These three shows happen to be my favourite, and all with WoC leads (well, PoI by the end at least); I would be SO down for a crossover.

Oh my God, this looks more like a Person of Interest episode than an Elementary one and I'm into it, however much I wasn't into this one :DDD

Ugh, I really think a baby is the worst cliched kind of stereotype to slap a returning female character with, but at this point — whatevs. Also, was the whole "red dyed cropped short hair, elderly" recited description while staring directly at the murder victim's redheaded widow supposed to mean something??

After that incredibly emotional hug in this amazing episode, I now really really ship them too.

1000000% agree. :D

Everyone else has eloquently made all the right points about this episode, so I'm just going to snortle to myself over here about this line: "Jon Michael Hill is always walking a very fine line between Marcus genuinely believing in his duty to mete out justice, and Marcus being absolutely done with everything that has…

Agree with all the comments about Sherlock's & Joan's condescension toward Shinwell — but damn, I really enjoy Nelson Ellis's acting. The scene in the car with the drug dealer: all that realizing thoughtfulness was conveyed so efficiently without even a word; and his lean-in-head-tilt at Joan's Spanish (…it wasn't…

Oh god, I enjoyed Shinwell calling Joan out SO MUCH. Not because I dislike Joan — rather, I love both of the characters & this shades their relationship so much better than Joan being the model minority figure saving the black ex-con. The long shots on their faces as they stared at each silently (especially Lucy Liu…

So true. The whole conversation was gold.

Yep, it's a recurring trope on the show. They even made a promo for season 3 based around it, and subverted it in season 3 episode 14.

Lovely review, Genevieve! I'm also so hopeful in an anxious way about where they might take Joan & Sherlock's partnership in this season. Also, I don't know anything about the canon texts, so it's always enlightening to see the parallels you draw between Doyle's work and Elementary.

God, I absolutely loved this episode. I don't know much about directing, but I found Liu's shots so wonderful—the steady, swift pull-back/zoom-out (?) at the end of the scene in prison, the wide shot of Sherlock finding the ring positioning him to the right and then the same shot when Joan is standing there filling…

Genevieve, I love that you manage to make so many of your review titles about Joan (as more things should be) :D On a more serious note, your reviews are wonderful to read as you never take the easy way out with 50% recap like other reviewers on AV Club, and I always look forward to reading about the subtler themes…

Yes — like Genevieve said, such an unexpected line! It was all kinds of wonderful and went a long way toward further nuancing Marcus, who as someone not named Holmes has had his characterization basically ground to a halt.

Very true! I did like that this ep gave almost all the secondary characters an equal amount of screentime (Meng Zhou, Xi Hai Ching & Bai May-Lung), but you're right, James Hong's character had little to work with. I would be over the moon if they gave him a serious story arc. That would be an amazing coup for the show…

This line made me smile, ha, mostly because of how American and untrue it is. (Unless you think my name is sexy & French, which I'm cool with!)

Okay, but these are two different situations with different dynamics:
- a white viewer "bashes" an Asian actor's English
- a viewer of colour remarks on a white actor's attempt at a non-Germanic language
The power in any racialized situation, in North America, rests with the white person. That's why reverse racism isn't…

I feel like we're not talking enough about the fact that James Hong is in this episode!

Ha, that "one depressing moment" line was so subtle yet pointed. JLM is so consistently excellent in this role!

Wow, absolutely loved the B-plot. This ep made me adore Monique Gabriela Curnen as Detective Cortes — I found her rude dismissiveness so well wrapped up in her drive/determination, she has all the right prickles to contrast and complement Joan in the best way. That last exchange was stellar. I do think that the…