S06.E08: Sand Trap 2018.06.18

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Holmes and Watson’s search for the killer of a woman found encased in cement takes them inside the clean technology industry. Watson takes a giant leap forward regarding her interest in adoption.

Promo:

[TigerLynx]

"To frame an innocent black bear."  That was funny.

If Joan adopts a baby, I don't think her and Sherlock's living and working arrangement can stay the same.

[Donder]

Holmes was manipulating that young girl into keeping the baby

[roseha]

Good episode though I kind of guessed both the guilty party and that the young woman was going to end up keeping her baby.

Edited June 19, 2018 by roseha

[shapeshifter]

Hey, at least Clyde was mentioned.

 

The graphic gross-outs in this episode rivaled any scene from Bones.

 

On a different show, when Sherlock told Kelsey he would leave so Joan could have the baby if that was required, Kelsey would've seen how much Sherlock truly loved Joan because he was willing to sacrifice for her happiness, and that would lead Kelsey to a decision to give them her baby.

I'm glad that instead we got Sherlock observing how a sad movie could be cathartic for a sad person (even though I don't watch tear jerkers ever).

Doesn't the brownstone seem like the perfect place for someone to leave a baby in a basket on the doorstep? 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, roseha said:

…I kind of guessed …the guilty party…

Yes, I wish the acting and directing for his character hadn't been so obvious.

Edited June 19, 2018 by shapeshifter

[MisterGlass]

I think Sherlock may have been sincere with the mother and with Joan.  If he doesn't like something he'll typically throw a fit, fume, and stomp around.  He's only passive aggressive with his father.  He told Joan he was supportive in spite of the surprise.  I think he respects her enough and is self aware enough to say the truth.  That said, she absolutely owes him an explanation, and her ideas about how this would work seem overly optimistic.  If Sherlock isn't a co-parent, she's going to need a full-time nanny to keep going with her lifestyle.  And having a recovering addict for landlord and business partner seems like a liability.  That's before the beehives on the roof and the sensory deprivation tank in the living room.

I thought it was Alfredo in the car in the preview.  I hope it is.

[roseha]

I thought it was Alfredo also but wasn’t sure.  I hope he drops by next episode.

[GaT]

I hope this isn't going to be a recurring thing, Joan keeps almost getting someone's baby, but then she doesn't for some reason. Not that I want her to get kid, I just want that entire storyline to go away.

Did anybody else feel like they just dumped the whole head injury thing kind of quickly? It feels like they couldn't think of anything else to do with it, so they cured him.

[theatremouse]

I'm assuming the symptoms will come back/pop up at an inopportune moment. I don't think they were saying "cured now!" I think they were saying "no longer an everyday occurrence now".

[Eneya]

53 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

I'm assuming the symptoms will come back/pop up at an inopportune moment. I don't think they were saying "cured now!" I think they were saying "no longer an everyday occurrence now".

I actually googled it and... this is a somewhat standard model of resolving the issue. 3 months is apparently a reasonable time to have it almost under control and sorted. I know, it looked han-wave-y but at least it is based in realistic-ish hand-wave-y interpretation of a real condition. :)

I enjoyed the situation with Kelsey. 
P.S. Holly fuck, Liu is 50??? I googled it out of complete curiosity and... daaaaaaaaaamn! She looks lat 30ies at best. Even sans makeup (some more googling).

[thuganomics85]

Well, at least they finally acknowledge Clyde still exists.  But he better get here soon, dammit!

I actually enjoyed the case more then normal, but I totally called the killer when he first appeared.  The actor just went a bit too broad with the shifty, squirrelly behavior.

Considering that I'm still not wild about the Joan adoption plot, I'm surprised I didn't mind it tonight, mainly since the actress playing Kelsey was really good.  But while I do think Sherlock was sincere with what he said about Joan, I do think he purposely was using it to convince Kelsey to keep the baby.

[TigerLynx]

When it comes to Joan, I have a hard time figuring out Sherlock.  Sherlock will make exceptions and sacrifices for Joan that he wouldn't someone else, but I think it's become necessary for Sherlock to have Joan around.  However, even with a nanny, I have a difficult time seeing Joan and Sherlock maintaining their current arrangement.

[AnimeMania]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

The graphic gross-outs in this episode rivaled any scene from Bones.

