Contributor: Bronzethumb
Written by Liz Friedman
Directed by Colin Bucksey
The best episode of “Elementary” yet is, predictably enough, the one that strays the furthest from its typical formula. Not that there isn’t the usual procedure of investigation and catching the perp, but “Lesser Evils” makes an effort to take the characters a little ways out of their comfort zone, and in doing so the episode lets Holmes and Watson grow and develop in the course of tackling a mystery that’s a bit more fiendish than usual — albeit one plagued by typical TV meta-viewing.
Holmes is doing a spot of research at the local hospital — by beating and choking cadavers in order to study post-mortem bruising — when he and Watson stumble across evidence that some deceased patients were covertly murdered. Their wholly unofficial investigation soon unearths an “angel of death”, who murders terminally ill patients in order to ease their suffering, but there’s far more to the case than uncovering the identity of a compassionate killer. The investigation also brings Watson face-to-face with a former medical colleague and throws new light on why she’s no longer a doctor.
One advantage of Holmes and Watson investigating this type of mystery is that it sidelines a lot of the police characters and the baggage that comes with them. Aiden Quinn’s great presence has never been enough to combat Captain Gregson’s utter lack of characterisation beyond being Holmes’ yes-man; similarly, Jon Michael Hill’s Detective Bell is utterly forgettable. They do show up in “Lesser Evils” but for thankfully small roles. The onus really is on Holmes and Watson to solve this crime, using their own wits and guile, and it makes for a far more compelling A-story.
The problem is that while watching Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu investigating is fun enough, there’s little actual mystery to the plot. It’s not obvious foreshadowing, but rather that classic meta-problem of procedurals where the most recognisable members of the guest cast are obviously going to be the villains. Two particularly recognisable faces show up in the first ten minutes of “Lesser Evils” and totally suck the tension out of the episode, and were it not for the protagonists the whole thing would’ve been a wash.
More screen time is devoted towards developing Watson as a character as three-dimensional and important as Holmes. Liu’s character still has almost nothing in common with the original Dr. Watson or the multitude of reimaginings, but she’s starting to work in her own right as someone who’s smart and on a redemptive path to match Holmes’. The subplot with Watson and her former friend wasn’t important in the slightest to the A-plot, but it gave her some flavor and a sense of who this character is — or was, rather, before she became Holmes’ sober companion. More and more, Liu is becoming just as big a draw as Miller, and their decidedly non-romantic chemistry gets more compelling with each episode.
This was easily the most successful episode of the show to date. It throws off enough of the shackles of a typical procedural — not to mention the dead weights on the cast — in order to have fun and get a little deeper into the characters, which is always appreciated. It still lacks a lot of credibility as an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes canon, but “Elementary” is continuing to morph into something else entirely, and something that’s certainly not unenjoyable.
Score: 8/10
