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nellie-elizabeth · 7 years

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Elementary: Over a Barrel (5x13)

A great episode of Elementary in many respects, although I do have some problems with it.

Cons:

Joan spends this episode as a hostage, trapped in a diner with twenty other people. The man holding a gun on them is a grieving father who has been trying to get Sherlock and Joan's help on finding the man who assaulted his son five years ago. Great concept, but there was very little exploration as to how our leads felt about the situation.

I praise this show for not going too melodramatic. Most of the time, the character beats between Sherlock and Joan are so small and subtle and just perfect in every way... but I'll admit that I would like to see something a bit more concrete sometimes. Joan has been kidnapped before, after all, and there's no mention of that here. Sherlock seems intensely focused on solving the case, sure, but we don't see a lot in the way of worry for Joan's life. When Joan is released from her hostage situation, she gets comforted by Gregson, but we don't so much as see Sherlock check in on her. I don't need big panicked declarations or total meltdowns, but some acknowledgement that this is a traumatic situation might have been nice.

This episode focused on Sherlock and Joan failing to come through for someone in a big way. Our "bad guy" of the hour really doesn't want to hurt anybody, and in the end he doesn't. We're told pretty explicitly that he was driven to this situation because nobody would help him find his son's assaulter and, in this man's mind, murderer. His son died less than a year later, his life having spiraled into drug addiction after his attack. I was really excited to see all that play out, and the moment when we realize Sherlock has missed the deadline for the statute of limitations was really intense and unexpected. But then we get an eleventh hour save, where we learn that thanks to a legal concept called "tolling," the statute of limitations had one more day. Sherlock and the others are able to arrest the bad guy.

I don't know... wouldn't this episode have been infinitely more complicated and meaningful if we hadn't ended it with a victory? This was almost a stellar and dark episode of Elementary, but at the last second it's like they couldn't go through with it, and needed to tie it up with a little bow. It's too bad.

Pros:

But the ending didn't totally ruin it for me, as the episode still ends on a downer. Our would-be shooter is taken away in cuffs, and we know through Joan that he's got skin cancer and might not be long for this world. He's also devastated by his son's death, and we don't get to see him get the closure he so badly wants, even if our protagonists do get that closure.

The episode began very cleverly, with this poor man going to Sherlock and Joan several times asking for help. They're always busy with something else, though, and each little snippet was a reminder of a previous case they've solved. It was clever to use existing episode stories instead of just making up cases, because it made Joan and Sherlock's mistake feel more realistic. We saw those other cases play out. We know why they were busy, and why they didn't have time to take on something else. And yet still, when it comes down to it, never giving this guy the time of day proved to be a big mistake. Sherlock hammers it in pretty brutally when he says: "I can only apply my talents where they are most needed." This episode proves that Sherlock, when properly motivated, can find the man responsible for such a heinous crime. The only reason he took so long is that he couldn't be bothered to try earlier.

The best acting in this episode came from Lucy Liu, in the final scene where Joan is trying to talk down the man with the gun from killing the cop who screwed up his son's case five years ago. She knows a sniper is outside waiting to kill him, and instead of getting him to move back, she tells him that if he does, he'll be killed. She saves his life, all while tearfully asking him to realize that killing somebody isn't going to make him feel any better. When the man says "you saved my life," it's a truly chilling moment, because you're actually not sure if he's grateful or furious. Earlier, he had talked about how much he wanted to die, and was hoping his skin cancer would kill him. You almost wonder if Watson really did him a favor in saving him, and you wonder if he's thinking the same thing.

Comedy moments were few and far between in this episode, and they would have felt out of place in any case. But I did love the moment when Sherlock is looking through all this classified information, and Bell asks him where he got it. Sherlock replies that it's an agent from the NSA and then says "shhhh." That made me chuckle.

I mentioned above that I would have loved some more attention to the Sherlock/Watson dynamic here, especially since the setup was so rife with drama. But I also mentioned above that this show is so good at its subtle portrayal of these characters. For example, when the instigator of this whole mess tells Sherlock that he has to solve the case, and that he'll be keeping Joan as a hostage, Sherlock immediately says that he needs Joan with him, since they're partners. Sherlock is able to call in to update them on the case at various points, and when the last call comes in after midnight, Sherlock's first words are "you're unharmed?"

