Elementary - Season 1 Episode 4 - Recap and Review - The Rat Race

Elementary has gone from a fairly standard procedural to an impressive character study in the span of the past several weeks. Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) is the irascible sort, given to stubborn fits where he simply wants to be left alone to deduce solutions himself, but even he will admit that he's finding himself in need of Watson (Lucy Liu) far more often than not, these days. And it's not simply because she's his sober assistant, although Sherlock's former drug usage comes back into play as an issue hanging over the character-intensive episode that "The Rat Race" entails. The case doesn't approach the level of intrigue or sinister intensity of last week's Balloon Man case, but that seems beside the point. Elementary is a series that will rise or fall on the strength of the dynamic between Holmes and Watson. What "The Rat Race" does better than any episode in the series thus far is flesh out that dynamic in a way that feels organic between the characters. These are two people drawn together by dark circumstances, and their partnership is giving way to something like friendship, in how they influence and shape one another.

The case this week begins as a missing persons investigation, with a prominent Wall Street executive. The case quickly becomes a murder, however, which leads to Holmes doing his manic, deductive reasoning schtick while fending off Watson's concerns that he's on the brink of relapsing. As I mentioned, the case doesn't break new ground in any significant way, with the revelation of the killer and her motives being overly complicated and uninspired. It's certainly no "girl has her doctor boyfriend put her in a coma to give her an alibi" twist, although a twist is hardly the only thing the case has to offer. At the start of the episode, Watson has trouble deciphering Holmes' needlessly confusing acronyms, particularly IMLTHO ("In my less than humble opinion..."). While it appears at first that this is merely a writerly contrivance, a way for the scripters behind the scenes to further illustrate the gap between Holmes and Watson in comical fashion, this little tidbit pays off in the climax, as Holmes is imperiled by the killer, who sends a text to Watson as Holmes. When Watson recognizes the difference in text patterns, she deduces that Holmes is in trouble, and sets about rescuing him. It's these kinds of elements that are going to help the show stand out from the hundred other procedurals on CBS, since the network tends to rely less on crime-solving duos than they do on a team of investigators. As it stands now, Holmes and Watson are the ones doing a lot of the work, although Captain Gregson (Aidan Quinn) remains on the periphery, ready to join the fray at any moment.

And join he does. It's been a while in coming, since Quinn is an immensely talented actor, and his few short scenes with Jonny Lee Miller so far have been great. "The Rat Race" offers Quinn the chance for more substantial interaction with Miller, as a vulnerable Holmes reveals the truth of his partnership with Watson to Gregson, who, in turn, reveals that he knew all along. He is a NYC police captain, after all. One would assume he'd have done a thorough background check on his old friend before giving him the run of every crime scene. This is, perhaps, why it's so poignant that, for all his deductive reasoning skills, Holmes didn't piece this out. There's a lot Holmes notices, such as a man's eagerness to propose to his girlfriend while out at a restaurant with Watson, but it feels as though the closer a matter hits to home, the less effective Holmes' deduction powers tend to be, so that he's often blindsided by very obvious truths in his own life - primarily that Gregson knew about his addiction and recovery, and would probably be a lousy cop if he didn't. Quinn plays Gregson as an avuncular figure, a man both understanding and wry. It's very easy to see how the two would be friends, and I'm really looking forward to the two getting the chance at further interaction. It's a strong dynamic that can only help the show in its worldbuilding aspects.

Also helpful, the best thread of the episode, in which Holmes attempts to get Watson back into the dating scene. This is the kind of story where you'd expect Holmes to run interference at every turn, but Sherlock proves to be remarkably restrained, allowing Watson to find her footing, and rise or fall in the process, on her own. Well, except for when he offers to look up her blind date online to ascertain whether or not he's ever been married, which he claims he hasn't been. Naturally, Holmes discovers that the man hasn't been married...he actually still is married. This raises Watson's ire, and she confronts her date about it, with the man revealing that it was a hushed green card marriage. The revelation embarrassed Watson, even more so when she's forced to admit that she looked him up online. It's great to see Watson so vulnerable, open to becoming less guarded with her emotions, getting burned, but learning from it.

"The Rat Race" excels by investing in the development of the Holmes/Watson dynamic. Watson's relationship with Holmes is under no threat of becoming more than platonic, if the series' constant rejection of the idea of a Holmes/Watson relationship is to be believed, and that's heartening, even if revelations such as their mutually spotty fluency in Mandarin raises the level of intimacy in their partnership, owing to the increasing number of things they have in common. Watson, almost despite herself, does care about Holmes and his well-being, while Holmes can hardly pretend to take credit for Watson saving his life. The series is doing an excellent job at underlining that these two people need one another, for reasons beyond simply their knack for solving crimes. It's this approach that will help the show develop into something that exceeds the boundaries of the rank-and-file procedural.