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CBS via DCT

As is typical of most American television shows, Elementary stretches its season finale over two episodes.

CBS
Well, at least we get more Natalie Dormer.

CBS via DCT

I don't know much about the double-episode format. What's that, you ask? It's basically one story broken down into two episodes, with the first episode ending in a cliffhanger to the next one.

CBS
Meanwhile, between episodes, you can go play soccer football.

CBS via DCT

As the season draws to a close, one character must inevitably make an appearance, considering this is a show about Sherlock Holmes. That character is none other than Professor James Moriarty.

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"I'm not him."

CBS via DCT

Charles Augustus Milverton: a name that fans of the canon would recognize immediately.

CBS
I don't remember if Sherlock's ambidexterity is also in the canon.

CBS via DCT

There's a new character on the show, although isn't this a bit late, with five episodes left in the season?

CBS
Even the snowplow driver Pam looks like she wants in as a regular cast member.

CBS via DCT

This is another episode showcasing the apprenticeship of Ms. Joan Watson under consulting detective Mr. Sherlock Holmes. However, with only three episodes left in the season, I think they started the apprenticeship a bit late.

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Wait, what kind of apprenticeship is this again?

CBS via DCT

Finally, after seventeen episodes into the season, we get a decent Holmes-Watson master-apprentice episode. Although the master-apprentice angle wasn’t really part of the canon (they’re more like co-equals in the books), this show desperately needs an angle like this to make it more interesting.

CBS
"Still no sexual angle, Sherlock. Over my dead body."

CBS via DCT

Like Siege Malvar says about this show: “I’m not comfortable with the New Yorker Sherlock Holmes. He could have been his own character; now he can’t break out of the mold.”

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"What if I throw this basketball to break the mold, eh?"

CBS via DCT

Although not written by Robert Doherty, this episode makes several canonical references. One is the part about Sherlock Holmes being able to identify a cigarette brand based on the ashes it leaves. Of course you’d know that if you bothered to read his monograph on the subject.

CBS
"I can tell someone's zodiac sign
by the length of his index finger."

CBS via DCT

If you’ve been watching Elementary since the beginning, then by this time you might have noticed that although Elementary episodes are generally good, there’s “CSI-good”, and then there’s “canon-good”. Well, this episode is neither.

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"I'm bored, Watson. Can you find me a pillow?"

CBS via DCT

Like I said, the previous episode had all the elements of a season ender (such as being written by Rob Doherty, for instance). But it wasn’t.

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"Who the hell is Rob Doherty?"

CBS via DCT

Hello, is that Vinnie Jones? Why yes, it is. And in this episode, he plays a character called M. No, not the one from James Bond. The other British villain whose name starts with an M – Moriarty. Only Vinnie Jones doesn’t play Moriarty himself, but simply one of his henchmen.

CBS
I think this was how they shot Lord of the Rings.

CBS via DCT

This episode deals with spies, which just happens to be of the Russian variety. And here’s the kicker: they’re a full family, with Daddy Spy, Mommy Spy, and Daughter Spy. Mommy Spy’s dead, and the question is, who killed her? And that’s what Holmes and Watson are supposed to find out.

CBS
"Are you sure you want to leave, though, Watson?"

CBS via DCT

At this point in the series, the viewer should just give up trying to connect this show with the Sherlock Holmes literary canon.

CBS
"You mean you haven't given up yet?"

CBS via DCT

Feng shui, gambling, and illicit love all come together in this episode. The thing I noticed about this series is that each episode is a stand-alone episode, and yet there doesn't seem to be any recognizable character development thus far into the season. In short, there doesn't seem to be an overarching season narrative. Possibly still unsure of a full second season? I don't know. Maybe.

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"I still don't know where this series is going."

CBS via DCT

Joan Watson, leaving? No! She's literally one-half of the show. But so far into the season, Watson's role has not lived up to its potential to be more than just a sidekick. Elementary so far is all about Sherlock Holmes, and the series still needs a case where Holmes and Watson shine as a dynamic crime-fighting duo.

CBS
This would-be sponsor would've been interesting.

CBS via DCT

And finally, an episode that gives us some back story on a character who isn't named Holmes or Watson. I'm talking about Captain Gregson, played by Aidan Quinn.

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"Seven episodes before you give me a back story?"

CBS via DCT

Viewers are in for a treat this episode, as we see Sherlock investigate a plane crash, and a brief glimpse of Lucy Liu's legs.

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Not that great, though.

CBS via DCT

This episode begins with some classic Sherlock Holmes taken straight out of the canon. I'm talking about the part where he works with cadavers, hitting them to study post-mortem bruising behavior.

CBS
Yes, it's not what it looks like.
CBS via DCT

As Sherlock Holmes investigates a corporate murder where we have a company COO overdosed on heroin (or so it seems), we begin to ask the question: just how deep does Sherlock Holmes's drug use go?

CBS
Is the truth as horrifying as this image?
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