Episode: "The Latest Model"
Directed by: Ron Fortunato
Written by: Robert Hewitt Wolfe
Air date: July 25, 2019
This week Odin Reichenbach returns to keep his word and presents Joan and Sherlock with a case. It's another "80% chance of murder" scenario that Holmes pointed out to the billionaire a few episodes ago. The case represents a final chance to see if the three of them could work together in any way. An opportunity for Holmes to change Odin's mind or at least his methods. Unfortunately, it went down pretty much exactly in a way that I expected it to. Wesley Conrad is introduced as a desperate man who did everything in his power to go through the legal channels and seek justice against someone who stole his life's work and made a significant profit out of it. He's almost given up, he bought a gun and researched the building which his rival would be attending during his brief visit in New York. It's clear that he has at least considered taking an action against the man who ruined him and possibly against the innocent bystanders along the way. Sherlock's approach makes sense. He meets with Wesley and offers him a way out, an opportunity to take a stand with a much better legal representation without a need to pay anything until he wins. Despite his many losses Conrad appears to be interested in this offer and contacts the people recommended by Sherlock.
Sadly it's not enough, the support or taking the gun from his house. We never see what triggered him in the end. Maybe he was beyond saving or maybe he saw these events as another conspiracy against him and couldn't take it anymore. What we do know is that Wesley Conrad did the unthinkable. He murdered his parents and took his own life right after. Most likely the data taken into consideration by both Odin and Sherlock were incomplete. There might have been a conflict with his family that they've never looked into or something completely different played a significant role in this tragic event. Regardless, while Holmes and Watson deeply regret not being able to help and want to consider what went wrong, Reichenbach refuses to listen. He has already made up his mind. He parts ways with the detective duo on rather terrible terms, which also makes his earlier statement about having friends in every possible agency so much more ominous. It really does feel like Sherlock and Joan have run out of options to stop Odin. At least from the legal point of view...
The second plot of the hour is focused on the murder investigation of a model named Kamile Volodka. It is initially believed to be connected to the case from almost 20 years ago, but it turns out to only have the crime scene in common. There's a lot of interesting little details that we learn during the episode, about the lives of less known models who travel around the world, earn very little money and are forced into less than normal living conditions. Not to mention the danger of falling into the drug addiction. It's a truly sad reality to consider but it's not what killed Kamile in the end. More than anything she wanted to learn what happened to her older sister Regina. They haven't been in contact for a while, mainly due to Regina's addiction, but the news of her suspicious death left Kamile struggling to understand what happened. Her death and the death of the private investigator she hired turn out to be nothing more than attempts to cover up the first murder, Regina's. The terrible truth is that someone she trusted, a woman working for a charity meant to help people get off drugs, used pregnant Regina to arrange a private adoption and didn't hesitate to kill Regina when she changed her mind about giving up the baby. A cruelty and greed that I wish I never knew were possible.
Final thoughts about the episode... I'm glad we're seeing the progress in the season arc. I hope that Captain Gregson and Marcus will learn about the Odin situation soon. All their scenes during the hour felt really disconnected, almost forced at times. Of course there's a good reason why they wouldn't be involved but I think it might be time to bring them in. Especially since things took a turn for the worse. I'm certainly interested to see what's going to be everyone's next move. I imagine that Sherlock and Joan will be forced to contact his father, but what about Odin? How far will he go to stop their efforts to end his operation? He had no problem with sentencing many other people to death. What's stopping him from going after Sherlock and Joan now?
1. Sherlock: "You're referring to old data. I'm bringing you new data. Would you consider it?"
2. Odin: "If that's a look of admonishment, look in the mirror."
3. Odin: "S.I.S. won't be helping you. Neither will Mossad, nor Interpol, nor any other global law enforcement or intelligence agency you might draw upon. Though many of them hold the two of you in high esteem, they value my friendship even more."
4. Sherlock: "Not everyone who gets angry commits a murder. Not everyone who buys a gun commits a murder, even though it might feel like it sometimes."
What did you think about "The Latest Model"? Any favorite scenes or quotes? Feel free to let us know in the comments. As always, thanks for reading!
