Elementary Season 3 Episode 8 Review: End of Watch

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A cop's murder took a strange turn on Elementary Season 3 Episode 8 when Sherlock discovered the cop was carrying a toy gun, instead of a real service weapon.

I know you should never believe TV previews since they are often misleading, but I thought tonight's episode was going to be more intense. I expected to meet a character who would rival Sherlock and could match wits against him.

But no, I was wrong. It won't be the last time either. After all, I'm not a brilliant detective like Sherlock, although even he was caught off guard when he discovered someone was blogging about comments he made at his sobriety meetings - more on that in a moment.

Manhunt - Elementary

The central case involved Officer Alec Flynn who had been apparently shot in cold blood while carrying a toy gun. This certainly sounded like a case for Holmes and Watson. Police officers take it very seriously (and personally) when someone kills one of their own.

Central to Officer 73199. Officer 73199, no response. Officer 73199, Alec Flynn, is End of Watch. He has gone home for the final time.

Dispatch

The last radio call was haunting to witness. Unfortunately, the murdered cop wasn't a good cop. He was a recovering oxy addict who replaced not only his own service weapon with a toy gun, but also 30 guns in the police armory too.

With a little help from the ATF, they identified the killer as Niko Buros. They assumed he killed Flynn after he got clean and refused to continue selling weapons. But then another cop was killed.

Buros was definitely the cop killer, but he wasn't getting revenge (well, maybe a little bit on Flynn). His master plan was to rob the police armory. He needed guns and the armory had lots. It also had lots of cops. But a cop's funeral would reduce the police presence to a bare minimum. 

A good plan, but incredibly risky. Killing two cops and robbing their armory - did he have a death wish? The entire NYPD was gunning for him now. That's a lot of heat, but I guess drug cartels are probably scarier since they don't have to obey pesky laws and such. It felt good when Bell put him in cuffs and Buros had to face a wall of police waiting outside. 

Sherlock was a little bit off his game tonight. He was distracted by BrainAttic, a blog full of helpful quotes and tidbits that were things Sherlock had shared at his sobriety meetings. They weren't publicly attributed to Sherlock, but it still made him feel violated.

We know Sherlock values his privacy immensely. Getting him to the point where he would willing share his feelings at these meetings was a huge victory for Joan. And now his place of anonymity and sanctuary has been taken away from him.

Kitty found BrainAttic, but when Sherlock asked him to take down his website, he refused. He made a good argument that his blog was helping people. I suppose in his mind the good outweighed the wrong, but Sherlock rightly felt differently.

I care about your sobriety. And I depend upon every member of this group, including you, to care about mine.

Sherlock

We met Sherlock at the start of the series as a recovering addict, and there had been times where he faced temptation, but I don't recall him ever slipping. And I'm worried we might be headed towards one. His declining to share at his sobriety meeting concerned me.

I don't want him to relapse, but I also hope they don't drop this thread either. Part of Sherlock's personal growth stemmed from his recovery and willingness to share at these meetings. What happens when he loses that? Sure, he could still confide in Joan or Kitty, but it's not the same. It will be interesting to see where they go with this.

The one thing I am really missing this season is a worthy adversary and/or a season story arc. I know this is a procedural, but many of them still have one big story connecting the season. Is that supposed to be Kitty? While I like Kitty, she isn't compelling enough by herself. Sherlock needs a worth adversary.

Moriaty may be his most well-known opponent, but with Natalie Dormer so busy these days, I understand why it can't be her. It's okay to create a brand new foe. Just make him or her worthy of the great Sherlock Holmes, and no one will care if he or she never originated from the Arthur Conan Doyle's books. 

What did you think of tonight's episode? Do you think Sherlock is headed for a relapse? Does Sherlock need a new opponent? Let me know in the comments. And don't forget, you can watch Elementary online via TV Fanatic and binge watch the world's greatest detective over the holidays.

End of Watch Review

Editor Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
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Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 (33 Votes)
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Elementary Season 3 Episode 8 Quotes

Central to Officer 73199. Officer 73199, no response. Officer 73199, Alec Flynn, is End of Watch. He has gone home for the final time.

Dispatch

I care about your sobriety. And I depend upon every member of this group, including you, to care about mine.

Sherlock