It finally happened. “Elementary” finally referenced the ominous conversation Mycroft (Rhys Ifans) had way back in episode eight and has received no screen-time since. Unfortunately, we are not quite privy to an answer as to whom he had been speaking…yet. 

“The Man with the Twisted Lip” opens in one of Sherlock’s (Jonny Lee Miller) sobriety meetings. He is asked what his biggest threat to sobriety is. This provides a rare moment when Miller can really enter the role of Sherlock Holmes, as he describes the sleuth’s solidarity in life. He is “without peer.” As such, his biggest threat to sobriety is his inability to reach out to people and extend himself. The answer works in opposition to all of the work he had been doing to befriend Detective Bell (Jon Michael Hill), Watson (Lucy Liu) and Captain Gregson (Aidan Quinn), but holds significance later. 

As Watson waits outside, she encounters a crying woman who is worried her sister had relapsed and disappeared. This leads to the central case for the episode that goes on all sorts of wacky tangents that are actually somewhat interesting. But first, the consultants return home and find Ms. Hudson—apparently she’s real—and Mycroft. 

The other Holmes returns to New York seemingly to check in on his ailing restaurant, but quickly his motives turn to bedding Watson again. He proposes the pair start a relationship. However, the “previously on” section of the episode reminded us that he has alternative motives, so his intentions with Watson seem to be more about pulling at Sherlock than genuine interest. 

The search for the missing sister ends as quickly as it began. Holmes and Watson contact her heroin dealers, find a clue about Harriet Tubman and end up finding the girl’s body in a park near a Tubman plaque…in addition to another body. Upon inspecting the man’s body, Sherlock notices two things out of place. First, there is a shotgun blast next to the body from close range. Second, there is a mosquito buzzing during a time when mosquitoes are rare. 

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After quickly digging into the man’s life and finding he was a drone pilot for a government contractor, Sherlock visits Mycroft, stressing that his pursuit of Watson would disrupt his stability and balance. During the tense conversation, Sherlock notices a sketchy man in the corner who had previously been seen at Mycroft’s restaurant. 

In order to save time and space, we’ll skip ahead in the drone case. The murdered man had been dispatched by an un-manned vehicle—hence the misfire. The consistent buzzing throughout the episode was actually tiny, metal insect-like surveillance devices, some of which were equipped with poison. It turns out, the murdered man had accidentally ordered a strike on a group of Americans in Afghanistan—to him, they were just pixels—and the contractors forced him to stay quiet. When he threatened to go public, they took him out. One final interesting note on this: while Sherlock distracts the C.O.O., Watson breaks into his office and retrieves the files stating what happened. Wouldn’t this evidence be useless in a court of law since it was apprehended illegally? Food for thought. 

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Anyway, the real crux of the episode hinges upon Mycroft and his increasingly shady dealings. Watson revisits the restaurant with her answer for his proposition. She starts by discussing the difficulty and complexity of such a relationship, before saying that she could see it as possible if she were to move out. To this, Mycroft’s reaction goes beyond excitement of the relationship, but more to the effect this event would have on Sherlock’s psyche. As she leaves, Watson sees the sketchy Frenchman with an equally—if not more—sketchy Frenchman. She snaps a picture on her way out. 

Back at the brownstone, Sherlock opens up to Watson, expressing he values her as more than a partner, but as a person. Here, he finally extends himself as he said would be so difficult. She accepts the apology, but only to the degree that his apologies come only after he’s gotten what he wanted. She leaves for one last visit to the restaurant. Sherlock gets up and slowly moves to the bookshelf, where he places a small baggy of heroin in a book and replaces it on the shelf. He’s near his breaking point. 

At the restaurant, Watson spots the Frenchmen again and decides to follow the younger man. She finds the packet he received contains a picture of her. Meanwhile, he sneaks up behind her and sticks a rag of chloroform to her face before stuffing her in a van. 

Next week, we will see exactly how close Sherlock is to the breaking point with the season coming to a close in just a few weeks. 

Reach Staff Reporter Michael Huard here.