Elementary Draws To A Close In Scintillating Fashion

The Grand Experiment was always going to struggle to match the intensity of Paint It Black or the shocks of Art In The Blood, and despite the fact that it did fail to equal its predecessors in these regards it was none-the-less a satisfying conclusion to the show's four-episode long finale, as it tied together the recent trials and tribulations of the Holmes boys with aplomb, while setting up next season perfectly.

It's easy to see just why Rhys Ifans was cast alongside Jonny Lee Miller as Mycroft, the brother to the latter's Sherlock. The duo anchored the episode with revelatory performances that remained subtle and withheld but still packed an almighty emotional punch when needed.

This was clearly evident when Mycroft revealed to Sherlock that he had faked his own death in order to save his brother and Watson, which was followed by his younger kin's cruel and insulting response that was only cut off by a warm Ifans hug and his sweet declaration of "I love you."

Sherlock, as you'd expect, kept a stiff upper lip throughout the embrace, but his immediate reaction, which saw race over to MI6 and accept a job with the organization, suggests that his plan going forward is to now eliminate Le Milieu and to give Mycroft his life back.

Of course Sherlock still owes his brother a favour, which he made him aware of during another of the episode's best scenes. Miller, wrought with emotion and intensity, was pitch perfect as Sherlock slightly thanked Mycroft for returning to MI6 in order to prevent him from going to jail. Miller proved that he is, arguably, currently the greatest lead actor in American network drama as he somehow managed to convey love, embarrassment and anger throughout his declaration. It truly was stellar.

If the show's writer are sane, Ifans will return to 'Elementary' further down the line. Not only has he bounced off Miller with glee during his brief dalliance on the show this season, but he's also been about the only good thing to happen to Joan, as both a character and in 'Elementary's ' world, for quite some time too.

But things are looking up for Watson, as not only are her plans to move out of the brownstone almost complete, but she was more compelling and intriguing in the episode than she has been for several weeks. Her discussion with Sherrington, which was nerve-racking right up until she revealed a group of internet pals had gathered to oversee her survival, as well as her proclamation that she needed to pull out of Sherlock's orbit in order to grow, helped to restore faith that the show does not how to utilise both her and Lucy Liu's talents.

The latter even proved that moving away from her current living situation will benefit both her and 'Elementary', as she will now be allowed to grow and develop into a fully rounded character, rather than simply being Sherlock's lackey.

Not everything was perfect with The Grand Experiment though. Each foe was almost pathetically clichéd, and Sherrington perished just as his villainy became engrossing, while you couldn't help but feel a tad underwhelmed as it cut to black, especially in comparison to last year's Moriarty conclusion.

But it remained entertaining up until the very end, and despite the fact that its second outing was uneven and failed to truly build on its stellar start, plans are clearly already afoot to try and right these wrongs for next season.

'Elementary', like Sherlock and Joan's working relationship, has, after all, been a grand experiment, and while it's not always gone accordingly it still has all the raw ingredients to evolve into something truly spectacular.

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