A pain-wracked Sherlock is still a talented Sherlock.

While bemoaning his need for medication on Elementary Season 6 Episode 3, Sherlock still found time to solve the bizarre murder of a re-enactor and related subsequent crimes.

This was a satisfying case of the week, full of twists and turns, which eventually returned to where it began.

There's something oddly satisfying about a murder in the midst of a leisure-time activity. It's along the lines of "I wish I had the time and money for such a hobby."

It helps when the murder victim was at least something of a scum bag, conning people into sinking their assets into a pyramid scheme.

Still, "he deserved it" hasn't yet been recognized as a legal defense, so Sherlock soon found himself on the case.

It was amusing to watch Gregson bemusedly listen as Sherlock regaled him with Revolutionary War trivia, then to see the two of them trying to sort out the dozens of recollections being thrown at them simultaneously.

It's also helpful on a show such as this when the victim has a slew of enemies. George Nix certainly had that: ruined investors, an estranged daughter, a rival collector. So there was no shortage of suspects.

Yet, as soon as a line of inquiry came up, it got shot down. Until Joan came up with a theory out of left field: One of the burned documents in Nix's safe would be relevant evidence in a current court case. Yay, Joan!

But it's never that easy. Even after Sherlock and Joan pieced together why and how Holland had targeted Nix, there was still the sticky matter of proving it. No weapon, no case.

The stinking litter box as a smoking gun was a very clever solution. I knew kitty litter had multiple uses, but I didn't know it was part of the arson detective's toolbox.

Fortunately, Gregson knew how to turn the screws to get Holland to confess so that his guys wouldn't be looking in latrines for the murder weapon. Talk about dirty business.

Much of the episode had to focus on Sherlock's post-concussion syndrome and how it's affecting his life and his passion.

I'm enjoying his neurologist, Dr. Hanson, who has just as dry and sarcastic a sense of humor as Sherlock.

It's got to be tough when, being accustomed to being the smartest man in the room, suddenly you're not functioning as smoothly as you like.

Sherlock seemed on top of it when he solved Detective Mason's open case by just flipping through a stack of photos.

Sherlock is having trouble accepting what Hanson is proposing as gospel. Sherlock often pulls unconventional solutions out of his ass, and he's wondering why the doctor can't do the same thing for him.

Drugs? Rest? Those are solutions for the common man, not for Sherlock.

Instead, let's go with a welder's mask since its filtered lenses cut the glare more than sunglasses.

The Gabapentin forced him to rest, which he badly needed. But it messed with his razor-sharp intellect, which was unacceptable to Sherlock. He needs that tool for his crusade.

He almost seemed ready to accept Hanson's idea of an extension respite. But can you picture Sherlock sitting in an Adirondack chair drinking in Vermont's Green Mountains? Nope, I can't either. He couldn't turn off his brain long enough.

I don't understand why he isn't taking advantage of the medical professional with whom he lives. He's leaned on Joan in the past, so why can't he do it now? He's out of his depth, and she could certainly help him when it comes to something in her former field.

Regardless of what Sherlock decides to do, more of the burden is going to fall on Joan. Either he's not at 100 percent, or he's gone, so she'll have more to do on their cases. Maybe she could get her own apprentice.

I'm still trying to figure out Michael's deal.

He offered up helpful advice to Sherlock, who was waffling about what to do about taking a higher dose of Gabapentin, telling him to trust the people who had been helping him stay sober all along.

But then he enticed Sherlock to look into the disappearance of a woman from his AA group, who looked suspiciously like the woman he was burying on Elementary Season 6 Episode 1. What would possess him to get into a cat-and-mouse game with Sherlock?