Elementary, after all, has done a fine job of loosely adapting Conan Doyle’s work in a contemporary setting, taking certain liberties that have really paid off in the long run. It doesn’t make the decision to use Mycroft in this way disappointing, but I wonder if the character could have remained compelling without having to get the British secret service involved.
For a penultimate episode claiming to contain THE battle of New Orleans, “The Battle of New Orleans” feels a bit anticlimactic, especially following last week’s excellent day of peace/wake party. Though not necessarily bad, the episode simply doesn’t deliver an epic battle worthy of the build-up it’s been given.
“The Monolith” is one of many Mad Men episodes that shows how certain characters react to change. Rather than limit those ideas to the new IBM computer being installed at the offices, the episode focuses more on how Don Draper and Roger Sterling deal with changes in status quo.
The problem in this case is that this is an episode of DVD that needed to be completely focused on Leonardo’s trip into the Vault of Heaven.
There is a certain poignancy to Jonny Lee Miller’s version of Sherlock Holmes in how he acts tough when he is at his most vulnerable. When we saw his reunion with Moriarty earlier this season, it made sense that the easiest way for Sherlock to have to interact with that person was by using biting sarcasm and almost immature name-calling.
With a baby on the way, “A Closer Walk with Thee” fittingly examines fatherhood and the sometimes traumatizing effects fathers can have on their sons. Daddy issues have plagued Klaus since his stint on The Vampire Diaries, and, though his father may be dead, Mikael still haunts Klaus (thanks, in part, to the subtle crossover with The Vampire Diaries within the episode–the Other Side is crumbling, meaning the line between life and death is blurring once again). Klaus’s deep-rooted struggle to escape his father has always been one of the more fascinating aspects of his character, and The Originals does a nice job tying Klaus’s relationship with Mikael to his relationships with Marcel and his soon-to-be born child.
Don’s journey in “Field Trip” builds up to his sit-down with the partners, when he is given the chance to say “Okay.” He’ll take whatever they give him. There’s some genuinely upsetting scenes along the way, though.
Starz knows exactly what it needs. “The Rope of the Dead” is that thing. It is the perfect blend of high octane action, visual spectacle (enhanced by a little bit of sexiness, of course) and powerfully emotional character beats.
There really doesn’t even need to be a crime plot to frame an episode when the character is around, because these versions of the Holmes brothers and Watson can carry a full episode of material entirely through conversation
After introducing the seeds of war last week, The Originals wastes no time turning downright ugly. The brutality in “An Unblinking Death” reaches cringeworthy levels several times, and the tragedy never relents throughout the episode. At times, it’s almost hard to watch–for perhaps the first time, The Originals delivers an episode of pure horror and largely succeeds.
What I think the episode does is simply encourage us to be aware of those things–to notice when we are immersing ourselves in self-pity and to remember that we are not suffering alone
After introducing the idea in its first season, Da Vinci’s Demons showed a great deal of narrative potential in the journey that would take Leo across the ocean to find the Book of Leaves.
Though this season’s had some pretty wild ups (everything involving Rowan Pope) and downs (the Quinn, Huck, and Charlie love triangle), “The Price of Free and Fair Elections” closes season three on a relatively high note–literally, as Olivia Pope, who hasn’t been wholly herself in quite a while, finally takes up her father’s season opening offer and jets out of the city with Jake.
“The Big Uneasy” is a great example of just how entertaining supernatural-fueled power struggles can be, especially when set in a place as lovely and lively as New Orleans. Of course, it helps that those vying for power in the French Quarter are all intelligent, persuasive people–it’s incredibly hard not to root for everyone fighting for the hypothetical throne.
As the United States swears in its new president, Richard Nixon, the country finds itself in a transition period, caught between the two worlds of its past and uncertain future. “Time Zones” splits is central characters up in a similar way that exposes just how noticeable the precipices are that they stand on.
What strikes me most when considering “The Ends of the Earth” is how the episode (and this season, by extension) manages to engage the viewer while Leo and Riario–arguably the series’ two most compelling characters–are so far removed from the events occurring in Italy.
After a solid episode last week that gave Joan Watson some of her most interesting material this season, Elementary returns with a more Sherlock-centric episode that, barring his interactions with his brother and nemesis, stands out as one of this year’s highlights for the character.
Remember when Pope and Associates used to handle actual cases that weren’t necessarily relevant to their personal lives? Each week a new crisis came to Olivia’s doorstep, and the team pulled together to handle it–sadly, that team spirit’s been missing for most of this season.
Like the series it just replaced in the Starz line-up, Black Sails, DVD has a huge world to explore. Naturally, it would make sense that more episodes would mean a fuller exploration of that world.
Stepping away from last week’s foray into humor, “The Fluffer” delivers an episode of pure Scandal intensity and jaw-dropping shockers. Oh, and it helps that everyone (even Reston!) is given a nice chunk of plot to work with–Scandal does very well when the storyline includes all the major, secondary, and lesser characters.
As long as Elementary has a home, episodes like “The Many Mouths of Aaron Colville” are always welcome. Though not ambitious in any way, it’s another good example of how the series can do an interesting self-contained piece while throwing in just enough character development to make it feel like we’re progressing
If someone were to watch the series pilot and “The Escape Artist” back-to-back, that person would have a hard time making sense of what this show is going for. That isn’t to say that the content–what happens in this episode–is “bad” or “weak”
For as much fun as Da Vinci’s Demons is sometimes capable of being, there hasn’t really been a moment in its early run that’s been moving–a scene that has executed a payoff after building emotional attachment either to a character or situation.