CBS's Elementary has had an exemplary third season. The crime procedural kicked off more than a month after the start of the 2014/2015 fall television season, but will finish in line with the rest of CBS's lineup this coming Thursday.
The season's finale is titled "A Controlled Descent", and is written by series creator Robert Doherty with John Polson in the director's chair. It's a captivating hour that will change the course of the series heading into the fourth season which was given the green light a day ago.
Unusually, the episode kicks off with a flashback sequence, with some clips originating from the freshman season. It sets the scene for the hour, which, as the press release describes, centers around the disappearance of car thief and sponsor Alfredo Llamosa, played by Ato Essandoh. It probably won't come as a surprise for you to learn that a car theft kicks the case off.
First seen in the 16th episode of the season, "For All You Know", Oscar Rankin, played by Michael Weston, returns. Without giving too much away, Weston has a part to play in the disappearance of Alfredo. Weston and Holmes did not part ways on the best of terms when they last interacted, so it's safe to say that things are much the same this time around also.
Holmes operates with a large degree of autonomy in this hour, but that predicament is not his own making. Nevertheless, Watson, Captain Gregson and Detective Bell are backing him every step of the way.
As with any season finale, there are often more questions than answers, and Elementary's finale is no different. The term "happy ending" is subject to interpretation, but either way, the episode paves the way for a new line of storytelling and character development heading into the new season, in which we may see the man known as Holmes's father for the very first time.
The episode employs some excellent filming locations, set design and camera work, along with the usual superb performance by lead actor Jonny Lee Miller and beautiful script from creator Robert Doherty. Keaton Henson's "Beekeeper" closes the episode in the audio department, though no bees are present. In all, this episode is a game-changer in more ways than one, but is a satisfying and intriguing way to wrap the series' third season, and a must-watch among the barrage of season finales that rain down every May.
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Elementary's Season 3 finale, "A Controlled Descent", airs Thursday, May 14, 10|9c, on CBS.
