Elementary Recap: “The Red Team”

Elementary Recap: “The Red Team”
Original Air Date (CBS): Thursday, January 31, 2013
Season 2 Episode 13

by Solomon J. Inkwell:

I must say, though it was an excellent episode overall, The Red Team wasn’t one my favorites. Not because it lacked content or thrill, but because it was unfortunate enough to follow Episode 12: “M,” which, by far, has been my favorite episode to date. The episodes for the last two weeks have been repeats, so I was pretty excited to see a new episode being aired.

At the opening of the episode, the camera pulls back on a collage of papers and pictures on the wall above Homes’ fireplace, all pinned around a single word written, Moriarty, written on a small white piece of paper. Holmes stands there gazing at the bits and pieces on the wall, searching for clues, hunting for connection between his lost love, Irene, and the mysterious Moriarty.

Watson enters the room and manages to tear him away from his thoughts long enough to prepare himself breakfast. As Holmes begins to make scrambled eggs, the two begin conversing about various conspiracy theory websites that Holmes has been researching, a favorite idle hobby of his. He plans to continue discussions on the commentary boards throughout the day and Watson wishes him the best of luck before the two bid each other good day.

It has been a week since Watson’s decision to remain with Holmes as his sober companion at no cost, unbeknownst to Holmes (of his father). At her therapy session, Watson is trying to convince her therapist (and maybe even herself), that she is remaining with Holmes long enough for him to develop a solid foundation for full recovery, which includes correcting his recent suspension with the NYPD. Conversely, her therapist believes that Watson’s lying to Holmes will risk breaking any foundation that could be created for him. Watson’s phone beeps with a message from Holmes with an address and a request to meet him there.

Watson meets Holmes at the address, which happens to be the apartment of the conspiracy theorist Len Pontecorvo. Holmes has taken note that Pontecorvo, one of more vocal members of the conspiracy chatroom, has mysteriously vanished. After seeing several other board members express concern over Pontecorvo’s absence, Holmes has decided to pay him a visit. After some light “breaking and entering,” they find Pontecorvo hanging in his den, suspended from the ceiling by a belt, with his pants around his ankles. The police are called and Holmes begins filling in Detective Bell on the details observed. Bell takes notes, even though he points out that Holmes is presently not working on any cases due to his suspension. Holmes acknowledges the point and then stops to add that he believes the victim was murdered. He compares the larger size of the belt used in the hanging to the slimmer build of the victim. Additionally, Holmes calls out bruising of the victim’s hand noting a fracture. While gathering select evidence from the apartment for review, Holmes notices a strange rock in the aquarium home of a pet turtle. Upon closer examination, the rock is found to be a hiding place for a microphone that Holmes can only assume was used to spy on Pontecorvo.

After returning home, Holmes begins reviewing the evidence and determines that all of Pontecorvo’s files and theories are rubbish—with the exception of one—a file noted as THE RED TEAM. Obviously, with the listening device hidden in Pontecorvo’s home and the discovery of spyware on his personal laptop, Holmes assumes that someone was watching Pontecorvo rather closely. Holmes tells Watson the Red Team file contains information about a war game—strategic projects coordinated by branches of the military used to train and prep soldiers. Pontecorvo’s file talks about one particular war game that occurred in 2009. The exercise was simple enough: a sleeper cell was to be let loose in New York to be discovered. However, during the game a considerable flaw in government security was discovered, a flaw so great it could jeopardize national security. Holmes notes that it is common for the results of all war games to be published for review, and he was able to find these results with the exception of the exercise from 2009. Pontecorvo had uncovered one member of the team, who was now dead, lending to suspicion. Unfortunately, Pontecorvo’s file didn’t contain names of any others who were suspected to have participated in the event. Does this stop Holmes? Of course not! He vows to locate the remaining participants and states if they are all alive and well, then his theory can be set aside, but if the other members have met their end he can only assume a cover-up is at hand. Watson points to a head of lettuce on the table and asks how it fits into the case. Holmes tears a leaf off, opens his desk drawer, and tosses it to the pet turtle he has confiscated from Pontecorvo’s apartment and named “Clyde.” He tells Watson he intends to fatten Clyde up for soup (poor Clyde).

Watson visits Gregson, hoping to mend the rift between him and Holmes after Holmes’ vigilante actions with M. Gregson, who is obviously deeply offended by the act of private justice, refuses to budge on Holmes’ suspension, adding that he doesn’t even believe Holmes feels remorse. They are interrupted by a text message from Holmes instructing Watson to meet him at an assisted living facility in the area. Watson arrives and together with Holmes they visit Carlo Eneo, another suspected member of the Red Team. Carlo is alive, but is suffering from what has been diagnosed as sudden onset Alzheimer’s. They attempt to question Carlo, but he displays symptoms of a slight seizure, which Watson knows to be uncommon for those with Alzheimer’s. Holmes suspects the Eneo could have been poisoned by a substance called Domoic Acid, which in large enough doses can mimic the symptoms of dementia. Holmes calls Detective Bell to update him on the latest information on the Red Team theory and that he believes Eneo has been poisoned. Bell stops Holmes, saying that Pontecorvo’s murderer has already turned himself in. The murderer happens to be a fellow theorist who claims he accidentally killed Pontecorvo during an altercation related to the 1969 moon landing.

