“Elementary” stands above many police procedurals in its abilities to tap into the zeitgeist. While “Law & Order” chose to do this through relevant cases, “Elementary” makes sly references to cultural developments that are not necessarily related to a murder investigation. This week, in “The One Percent Solution”—an episode that surprisingly has nothing to do with the Occupy movement—we get references to TED talks and Pluto’s removal from the planet list.

These minor lines of dialogue do little in pushing the story along, but they often play into the idea of Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) being completely aware of the surrounding world. As long as they stay relevant or do not seem hamfisted into the story, Robert Doherty can continue to use them as subtle modernizations of the Sherlock mythology. 

Now, onto the investigation.

A bomb explodes during a lunch meeting between Department of Labor officials and bank executives from Whitbrook-Balsille. Sherlock and Watson (Lucy Liu) are called in to investigate, but upon arriving, find they have a familiar collaborator waiting for them. Gareth Lestrade (Sean Pertwee), Sherlock’s disgraced former partner from Scotland Yard (and this season’s premiere), works as the “security czar” of Whitbrook-Balsille and has been placed on the case by the bank’s CEO, the one and only Balsille (Bill Irwin). Lestrade is accompanied by a blonde assistant, Truepenny (Sarah Goldberg), whose role serves as a marker to show Watson’s position as partner rather than assistant. 

In the opening sequence of the episode, Sherlock uncovers a cockfighting ring and discusses his intent to wean the roosters off their aggressive habits. This thinly veiled metaphor for Sherlock’s agitation with Lestrade’s ego-hungry antics continues throughout the episode, as each man continually undermines the other’s investigative method. 

READ MORE: 'Elementary Season 2, Episode 15 Recap: 'Corpse De Ballet'

After a notorious bomber, Aurelius, takes credit for the bomb, Sherlock immediately dismisses this declaration as a goose chase before turning his eyes on Balsille. As it turns out, Lestrade had checked into the hotel where the Dept. of Labor officials had been staying, but under a fake name for his boss. Lestrade deflects any confrontations about the matter. 

Sherlock continues to press the issue until Lestrade shamefully admits the reason for the secrecy. The “security czar” details his employer’s penchant for affairs. In particular, Balsille enjoys finding a person he wants to bed—mostly women—and presses until he can uncover their price. To keep this little business secret, Lestrade acts as “a rich man’s pimp” of sorts and handles the transactions. 

With this nugget of information removing Lestrade and Balsille from suspicion, Sherlock moves back to Aurelius. He inspects heat signatures from previous bombings due to Aurelius’ predilection towards magnesium tape, which burns at roughly five thousand degrees. Sherlock, Watson, Lestrade, and Captain Gregson (Aidan Quinn) find Aurelius burnt to death from an experiment gone wrong that occurred before the bombing. Wild goose chase confirmed. 

Seemingly because time had run out on the episode, Lestrade informs Sherlock someone had blackmailed Balsille regarding the semi-prostitution business. Sherlock immediately solves the puzzle. A lower Dept. of Labor employee, who had strategically placed herself on the opposite end of the table from the bomb, wanted to murder her boss and affect Whitbrook-Balsille. Her method involved a bomb and blackmail. 

It is a quick result mostly because the episode focuses on Sherlock’s ability to bury a grudge. In the end, he somewhat succeeds, but the result is debatable at best. Since the episode brings back a character from earlier in the season, we can only hope Mycroft (Rhys Ifans) is not far behind…and with an answer to my question: Who was he speaking to in Episode 8 that wants Sherlock out of New York and why? 

Read more by Michael at MHMovieReviews.com.

Reach Staff Reporter Michael Huard here.