S02.E24: The Grand Experiment

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Season finale!

 

Holmes and Watson's relationship reaches a crossroads, but they have to put their differences aside to help Mycroft.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cybhxnh_Vg

[MaryHedwig]

What is Papa Holmes thinking of all this?  No way I could stand back I watch my sons suffer like this.  I hope Season 3 finale is all about Holmes, Sr. (and please cast Alan Rickman in that role).

[Danielg342]

I thought the case, as it developed, seemed to go beyond realism, but I suppose that could be excused considering this was a case involving British intelligence. I thought Sherlock was needlessly cryptic with Gregson and Bell, people he should be able to trust by now. I'm also quite disappointed at the prospect that Mycroft might be gone for a while, but I hope I'm wrong. I will say that I am glad that Sherlock didn't touch the heroin he stole- I still think it's too early in the series to explore a relapse- and I'm glad to see that Sherlock is taking his new found independence in stride, even if it does scare him. I do wonder what the job with MI6 will be and how it'll change the series- does this mean Gregson and Bell will get nixed?- but I like the potential for growth for Sherlock, as well as the potential for growth for the newly independent Watson.

 

Oh, and Mycroft hugging Sherlock made my heart melt. Just goes to show that nothing beats blood. :)

 

The big thing about the finale is that we came here because Elementary is great at developing its characters. You see too many shows have t o resort to cliches just to get a "cliffhanger" (Criminal Minds comes to mind, since every cliffhanger involves putting a main character in physical peril), yet, because Watson and Sherlock are well developed, we can have a storyline where both seem to go their separate ways (Sherlock to MI6, Watson to her new apartment) because both have been properly setup...and it'll be a treat to watch.

[shapeshifter]

In the previous episode and in this one we hear that Mycroft "got out of MI6" and then got back in as part of a bargain to keep Sherlock from having to pay for his inadvertently aiding gun running terrorists as part of his drug dealings. If I understood correctly, working for MI6 was dangerous for those around the person employed by MI6, including Joan. Is that correct? So why is Sherlock now offering to work for them? Is this part of a scheme to "fix" Mycroft's situation, for which Sherlock feels responsible?

[Cress]

When Gregson was berating Holmes about his brother being a murder suspect, I thought, "But Bell's brother was a criminal." Surely Gregson knows that a guy might not be responsible for his brother's actions.

 

It was nice to hear Mycroft quote the lines from books about him being lazy, though I never considered them insulting when I read them. I always thought Sherlock was just saying his Mycroft didn't have the same interests as he, and that detection was a hobby to him. I didn't think Sherlock was insulting his brother, especially since he emphasized to Watson that Mycroft was smarter.

 

The way they wrote Mycroft's sacrifice, and the way Joan's eyes watered as she realized he was faking his death, I think it is supposed to be a tragic love story, and that her feelings for him are real. Well, it'll never go anywhere now.

 

I'm glad she's moving out, though. Dare I wish that we might have Holmes having scenes at the brownstone with Ms. Hudson? Nah. Based on her never being onscreen, even at the library that she supposedly looks after, I think they will never have her back to do anything substantive. it's like, why the hell did you create this character for, only to throw her away? Even Holmes's sponsor or the turtle Clyde has recurred more than she has.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Cress

[catrox14]

Wow. The scene between Sherlock and Mycroft when Sherlock is talking about amends....I cried. That was just wonderful and might be my new favorite scene of the show. 

[cko]

I liked the storyline(s) but gotta admit I'm a touch confused; really need a recap here!

 

But anyway, the drama/melodrama/relationships are pretty well done due to the strong acting but a few things don't quite ring true: the weightiness of the decision to move out (I love how she describes it, just don't get his drama about it), and though the Sherlock and Mycroft interplay was excellent, I'm one of those that did not think Rhys Ifans worked in that role at all, though I like him usually. And the lack of driving chemistry between Joan and Mycroft made that story line, which could have been compelling, rather questionable.

 

Still, I do like the show, and appreciate their effort to keep it interesting!

[Tara Ariano]

Here's Julian's post on the finale!

