S06.E01: An Infinite Capacity for Taking Pains

[CooperTV]

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As Holmes confronts a medical diagnosis that threatens both his career and sobriety, he meets Michael, a man who credits Sherlock for helping him conquer his own addiction. Also, Holmes and Watson are hired by a reformed party girl heiress to find her missing partner in a years-old sex tape that has just leaked online.

Promotional pictures

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Promo:

Edited April 26, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo
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[ElectricBoogaloo]

Clips!

 

[shapeshifter]

A strong start to the season, IMO.

More later.

[wilnil]

Desmond, Desmond, Desmond. This is what happens when you spend too many seasons in close proximity to Dexter Morgan, man -- you find yourself out in the boonies disposing of a bloodless corpse.

He's listed as a regular in the opening credits, so ... a season-long arc with Sherlock unwittingly befriending a serial killer?

[Loandbehold]

41 minutes ago, wilnil said:

Desmond, Desmond, Desmond. This is what happens when you spend too many seasons in close proximity to Dexter Morgan, man -- you find yourself out in the boonies disposing of a bloodless corpse.

He's listed as a regular in the opening credits, so ... a season-long arc with Sherlock unwittingly befriending a serial killer?

Lots of Dexter in this episode. A kill room and Desmond Harrington likely playing a serial killer. What are the odds we see DH's character bringing donuts to a meeting? 

I'm a little miffed that Joan and Sherlock are discussing redecorating the brownstone, including looking at stains, yet nobody consulted with Clyde. In fact, where was Clyde? Given Sherlock's medical condition, he should be relying more on Clyde than ever before. 

[Mislav]

4 hours ago, Loandbehold said:

Lots of Dexter in this episode. A kill room and Desmond Harrington likely playing a serial killer. What are the odds we see DH's character bringing donuts to a meeting? 

I'm a little miffed that Joan and Sherlock are discussing redecorating the brownstone, including looking at stains, yet nobody consulted with Clyde. In fact, where was Clyde? Given Sherlock's medical condition, he should be relying more on Clyde than ever before. 

And Jonny Lee Miller portrayed a serial (proxy) rapist in "Dexter".

[shapeshifter]

6 hours ago, wilnil said:

so ... a season-long arc with Sherlock unwittingly befriending a serial killer?

—which Sherlock will not piece together as easily because of his TBI.
I liked the way Sherlock accepted responsibility for his part in the brain damage because it vicariously forgave the late Nelsan Ellis—if y'all know what I mean.
It also means Sherlock will not be wallowing in the blame game, which, whether or not justified, would not help his recovery.
Just in the last week I have been ridiculously overjoyed at remembering names for the first time since chemotherapy ended in November of 2016. I've heard of it taking 5 years for the fog to lift. Given Sherlock's previous superior ability to never walk into a room and forget why he was there, I expect half a television season will be sufficient for him to recover his powers of deduction.
I suppose the guy burying the body approached Sherlock because the addiction that he really needs help with is serial killing, right? I wonder what the confidentiality rules are for Serial Killers Anonymous.

[preeya]

10 hours ago, wilnil said:

Desmond, Desmond, Desmond. This is what happens when you spend too many seasons in close proximity to Dexter Morgan, man -- you find yourself out in the boonies disposing of a bloodless corpse.

He's listed as a regular in the opening credits, so ... a season-long arc with Sherlock unwittingly befriending a serial killer?

I did recognize him but couldn't place from where. Yep, that's him: Det. Joe Quinn from Dexter.

[Gregg247]

I knew the identity of the killer as soon as Grant Ward of HYDRA showed up on my TV screen.  One of those rare occasions where I was waiting around for Sherlock and Joan to catch up!  (Okay, maybe I didn't technically "figure it out", but still, I guessed correctly, which is good enough for me on a show as smart as Elementary is!)

[Eneya]

This was fun and the bolt camera thing was surprisingly smart for that character. :) All in all, fun first episode! I was sure something was going to be off when that guy Sherlock called was outdoors and breathing hard. Damn.

[Trey]

I am so glad this show is back.  I love these characters. Only down side is the audio is still bad and, for some reason, I couldn't get the cc to work. But I managed to keep up with it anyhow.

Oddly enough, when Michael (the new character - I had to look up his name) said he wanted to focus on his work I got a hit man vibe from him.  So he's a killer of some sort.

[MaryHedwig]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

—which Sherlock will not piece together as easily because of his TBI.

