Elementary - Absconded - Review

"Absconded" features a plot "almost too deranged to be spoken out loud," according to Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller). Holmes's concern with Colony Collapse Disorder (the sudden disappearance or death of the bees in a colony), mentioned occasionally in earlier episodes, assumes  a more important role in this episode. Unfortunately, the reality of the problem (and it is a real problem) takes a back seat to an admittedly bizarre murder and kidnapping plot. A USDA inspector's death while inspecting a bee colony turns out to be murder, but the real crime--the murder is solved by the first commercial break--is in fact the elaborate kidnapping plot in which he has been involved.

Initially, the episode seems as if it will take on a megacorporation, when bioengineering company
Agrinext (which some may remember from this season's episode "Seed Money") appears to have a motive to want USDA inspector Everett Keck (Tony Crane) dead, as he is on the verge of releasing a report blaming Agrinext pesticides for Colony Collapse Disorder. Sadly, though, Agrinext is really guilty of no more than planning a smear campaign to discredit Keck, should his report be released. Such behaviour is certainly not beyond the pale of a corporation (or, to be fair, many other groups or people as well), but the effect of using the possibility of corporate malfeasance merely as the first distractor as the mystery unravels means that, once again, a serious real-world problem gets some lip service before being dumped into the background. Rather than addressing the problem of Colony Collapse Disorder and how human agency might be a real factor in its occurrence, the episode instead presents us with another iteration of individual human greed as the problem. Of course, the potentially harmful practices of megacorporations are complex and intractible problems to address, while simple human avarice is easy to understand and to condemn as criminal, making for an easy plot which has the unfortunate side effect of trivializing a genuine ecological disaster.

Even worse, arguably, the episode presents us, in Everett Keck and his accomplices, Tara and Griffin Parker (Sutton Foster and Patch Darragh), with a trio who are in fact faking Colony Collapse Disorder as part of a strategy to kidnap and ransom a Shiek who is concerned with the problem. A combination of seduction from Tara (complete with sexy texted photos, evidence of low self-esteem according to Watson (Lucy Liu)--or they might be, if they were not part of a seduction strategy) and a manufactured Colony Collapse Disorder outbreak on the eastern seaboard draw the Shiek to New York, where Tara and Griffin abduct and then ransom him.

Elementary has played with the idea before, notably in recent episodes, of people ostensibly on one side of an issue faking a crime or assault in order to achieve their own ends. I find it difficult to credit genuine entomologists engaging in the destruction of literally millions of bees, not to mention attempted murder (of the USDA investigator who was about to expose Keck's faked CCD) and a genuine kidnapping. Even more difficult to credit is them essentially getting away with it. Watson's explanation that they were merely lucky seems thin. Fortunately, in addition to being avaricious, at least two of the three are also lecherous, so Tara and Griffin are at last nailed for the attempted murder when Griffin learns that Tara was in fact having an affair with Keck, so turns on her. Once againElementary makes dishonour among thieves a key point in their downfall. It's well enough done but not particularly surprising.

I could argue, I suppose, that these repeated ideas are reflective of thematic interests, and perhaps they are. Again, the B plot invites us to relate the machinations of law enforcement with those of the criminals. Gregson (Aidan Quinn) has been offered a promotion but wants to be sure that his proposed replacement--whose current precinct suffered a scandal when several cops stole cocaine from an evidence locker--is herself a straight shooter. Watson investigates, and after a scene of deliberate (and, I would suggest, pointless) misdirection in which a handwriting expert seems to be confirming her suspicions about forged signatures on the evidence locker sign-in sheet, she informs Gregson that the proposed replacement is in fact clean. Nevertheless, Gregson opts to stick with his precinct and team--loyal to his own despite the possibility of personal gain, in contrast to the criminals. However, the Deputy Commissioner (Kevin O'Rourke) makes clear to Gregson that there is more to this proposed promotion than appears on the face of it. Some sort of behind the scenes machinations are going on--comparable to the underlying betrayals beneath the apparent harmony among the thieves. This does not represent Elementary's best example of A and B plot linkage--the plot involving a regular character facing the possibility of promotion and therefore leaving the show, only to opt finally to stay, is a particularly hoary cliche in its own right, and in this instance its link to the A plot is not particularly tight.

Overall, then, this was a decent but formulaic episode. It offers little hint of how the season might end. Presumably, some sort of machinations against Gregson would seem to be a possibility, though the teasers for next week's season finale don't suggest such a focus. If there are clues about some impending major threat, I do not see them. Many episodes this season, notably those with Kitty (Ophelia Lovibond) laid possible groundwork for some sort of climax or cliff-hanger, but I'm not seeing hints of any of these bearing fruit. Well, I guess we'll all find out next week!

How did you like this episode? Let me know in the comments below.