Previously on Elementary: The Marchioness.

I’m upset, dear reader. Just last week, I told you how much I liked Mycroft, as played by Rhys Ifans, very much. Now, however, it looks as though I must reconsider that opinion.

The weasel! The cur! The rotten bastard!

Well, that might be a little too strong — as it stands, we do not yet know who Mycroft is conferring with. It’s not Mr Holmes, Sr., as is plain enough. It is someone with a UK phone number (+44) — could it be Moriarty, pulling strings from within Newgate? I mean, we all knew she wouldn’t just get comfortable in jail and kick back. Or is it someone we have not yet met at all? And if so, is it someone who wishes Sherlock harm, or someone who wishes to protect him?

So, as much as this episode has upset me, it has made me very happy in another matter:

After some (rightful) prompting from Mycroft, Sherlock realises that he is not making autonomous decisions at the moment — he’s got his partner to consider. Joan is caught off guard by the revelation, but she’s firm in her response. In that respect, nothing has changed since Season 1: Sherlock is and remains her #1 priority. Specifically speaking, his recovery. I can’t say whether Joan might have agreed to relocate to London with Sherlock, but as it is her endorsement to stay in NYC is based on what’s most important to Sherlock’s recovery. A crucial part of that is having a functioning support system that he acknowledges and is willing to ask for help when he needs it, and to maintain his independence as well as they can. Another huge part of it is her decision to stay with him, no matter what might rain down on them. They can find another place to live, they can start taking different cases that actually pay, they can do this. Together, they can do anything.

Of course, as it turns out, it was a gambit — Sherlock’s father won’t do anything that would endanger Sherlock and Joan’s living/professional/financial situation, but it still served to openly express the friendship and family dynamic that has been growing around our four leads during the past year.

Aside from that, I really enjoyed the case: ’twas a well-spun tale that twisted and turned in the right places. And, again, the confrontation scene between the team and Mrs Gale was a beautiful reiteration of Sherlock’s point earlier in the episode: he’s thrived in New York, and one major reason for that isn’t, “who [he’s] become, but who [he’s] come to know.” These three people have saved him.

Next: On the Line.

P.S.: An afterthought — the title also serves to beautifully illustrate this. The original saying — before it was turned into the opposite meaning — was that, literally, “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” Meaning that a friendship that you have forged yourself can mean more and can be stronger than the ties you simply inherited by way of being born into a family. The same is true for Sherlock — the family he has found for himself has his interest at heart. His brother in blood, however, may not.