Although I think the clue in the end will be the date that sponsor/serial killer Michael gave for the date that Sherlock's sharing in AA/NA meeting turned Michael's life around. The date was too specific: month, day, year, and Michael said it twice.

I loved Waston's side hug. Sherlock: "My personality has not changed."

Edited May 2, 2018 by MaryHedwig

[Zahdii]

Is there any good reason for Michael to be burying a body in the forest?  I really don't want Sherlock to be used again by a Big Bad.  It's not healthy!

[Magnumfangirl]

Really good opener.  There were a bunch of LOL moments; the interview with the third girlfriend at the police station and the hug were hilarious.  Jonny did a fantastic job of playing Sherlock's fear of never getting his brain back to normal and the case was not overly complicated.  As for the new guy, I hope there's more to it than what it looks like because it seems like the deranged psycho killer buddies up with the detective has been done to death (LOL!). 

I think JLM is becoming my favorite Sherlock.  He plays him with just the right balance of snobbery and empathy.

6 hours ago, Trey said:

Only down side is the audio is still bad

Agree, it's still terrible.

[dargosmydaddy]

Welcome back, show! I loved the awkward hug, and JLM was excellent throughout. The only thing missing was Clyde. I'm excited for this season and its overarching story lines.

[MissLucas]

Welcome back show and welcome back Watson's awesome fashion. Still into whimsy neckties and black and white color blocking. The winner for me was the grey suit.

Miller and Liu were great. Watson giving Sherlock that hug was as heart-breaking as him tiny meltdown when he finally opened up about his fear that the recovery for his brain injury could ruin his addiction recovery. 

I think Michael is a hit man who based his recovery on his 'profession' - being inspired by Sherlock's words that in order to stay sober he had to focus on his work, i.e. the thing his mind had been made for.

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'My mind is like a racing engine, tearing itself to pieces, because it's not connected up to the work for which it was built. Sorry. I actually wrote that down. But you talked about rehab and how you struggled there, and you said you were made for one thing, and being away from it made staying sober almost impossible. But when you got out, you went back to it, and that made all the difference. So I actually decided to do the same thing, you know, focus on my work, use it to get better. Four years, ten months, 16 days later I worked hard, but, uh it started with you.'

In one of my favorite mysteries (Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers) characters talk a lot about what you should do with your life - whether you should follow the career path everybody tells you to follow because it's promising and prestigious or the one you feel called to and have a talent for (characterized by the fact that you'll never commit grave errors in that particular field). I always wondered what that would mean for someone who's really good at crime. Looks like Michael did just that and will sooner or later face Sherlock's problem: the thing keeping him sober might get taken away from him (befriending Sherlock Holmes seems to almost guarantee that and I wonder if Michael is aware of that fact).

Edited May 1, 2018 by MissLucas

[TV Anonymous]

This one is too easy. Grant Ward acting as a husband? Surely he is the killer. I like seeing Desmond Harrington in full weight. Remember during the final seasons of Dexter posters were freaking out because he got skinny?

[Moxie Cat]

Count me in as hoping the new guy is a hitman. There's just more you can do with a character like that. Hawaii 5-0 recently had an episode featuring a (retired) hitman and the backstory was quite emotional and complicated. Making him a serial killer who will take, presumably, many episodes to catch (regular) would probably get old quick. I'm hopeful that the fact he's a regular means they have fleshed out an interesting story for him.

Glad to see a tribute to Nelsan Ellis.

I don't mind Sherlock dealing with an impediment for awhile (especially since the prognosis is murky). It will be interesting to watch, and probably lead to some excellent JLM acting.

[Calvada]

When they showed Michael listening to Sherlock speak in the meeting, I immediately thought this guy is a villain.  They should have given him a mustache to twirl.  

I agree about the sound.  I always watch this show with the closed captioning on; otherwise, I miss so much.  Plus Jonny Lee Miller speaks so quickly, and Aidan Quinn is Mr. Mumbles.  

[dargosmydaddy]

4 minutes ago, Moxie Cat said:

I don't mind Sherlock dealing with an impediment for awhile (especially since the prognosis is murky). It will be interesting to watch, and probably lead to some excellent JLM acting.

Definitely! I like that the show didn't go for maximum-over-the-top drama (brain tumor! early onset Alzheimers!), but that this is still an awful diagnosis for Sherlock, and JLM shows this compellingly. The scene where he was on the verge of tears while talking to Watson just killed me. 