And then there's the ending - Sherlock went to Everyone to help him find the information he needed to arrest the assaulter. Of course, this means he needs to be punished creatively. Sherlock has to sit in front of a webcam while Joan shaves his head. Joan asks why she has to be the one to do it, and Sherlock's response is: "partners in everything, I suppose." It's such a beautiful line. It could be an affirmation of their bond, or it could be foreshadowing some sort of schism to come. This simple moment of Joan shaving Sherlock's head was actually quite beautiful. It conveyed domesticity. It conveyed trust. It conveyed total understanding. I was really pleased with it.

So... there you have it. I wish this episode could have pushed things a little further. Just because Sherlock finds the bad guy doesn't mean justice will always be done. And Joan being held hostage probably should have been a little more dramatic than it was. But all that said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this one.

8/10

#review #elementary #elementary review

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weditchthemap · 5 years

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Scientists Search Externally While Yogis Search Internally for Meaning, Truth, & Purpose

A Scientist (Western Trained Mind) Searches Externally for Meaning, Truth, & Purpose

Searching for Meaning Externally is Fundamentally Flawed and Destroying the Country

Many years of travel has taught me more about life and what really matters than my entire education from pre-school up through and including engineering graduate school. The western world, largely led by the US, devotes its energies on searching for answers through the only method our culture values, through the use of external lenses. Through the use of logic and reason scientists set out to explain (or try to) the world in which we live. Some may argue and say that we also study neurotransmitters and stress reduction techniques in the office, which counts as an inward look. Do not be confused—these are still very much external reductionist explanations for our infinitely unknowable world.

Our constant external search for truth and meaning is not bad in and of itself. However this single-mindedness has led without the tools to search inwards for these same things (e.g. truth and meaning). We unconsciously refute lifestyles and claims that draw upon inward looking tools—we do so as a self-preservation defense mechanism against the great unknown as these ideas do not rely on science. America’s credo may as well be “If it cannot be measured it doesn’t matter!” This may sound trivial but it has had profound effects on our society. We have shunned inward “unmeasurable” realities in favor of constantly pursuing material truths. This has bled over from pure scientific inquiry into our everyday lives and I believe it is a primary source of our country’s depression, stress, suicide, obesity, gun violence, racism, and so many other issues that plague our nation. Are we spending our time measuring or mattering?

We Have Created a Society Where Money is on Top of Our Value System

Money has become the ultimate external goalpost and all lenses are focused on the almighty greenback. When we aren’t sprinting for the end zone we distract ourselves watching mindless TV, playing stupid games, and using social media so that we do not have to actually confront who we are on the inside—because most of us in America are completely empty when you scratch away at our curated façade. Cultures that value looking within to develop “inner peace” (or what some call spirituality) do not suffer from the massive amounts of depression, suicide, gun violence, mass shootings, violent crimes, etc.

We are so detached with what actually matters that many of us take a personal interest in the lives of others simply because they have money (e.g. CEO ‘A’, basketball star ‘B’, movie actress ‘C’, etc.). We idolize athletes and celebrities—Not only is it trivial but I think it demonstrates a real deficit in our current culture. A young child can throw a ball into a hoop and perform in an elementary rendition of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” but for some reason we think that people that do these thing well are worthy of praise and idolization? I’m really good at playing roller-coaster with my 3-year old niece, where are my endorsements? I understand that people enjoy various types of pastimes and that is all good and fine. As a side note: It wasn’t until very recently that athletes and actors were paid more than a lower-middle class wage. Our incessant search for all things external has led us to live a sheepish life where we value distracting entertainment above all else. Thus the money has flowed into these areas. Don’t even get me started on how individuals can make millions of dollars playing video games on YouTube.

Money Has Become Our Primary Motivator, Leaving Us Empty Inside

The people that actually matter (and I mean people trying to make the world a better place) go largely unnoticed. How many people have ever heard of Sophie Scholl, Thich Nhat Hanh, Liu Xiaobo, or W.E.B. Du Bois? Athletes and celebrities are measured in RBIs, # of Golden Globes, along with their ridiculous annual salaries. Americans actually spend their time consuming media about how these people spend their money, what diets they use, where they vacation, what they wear, and so on.