If you saw into a dead body recently (2 days) encased in cement shouldn't the insides leak out similar to what would happen if you cut into a "Pizza Pocket", or at least massive material splatter at the cut sites, nothing like the clean cuts that were shown.

I wonder in they will give the corporation the boat, since they did fund the research (after they license all of the patents).

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

If you saw into a dead body recently (2 days) encased in cement shouldn't the insides leak out similar to what would happen if you cut into a "Pizza Pocket", or at least massive material splatter at the cut sites, nothing like the clean cuts that were shown.

In various other crime shows, blood pooling or the lack thereof has been a clue as to whether an injury occurred pre- or post-mortem. But usually the visuals are not so icky (except on Bones). I hope I'm not going to have to start watching Elementary through half-closed eyes too.

[paigow]

Getting a monopoly on sand sounds like something Morland would have done....

[Athena]

I quite like this episode and I actually found Kelsie and Joan's talk at the end touching. You don't often see that kind of scene with two Asian-American women on network TV and I really think it was sincere from both of them and Sherlock. 

Salinger from the IT company was such a smarmy jerk. The actor was uncomfortably real especially when he said to Joan, "I didn't take you for someone who looked at IT industry gossip," I've seen and worked with this kind of guy in IT companies enough. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Did anybody else feel like they just dumped the whole head injury thing kind of quickly? It feels like they couldn't think of anything else to do with it, so they cured him.

It seems like last week's episode was meant to be the mid-season finale if the show had aired during the regular broadcast season, hence the three month jump. It does seem like he was rather abruptly cured but that wouldn't have been the case if the show had gone off the air for three months and this was the first episode we came back to after that.

Quote

I totally called the killer when he first appeared.  The actor just went a bit too broad with the shifty, squirrelly behavior.

Yeah. As soon as he popped his head out of his office I said "that's the guy." They make it too easy sometimes.

So they finally mentioned Clyde, but I'm starting to wonder if something happened to the turtle and that's why we never see him anymore.

I thought it was odd when Sherlock got home and Joan was wearing a suit and tie. The pregnant mother had just arrived and so it's not like she was going in to work. I know this is sort of her look and that's OK for work but if she's trying to impress upon the birth mother that's she's maternal in any way that's not the outfit I would suggest.

Edited June 19, 2018 by iMonrey

[theatremouse]

For some reason I thought it was afternoon/evening when he arrived. So she'd possibly been working earlier, then went to pick up/meet/greet her houseguest who arrived at the brownstone before Sherlock but not by more than an hour or two, and then he showed up and Joan was like "you're three days early!". Etc.

[Eliza422]

I really REALLY don't want a baby on this show. I hope that maybe because of how they handled Kelsey (?) maybe Joan will just be a counselor for young women, or some kind of mentor for a group or something.

[Suzn]

7 minutes ago, Eliza422 said:

I really REALLY don't want a baby on this show. I hope that maybe because of how they handled Kelsey (?) maybe Joan will just be a counselor for young women, or some kind of mentor for a group or something.

ITA.  I can't imagine any way they could incorporate a baby into this show without ruining it.  Think of Sherlock interacting with a TV Precocious Toddler - ridiculous! 

[dargosmydaddy]

There were a lot of "awww" moments between Sherlock and Joan this week, from Joan's big hug in the beginning (which once again Sherlock stiffly endured) to Sherlock being quietly (and immediately) supportive of her throughout. Count me as one who definitely believes he talked to Kelsey in a self-sacrificial way (that he thought he was the problem and was genuinely willing to remove himself, and was not in any way trying to manipulate Kelsey's decision).

Quote

Quote

Did anybody else feel like they just dumped the whole head injury thing kind of quickly? It feels like they couldn't think of anything else to do with it, so they cured him.

It seems like last week's episode was meant to be the mid-season finale if the show had aired during the regular broadcast season, hence the three month jump. It does seem like he was rather abruptly cured but that wouldn't have been the case if the show had gone off the air for three months and this was the first episode we came back to after that.

I feel like I'm going to be holding my breath the entire rest of the season waiting for Sherlock to suffer some kind of blow to the head. Even a fairly innocuous one could be pretty devastating to him, and I'm sure it will happen at a really inopportune time in terms of whatever is going on with Michael. I'll be shocked if his condition is well and truly gone for the rest of the season.

13 minutes ago, Eliza422 said:

I really REALLY don't want a baby on this show.