[rainbowrockgal]

10 hours ago, Trey said:

I am so glad this show is back.  I love these characters. Only down side is the audio is still bad and, for some reason, I couldn't get the cc to work. But I managed to keep up with it anyhow.

 

I had a hard time understanding too and also had a hard time setting up CC.

[aemom]

So glad that this show is back.  An interesting diagnosis for Sherlock to deal with.

I was shocked to see the In Memoriam for Nelsan Ellis. I never heard a thing about him passing away. When I googled after the show I realized that he died when I was away on vacation and maybe that's how I missed it.  Only 39 years old, what a shame. 

[Kelda Feegle]

Really strong start to the season (with the exception of Ward as the obvious killer), looking forward to the rest.

[LisaM]

So glad this show is back. Loved Sherlock's new friend digging a grave at the end...nice twist. 

[juliet73]

This is one of my favorite shows - I'm so glad it's back! I heart JLM and think he is so underrated as an actor.

Looking forward to this season. And Joan's wardrobe ☺

[GaT]

15 hours ago, preeya said:

I did recognize him but couldn't place from where. Yep, that's him: Det. Joe Quinn from Dexter.

Ah, I didn't recognize him either. When he was on Dexter he lost so much weight he looked skeletal, & people kept wondering if he was sick. He looked normal weight now.

[Collinwood]

After watching this episode I immediately wondered if this season's final episode will end with Sherlock and his new friend Michael having a fight near a waterfall.

[Clanstarling]

21 hours ago, TV Anonymous said:

This one is too easy. Grant Ward acting as a husband? Surely he is the killer. I like seeing Desmond Harrington in full weight. Remember during the final seasons of Dexter posters were freaking out because he got skinny?

I don't know who Grant Ward is, so I didn't immediately twig to him, but yeah, he was the obvious choice. I remember when DH looked so skinny - he looked terrible. He was also in the latest season of Sneaky Pete - I always enjoy seeing him, but you know he's never going to be a really nice guy. So the ending wasn't too surprising.

20 hours ago, Moxie Cat said:

Glad to see a tribute to Nelsan Ellis.

I had totally forgotten until the tribute, and got sad all over again.

JLM was excellent this show. I didn't have any trouble with the sound - but then I have super noise cancelling headphones (I exercise while I watch), and my TV is set to closed captioning all the time. So no special steps were needed.

Edited May 2, 2018 by Clanstarling

[basil]

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I loved Waston's side hug. Sherlock: "My personality has not changed."

Yes, this was great, and I loved that she was utterly undeterred when he said that. In fact, she hugged him harder.

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Is there any good reason for Michael to be burying a body in the forest?

No. My immediate reaction was to laugh - and I did. Then it made me sad. This was a real jump the shark moment for me. I'll stick with the show, but a plotline like that is a death knell for me.

I was disappointed in this season premiere. It was noticeably lacking in humor. Bell got in a halfway decent line about his supposition that Sherlock was MIA because he'd met a girl, her best friend, and her pet giraffe, and Sherlock's text to Watson ("It's safe to come up. I'm watching a sex tape") when she got home was hilarious, but it was a fairly humorless episode.

Ok, honorable mention to the coroner's "You want the full experience? Let me get my scalpel".

[Zahdii]

On ‎5‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 9:20 AM, Zahdii said:

Is there any good reason for Michael to be burying a body in the forest?  I really don't want Sherlock to be used again by a Big Bad.  It's not healthy!

I've got it!  Michael works at a Body Farm, and he was burying a legally donated cadaver for research purposes!  Sherlock will become a good friend to Michael in the next couple of episodes when he finds an extra cadaver on site.

I can see it all now... 

Fade in on a tight shot of Michael sweating and talking on his phone.

"Hi, Sherlock?  Yeah, it's me, Michael.  Listen, I know I told you I was in research, um, medical research, more specifically.  Uh, actually, it has more to do with um, forensics." 

Camera pulls back to reveal Michael standing in the woods outside a junked car.  A short distance away a tall chain link fence can be seen, and sharp-eyed viewers will see that a hole has been cut in the fence.  Decomposing bodies are vaguely seen inside the car, and one lies on the ground at his feet.  He checks his clip board and counts the bodies silently.  One, two, three, four.  Then he walks to the trunk of the car and looks inside where a fresh body lies.

"I'll be straight with you, Sherlock.  Have you ever heard of a Body Farm?  Well, I work at one, and I seem to have an extra body here, and I don't think he crawled in here and died of natural causes.  I could just call the police, but I'd rather talk to you first, because there's another problem.  The dead man is someone I know, and I think I'm about to be charged with his murder."