[Helena Dax]

No one knows how much I hate when Holmes' story becomes an addict's story. I  had to suffer it through House and I'd rather not having to do it again. 

 

Right now, I can't say I like Joan. The things Mycroft told her about Sherlock and that terrorist were for him to tell. She could have told Sherlock to ask Mycroft about his real reason for working for the MI6, but no, she went and told him  herself. Because she had to defend Mycroft. The impact it could have on Sherlock didn't matter. Does she have the right to live her own life and to do what she wants? Of course, she does. But does she have the right to call herself Sherlock's friend? I doubt it. 

 

If you asked me to define ACD's Watson with one word, I'd say "loyalty". I can't define this Watson with that word and that bothers me. 

 

I guess Sherlock decided by himself to start working for the MI6, too. Maybe he's using,  maybe he's not, but it seems to me that he thinks that his relationship with Watson is over. I mean, I can't imagine Joan working with the MI6. What if MI6 and NSA wanted different things?  Of course, if their relationship is broken, season 3 will be the moment to fix it but it's sad to see them falling apart. 

 

While I hated Mycroft/Joan, I liked him and I'm sorry to let him go. That final moment when he hugged Sherlock was very touching. But I can't believe he seems to be gone for good and we still don't know why the hell they had such a bad relationship.

[caseylane]

I have to say that I'm glad Mycroft is gone because I hated him with Joan. I just didn't feel them as a realistic couple. I could see her with either Gregson or Bell before I could Mycroft. There was a serious lack of chemistry.

 

I did like the hug and firmly believe that Holmes is working for MI6 to help his brother.

[shrewd.buddha]

According to TVByTheNumbers :

The season finale of Elementary garnered a series low 1.4, down 7 percent from last week's 1.5 adults 18-49 rating and down 30 percent from a 2.0 for the previous season finale.

 

We watched -  but there seemed to be a lot of talking and not a lot of doing. Having Sherlock exposition everything to Joan or whomever does not make for exciting television. I know the Sherlock character is supposed to be prickly, but honestly, with the added addiction baggage, he just comes off more often as an asshole with childish temper tantrums that I would avoid dealing with. I like him better when he is being upbeat - tho still irritating.

And I know the actor portraying Mycroft is talented, but the casting could have been ... ummm.. fresher ? It made Joan look as if she was into (much) older guys and his thinning wispy hair was distracting.

Edited May 16, 2014 by shrewd.buddha

[Trey]

In Julian's post he says Sherlock took the heroin.

 

I know he took it out of the book but did he use it?  Was he high (or low, whatever heroin does to you) when he went to join MI-6?  He seemed a trifle manic to me but that could have just been enthusiasm because he had thought of a way to help Mycroft. 

 

Why doesn't Sherlock turn part of the brownstone into a small apartment for Joan?  Then she'd have her own space and still be near.  But maybe that wouldn't be far enough away for her.

 

I enjoyed the finale, particularly Mycroft and Sherlock together.  Seems like they are changing things up some so next year won't necessarily be a procedural so much as the first seasons.  I am looking forward to next season to see where they go with it.

[Mr Rampage]

I know he took it out of the book but did he use it?  Was he high (or low, whatever heroin does to you) when he went to join MI-6?  He seemed a trifle manic to me but that could have just been enthusiasm because he had thought of a way to help Mycroft.

 

I thought there was something a little different about him in that last scene as well. But hooray for acting and shows where subtleties like that can actually mean something, I suppose!

[Danielg342]

According to TVByTheNumbers :

We watched -  but there seemed to be a lot of talking and not a lot of doing. Having Sherlock exposition everything to Joan or whomever does not make for exciting television. I know the Sherlock character is supposed to be prickly, but honestly, with the added addiction baggage, he just comes off more often as an asshole with childish temper tantrums that I would avoid dealing with. I like him better when he is being upbeat - tho still irritating.

And I know the actor portraying Mycroft is talented, but the casting could have been ... ummm.. fresher ? It made Joan look as if she was into (much) older guys and his thinning wispy hair was distracting.