Someone mentioned this in a previous episode thread, but I'm wondering if the season will end with Joan finally getting a baby/ kid because TPTB assumed that this would be the last season. And now, of course, it's not...

[TigerLynx]

1 hour ago, Eliza422 said:

I really REALLY don't want a baby on this show. I hope that maybe because of how they handled Kelsey (?) maybe Joan will just be a counselor for young women, or some kind of mentor for a group or something.

I liked that despite the fact Joan was disappointed about not getting the baby, she still took time to talk to Kelsey about her decision and was kind to Kelsey.  It once again showed what a nice person Joan is.  However, I agree I don't want a baby on this show either.

[iMonrey]

Quote

For some reason I thought it was afternoon/evening when he arrived.

It's possible but he wanted her to go out and investigate a new case right then and there, so that didn't really suggest it was evening. She didn't seem to be working on anything pressing on her own so I can't imagine she didn't have time to change before picking up the birth mother or greeting her when she showed up. 

[Trey]

I liked that the victim, even though she was a thief, was also a conscientious citizen who alerted the city to the danger to the bridge - of course, she told the wrong person and ended up dead but she had done the right thing.

A machine that could clean the oceans would be wonderful thing.

It was good to see Sherlock looking so much better.

I liked Kelsey, too bad she was just here for one episode. And I loved all the consideration and support Sherlock was showing to Joan and then she showed consideration and support to Kelsey.

Clyde! At least a mention of him - that's better than nothing but I hope he shows up in person, so to speak:)

Edited June 20, 2018 by Trey

[possibilities]

7 hours ago, Athena said:

Salinger from the IT company was such a smarmy jerk.

It was hard to believe he was planning to make the info open source.

The lingering camera shot on Sherlock's hand gripping the chair next to Joan's made me think they're planning to abandon the "just friends and business partners" agenda and make them a more conventional family. The hug, too-- that's not their usual way of greeting.

I don't know why they think a baby or a romance between the leads is sensible for this show.

And, Kelsey? It may be possible, but it's damn hard to "have it all" in that way, as a single parent with a demanding career, especially when you lack resources and a supportive family. I don't honestly see how Joan will do it. She'd need to hire a full time nanny or two plus back ups, in order to continue her current lifestyle, and Sherlock might be willing to "make adjustments" but it's quite out of character for him to do so, to the extent that would be required. Though I do admit that it helps that he doesn't need much sleep.

[dargosmydaddy]

4 minutes ago, possibilities said:

The lingering camera shot on Sherlock's hand gripping the chair next to Joan's made me think they're planning to abandon the "just friends and business partners" agenda and make them a more conventional family. The hug, too-- that's not their usual way of greeting.

I really, really hope not. They've resisted the romantic angle for so long! I would be very disappointed if they went there after all.

I didn't notice the hand shot you mentioned, but it did strike me when Kelsey brought up the subject of a Joan/ Sherlock romantic relationship that they might be trying to foreshadow something. I didn't make much of the hug-- it seemed like a normal "I'm-glad-you're-home/ feeling-better-after-not-seeing-you-for-three-months" friendship gesture on Joan's part, and Sherlock did not reciprocate (which was also a normal gesture from him). 

[MissLucas]

They promised back before the show started that that ship would never sail and by now I trust them to keep their word.

I really want the adoption plot to go away but I have to admit it was cleverly used in this episode because it gave us a lot of insight into both Sherlock and Watson and their relationship - both the acting (incl. the baby mother as others have mentioned) was very good. So there's that. What tearjerker movie were they watching in the last scene?

Edited June 20, 2018 by MissLucas

[Moxie Cat]

"For you, Watson, I'd make adjustments. Always."

Maybe it was the "always" connotation, but damn I teared up. I just love Sherlock's completely platonic devotion to Joan.

Also loved the scene at the end with Joan and Kelsey, and Kelsey's admiration of Joan. What a lovely quiet scene.

I also called the government worker as the killer as soon as he popped his head out - and thought I was crazy because there was no reason for it! It would have been more surprising if it had been the other lady in the office. I also expected they might go back to the company owner, since many episodes go back to the original suspect. Good episode, though. It was twisty without being hard to follow.

49 minutes ago, possibilities said:

The hug, too-- that's not their usual way of greeting.

Joan has hugged Sherlock before while knowing he won't embrace her (which he didn't this time, either). She does it for herself, because she cares and it feels natural to her - I don't see it as romantic interest. And I think Sherlock is perfectly fine keeping his "partner" whom he loves separate from his sexual activity. That feels normal to him. To me, it is a fascinating relationship.

