Season One of “Elementary” closed with a newfound understanding between Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Joan Watson (Lucy Liu). She served as more than a sober companion in her efforts to help Holmes battle his demons—both addiction and Irene Adler/Moriarty (Natalie Dormer). It showed his growth as a person and the increasing mutual respect between Holmes and Watson that has made “Elementary” worth watching. 

With this friendship at its peak, Season Two’s opening episode “Step Nine” brings more pain and dark memories from Sherlock’s past in the form of two classic characters from the series, his estranged brother Mycroft (Rhys Ifans) and former colleague Inspector Gareth Lestrade (Sean Pertwee). 

Holmes and Watson are brought back to his old stomping grounds in London—a common theme among season openers this year (“Parks and Recreation”)—to aid in the search for the disgraced Inspector Lestrade, who brandished a fake grenade at the funeral and is on the run. Upon returning to his flat, number 221B, Sherlock is surprised to find his eccentric belongings have been replaced by structured, stylish interior design and, worst of all, his brother.

As the backstory regarding the brothers’ bitter separation unfurls—Sherlock seduced Mycroft’s fiancée seven times—Ifans and Miller ooze chemistry and brotherhood. Ifans’ suave, confident Mycroft contrasts Miller’s uptight Sherlock wonderfully. Sadly, “Elementary” is a procedural so the episode continues with a crime. 

Lestrade’s fall from grace occurred after he accused Lawrence Pendry (Rufus Wright) of murdering his wife, despite an absent murder weapon. Pendry’s father, whose funeral we witness in the opening, took it upon himself to expose Lestrade as a fraud who accepted credit for Sherlock’s anonymous consulting. 

Tidbits like this are thrown into the episode to continue pushing the idea of Sherlock’s personal growth. He is less abrasive, more flexible and willing to interact beyond investigatory purposes. But fear not, he may be a more tolerable human being, but his observations are still top notch. 

Sherlock finds Lestrade almost immediately, as he is wont to do, but instead of turning him over to Scotland Yard decides to help in restoring Lestrade’s name. The ensuing investigation of Pendry and his (murdered) accomplice happens almost as an ancillary storyline. Contemporary issues like 3-D printing for weaponry and security cameras eyeing every inch of London jam their way into the plot, only to be solved right away; alternative suspects are not even considered in this case. The meat of the episode lies in the Sherlock-Mycroft-Watson interactions. 

Unfortunately, writer Robert Doherty and crew have heightened Sherlock and Watson’s abilities to the point where the crime no longer challenges them. Therefore, “Step Nine” adopts the role of character building, which rarely succeeds this early in a season but does so here. Sherlock begins the ninth step of his recovery process, making amends with those he wronged in the past. Where better to start than with his family members? 

While the dynamic character arc given to Sherlock is absorbing, one must ask if his transformation is occurring too quickly to sustain a high level of intrigue. At the episode’s midpoint, we learn of Mycroft’s health troubles as he questions Watson, “How does one become Sherlock Holmes’ friend?” A season ago this question would elicit silence and blank stares. Now? Well, now there is an example of a friend in Watson and there seems to be a method to her madness. Moving forward we can likely expect a downfall of some sort—drugs, another woman maybe—to test this fragile relationship. Regardless, this is a Sherlock Holmes we all can accept.