Elementary Season 4 Episode 17 Review: You've Got Me, Who's Got You?
Kathleen Wiedel
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Sherlock and company investigated when a real-life superhero was gunned down, while Morland attempted to hire Joan to seek a mole in his organization in Elementary Season 4 Episode 17, now on Sunday nights!
The A-story poked some good-natured fun at comic book superheroes in general, but it also acknowledged that the victim was undeniably a good person who wanted to help protect his community.
The case revolved around the death of a man dressed as "the Midnight Ranger," a blatant Batman expy. Batman, Bruce Wayne, the Batcave even got name-checked! It was pretty funny how Detective Bell was geeking out over the Midnight Ranger, and there was the entertaining bit with Joan knowing all the origin stories.
The episode was also chock-full of some downright hilarious lines, particuarly courtesy of Sherlock and his bemusement with the whole superhero thing.
In what universe are these people not all dead of cancer?
Sherlock [about superheroes' origin stories]
There were also some obvious comparisons between the superheroes and Sherlock himself, equating his abilities of observation and deduction with super-powers. (The trick of telling things about a person at a glance is know, by the way, as a Sherlock scan.)
This, of course, led to my favorite one-liner of the night:
Ben Garrett: How do you do all that?
Sherlock: I was bitten by a radioactive detective.
Be sure to check out our Elementary quotes page for a rundown of some of this episode's best lines!
It was gratifying that the murderer was not some moustache-twirler. Though it was quite clear that Al Baxter was not a nice guy (and indeed planning on murdering all his colleagues), he wasn't pure, unadulterated villain. Mike Stratton saw something in him, after all, enough to be friends with the guy.
And there was respect given to Stratton, as well. The tailor, for instance, clearly appreciated his efforts to make the neighborhood safer, and Stratton saved possibly dozens of people the night he died. Though if he was that worried about Baxter, one has to wonder why Stratton didn't call the cops.
The B-story involved Morland approaching Joan to suss out a mole in his organization, which led to a rather shocking turn of events when Joan actually figured out the malefactor... and then blackmailed him into being her mole in Morland's office!
I know that Joan doesn't trust Morland, even less so now that the situation with the triggerman has come to light, but now she's committing felonies and involving herself in matters that could very well put her and everyone around her in danger.
I'm not totallly sure if I'd call the blackmail completely out of character, but it certainly tarnished her image more than a little. It felt more than a little "end justifies the means" to me, and at best it is a slippery slope... and while she may have ultimately good intentions, we all know where the path paved with those can lead.
Also, I am a little at a loss that Joan found the mole impressively fast, but Morland – a man undeniably more intelligent than she is – could not figure it out in five minutes. Also, if she spotted a Vigenère cipher in the mole's correspondence, it would be obvious that he's doing something shady. Vigenère is not surreptitious at all.
A few final notes before I sign off:
- I'm sure that most of the Superlative superheroes were expies of DC and Marvel superheroes, but I feel compelled to mention the one who was "stung by a radioactive scorpion." Scorpions are arachnids, like spiders...
- When Sherlock listed off Midnight Ranger's deaths, the last one should sound awfully familiar to those who've read the original Sherlock Holmes stories. Sherlock himself was (temporarily) killed off exactly that way in "The Final Problem."
- A little bit of fridge horror for you: Baxter was going to kill his coworkers at a restaurant; it's highly likely that a lot more innocent people would have been caught in the crossfire if Mike Stratton hadn't stopped him.
- Well, Joan might not be thrilled with Morland, but at least that charity is now $250,000 richer!
- Where did Baxter get the armor-piercing bullets? You can't just go to your local gun store and pick those up, and I'm pretty sure it's illegal for John Q. Public to have those things
So, what did you think of "You've Got Me, Who's Got You?"? Did you enjoy the superhero story? Who's your favorite superhero? What do you think will happen with Joan's foray into blackmail? Let us know in the comments section below!
If you missed this episode on its new night, fear not! You can watch Elementary online to catch up. The show is back on Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 10/9c on CBS with Elementary Season 4 Episode 18, "Ready or Not."