[Kathira]

49 minutes ago, Zahdii said:

I've got it!  Michael works at a Body Farm, and he was burying a legally donated cadaver for research purposes!  Sherlock will become a good friend to Michael in the next couple of episodes when he finds an extra cadaver on site.

I can see it all now... 

Fade in on a tight shot of Michael sweating and talking on his phone.

"Hi, Sherlock?  Yeah, it's me, Michael.  Listen, I know I told you I was in research, um, medical research, more specifically.  Uh, actually, it has more to do with um, forensics." 

Camera pulls back to reveal Michael standing in the woods outside a junked car.  A short distance away a tall chain link fence can be seen, and sharp-eyed viewers will see that a hole has been cut in the fence.  Decomposing bodies are vaguely seen inside the car, and one lies on the ground at his feet.  He checks his clip board and counts the bodies silently.  One, two, three, four.  Then he walks to the trunk of the car and looks inside where a fresh body lies.

"I'll be straight with you, Sherlock.  Have you ever heard of a Body Farm?  Well, I work at one, and I seem to have an extra body here, and I don't think he crawled in here and died of natural causes.  I could just call the police, but I'd rather talk to you first, because there's another problem.  The dead man is someone I know, and I think I'm about to be charged with his murder."

Ha! This is probably better than whatever the writers are actually planning.

[atlantaloves]

So glad this show is back, and I always lust for Joan's clothes...that black and white sweater thing was to die for, however Joan Honey, you always wear butt ugly shoes. Otherwise you are perfect. That was a great episode! 

[MaryHedwig]

7 hours ago, Zahdii said:

Decomposing bodies are vaguely seen inside the car, and one lies on the ground at his feet.  He checks his clip board and counts the bodies silently.  One, two, three, four.  Then he walks to the trunk of the car and looks inside where a fresh body lies.

Excellent. In the episode, was Michael burying a fresh corpse?

[Zahdii]

1 hour ago, MaryHedwig said:

Excellent. In the episode, was Michael burying a fresh corpse?

Seemed that way.  A young blond woman.

[atlantaloves]

Yep. Okay, is he a serial killer? Hope so. 

[tennisgurl]

Serial killers on TV love young blond women. Its like everyone who kill people are huge Hitchcock fans.

Great to see the show back! Sherlock is killing me with his confusion and fear of his brain damage, and Joan is trying to be supportive, even with her rather stoic personality. Loved her slightly awkward but heartfelt side huge. "My personality hasn't changed".

Of course Grant Ward of HYDRA is the bad guy. I knew that five seconds in.

[basil]

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Serial killers on TV love young blond women. Its like everyone who kill people are huge Hitchcock fans.

Or Hitchcock was a fan of serial killers who prefer young blond women ;)

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Serial killers on TV love young blond women. Its like everyone who kill people are huge Hitchcock fans.

Hah!

[CaptainCranky]

Outstanding. This is by far and away the best show on TV. Hard to imagine with the mindless drivel that TV offers that this is not a top rated show.

[thuganomics85]

Dammit, Grant Ward!  Can you take a break from killing people every now and then?!  Poor Brett Dalton: thanks to SHIELD, I'll never see him as anything but a bad guy in whatever he appears.  But it was pretty obvious it was him: especially when the only other recognizable face (Trieste Kelly Dunn as Sophie), gets taken out halfway through.

Well, at least Sherlock isn't going to die, but he now as a post-concession disorder (inadvertently helped along by Shinwell smacking him in the head with the bottle), and it is effecting his memory and hearing.  Poor Sherlock.  I love how Watson is already being supportive.  Especially with the half-hug, which I'm sure Sherlock appreciated more then he would ever admit! 

A decent amount of Bell and Gregson here.  And even an appearance from Eugene!

So, Sherlock makes a new friend in the form of Desmond Harrington's Michael; a fellow recovering addict who was inspired by Sherlock at one of the meetings; and he may or may not be a serial killer!  I do think there will be more to it, so I can buy the speculation that he isn't some everyday psycho, but a hitman or something.  It's still going to probably break Sherlock if/when he grows close to him, only to find out about this.

It feels like its been ages, but I'm glad the show is finally back.  One of the only procedurals I still watch.  The cases aren't exactly the greatest, but the dynamic and chemistry between Sherlock and Watson make it something special.

