TV REVIEW: Elementary’s Season Finale Sees Sherlock Take a Major Stumble

By Cindy Jackson

At the beginning of the Season Finale Sherlock is watching Abbott and Costello movies on the roof with his friend and former sponsor Alfredo. I have to take a moment to say that Sherlock’s slow but consistent growth since the beginning of this show has been remarkable and one hundred percent believable. I mean, he has a friend! But all good things must come to an end as they get into a disagreement and Alfredo leaves.

The next day Sherlock goes to Alfredo’s workplace and discovers he has gone missing, along with a customer’s Dodge Charger. Sherlock finds his friend’s phone on the floor. It has been stomped on and smashed.

While he and Joan try to figure out what happened, Sherlock gets a call from his old skeevy drug dealer Oscar. Oscar asks Sherlock if he can help him find his sister Olivia who had gone missing. Holmes makes it known that he would rather be having a root canal, until Oscar tells him he is the one who took Alfredo.

Gregson is furious when Sherlock goes to meet with Oscar. When Joan points out he didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, Gregson responds, “He has us. We’re his friends.” (Feels explosion!! There was a time not too long ago that he told Sherlock the exact opposite, remember??)

Oscar tells Sherlock he kidnapped Alfredo because he knew he wouldn’t help him otherwise. He also says he knows Sherlock can’t rough him up because he has heart problems. No Oscar = no Alfredo. Sherlock responds, “There are methods of torture even your pathetic frame can endure.”

Holmes and Oscar end up at Hemdale, Sherlock’s old rehab center. Apparently Oscar gave Olivia the room that Sherlock had reserved for him. They speak to Olivia’s roommate who says Olivia was picked up by someone named Beta Ray, with whom she gets high. Oscar says he knows where to find Ray.

Sherlock finds himself in a heroin den – where Oscar says Ray spends his time. Oscar is obviously trying to get into Sherlock’s head. He comments that it probably isn’t the best place for an addict to hang out. (I think I wanted to punch him as much as Sherlock did. Jerk.)

Oscar remarks that  Ray and Olivia were expected back that night and they should wait for them.

Sherlock: “Because heroin addicts have such reliable itineraries.” (Indeed.)

Oscar starts rehashing “old times” when Sherlock was a complete mess over Irene and talks about how he saved him by bringing him to a den like this one. He also talks about what a nice guy Alfredo is and how his current conditions are even more deplorable than where they are presently. Sherlock is visibly shaken.

When Oscar falls asleep/passes out Sherlock calls Joan on a phone belonging to another passed out addict (Oscar confiscated his). He tells Joan to focus the search efforts on places like rock or stone quarries due to some residue found on Oscar’s coat.

Sherlock does some investigating and finds a driver’s license belonging to Jonathan Bloom, who has a reputation for taking women and exchanging sex for a fix. At first he denies seeing Olivia, but Sherlock doesn’t like that answer and slams Bloom’s head into the coffee table, twisting his already injured arm around his back. Bloom confesses he did bring her to his apartment, but she robbed him, hurt his arm and took off. He gave them the name of the car service that picked her up.

Joan thinks maybe she and Bell should check places that make gravestones and  cut marble onsite. She looks at the pictures on her cell phone and finds the name of a monument company sticking out of the pocket of a coat.

The driver that picked Olivia up brings Sherlock to the place he dropped her off, along some railroad tracks. As they walk, Oscar tries to get in Sherlock’s head again, asking him how it feels to revisit all these places from his past. Sherlock blows him off and Oscar asks if he thinks he’s cured.

Sherlock: “That’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard you say. And I’ve known you a ling time.” Heh.

Holmes tells Oscar to wait outside while he goes into an underpass and finds Olivia’s body.

Sherlock stomps over to Oscar with extreme anger and gives him that Holmes look. (You know the look. The classic ‘I know what you did and also smell something a bit odd’ look. This man’s face destroys me repeatedly.) He reveals that he found Oscar’s bootprint in the dirt next to Olivia – the same one that was on Alfredo’s smashed phone, and deduces that Oscar found Olivia’s body BEFORE he abducted Alfredo, and demands to know why.

Oscar explains that Olivia dropped out of high school and ran away with him. That’s when she started using. He says that she called him after she left Bloom’s apartment and explained what she had done. By the time he found her, she had overdosed and died. He admits that all he could think about was Sherlock saying he was basically a pathetic piece of garbage, and he wanted Sherlock in turn to realize he was just the same. He throws some heroin at his feet. He intends to make Holmes use it before telling him where Alfredo is. And if he doesn’t, he will kill Alfredo.

Meanwhile (as my heart beats out of my chest), Bell and Watson find Alfredo. He’s severely dehydrated but okay.

Joan texts Sherlock, who looks at the message and proceeds to beat Oscar to a bloody pulp. (Was I the only one cheering? Didn’t think so.) Holmes looks down at the heroin, and picks it up. (No Sherlock! Don’t do it! Please!)

The final scene shows Joan going to see Sherlock up on the roof of the brownstone. He is sitting facing away from her (and the camera). She tells him she spoke to his father, who is coming to New York because he found out “what happened.”

The camera pans around to Sherlock’s face. Words cannot even describe how horrifying it is to see he has been using again, after all the progress he has made over the past three years.

And even more horrifying is the fact that we have to wait for Season Three to see what happens. This was a great season and I hate to see it end, especially like this.