 

Numbers are pretty terrible, actually- that 7.37 is awful. I'm glad we're going into the third season, since, in U.S. television anyway, "a third season guarantees a fourth" (since four seasons give you enough episodes for syndication), so Elementary has time to recover from it. Now, I think there's a lot of factors at play with the poor number that serve to mitigate it's impact- our lead-in this year was poor (the fading Two and a Half Men vs. Person of Interest), plus the fact that it's a "quirky" show tends to relegate it to "niche" status as opposed to "broad appeal" status- but I do think a lot of decisions this year impacted the ratings. To wit:

 

-Last year, we had a multitude of compelling storylines, from Irene Adler/Moriarty to Sherlock recovering from rehab to Watson learning how to be a detective, among others, with the subtext that there was always "more" on the horizon. This year? Apart from the Mycroft storyline and the "detective revolt" storyline, we didn't get much in terms of continual stories, really and I think that affected how likely someone was going to tune back in. This is a character-based show that lives and dies on its continual stories- it's not a "straight-up" procedural, so if you want to win a new audience every episode has to have some kind of sense that something deeper is at play, something the viewer will only learn about the more they tune in.

 

-As for the storylines we did get, I believe both were botched:

--For the detective revolt storyline, we didn't meet a single sympathetic detective, plus the show made up some convoluted series of events that tried- while failing- to paint Sherlock as the "reason" for Bell's life being put in danger. It was hard, as the show intended, for me to think in those circumstances that Sherlock "had to learn from his mistakes" and "become a better person" as a result, since in my mind, all I saw was Sherlock dealing with people who were immature and too quick to judge, which is hard for me to side with. What should have happened was we should have seen a more confident Sherlock accede to his arrogance and thus more actively antagonize the force, with detectives who provide actual, helpful clues on a case that Sherlock is too quick to dismiss. Then, perhaps, Sherlock's propensity to dismiss those other detectives could have led him to break into a house that leads to a shootout, harming or even killing a detective. Then the idea could have been planted in Sherlock's head that if he wants to succeed in life, he has to be more accepting of other people's ideas.

--When it comes to Mycroft, I get that Rhys Ifans wouldn't likely be available for most of the year and that likely impacted the writing, but I still think it's a poor excuse. For a character so pivotal to a storyline, the show should have at least worked harder to make sure that Ifans could be available for the amount of episodes needed to tell his story. Not only that, but I don't think we needed Ifans in every episode in order to tell the story- some of the cases Sherlock and Watson could have worked on could have "built up" the mythology surrounded by Mycroft, plus Sherlock could have received E-Mails and texts from Mycroft or his father, removing the need for Ifans to actually be present. I think this could have easily been half a season's worth of a storyline, yet we only got a handful of shows with a smattering in the beginning with too much "infodumping" later. Furthermore, couldn't MI6 have helped Sherlock at some point during the season? I think there was a lot of wasted opportunity here.

 

-Not enough "comedy" between Sherlock and Watson. I'm not saying we had to turn this into The Big Bang Theory or something, but I feel like this year they tried to make Sherlock and Watson more "dramatic" and dialed down their bantering, which is what drew me to the couple in the first place.

 

-As a corollary to much of this, I don't think we got a lot of character development from Sherlock, which I think is a massive failure. This should have been the year where we witness what Sherlock would have been like after "kicking the habit"- I suspect a more confident but abrasive and arrogant personality, which would have provided a lot of fodder to snark with detectives, witnesses, Gregson, Bell, Watson, etc. Yet I don't think I saw much change from S1 Sherlock to S2 Sherlock, which is a shame, and I think it'll be even worse if Sherlock goes back to the drugs.

 

-Too many "strange" crimes. I personally dug the creativity of the team with the cases this year, but even I would have to admit that sometimes they let their imagination run too wild. I think back to "The Man With The Twisted Lip" with all of the drones and the massive government conspiracy to cover up its murder and I can't help but think that surely someone who's new to the show might dismiss it out of hand believing the premise to be too "far-fetched". I'm not saying that we need to have more "straight up" crimes, but I do think we need to make sure that the cases are bit more optically grounded in reality.

