Elementary – The One that Got Away

Although Kitty's (Ophelia Lovibond) attacker stands revealed there is little to evidence other than her word to tie the man (Stuart Townsend) to a series of kidnappings, tortures, and murders of young women in both New York and London. It doesn't help that Gruner expertly plans Watson (Lucy Liu) and the NYPD by firing his new investigator before he is questioned by the police making it appear, at least from the outside, as if the accusation is nothing but a slanderous reprisal. Returning to the themes of vengeance used in the First Season episode "M," "The One that Got Away" bring Kitty face-to-face with her abuser offering her the same opportunity that Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) ultimately walked away from.

At one point in the episode Holmes speculates over Grunner's motives to become friendly to Watson and eventually hire her in order to glean any possible information about Kitty and her knowledge of her attacker offering the unique opportunity to try and frame someone else for his crimes (as he nearly got away with last episode). The scene, along with how Gruner capitalizes on the situation by turning Watson's accusation back on the detective, puts some of my concerns over the man's decision-making to rest (although he would have likely been far better off simply ignoring Holmes, Watson, and Kitty). Holmes' quick dismissal of Kitty's assurances from last week is addressed in the episode as well although the initial scene of Holmes ignoring evidence still doesn't sit well with me.


The episode will wrap up Kitty's storyline which has grown central to the current season. I'm sad to see Lovibond leave but the circumstances of Kitty's final actions in the episode make it a necessity (at least for now). The episode also gives us several flashbacks to Holmes' time in London between Season Two and Season Three including his first meeting with Kitty, his offer to train her as a detective, and the struggle of the early days that nearly destroys the world's greatest detective.

Given his tendency to repress rather than express emotion (at least directed to anyone other than Watson) the episode offers two sequences that underline the humanity central to Miller's portrayal of the character. The first involves Holmes tracking Kitty after realizing what she has planned. Rather than attempt to stop her, the detective simply bares a small part of his soul to the woman who helped stop him from falling back into the abyss (the second scene in which we see Holmes hit rock bottom in London and nearly turn to heroin once again). Although they signal Kitty's departure these scenes are among the season's best.