Elementary 3x06 {i told you i was brave/but i lied}

[kaberett]

So so much of this show is about fear. It is so immediately and painfully relevant to me, wow.

(Yes: the police procedural elements are nonsensical and, in the case of the most recent one, racist.)
I was going to try for coherence but I failed.

• Sherlock appears to be doing plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose in terms of invasive monitoring of Kitty (cf Joan), except it really is the same thing for very different reasons
  
• Sherlock is so, so terrified of what it will do to him if Kitty is hurt, and I don't think he's even noticed that it's exactly the same as all the times he's been worried about Joan being in danger, and exactly the same as all the other times over the course of this show he's learned that there is nothing he can do that will guarantee keeping people safe
  
• of course Kitty noticed, of course she did; and but of course despite how invasive it is it is intensely reassuring to know that someone is looking out for you on this shit
  
• Sherlock's vicious and unkind sarcasm at Joan about how similar she is/n't to Kitty is kind of fascinating, because he is behaving awfully but it is completely obvious that he is doing so because he is scared out of his mind -- he is hypervigilant, he can't protect the people he loves, he is overidentifying with Kitty, he is halfway to convinced that if he can keep her safe he can keep himself safe and it will be atoning for all his other wrongs
  
• it wouldn't be very good penance if you didn't know it, would it, Watson
  
• I have been the kid who couldn't look men in the eye and couldn't stand to be in a room with them. I am still grateful to footpad for being someone who felt safe, even in the middle of that, and just -- ugh, wolf, you are great.
  
• I hate that Kitty is suddenly finding that she's got a whole bunch of shit she has to deal with that isn't anything like as sorted as she thought it was, and all of a sudden she's got to choose between desire and fear and, well, fuck, how do you escape without the horror eating you alive, basically.

Comments

[silveradept]

I'm still not entirely sure how Joan feels about being Kitty's mentor in addition to Sherlock. I got the distinct feeling she's doing it because she doesn't want Kitty to get thrown overboard by Sherlock, but also that she's not necessarily always wanting to work with Holmes so closely all the time any more.

And then 3x07 happens, and that thought seems confirmed.

But yes, Sherlock frightened out of his gourd and trying to control things.

[kaberett]

It is interesting how the dynamics have shifted - Joan in a position of responsibility over Sherlock for most of S1, Sherlock kinda sorta more attempting to be in a position of responsibility over Joan (and Marcus) in S2, and now we've got them negotiating how to have a relationship as equals, without the power dynamics they've been used to, and oh dear that boy is terrified. Like, I think Joan is entirely willing to work with the guy? I think she just also needs... him to treat her like an actual partner.

[silveradept]

I think that's right. And truthfully, I think this might be the first time in Sherlock's life where he really does have to negotiate a relationship as equals and partners, and I think you're right that Moriarty is a primary fear there, too. Much like getting sober, Sherlock is in uncharted territory here, and he can't really figure out those pesky emotional things and why they make people so erratic.