 

Fortunately I think S3 has the potential to get Elementary out of its rut, since Sherlock working for MI6 opens a lot of new doors. However, what I think needs to happen is that the show gets back to being more serial than procedural with more realistic (yet still creative) cases, develops Sherlock and finds a way to "liven" up the proceedings, with more strategically-placed comedy and less brooding. I trust the writers and I trust that they know what they're doing, but it doesn't change the fact that the payoff needs to be great next year, or else its long term future could be compromised and I'd hate for that to happen.

[Mama No Life]

I enjoy RI as Mycroft when he's with JLM. I loathe Joan and Mycroft together. This leaves me conflicted about the finale.

I do think Sherlock took the heroin. The sticker for me is this: did he do it b/c he was despondent to lose Joan, or did he do it because he knew she'd stay if he relapsed?

[Cress]

I didn't think he took the heroin. He put it in his pocket as if saving it for later (possibly to plant on somebody). If he just wanted to take the heroin himself, why not do it as soon as he got it out of the book? No one else was there to see him.

 

I disagree with Julian's recap:

 

In the second season, there was only one relationship of import that begged for resolution: Sherlock's relationship with Mycroft.

I thought Sherlock's relationship with Bell was of great import too, and we wanted to see the resolution to that.

 

I disagree that the "detective revolt" plot didn't work. I had total sympathy for the detectives that Holmes was pissing off. A guy crossed the line by giving out their address, but Holmes was not blameless. (In fact, far too many suspects have learned their address and come threateningly to the brownstone; why do they consider that their safe haven at all?) And I totally did blame Holmes for Bell getting shot. He did not need to provoke that man that way. Yes the man made a terrible choice, but Holmes himself acknowledged the things he did because he was "lazy" when he tried to apologize to Bell at the hospital and offer to get him physical therapy. The inconsistency I found was in the later episodes when he went back to being arrogant and claimed that he analyzed his actions and did nothing wrong. That's contradictory writing, and that made me more disgusted with Holmes.

 

I found the Lestrade episodes compelling too, and I loved Joan solving the homeless guy's case and telling the story about her homeless birth father. So there has been a lot going on in this season besides just the Mycroft stuff. Now we have Watson finally moving out, perhaps it can lead to more character growth for him.

 

I do hope that season 3 will finally have Holmes doing something non-NYPD related. I will assume for now that he's only joining MI6 for a particular plan he has to save his brother, but I would like him to start taking private clients now. If he starts taking paid cases, then I'd be more convinced that he was getting independent from his father and finally not sponging off any trust fund anymore. Sherlock constantly dissing his dad's greedy business is hypocritical so long as he's living on his father's property and using his father's money to pay Watson her salary. Earn your own damn living, Sherlock! Then you won't be at his whim if he actually does decide to cut you off. The NYPD can function without you on most cases, and I'd rather you solve bizarre, non-murder cases like the vast variety found in the books. Not that I want Gregson and Bell written out. They can come by sometimes for several episodes out of the 22. Hell I'd take a romance between Bell and Ms. Hudson if it would only give her some damn screen time.

Edited May 17, 2014 by Cress

[Trey]

 

I didn't think he took the heroin. He put it in his pocket as if saving it for later (possibly to plant on somebody). If he just wanted to take the heroin himself, why not do it as soon as he got it out of the book? No one else was there to see him.

Exactly!  I didn't think he used it either.  I thought he had a Euraka! moment and got the heroin out of the book for some purpose which we haven't yet been told.  That's why I was taken aback that Julian said he used the heroin.  (I hope it's okay to discuss the recaps in the forums.)

 

Cress, I enjoyed the rest of your post too - it's very thoughtful.

[shapeshifter]

I do think Sherlock took the heroin. The sticker for me is this: did he do it b/c he was despondent to lose Joan, or did he do it because he knew she'd stay if he relapsed?

I love this question so much, it almost makes me hope he did take it, but...

I didn't think he took the heroin. He put it in his pocket as if saving it for later (possibly to plant on somebody). If he just wanted to take the heroin himself, why not do it as soon as he got it out of the book? No one else was there to see him.

