nysmbs

Pilots tend to be underrated on IMDB - probably because they're the episode people are most likely to drop a show after no matter what the show is.

You wouldn't know it from the score, but Elementary's pilot is significantly better than its second and third episodes. It sets up an expertly balanced dynamic between Holmes and Watson, gives us an interesting case, and knocks out of the park the "fair play" aspect of golden detective fiction. Character work is tightly written - we know enough about Holmes and Watson to care but it's not drowning out the puzzle we came to watch. Invaluable for a work like this. We are able to care about our characters simply by a few quick lines that have us interested to see how their dynamic will continue as the show goes on. This is successfully a show about mysteries and the thrill of solving them; in that sense it feels one of the best modern adaptations to the spirit of the original ACD stories.

I'm a firm believer that heavy subject matter merits a higher level of care and consideration. The first two episodes of Elementary understood themselves to be cozy mysteries and nailed that tone very well. This episode on the other hands deals with abusive adult/child relationships and, as you might expect/fear, sensationalizes them. The thing is, it can be quite fun to have a detective series that almost feels cartoonish, but not if you're talking about things like this. In addition, compared to episodes I found Watson in this episode to be frustratingly passive, Holmes to rely more on luck than wit, and the detectives to feel like window dressing. The legal drama aspect was dull.