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'Elementary' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: 'Poison Pen'

Michael Huard |
October 18, 2013 | 12:11 a.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

(CBS)
(CBS)
During its run, “Elementary” has often succeeded at making the murder investigations complex enough to confound Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller), but also remain grounded to avoid ridiculous characters.  In episode four of season two, “Poison Pen,” writers Robert Doherty and Liz Friedman dip ever so slightly into the realm of the absurd by including awful, awful people surrounding a few semi-innocent players. 

The episode opens with a murder under the care—if you will—of a dominatrix. While this may seem scandalous, it ends up being the least morally questionable aspect of the hour. Watson (Lucy Liu) notes the victim’s blue lips could be a result of nitroglycerin. In a typical, showy fashion, Sherlock lights a puddle of bourbon on fire to demonstrate the presence of nitroglycerin and prove the man had been poisoned. 

Conveniently, only one sex shop in NYC carries latex fetish suits large enough for the victim, Titus Delancey, the CEO of a financial corporation. The cunning use of ATM cameras provides Detective Bell (Jon Michael Hill) with pictures of the person who actually purchased the suit. 

This allows “Elementary” to insert some commentary on the degenerate morals at the top of corporations. One of Delancey’s colleagues purchased the suit after the CEO’s death in order to humiliate him and free the company from paying the man’s his family his retirement payout. To reiterate, a man dressed the dead body of his boss in a fetish suit in order to save his company money and get a better bonus at the year’s end. 

SEE ALSO: 'Elementary' Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: 'We Are Everyone'

When interviewing the victim’s family, Sherlock meets the family’s nanny and recognizes her as Abigail Spencer (Laura Benanti), a girl accused—and acquitted—of poisoning her father with nitroglycerin two decades ago.  

Sherlock is shaken by the reemergence of Abigail since he initiated a pen pal relationship with the girl as his intrigue in murder blossomed. Additionally, it is revealed that he found solace in her letters when escaping his own tormentors in school. 

From a license plate provided by Abigail, Gregson (Aidan Quinn)—the most inactive captain imaginable—and Bell discover Delancey’s ex-wife hired a private investigator and learned of her nanny’s true identity. The woman’s alibi includes testifying against a corrupt doctor in order to avoid prosecution for considering the murder of her husband. At this point, the story is beyond contrived with terrible, selfish people involved. The one person we know to have committed a murder (Abigail) is the most empathetic character in the episode. 

Sherlock begins moving towards new suspects in order to help Abigail. Meanwhile, Watson proves useful without her mentor by finding a crucial tablet that reveals Titus Delancey was sexually abusing his eldest son—nobody is safe from immorality in “Poison Pen.” The son unearthed the private investigator’s report, which inspired him to use Abigail’s methods on his father. However, Abigail saves him by confessing to the murder. He gets his future and she gets what she long avoided. A depressing conclusion to a ludicrous plot. 

SEE ALSO: 'Elementary Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: 'Solve For X'

As has become custom with “Elementary” Sherlock finishes the episode with more character development. He offers a knowing ear to the troubled teen. Knowing how trauma can erode from the inside, Sherlock wants to prevent that from happening to a young teenager.

It has become clear the effects of the first season with Watson have changed Sherlock’s outlook on life for the better as he relents to his emotions and develops interpersonal relationships more frequently. If this path continues, however, “Elementary” could overwhelm with sentimentality. Let’s hope they right the ship in the coming weeks. 

Reach Staff Reporter Michael Huard here.



 

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