He might also have put it in his pocket to remove it from his home--perhaps get rid of it--maybe because Joan is leaving?

[Danielg342]

I disagree that the "detective revolt" plot didn't work. I had total sympathy for the detectives that Holmes was pissing off. A guy crossed the line by giving out their address, but Holmes was not blameless. (In fact, far too many suspects have learned their address and come threateningly to the brownstone; why do they consider that their safe haven at all?) And I totally did blame Holmes for Bell getting shot. He did not need to provoke that man that way. Yes the man made a terrible choice, but Holmes himself acknowledged the things he did because he was "lazy" when he tried to apologize to Bell at the hospital and offer to get him physical therapy. The inconsistency I found was in the later episodes when he went back to being arrogant and claimed that he analyzed his actions and did nothing wrong. That's contradictory writing, and that made me more disgusted with Holmes.

 

I understand it's all a matter of opinion, but the only detective I liked was the one whom Sherlock called a "bell end". That particular one in "On The Line" came off to me as arrogant and childish, reacting as if he was personally offended when he was asked if Sherlock and Watson could take another look. I mean, that kind of stuff should happen all the time for the police, especially when in this case a new lead develops. I wouldn't look at it as a reflection of his skills- he did what he could with what he had, and something else came up...outside of his control. He should not have been offended (or, at the very least, not acted like a child). I agree that Sherlock didn't handle that exchange very well and Gregson or Watson should have told him "we've got a new lead, this isn't a reflection on you", but it doesn't change his reaction.

 

Outside of him, the only other detectives we met was the one early in 2014 whom both Watson and Sherlock admonished for being stupid- in private- to Gregson, with the revelation that since Bell go transferred that there was no detective Watson or Sherlock enjoyed working for (which I think doubles as lazy writing since it came up when Lestrade came back since Watson used it as proof that Lestrade really was intelligent). Other than him, the only other detectives we met were the ones who thought drawing a comic of Watson and Sherlock peeing on a grave was a totally professional thing to do. I'm sitting here looking for sympathy and I can't find any...if I was Sherlock, I'd hold those guys in contempt too.

 

As far as James Dillon (the man who shot Bell) is concerned, yes Sherlock's revelation cost him his job, but a few points:

 

-It was total happenstance that when Dillon met Sherlock that Bell was there with him

-Bell didn't have to jump in front of the shot, he could have pulled Sherlock away

-Dillon, and only Dillon, made the decision to confront Sherlock with a loaded firearm

-Dillon was only mad at Sherlock- he had no issues with Bell

 

Marcus Bell's only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it's not on Sherlock that James Dillon decided to confront him with intent to murder. I might concede that Sherlock's actions justifiably made Dillon angry and Sherlock should have known that...but when it comes to Bell, I fail to see how Sherlock's actions impacted him. The exchange between Sherlock and Dillon could have occurred at the brownstone or where Sherlock loves to get his morning coffee...the setting was immaterial, meaning Bell (from a narrative perspective) did not have to be there when the exchange happened. What happened to him was unfortunate, the kind of stuff that occurs in the line of duty, nothing more.

[possibilities]

If Sherlock relapses, I would think Joan would be even more determined not to come back. To me, it just sounds like codependency for him to be unable to be sober without her living with him, and for her to indulge that problem. She (or better-- HE) would hopefully call his sponsor, and with Alfredo's help Sherlock could determine a course of action. I think Sherlock knows too much about himself and his addiction to allow Joan to continue to be his crutch. And besides, he should respect her more than that. She has made clear to him that being in his orbit is not enough for her. If he respects her as something other than an auxiliary arm of himself, he will grow out of using her that way. He's supposed to value her for who she is, not as though she were merely a tool useful for his own purposes.

Edited May 17, 2014 by possibilities

[Danielg342]

I really hope that, if Sherlock relapses, it's left until at least the third season finale (I might have preferred the fourth, making that a season where Sherlock actually spirals into a depression causing him to use again, after gaining life highs in the third season that were mercilessly taken away from him). I would really hate for this show to become one where he goes in and out of rehab, with the issue of drug use ominously hanging over Sherlock for the entire series. Not only that, but I fear that if the writers go back to the well too soon, they'll risk "neutering" Sherlock and making him less fun of a character, in much the same way that when Gregory House went back to the drugs he was no fun at all.

