Elementary Review: Fit to be Tied (Season 6 Episode 20)

Michael’s return makes for life and death drama both expected and unexpected on Elementary Season 6, Episode 20, “Fit to be Tied.”

However long he’s been lurking in the shadows, Sherlock’s friend-turned-enemy, Michael, is best known as a serial killer. Of course his return means more dead bodies. But we might not realize one of them will be his own.

I’ve been fully anticipating the climax of the season to involve a high-stakes pursuit of Michael ending in the finale. Instead, things come crashing to a halt an episode before the season ends. And I do mean “crashing”.

Before we address all that, though, let’s look at what we see of Michael in what wind being the last days of his sinister life.

In the first twist of the episode, the body found at Sherlock’s favored meeting location—the woman seemingly killed to target him specifically—is not a victim of Michael’s at all.

It is an interesting twist that adds complexity to the case, but it feels like a twist done for a twist’s sake. The killer being a judge certainly works for that, but a copycat would do more for Michael’s status as a threat.

Still, he manages to make that status clear. From the confrontations he has with Sherlock to his final play, he’s clearly a dangerous man. He also has great influence over others.

That Michael’s friend refuses to believe the truth for so long is frustrating. It also offers a window into why his story is so complex and how he was even able to hoodwink Sherlock Holmes.

Then the friend, facing the fact that his own husband was among the man’s victims, does accept the facts. And his following death is obvious from a mile away. Shame the actual detectives don’t anticipate it.

Frustrations aside—and I’ll talk about my biggest one in a moment—this episode still works because of the interactions Sherlock and Joan themselves have with Michael. We never doubt how personal this is for them.

Sherlock’s interactions, heightened by him blaming himself for a woman’s murder, are especially tense. Yet everything truly boils over not with him, but with Joan.

So here’s the thing. Joan comes out on top when Michael attacks her, but she’s decidedly worse for wear. She’s bashed across the head and has two fractured ribs.

Because of this, the final and most shocking twist of the episode requires a huge suspension of disbelief. When we see Joan hours before, she can barely move, but seasoned cops immediate peg her for beating a man to death?

It is true that she gets back on her feet quickly. Even for her, though, this is a stretch. I’m going to require a good explanation to make this assumption work, even if we can (almost) certainly assume it’s false.

I’ll withhold judgement until the finale airs. As long as we’re provided a good explanation for how a seriously injured Joan could be seen as a killer, I’ll accept it as more than shock value. Give us that good explanation, okay?

 

Other Thoughts

• So that guy singing “Private Eyes” to Joan in the middle of the police station is actually kind of brilliant, yes?
• I think I’d be more on board with the whole “killer judge” thing if it could be explored more. Such a case would make a good episode itself.
• Speaking of which, these cases at the start of the episode are often more interesting than the main ones. Why can’t we talk more about multiple killings hidden by a plane crash?

 

What did you think of this episode of Elementary? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Elementary airs Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.

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