Edited June 19, 2018 by Moxie Cat

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, possibilities said:

And, Kelsey? It may be possible, but it's damn hard to "have it all" in that way, as a single parent with a demanding career,

Arg. I am so easily annoyed when writers demonstrate a lack of knowledge of how the characters' lives would function. Joan is adopting a child after having established financial independence with 3 successful careers. Kelsey will have a rude awakening from trying to "have it all" like Joan while she tries to go through graduate school with a baby, accruing vast student loan debt and trying to pay for daycare —plus missing classes and/or work to stay home with a child frequently ill with the infinite number and variety of day care incubated diseases. </speaking-from-experience>

 

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

What tearjerker movie were they watching in the last scene

Yes. What was it?

 

 

1 hour ago, Moxie Cat said:

Joan has hugged Sherlock before

Yes, but it seems to be a newly developing habit.

Edited June 20, 2018 by shapeshifter

[Ailianna]

5 hours ago, theatremouse said:

For some reason I thought it was afternoon/evening when he arrived. So she'd possibly been working earlier, then went to pick up/meet/greet her houseguest who arrived at the brownstone before Sherlock but not by more than an hour or two, and then he showed up and Joan was like "you're three days early!". Etc.

Joan said Kelsey got there 20 minutes before Sherlock.

[aemom]

4 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I really, really hope not. They've resisted the romantic angle for so long! I would be very disappointed if they went there after all.

 

3 hours ago, MissLucas said:

They promised back before the show started that that ship would never sail and by now I trust them to keep their word.

I would be really upset too. That is my favorite thing about this show.

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, AEMom said:

5 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I really, really hope not. They've resisted the romantic angle for so long! I would be very disappointed if they went there after all.

 

5 hours ago, MissLucas said:

They promised back before the show started that that ship would never sail and by now I trust them to keep their word.

 

I would be really upset too. That is my favorite thing about this show.

If this had been the final season (did the writers think that at the time of this episode?) I would have been okay with a finale of Joan with Kelsey's (or another's) baby and Sherlock perhaps sitting beside Joan holding the baby with his arm around her and an obvious sense that they would be growing close physically—but nothing more overt.

[CaptainCranky]

Another outstanding show. Love Sherlock being back to normal (his normal) and love Captain Gregson being mellow. 

The writers and the stories this year are on par with previous years which for me is great. I just bought the season 5 DVD and have started watching it. Other than the Shinwell story line this for me is the best show that has been on TV for ages. I hope they can keep it going for another year or two.

[paigow]

http://www.wdsu.com/article/what-happened-to-kevin-costner-s-ocean-therapy-that-was-never-used-in-bp-oil-spill-cleanup/3376929

Maybe the writers were inspired by this "ripped from old headlines" story

[ElectricBoogaloo]

If Joan ends up adopting, I don't see how she can continue to live with Sherlock and work with him. They don't have regular 9-5 hours. They go when there's a murder. Sherlock is often up at all hours of the night and making all kinds of noise during the day, which would not be great when the baby is sleeping (not to mention that I'm pretty sure a crying baby would disturb his concentration). Unless Joan plans to have a live-in nanny who's there 24/7, she can't expect to keep working with Sherlock the way she has up until now. Crimes don't wait just because a baby needs to be fed/burped/changed.

[CaptainCranky]

On 6/19/2018 at 5:59 AM, AnimeMania said:

If you saw into a dead body recently (2 days) encased in cement

Not trying to nit-pick but it's concrete, not cement. Cement is one of four components that make up concrete. Cement, water, small aggregate (sand) and depending on the type of concrete, larger aggregate.

[shapeshifter]

19 minutes ago, CaptainCranky said:

Not trying to nit-pick but it's concrete, not cement. Cement is one of four components that make up concrete. Cement, water, small aggregate (sand) and depending on the type of concrete, larger aggregate.

^^Which reminds me: I was waiting for a connection between the sand used to make the concrete that encased the corpse and the murderous sand miner. Or I thought maybe the guy who poured the concrete ahead of schedule was paid off to cover the body—but then he wouldn't have been so calm about having to remove the concrete. And speaking of calm, I really thought he should've vomitted.