Now you can chastise me and say, “Scott, it’s a free country and we are lucky enough that people can choose how they want to spend their money”. I would counter that argument with, “Sure, and they can choose to spend it on the metal detectors at their children’s schools, pharmaceutical drugs keeping them alive, depression clinics, paying off their college debt, all while enjoying their measly 2 weeks of vacation a year”.

Consumption and Buying Brings Us Fleeting Pleasure But Happiness Comes from Within

I have worked with pharmaceutical executives with Harvard MBAs that earn a quarter million dollars a year—before their annual bonus. At the same time I have taught reading to inner city adults who have only a kindergarten reading level and who have never held a job. Would you believe me if I told you that the executives were more miserable than our adult learners? What if I told you they were more miserable than the people of Turkey, Myanmar, or Laos who earn in one year what these executives earn in a handful of hours? Well they are both true. It’s not that money is evil, it’s that if that is your aim in life you will miss EVERYTHING that actually matters!

For thousands of years we have known that happiness and purpose are found in helping others and being part of a community but we continue to ignore the wisdom of our elders—both living and long deceased—in favor of our trivial external pursuits of pleasure.

Ask any mother who has given up a career to be a full-time mother and she’ll tell you that what really matters cannot be measured.

Pleasure vs Happiness

Let’s be clear, pleasure and happiness are not the same thing. Status, 2-Car Garage, Tesla, Omega, Apple, All-Inclusive, Business-Class, Shopping-Spree, Birthday Cake, Samsung—These are external things that bring people pleasure. None of them have ever brought a person happiness. People who constantly seek pleasure will never be happy—not only are they looking for the wrong thing but they are also using the wrong tools. External pursuits bring one pleasure, which is impermanent, never satisfying you long-term.

America’s Propaganda Machine is Easily the Worst in the Developed World

Our culture routinely demonizes and punishes people who do not drink the proverbial “American Kool-Aid”. If one does not value the acquisition of wealth then that person will most likely go down in history as an Anti-American threat. Despite the constitution’s right to free speech our country punished countless individuals who just had a different value system. One period that comes to mind was during the 1940s and 50s—during McCarthyism several states passed laws enacting life imprisonment and the death penalty as punishments against individuals who didn’t agree that the acquisition of wealth was the most important thing in life. People spending their manicured lives looking outwards render their inner state devoid of any real substance, thus leaving their fragile psyche vulnerable to fear what they do not understand. McCarthyism was a prime example of just that. Pure fear because deep down, under their shell of external pursuits, they were uneasy, scared, and deeply empty.

The Hippie Counterculture movement of the 60s comprised of a community of individuals that valued peace, love, and equality above all else. Propaganda has led to portrayals of hippies having being lazy, unemployed, unwashed commies with long hair. Many hippies were in fact successful business owners, teachers, pilots, surgeons, chefs, nurses, and engineers. Remember history is always written by the ‘winners’. A culture that values money over inner-peace has trivialized an entire and deeply profound movement into a negative and fundamentally inaccurate stereotype.

In America Having Money is More Important Than How It Is Earned

It’s important to note that in America making money is what’s important, how you earned it is inconsequential. Thus we have created a society valuing professional basketball players more than underpaid health aides. We have a country where bright minds are encouraged to go into fields such as technology and finance while being deterred from paths leading to teaching social/public work. We have a culture where our youth idolizes uneducated thugs rapping about cars, sex, parties, and money. Our culture is very good at looking at the end game, but at what expense? We have no idea how to live in the now! This is why we kill people, have depression, ADHD, suicide, violence, etc…it’s because in real life the end game NEVER COMES. The only time we are able to live is NOW! But hey, who wants to hear about an educated performer singing about working hard, helping others, and enjoying a simple weekend helping inner-city at-risk youths learn to garden? Fuck that, Americans want cars, money, fame, mansions—because they think that is happiness. When will they learn happiness comes from how you live and not what you have/get. It makes me sad.

