What I’m Watching: Elementary (Season Finale)

Elementary: Season 3, Episode 24 “A Controlled Descent” (B)

This show bringing back its recurring characters is always a good thing, but I’m not as fond of it returning to Sherlock’s addition at the same time. Moriarty and Irene resurfacing was one thing, which was great, and Mycroft’s role in the second season finale was considerably less satisfying. Now, the big villain is Michael Weston’s Oscar Rankin, Sherlock’s junkie buddy who lords over Sherlock with his half-witted scheme to show him that he’s not perfect and should in fact succumb to his desire to take drugs once again. I think Sherlock has faced far more formidable battles on the show and that this isn’t a productive use of time, especially since, in the end, he didn’t end up using and Alfredo got rescued before he succumbed to the environment in which Oscar left him. (Random trivia – did you know that Weston and Ato Essandoh, who plays Alfredo, both starred in “Garden State”?) It’s not possible that Oscar is clever or vindictive enough to concoct such a plan to shame Sherlock yet still lives on the street and spends his time as he does. The bigger takeaway from all this is that Sherlock’s father is finally coming to town because he’s aware of what’s going on, and hopefully that will be a legendary encounter that could head in a truly interesting direction rather than an unfortunate distraction from Sherlock and Watson’s crime-solving ways. This season has covered a lot – remember Kitty? – and I’m hopeful that season four and beyond will be a bit more focused and consistent.

Season grade: B
Season MVP: Lucy Liu as Watson