[12catcrazy]

Oh show - PLEASE don't go there with a baby!  And PLEASE don't go there with Joan and Sherlock either.  I know The Mentalist did that in the final season (and they actually did it well) but its really nice to have a man and woman have a close friendship and working relationship without it turning into something else.   And especially not Mommy, Daddy, and Baby - yuck a million times.

And the actress playing Kelsey - for those of you who see the Liberty Mutual Car Ins commercials - is she the "Brad" girl in that commercial?  I kind of think so but my SO wasn't so sure.  

[CaptainCranky]

3 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

^^Which reminds me: I was waiting for a connection between the sand used to make the concrete that encased the corpse and the murderous sand miner. Or I thought maybe the guy who poured the concrete ahead of schedule was paid off to cover the body—but then he wouldn't have been so calm about having to remove the concrete. And speaking of calm, I really thought he should've vomitted.

That part is so far fetched it doesn't make sense. You can't pour concrete like that without seeing that body, even at night.

[rhys]

3 hours ago, CaptainCranky said:

Not trying to nit-pick but it's concrete, not cement. Cement is one of four components that make up concrete. Cement, water, small aggregate (sand) and depending on the type of concrete, larger aggregate.

God thank you. I get so angry about that. Come on writers. Do you call bread flour? No of course not.

[Charlesman]

17 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

If this had been the final season (did the writers think that at the time of this episode?) I would have been okay with a finale of Joan with Kelsey's (or another's) baby and Sherlock perhaps sitting beside Joan holding the baby with his arm around her and an obvious sense that they would be growing close physically—but nothing more overt.

I'd be OK with an episode in the final season (because, final season, why not?) where Sherlock and Joan have to go "undercover" as a married couple. Like the "Arcadia" episode of The X-Files, before that ship actually did sail. 

Edited June 20, 2018 by Charlesman

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Charlesman said:

before that ship actually did sail

--and no pun intended, heh.

[MisterGlass]

5 hours ago, CaptainCranky said:

That part is so far fetched it doesn't make sense. You can't pour concrete like that without seeing that body, even at night.

I missed the details of how the murderer dumped the body.  At the beginning, I thought that a group of people posing as workers showed up and disposed of the body, and that dunce cap guy was in trouble for not stopping the group of workmen before he left.  Did the murderer say he just left the body there instead?  Or did he say?

[preeya]

Casting a kid on this show would be its death knell (see Homeland).

[jhlipton]

12 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

And especially not Mommy, Daddy, and Baby - yuck a million times.

Make that yuck a billion times for me.

[johntfs]

I loved the bit at the beginning with the foreman and the "professor." 

[TigerLynx]

No to a baby, and no to Joan/Sherlock as a romantic couple.  Their friendship is so great, and it should stay that way.  Along with the bear comment I also liked Sherlock's, "You've taken a lover while I was away.  Splendid.  I look forward to meeting him or her or them."

[Trey]

2 hours ago, johntfs said:

I loved the bit at the beginning with the foreman and the "professor." 

I did too. Just like so many Law and Order episodes that I'm currently watching; I'm in season 3 now.  Sometimes the people at the beginning would have been more interesting than the case.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I missed the details of how the murderer dumped the body.  At the beginning, I thought that a group of people posing as workers showed up and disposed of the body, and that dunce cap guy was in trouble for not stopping the group of workmen before he left.  Did the murderer say he just left the body there instead?  Or did he say?

No, the guy in the dunce cap was in trouble for pouring the concrete without checking with his boss first to see if the pipes or wires had been laid first. That's why he had to cut it up and remove it. They still had work to do before they could lay the concrete. 

They did not specify how exactly the body was disposed. It's possible the murderer buried the body in the wet concrete before it hardened while nobody was around and then smoothed it back over again. Like the poster above, I think it unlikely nobody would have noticed a body already there when they first poured the concrete so I think someone came along after the fact.

[theatremouse]

I don't know why, but I got the impression from the episode someone came round the site when dunce guy was there without Angry Supervisor and social engineered his way into convincing dunce cap guy to pour the concrete that night. I'm picturing someone showing up and basically calling him an idiot and to hurry up and do it and just confusing the guy with stress so that he poured it without looking/noticing the body. So at night dude's getting reamed to pour the concrete right away, then comes in the next morning and gets reamed for having done it, but boss doesn't give him the chance to explain why / he's realizes he will not win this argument by saying "some random dude who isn't Boss told him to". The very first scene put all that in my head.