Holmes arrives at the station and begins questioning Pontecorvo’s killer, who is obviously a few sandwiches shy of a picnic, when Gregson steps into the interrogation room and asks to speak to Holmes. Naturally, Gregson is quite perturbed that Holmes is onsite during his suspension. He pays little mind to the details that Holmes attempts to convey to him and states that should he find Holmes using an interrogation room again during his suspension, he will have Holmes arrested. Holmes decides not to allow Gregson’s defiance to sway his investigation.

Holmes and Watson follow another suspected member of the conspiracy to an office building. The suspect vanishes into a secured area. To gain entry, Holmes pulls the now demolished listening device from his pocket and displays it to the camera. Soon, the door opens and they enter to be greeted by a man who says the facility is part of a “market research” company. Not buying this, Holmes tells him of the Read Team theory adding the names of the members, which is classified information. The man calmly shrugs the notion away and states if the government wanted people silenced, why would they not be dead by now? Watson and Holmes begin to leave, and as they do Holmes receives a call from Bell who confirms the poisoning of Eneo by Domoic Acid.

With the police now giving credibility to his theory, Holmes has them call together the remaining members of the Red Team. Once together, Holmes tell the group he believes there is a conspiracy underway to kill them. However, the group refuses to relay information. The group stands to leave and as they go one of the members tosses a note into the wastepaper basket instructing them to locate Army Intel Captain – Code Name Youssarian.

Later at home, Holmes is using poor Clyde as a paperweight while searching Pontecorvo’s files for a lead on Captain Youssarian when there is a knock at the door. Two agents have arrived to speak to Holmes about a Colonel Todd Clark, the man whom Holmes and Watson had spoken to earlier that day at the market research office. Clark has been murdered outside of his home earlier that day. Holmes suspects that Clark is the mysterious Captain Youssarian that he was supposed to locate. At the questioning facility, Holmes tells the agents if they want to validate his whereabouts for the time where Clark was killed, they can review his home security camera footage which proves he was at his apartment during the killing. Watson brings them the footage and Holmes leaves suspecting that Clark may have been killed by Walter McLanahan, a somewhat unstable member of the Red Team.

They visit Harold Dresden, the mild-mannered mathematician of the Red Team, in attempts to find clues to McLanahan’s whereabouts. Dresden cares for his disabled wife, who suffers from ALS. Dresden conveys that McLanahan could be capable of such acts and that all members of the group have been approached over the years by various individuals who have offered to pay them for the info they possess from the 2009 exercise. They begin to deduce that McLanahan may be killing other members of the team to drive up the price of the information. A call comes through informing them that McLanahan has been found…dead. The murderer has shot McClanahan, dragged his body into an alleyway, and covered his face, which Holmes assumes is indicative of remorse for the killing.

The police decide to move the group into a safe house situation in a local motel. A detective ushers Dresden and his wife into their room and does a final sweep of the area. He tells Dresden that the others are there as well and that they are all safe. Then out of nowhere, with a swift smack to the face with the butt of a gun, Dresden takes the detective down. I, personally, didn’t see that coming.

Dresden walks out of the room in attempts to kill another member of the team, but is caught by another officer who has arrived on the scene. It is now a police stand-off. Dresden is locked in the motel room, holding the detective hostage, saying that he will not release him until they deliver the remaining members of the Red Team. Holmes offers to speak with Dresden and after a brief conversation on the phone, Dresden agrees to allow Holmes into the room. Once inside, Dresden holds Holmes at gunpoint. He tells Holmes that he has to kill the other members of the team, and himself, to protect the secret they share. Holmes tells Dresden he has already figured this out, seeing that Dresden had arranged for the long-term care of his wife. Furthermore, Holmes relays that Dresden doesn’t have to go through with it, because Holmes has already pieced together the puzzle of the Red Team’s secret. Dresden, of course, doesn’t believe this, but Holmes tells him that not only does he know, he has written it down and told colleagues. Dresden asks Holmes to tell him what he has discovered.

Moments later, Holmes exits the motel room with Dresden. After they take Dresden into custody, Gregson asks how Holmes got him to give up. Holmes states it was easy…he simply “guessed” the secret of the Red Team rendering Dresden’s need to kill the remaining team members moot—another brilliant turn of wit that could only be managed by the great Sherlock Holmes. Before they part ways, Holmes tells Gregson they owe one another a conversation, which we assume is in regards to Holmes’ suspension.

Later that evening, Holmes meets Gregson at a local bar. After a soft, but heated, conversation, Gregson admits that Holmes is special and that he believes the police force is in need of Holmes’ talents. This, however, does not stop Gregson for resenting the need and sucker-punching Holmes in the gut. Before he takes his leave, Gregson tells Holmes that should he ever try to take the law into his own hands again, he will regret it.

At home, Watson walks into the kitchen to find Holmes sitting solemnly, eating soup. She asks if he is, by chance, eating poor Clyde. Reaching under the table, Holmes places Clyde on top showing he is alive and well. He speaks of how remarkable he actually finds turtles, and how Clyde will be around long after he and Watson are no more. What is next? I, for one, am anxious to find out!

Overall, it was a great episode. I do regret that we didn’t get to find out the big secret. Although, some secrets are best left uncovered, I suppose. I am excited that another new episode of Elementary takes place following Sunday’s Super Bowl event! To air the episode on such a big night must mean something is definitely afoot…

You can view the episode, via CBS, here.

DarkMedia contributor Solomon J. Inkwell (James Grea) is a screenwriter and author of juvenile horror. He is the author of Vickie Van Helsing and Haunting Thelma Thimblewhistle from the Dead Anna series.  His forthcoming works include The Frighteneers and the screenplay The Winter Files. You can find out more about Solomon and his not-so-dead friends here.