[mojoween]

On 5/3/2018 at 2:01 PM, atlantaloves said:

So glad this show is back, and I always lust for Joan's clothes...that black and white sweater thing was to die for, however Joan Honey, you always wear butt ugly shoes. Otherwise you are perfect. That was a great episode! 

The black shoes with the grey suit were DIVINE and I would love for them to be in my closet right now.

The exchange with the sex tape girlfriend was amusing.  “Did he just steal my phone?”

[Morrigan2575]

On 5/1/2018 at 11:03 AM, Gregg247 said:

I knew the identity of the killer as soon as Grant Ward of HYDRA showed up on my TV screen.  

Ah, thanks! I knew the face but, for the life of me, i couldn't place it.

I really enjoyed this episode and the show in general. Johnny Lee Miller is a great Sherlock Holmes, I love all the little quirks and oddities he adds to the character. 

I loved the scene with Sherlock and Joan hugging, Sherlock's reaction was so perfect.

I'm interested in the new friend/sponsor being a serial killer drawing Sherlock into a maze/web.

[kay1864]

On 5/1/2018 at 10:53 PM, AEMom said:

 

I was shocked to see the In Memoriam for Nelsan Ellis. I never heard a thing about him passing away. When I googled after the show I realized that he died when I was away on vacation and maybe that's how I missed it.  Only 39 years old, what a shame. 

I met Nelsan several years ago, and spoke with him for a couple of minutes.  Sweetest, most modest guy imaginable. 

[johntfs]

3 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I'm interested in the new friend/sponsor being a serial killer drawing Sherlock into a maze/web.

Actually, I think it will inadvertently be the reverse of that, with Sherlock drawing the guy out into being a social partner/acquaintance/friend.  As it stood, the guy thanked Sherlock for his inspiration and that would likely have been the end of it from his perspective.  The most interesting thing for me that is it's Sherlock who is reaching out and initiating contact.

[possibilities]

I want to know how Sherlock inspired him. Is there a link between sobriety and murdering?

[rainsmom]

32 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I want to know how Sherlock inspired him. Is there a link between sobriety and murdering?

I'm just theorizing but...

Say you're a serial killer who is compelled to kill -- or a hit man hired to kill -- but you are conflicted and you know you should enjoy this, should do it at all. So you try to deal with it using drugs or alcohol. You become an addict, and now you have two issues.

Now someone tells you that the way to control the addiction is by focusing on work, and you realize that your "work" is killing. You feel like you've been given permission to be a killer.

It's just plain rationalization, but one he got past the guilt and conflicted feelings about killing, he was able to overcome his addiction AND relieve his "stress" over killing.

[ElleMo]

On 5/1/2018 at 11:26 AM, Trey said:

Oddly enough, when Michael (the new character - I had to look up his name) said he wanted to focus on his work I got a hit man vibe from him.  So he's a killer of some sort.

Yes, me too.  I knew something was up. 

On 5/1/2018 at 6:35 PM, MissLucas said:

I think Michael is a hit man who based his recovery on his 'profession' - being inspired by Sherlock's words that in order to stay sober he had to focus on his work, i.e. the thing his mind had been made for.

I think so too.  From the way he was speaking, I believe that his work was literal - something he gets paid for - rather that figurative,  such as a serial killer ridding the world of sinful blondes

Poor Sherlock, he doesn't make connections easily and when he finally reaches out,  he reaches out to a murderer. 

On 5/3/2018 at 7:32 AM, Zahdii said:

I've got it!  Michael works at a Body Farm, and he was burying a legally donated cadaver for research purposes!  Sherlock will become a good friend to Michael in the next couple of episodes when he finds an extra cadaver on site.

Oooh, I like this.  Your idea is even more interesting than what I am assuming.

On 5/1/2018 at 12:18 PM, MaryHedwig said:

Although I think the clue in the end will be the date that sponsor/serial killer Michael gave for the date that Sherlock's sharing in AA/NA meeting turned Michael's life around. The date was too specific: month, day, year, and Michael said it twice.

It's not too specific for someone in recovery.  They often know the number of days since their last drink or another milestone in their recovery.

But I do agree that the date will have some importance as it will be the date of someone going missing. and that will provide a clue

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, ElleMo said:

Poor Sherlock, he doesn't make connections easily and when he finally reaches out,  he reaches out to a murderer.

Well, he does have a history with that, doesn't he?

[possibilities]

It's almost like he has an attraction to criminals because all he enjoys in life is solving crimes.