Elementary - Recap: One of Them

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The episode centers on the abduction of a seven-year-old girl who is being ransomed for the insane price tag of $50 million. Sherlock and Joan join Captain Gregson (Aidan Quinn) in investigating the abduction, remaining alongside the grief-stricken mother as she intercepts a phone call from the abductors. Holmes immediately recognizes the voice, however; it is one of Moriarty's henchmen, the same man who played the role of Moriarty to Sherlock over the phone, in order to conceal Moriarty's true gender and identity. And so, in order to ascertain the identities of the abductor and his crew, the NYPD has little choice but to bring Moriarty in to consult on the case. And that's pretty much the basis for the story. But the case takes a back seat to the exploration into how Sherlock and Moriarty continue to define themselves both in relation and opposition to one another.

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It would be easy to believe that, prior to meeting one another, Sherlock and Moriarty likely thought they were unique. In the months since her arrest, Moriarty and Sherlock have been corresponding, having exchanged 27 letters. Holmes claims his interest in her is purely scientific, while Moriarty gets cheeky and defensive with Watson when it becomes apparent that Joan actually might have a deeper connection with Sherlock than she does. Basically, these are two people who are trying to come to terms with the very real, conflicting emotions that still exist between them -- feelings that, doubtless, always will exist. It's these feelings that both blind Holmes but also clue him in to the truth: his inherent mistrust of Moriarty (borne, perhaps, out of a fear of being hurt again) prompts him to believe that she's in league with the men who kidnapped the little girl, particularly once it's clear that the composite sketches she's made of the kidnappers actually have a hidden code embedded within them -- a code that translates to a set of GPS coordinates in Norway. But in his certainty, Sherlock fails to recognize -- after a phone call from the kidnappers that makes the twist all but obvious -- that Moriarty isn't in league with the men at all. As it turns out, the kidnapped little girl is actually Moriarty's daughter.

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We learn that Moriarty had an "indiscretion" in her career several years before meeting Sherlock, and, fearing herself inadequate for motherhood, gave up the child to a couple that had been having trouble conceiving. Sherlock is uncertain how the kidnappers learned of the child's existence, although Moriarty is certain that the girl's biological father had something to do with the secret getting out. Of course, we don't learn who the biological father is, nor do we learn the name of the mentor who trained Moriarty. These are two characters of whom the enigmatic Moriarty makes mention, but it remains a mystery for now, and I like that decision. It gives the narrative a broader, over-arching purpose -- the idea that there's a mythos at play that continues to itch away at Sherlock's mind even when Moriarty isn't around. The mysteries that spring from Moriarty makes her a constant presence on the show, as her effect on Sherlock is something that is very much ongoing, at the moment.

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Ultimately, Moriarty escapes from her holding area inside a Navy shipyard, and uses her considerable deductive skill to track the kidnappers (her former associates) down to a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. She quickly makes short work of the kidnappers, killing all of them with a cold-blooded efficiency that ignores her own fairly serious injuries (in escaping from captivity, Moriarty had to use broken glass to neutralize her electronic handcuffs, causing deep gashes in her wrists along with considerable blood loss). She calls Sherlock and tells him her location, but states only he may enter to speak with her. And so the two ex-lovers have an intimate conversation about what they've become, while kneeling among the remains of Moriarty's victims. It's a poignant scene, as Moriarty reflects on her connection to Sherlock and recognizes just how her behavior has changed ever since they began their correspondence. She finds that she moderates her behavior not out of a sense of her own morality, but rather due to what she thinks Sherlock would condemn. As Moriarty confesses this, she asks Sherlock if changing his behavior by thinking of others is how he was able to become "one of them."

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Moriarty still feels that she and Sherlock share a connection like no other, but she's still puzzled by how he's changed, how he's been able to envelope his disparate personality into a society that isn't always accepting of people like them. For Sherlock, it's not really about becoming "one of them," but rather finding a way to live with yourself. He recognizes that even while he's been sober for two years, much of his behavior could still qualify as self-destructive, between continuing correspondence with Moriarty, and even revealing private details about Joan's love life in the letters, despite the information having no real empirical value to Sherlock's stated intention of studying Moriarty's "criminal mind." Sherlock has been trying so hard for so long to reform his ways to be a bit more palatable to society, but even now, he tells Moriarty, "I'm not so certain I am one of them." These are two people still struggling to make sense of where they fit in the world. As are Sherlock and Joan, so are Sherlock and Moriarty.

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"The Diabolical Kind" is a nuanced depiction of self-destructive behavior, and the ways in which people struggle to find points of understanding with one another. Elementary has been hitting some pretty high highs this season, and this was yet another brick in the sturdy foundation the show has built this season.