2017 at 5:40 AM, basil said:

I keep hearing how Lucy Liu isn't a comic actress, but I've always found her amusing. That was an hilarious triple take at the mini calliope. This mystery actually made a bit of s. Many places where the water is drinkable, but unpleasant. NY is, as Sherlock says, so close to its aquifers that it is still quite pure, and hasn't been processed to death so as to lose its unique taste.

 

NYC water has to travel 163 miles to Yonkers [Wikipedia]...not sure why Sherlock thinks that is a short distance.....Besides, John McClane and Simon Gruber contaminated it.....

[Calvada]

I am a Wisconsin native and have attended many, many University of Wisconsin athletic events over the years; let me say that not once has a rendition of "On, Wisconsin" put me in the mindset of someone who would want to kill a clown.  Unless we're talking about opposing coaches.  As a Badger fan, I loved the calliope and am now wondering where I could purchase one.  As someone who grew up not far from Circus World Museum, I have a fondness for calliopes.  Clowns?  Not so much.  Nightmare-inducing!

[theatremouse]

11 hours ago, paigow said:

NYC water has to travel 163 miles to Yonkers [Wikipedia]...not sure why Sherlock thinks that is a short distance....

Most of southern California's water comes from Colorado. So 163 miles sounds like a super short distance to me. That's downright local.

[shapeshifter]

On January 19, 2017 at 10:01 PM, thuganomics85 said:

 . . . I'm all for Bell getting a love interest, but she was kind of a jerk to him, considering her ex was the aggressor in the situation.  Bell clearly tried several ways to defuse the situation.  It wasn't like he just cold-cocked him because he was angry or the guy was shit-talking him.  He physically shoved him.  Really, Bell probably could have just hauled his ass in.  In retrospect, he probably should have.

I was annoyed at the writers that he didn't. It seemed OOC that Bell would get violent instead of enforcing the law.

[basil]

11 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Most of southern California's water comes from Colorado. So 163 miles sounds like a super short distance to me. That's downright local.

Not to mention the original source and what it's exposed to on the way.

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

On 1/19/2017 at 11:01 PM, thuganomics85 said:

. I'm all for Bell getting a love interest, but she was kind of a jerk to him, considering her ex was the aggressor in the situation.  Bell clearly tried several ways to defuse the situation.  It wasn't like he just cold-cocked him because he was angry or the guy was shit-talking him.  He physically shoved him.  Really, Bell probably could have just hauled his ass in.  In retrospect, he probably should have.

I was annoyed at the writers that he didn't. It seemed OOC that Bell would get violent instead of enforcing the law.

 I didn't see Bell getting violent. He did try to defuse the situation, offered to buy the guy another drink (which he irrationally refused by saying he wanted the one that was on the floor), at which point Bell backed down further and informed the man he was an officer. Bell only took him down after the guy swung on him. What else was he supposed to do?

Despite the fact that the guy was a foot taller and had a good thirty pounds on Bell, in their meeting a few days later, it was clear Marcos' girlfriend's ex was no worse for the wear. It was a swing and a shove, resulting in a broken glass. Arresting the man would not only have been more trouble than it was worth, it would have escalated a simple altercation to an unnecessary arrest.

[Brian Cronin]

On 1/16/2017 at 6:18 PM, Isle Of Why said:

Don't forget Bell's changing hair and the various annoying ways Sherlock finds to wake up a sleeping Joan.

Bell's hair really IS fascinating in how all over the place it is. 

[Clanstarling]

I really like Bell's hair. But then, I guess I just really like looking at Bell.

[paigow]

Det. Bell obviously has more luck with stylists than Agent Keen

[jhlipton]

On 1/20/2017 at 8:09 AM, paigow said:

Any fracking nearby??

This was about 40 years ago, so no fracking!  LOL!