 

Fact of the matter is, we really need a strong Sherlock for this to work- any setbacks should be temporary.

[Cress]

 

but the only detective I liked was the one whom Sherlock called a "bell end"

Yes, and the guy didn't mention anything he might have done to cause Sherlock offense, so as far as we know Sherlock just was pissy and insulting to the man for no reason. The guy approached Joan about the case because he didn't want to risk Sherlock being shitty to him again.

 

 

the ones who thought drawing a comic of Watson and Sherlock peeing on a grave was a totally professional thing to do

No it wasn't professional, but it's not like the guys took the drawing over to them and shoved it in their faces. Or brought it up in a meeting. Have you never let off steam by bitching to your coworkers about a bad boss, or something you hate at your workplace? If Sherlock regularly goes around insulting people for no reason, then there's plenty of people who will hate him. Just the fact that Gregson is regularly going to an outside person can make people feel resentful, that their own abilities are ignored. Remember in the early episodes when Bell was skeptical of Sherlock and tried to go out of his way to prove Sherlock wrong? He was trying to knock him down a peg. That's how I see those other detectives at the NYPD; they're resentful and distrustful of Sherlock. Joan and Sherlock are consultants; they are being invited into someone else's territory to work, and instead of being nice about it, Sherlock makes it more difficult than it has to be. The NYPD detectives are supposed to be so professional, but Sherlock can get away with being unprofessional just because he's a genius? Joan brought this up and told him to be more polite. Sherlock didn't listen and in fact spouted an arrogant speech about how he's not a nice person and she shouldn't try to change him.

 

Then when Bell gets shot, and Sherlock ought to see now that his rudeness has consequences, the writing makes him vascillate between guilt and making excuses for himself. As for James Dillon:

 

Marcus Bell's only mistake was being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it's not on Sherlock that James Dillon decided to confront him with intent to murder. I might concede that Sherlock's actions justifiably made Dillon angry and Sherlock should have known that...but when it comes to Bell, I fail to see how Sherlock's actions impacted him.

Right, but James Dillon didn't know where Sherlock lived, so his natural action is to seek out the man at the NYPD, where he consults. So if not Marcus Bell, some other police officer would have been there to get injured or killed in the line of duty. The fact is that Sherlock made himself a target, as well as anyone else unlucky to be near him. If Dillon had known Sherlock's address, he could have gone to the brownstone and shot Joan instead, or possibly Ms Hudson. Are we to absolve Sherlock of all blame just because the person who get shot is up to random happenstance? It doesn't matter who got shot; it matters that someone was shot because of him. He did not need to rile Dillon that way by speaking loud enough to be overheard at Dillon's workplace. (I remember more than one episode where Sherlock has deduced that a person was a drug addict at their workplace, but Sherlock had the courtesy and discretion to quietly reveal his knowledge and to swear that he would tell no one else.) Why doesn't Dillon get the same discretion and careful handling? Sherlock could have talked to the man quietly to make his threats (and in fact Sherlock says to Bell, "I should have investigated the man before I got to the office. I was lazy." That is totally Sherlock's fault. He was lazy, and then to cover up his slipshod work, he made a rash decision to blackmail the guy within hearing of other people. Later when confronted by the armed man, he doesn't say "I'm sorry." He says instead "That's unfortunate", like it's just bad luck that he couldn't have predicted. Not that he sabotaged the man on purpose.

 

I believe that Joan said to Sherlock that the reason he should not be rude to the NYPD detectives is because it would make solving cases together easier instead of impeding work. Sherlock claimed that sometimes his rudeness caused problems, but most of the time it wasn't impeding work, so he didn't care about being nice to people. But when he got someone shot, when Bell didn't want to forgive him or work with him, and when the judge was considering not letting Sherlock continue consulting, his behavior *was* impeding work after all. So there's no excuse for him to be an arrogant prick and not think of the consequences of his actions. I can't stand that the writers had him saying that he saw nothing wrong in his actions. He did everything wrong in that case, when only a little effort could have changed things for the better.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Cress

[frenchtoast]

Taking my reply to Sherlock thread

[Danielg342]

Taking my reply to Sherlock thread

As will I.

