Elementary Review: Command: Delete (Season 7 Episode 6)
On Elementary Season 7 Episode 6 “Command: Delete,” I have Thoughts about Odin Reichenbach, and they are not good.
Our adventures in this episode pick up right where they left off—right in the middle of same conversation, in fact. Odin Reichenbach certainly is one shady character, and I’m not at all eager to see Sherlock and Joan involved in his business
That business is killing people, with the motivation that they will soon commit crimes with mass casualties. Reichenbach pulls off a moving story about his guilt over missing the signs of a young man about to commit a school shooting, but his sympathy ends there.
It would be hard to get on board with this under any circumstances, but the moment he really loses me is the one where he refers to a suicidal woman as a “rabid dog.” Quite the reasoned vigilante, this one.
Yes, the woman has threatened to drive her school bus off a cliff with children on board. It’s a horrifying claim, and she may well be removed from her job and even taken into custody over it. Yet killing her seems indefensible.
Sherlock certainly appears to understand this at first, pointing out causes behind such severe, even malicious, depression. Still, I wish we’d state what should be an obvious fact: someone this clearly damaged needs immediate help, not an execution.
I’m very wary of Sherlock working with someone of this mindset regardless of how much he dislikes it. Odin is at best a man whose good intentions have been warped into something deadly, and at worst someone who is just finding excuses to kill.
All in all, finding out that he’s secretly working with yet another person threatening our heroes is about the least shocking twist ever—though I am still nervous about where that will lead.
Perhaps Sherlock also has secrets of his own and plans to work against Reichenbach. At least for the moment, partnering with him to do checks on the people he plans to take out still feels like a very dubious choice.
The cases of the week continue as ever, and I do appreciate this one both for getting Marcus a little more involved and for casting an actual sympathetic light on a soldier with PTSD.
Eventually, the story goes off on a tangent and I find myself losing interest in it, but I appreciate Davis being a relatable character. Isn’t it refreshing to see someone who doesn’t want to use their trauma as reason to kill?
Moments of levity are more important than ever as our character get themselves deeper into whatever this mess is. I especially love Sherlock taking a nail gun to every electronic item owned by himself and Joan.
Regardless of their privacy being summarily protected, though, we are continuing to pile person after person onto this loosely connected web of threatening parties. Now, all friends, family, and acquaintances could be in danger too.
As we approach the final few episodes, this looming threat is going to have to start paying off. I’m looking forward to some epic takedowns, but the shadow of the name “Reichenbach” sill looms large.
What did you think of this episode of Elementary? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Elementary airs Thursdays at 10/9c on CBS.
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Caitlin Wyneken
Caitlin is an elder millennial with an only slightly unhealthy dedication to a random selection of TV shows, from PBS Masterpiece dramas to some of the less popular series on popular networks. Outside of screen time, she's dedicated to the public sector and worthy nonprofits, working to make a difference in the world outside of media.