Elementary - Snow Angels

On the eve of a brutal Northeast snow storm Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu) are called in to consult on what initially appears to be nothing more than a straightforward robbery and homicide. However, when Holmes discovers the thieves threw away all the brand new cell phones hours after killing a guard for them he begins to suspect the case may have more to hold his interest than he initially believed. Returning to the building, Holmes and Watson perform a more thorough investigation only to discover the thieves true robbery wasn't the phones but blueprints in an architectural firm twelve flights up.

After spending the night going through the plans, Holmes discovers the most likely target for the thieves - the New York branch of the Federal Reserve which houses the largest cash vault in the country. Realizing the thieves plan to strike during the chaos of the storm, and unable to contact the police, Holmes and Watson trek through the blizzard to East Rutherford to stop the robbery on their own (with the help of a snow plow the pair temporarily commandeer). Holmes and Watson arrive before the crime has been discovered but too late to prevent the theft of $33 million in U.S. currency.


Doing a little investigation of his own during a break from snow patrol, Detective Bell (Jon Michael Hill) is able to find the female member of the crew (Jill Flint) who was shot during the robbery. When Holmes realizes the thieves plan to launder the money through an associate at the race track Bell, Holmes, and Watson stakeout the man's home only to find themselves outfoxed once again. To prove the thieves have an inside man, or more accurately an inside woman, Holmes convinces Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and the precinct to indulge in a little improvisational theater to trap the thieves and recover the stolen money.

The mystery of the week works well, especially set against the harsh elements of the blizzard (which look pretty good in the few sequences we see Holmes and Watson braving the elements). We see Watson continuing to show progress in her deductive ability, and the episode also allows Detective Bell to make one of the case's big breaks. "Snow Angels" also introduces an entirely new take on Mrs. Hudson by casting Candis Cayne as a transgendered woman recovering from a recent break-up and an old friend of Holmes whose knowledge of languages helped him solve one or two cases in London. It's an unusual choice but it works well, and in doing so the show continues to find a way to put it's own spin on various aspects of the Holmes mythology. And, I'll admit, I also got a kick out of Pam (Becky Ann Baker) the snow plow driver, who I wouldn't mind seeing again as well.