[webruce]

Well I wonder with Holmes helping now MI6, will it just be Watson working with NYPD and Gregson and Bell? Is Holmes doing it just to help Mycroft? It could be similar to Det. Beckett on Castle working for maybe 3 episodes with the FBI and then returning to her own PD. Holmes could help them on a few cases and then return or have say every third episode be with MI6?

Seems so many say that Joan and Mycroft are an odd pairing,and shouldn't be together. But we all must know a couple that we think don't fit or are odd together but are happy and making it work. Joan at this time even with Mycroft putting her in danger and keeping stuff from her and Sherlock must have needed him. Or they would not have gotten together after she was saved.

Mycroft may have that attraction, suave and debonair that Sherlock lacks. But also Joan seems to be able to relate to him and maybe he makes her feel safe. It's like Sherlock is there but not Sherlock and his idiosyncrasies. It doesn't mean she loves Sherlock in that way but can relate to Mycroft because in a way she "knows' him. Now this also may just be a short romance or a "friends with benefits" type of relationship. It is hard for us on the outside to tell what Joan sees in Mycroft and what she needs/wants from him.

Sherlock nonchalantly hitting the button and blowing up Mycrofts Jag, was funny. Holmes stating about the MI6 possible set up of Mycroft, "A game of cat and mouse is a foot"! ,was also funny.

Liked how when Tim Sherrington was at the brownstone Watson opened her chat with 15 cyberists just to protect her back. I thought Sherrington was bad, but then who did him in?

I'm thinking with the pack of heroin from the book that either Sherlock will be tempted to use it and then at the last minute contact Alfredo Llamosa his sponsor to talk things over. Or you could have say Detective Bell either catch him just about to use or find it in his possession somehow and have the dilemma of should I turn him in or not? Marcus may end up calling Watson and telling her about it and that would postpone her moving out.

Mycroft will have to leave, he is "dead". I did like the brotherly hug at end. "I love you brother!"

[jeansheridan]

So I watched this season in a massive binge because I wanted to catch up for season three.  The bits I love are their conversations at the brownstone, but I do wish we saw more conversations with other characters like Bell.  I never liked this version of Mycroft.  Too ...slimey.  I don't care for the actor all that much.  He has presence but I felt he was too obvious in the later eps.  Plus he wasn't the badass I wanted Mycroft to be.  I liked his early season softness.  So I guess I half liked him.  He and Joan were kind of gross.  I like Lucy Liu but she's not great at the romantic chemistry thing.  I think that's why her energy works so well for a platonic relationship with Sherlock.  Of course they love each other.  Duh!  But their energy is so clearly that of best friends.  It's like Mulder and Scully before the show made them weird. 

 

I do wish too that they had more paying clients.  I think that would diversify the cases a lot more.  Less dead bodies, more capers.  Capers are fun!  If you can't give Quinn something good, don't make him come into work, you know?  I must admit I think Sherlock does the same disservice to their Lestrade--Rupert Graves barely has anything to do.  What he does, he does VERY well, but he doesn't get much time.  Quinn is the same way.  But this show has 24 hours to fill--give the man some meat!

 

My favorite bit in the finale was Joan and Sherlock's conversation in the blood splattered apartment.  They have the best conversations on television.  The writers know how to have them switch gears and talk about the case and their relationship/feelings in an organic, natural way.  And I did love her line about him being gravity because that sounded true.  He does have a massive pull.  And as a sensible person, she's trying to pull away a bit.  I think she'll fail in season three (or just give in to it) but I think a sensible person would try. 

 

I will be interested to see if Watson gets a romantic relationship next season only to see him die like in the books.  I think that would add a lot of great character development to Watson and give Liu something juicy to do.  To see her fall in love, commit to someone, and lose him would be a great arc.