Elementary Review: “Render, and Then Seize Her”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season five episode “Render, and Then Seize Her.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

We are three episodes into the season and it feels like a rough start. While the cases have never been super riveting on Elementary, I feel like the ones we’ve had so far this season are not as good as they could be. This episode is no exception. Normally, the strong b-plot would make up for this, but even this episode’s character story fell short of the mark. “Render, and Then Seize Her” is just not up to Elementary’s previous standards.

Elementary Review: “Worth Several Cities”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season five episode “Worth Several Cities.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Compared to the season opener, this week’s episode, “Worth Several Cities,” is much better and slightly more interesting. Although the character work was not nearly as strong as in “Folie a Deux,” the case was more engaging and Joan’s storyline continued to move forward.

Elementary Review: “Folie a Deux”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season five premiere “Folie a Deux.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Since season four wrapped up without a cliffhanger, Elementary got off to a fresh start. As any good season premiere does, “Folie a Deux” set up a plotline that will stretch on for several more episodes: specifically, Joan’s job satisfaction problems and her new “project” Shinwell Johnson. The parts of the episode that relate specifically to that are the strongest. The case, however, is like a half-baked cookie where things are a bit squishy in the middle, which is a detriment to the episode. But this is nothing new for Elementary. The case is almost always the least interesting part.

Elementary Review: “All In” and “Art Imitates Art”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season four episodes “All In” and “Art Imitates Art.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Elementary Review: “Ready or Not”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season four episode “Ready or Not” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

I hate to say it but this was another disappointingly predictable episode of Elementary. Like I mentioned in my last review, the show is suffering a bit of procedural fatigue. The mysteries just aren’t interesting because we’ve seen them all before. “Ready or Not” started out with potential which fizzled out halfway through.

Elementary Review: “You’ve got me, who’s got you?”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season four episode “You’ve got me, who’s got you?” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Personally, I enjoy an Elementary episode the most when it’s fun combined with a touch of poignancy. I like to laugh but I also like to resonate on an emotional level with the episode as well. But not every one will have that same balance, which is fine because that would become boring. “You’ve got me, who’s got you?” was very entertaining to watch but lacked the emotional depth we usually get from Elementary.

Elementary Review: “Who is that Masked Man?”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season four episode “Who is that Masked Man?” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

With the exception of revealing information about Sherlock’s mother, “Who is that Masked Man?” feels like a dud. The case isn’t particularly engaging—it’s a tangled web of Chinese gangs and a dude with lots of masks. And we don’t get a lot of meaningful interactions between Sherlock and Joan, which makes this episode feel like it’s just going through the motions. But at least the reveal about Sherlock’s mom expands our understanding of his character and actions.

Elementary Review: “A Study in Charlotte”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season four episode “A Study in Charlotte.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Every now and then, it’s nice to take a step back and take a breather to relax. This is true in story writing as well as life. If a story is particularly dark or heavy, oftentimes there will be a part where the characters have a more lighthearted adventure. For Elementary, this adventure is “A Study in Charlotte.” Again, we take a break from the weightier story of Morland Holmes and also Sherlock’s quietly angry recovery from relapse which has been simmering all season long. This episode was the exact kind of fun and quirky that this show does best. While the mystery might not have been the show’s finest, it was strengthened by the investigation part.

Elementary Review: “A View with a Room”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season four episode “A View with a Room.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Elementary tried really hard to break out of the mold in “A View with a Room” but ultimately it was held back by sticking to what we usually see every week. The episode was still very fun to watch and full of intriguing twists. But the shift away from the exciting heist to the usual murder investigation was disappointing. The b-plot, however, was the best part of the episode.

Elementary Review: “Down Where the Dead Delight”

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Here’s my review of Elementary season four episode “Down Where the Dead Delight.” Please note that this isn’t a recap of what happens. I’m assuming that you’ve already seen the episode. There are spoilers in this review.

Elementary gives Sherlock a rather large amount of recurring acquaintances. Joan, on the other hand, has just that one friend who see maybe twice a season (and she also had her ex-boyfriend before he was murdered). So it’s really nice to see Cortes back again as someone Joan can interact with outside of Sherlock. “Down Where the Dead Delight” was a fascinating episode because of what they allowed Joan’s character to explore.