Ep 22. Moving Targets

Possible episode description:

In "Moving Targets," the penultimate episode of Elementary's fifth season, Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson face multiple challenges while trying to prevent a deadly attack in New York City.

The episode begins with Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) visiting his father Morland (John Noble) in prison, where they discuss the impending threat from Odin Reichenbach (James Frain), who has ordered a hit on both of them. Morland urges Sherlock to stay alert and suggests some possible leads on Reichenbach's accomplices. He also reveals that he has decided to help Sherlock financially and legally, even after he serves his sentence, as a form of penance for his past mistakes and to secure their family legacy.

Meanwhile, Joan (Lucy Liu) receives a visit from her stepfather Zhang (Nelson Lee), who asks her for a favor: to help his friend Nicholas (Martin Donovan), a retired detective who has been framed for stealing confidential files from his former boss at a private security firm. Joan agrees to look into the case and soon finds some suspicious clues that hint at a larger conspiracy involving the firm and its clients.

As Sherlock and Joan work on their separate missions, they intersect with an unexpected series of events that test their ingenuity, trust, and resilience. Without revealing too much, the episode involves several intriguing elements, such as:

- A mysterious weapon that can immobilize people without causing harm, but also leaves no trace of its origin or purpose. This weapon becomes the centerpiece of the episode's title and plot, as both Sherlock and Joan try to track down its source and prevent it from being used to kill innocent targets. - A volatile ally of Sherlock's who threatens to tip off Reichenbach about his whereabouts unless he helps her with a personal problem. This ally, Kitty Winter (Ophelia Lovibond), is a former protege of Sherlock's who has returned to New York after facing her own demons abroad. Her recklessness and impulsiveness challenge Sherlock's patience and loyalty, but also reveal his emotional attachment to her as a surrogate daughter. - A risky gamble by Joan to expose the truth behind the security breach and save Nicholas from prison. This gamble involves Joan impersonating a high-profile client of the security firm and trying to outsmart the actual thief who stole the files. The twist and turns of the plot keep the audience guessing until the end of the episode, whether Joan's plan succeeds or backfires.

Overall, "Moving Targets" is a satisfying and suspenseful episode that showcases the strengths and weaknesses of the main characters, as well as the intricacies of the ongoing storyline that ties the season together. It sets up the finale by adding some cliffhangers and unresolved issues, but also provides some closure and development for the characters' relationships and motivations.