Elementary The Five Orange Pipz…..

The second episode of Elementary’s third continues the pseudo-feud between Holmes and Watson. However, unlike that real feud from season 2 between detective Bell and Sherlock over the shooting incident this one is practically over by the end of the episode. After a man named Elias Openshaw is shot to death while on the phone with Captain Gregson (who was investigating the death of Openshaw’s lawyer) Watson beats Sherlock to be the first to take up the case. However, Sherlock knows more about the case and tells her how Openshaw had been in hiding after deliberately selling toys through his company that contained poisonous plastic which had killed five children. Joan decides that Sherlock can tag along. Their first stop is questioning the FBI agent, Bowden, who was tasked with finding Openshaw. He cannot suggest anyone could be the killer apart from one of the bereaved parents. One of them is Gabe Coleman who is played by Zak Orth (Revolution). He admits no remorse that Openshaw is dead and denies involvement.

Meanwhile Sherlock has to deal with an erratic Kitty Winter who since the last episode is his new sidekick. Kitty seems particularly abrasive around suspects who aren’t cooperating and this cramps Sherlock’s style. Kitty warns him that ever since they got to New York she feels as though she is being ignored in favor of Joan. Sherlock replies that Kitty ought to be able to learn from a successful pupil of his. To Sherlock’s surprise Gabe Coleman declares himself to be the killer. Despite Sherlock’s best efforts charges are made against him. Sherlock sets up a meeting with assistant US attorney Angela White who is played by Sonya Walger (Lost, Tell Me You Love Me). She states that the case against Openshaw was going to be difficult because they had lost all the incriminating evidence. She had tried to find him by asking the help of his lawyer but she can’t show any surveillance footage because it would breach confidentiality. Thus Sherlock theory that someone followed Openshaw’s lawyer to Openshaw is rejected.

Joan on the other hand discovers that a bruise on Openshaw came from a car accident. The driver is afraid to tell what happened because Openshaw had been running away from a woman, whom the driver recognizes as Angela White. White denies any involvement and suggest that the FBI agent, Bowden, who searched for Openshaw might be involved because Openshaw’s lawyer discovered that the case’s evidence was missing. Bowden implicates White as he saw her make payments to Openshaw’s lawyer. Her motives to finding Openshaw he suggest would be to enhance her electoral profile. White counters this by releasing files suggesting she made a payment after the lawyer had been shot dead. Sherlock finally puts the case together after Kitty makes an erratic outburst about the toys that the children swallowed. He fingers agent Bowden as the killer. Bowden, as an FBI agent stole the evidence to kill the case against Openshaw. When this didn’t happen he shot both Openshaw and his lawyer to accomplish the same result. He knew that only then would the toys be destroyed. Bowden bribed a waste disposal agent to save the toys as the children died of GHB poisoning after swallowing them. Nobody had considered that the toys are actually illegal drugs.

The Five Orange Pipz concludes with a confrontation between Joan and Kitty. Joan received a file on Kitty from Sherlock which suggests that Kitty had been the victim of a very brutal crime. Joan gives the file to Kitty and states she doesn’t intend to read it, but Kitty is adamant that she does. The episode ends with Joan looking over the file in her new apartment.

Conclusion

I mentioned in a previous criticism of Elementary that it is often easy to say who the killer is without doing any deduction. 43 minutes is simply not enough to introduce many characters. However, The Five Orange Pipz manages to do better by introducing two red-herrings before the real killer is caught. I certainly enjoyed the performance of Zak Orth as the emotionally unhinged father of one of the five victims. Sonya Walger as the ruthless US attorney also played a marvelous role, and I hope she will be back as a recurring character sometime in the future.

At this time it is yet unclear where the working relationship between Sherlock and Watson is going. I though her drawing a line in the sand in the season première was clear, but this episode already does away with that rule. Kitty seems like a colorful character but I have a hard time believing she can be of use to Sherlock when she is so unhinged. Perhaps the closure she got from Sherlock saying she is not competing with Watson will mean she can find her own place on Elementary. For now it Kitty feels too much like a new season gimmick. This was Elementary The Five Orange Pipz review. I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Score; 8 / 10. An effective Elementary whodunit with plenty of guest-stars. However, Kitty Winter played by Ophelia Lovibond still seems out of touch with the feel of the show.

Source; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2191671/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt

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