Elementary Review: The Estranged Daughter
Kate Brooks at . Updated at .The return of Elementary from its winter break featured the return of a a pivotal character as well.
And it actually turned out to be a complete surprise... on top of a total twist.
On Elementary Season 2 Episode 12, Moriarty made her way back not only on our screens but into Sherlock’s heart.
Having gone into this episode knowing that Moriarty would be coming back briefly, I had many questions that I hoped would be answered. To wit: Would she still be in custody? Did Sherlock write her back? Did she still love Sherlock?
Simply enough, all of my questions were answered in the affirmative.
Much to my surprise Moriarty, like Sherlock, had changed. I always thought that if she became “good” like Holmes had, she would lose everything about her character that her great - but I was very wrong.
Natalie Dormer is one heck of an actress, from her appearances here to her stops by Game of Thrones and The Tudors, along with her most recent films Rush and The Counselor.
Is there a petition somewhere to get Dormer as a series regular? If not, there needs to be.
When you put two great actors together like Dormer and Miller or Dormer and Liu, you’ve created something that a lot of shows struggle to grasp: momentum in scenes and intense chemistry. These three have helped create great success and have made viewers want more. Much more.
In the final moments between Sherlock and Moriarty, their faces were only inches apart and you know that you leaned in a little bit closer or adjusted how you were sitting because it was that dramatic. Or consider when Moriarty and Joan had their moment at the crime scene.
They just pull you in and you can’t get out because, honestly, why would you want to? It’s captivating.
On top of all of this, the plot was driven by a kidnapping of a young girl who happened to be the estranged daughter of Moriarty. A nice little twist that I did see coming. It seemed that the writers were working really hard on humanizing Moriarty and it worked.
In order for her and Sherlock to have a love, whether it ever happens again or not, she can’t be who she was and Sherlock cannot either.
Overall, I have nothing bad to say about this episode or this season in general. I think about how outstanding the second half of Elementary Season 1 was and how I used to think, how could you possibly top what they did? Well, they’re doing it on a weekly basis.
This installment is my current favorite of Elementary Season 2. Or maybe I am just bias because my top three episodes are all Moriarty-centric. Can you tell that I am a huge Natalie Dormer fan? How could you not be after her compelling performance in this episode?!?