A Yogi (Eastern Trained Mind) Searches Internally for Truth/Purpose

“Happiness is like peeing in your pants. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel the warmth.”

How to Find Happiness (Stop Looking Outwards)

Science is a great tool but it is just that, a tool. It can answer very discrete and specific questions, but when one takes a purely scientific mind it forces that person to lay down so many other useful tools. A scientist is too busy trying to define emotions through quantifying neurotransmitters, various bioactivity, external stressors, etc. to develop internal searching tools.

I won’t go into depth on what searching internally means and what happiness is because honestly most people reading this are too fragile and unwilling to accept what I have say. Also, once one realizes that searching within is where one truly find contentment your journey will become fully your own. I will leave you with a few things to contemplate however.

Slow down, focus on your breath, help others, stop caring about what others value, and focus on how you feel about yourself. Stop trying to change the world (because you are probably fucking it up for someone else)—focus on trying to leave the planet no worse than when you entered it. Stop letting other people’s opinions influence your values. Question each of your values often and ask yourself “does this idea/practice make me a better person?” Lose the idea that money or education actually make you a better person—they will increase opportunities in life however. Your body is your vehicle on this ride we call life, treat it well and make it last. Be proud of the work you do. Do not idolize anybody—you should listen to their ideas and internalize the ones that speak to you. However you must test everything out yourself—though make sure you have the critical reasoning skills to do so (a nod to science). Beliefs are as steadfast and illogical as religion. Ideas on the other hand are like rivers—they won’t simply change direction but over time they can carve out new paths leading you in different directions.

Karma is Real!

Karma has been used by the west to mean all types of things, most of them being outright wrong. Karma simply means “action, work or dead” in a spiritual sense it can also represent the “principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect)”. I will give you examples of Karma in action:

In the two examples below two people, Sylvie and DonnieT, had almost the same day but live vastly different lives. See their Karma at work!

A person, we will call her Sylvie, walks into a store and greets the clerk, assists an elderly shopper, and then buys a loaf of bread for a homeless person on the way out. She spends her free time working with sick animals and helping inner city adults learn to read. She always asks about other’s feelings and truly cares about people. Walking back from the store she finds a parking ticket on her car.

Sylvie has been calm and breathing slowly while engaging with the people around her all day. Her stress hormones are low and she feels a sense of belonging in the world. She finds joy in helping to reduce the suffering of those around her but knows her limits—she is only one person. She is happy with what she has and grateful for her friendships and community. She responds to the parking ticket by being frustrated but understands that she was at fault. She realizes the ticketing officer was just doing their job and she will try not to repeat the mistake again. She gets back in the car and tunes the radio to NPR as she looks forward to peaceful session of yoga this evening.

A person, we will call him DonnieT, walks into a store listening to his headphones while ignoring the clerk, he avoids the elderly shopper completely, and reprimands a homeless person on the way out. He spends his free time playing golf at his exclusive resort and eating at expensive restaurants. He never asks about other’s feelings and only cares about himself. Walking back from the store he finds a parking ticket on his car.

DonnieT has been stressed and breathing shallowly and rapidly throughout the day. He has been avoiding all but essential people. His stress hormones are high and he feels a sense of superiority in the world, though always a bit on edge. He finds pleasure in indulging in luxury and ignores the suffering of those around him and fantasizes about having more power and money. He covets what he does not have and finds little value for friendships and community. He responds to the parking ticket by calling the ticketing officer a “f**king idiot” and he refuses to accept any fault in the matter. He finds relief in that the officer is probably less educated and makes less money and DonnieT justifies this is why the officer wrote the ticket. He completely dismisses all responsibility and feels the law doesn’t apply because he doesn’t agree with the law. He gets back in the car and angrily dials his lawyer ready to fight the ticket and drives home agitated and stressed.

In this example you see how one’s Karma impacts one’s life.

A Key Walkaway:

Treat everyone (including animals) with kindness and compassion. It matters more than money!

And Ask Yourself: “Are you spending your time measuring or mattering?”

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#what is yoga #the science of yoga #science vs yoga #Scientist vs yogi #western science vs eastern religion #east vs west #science vs religion #happiness vs pleasure #what is happiness #does money buy happiness #pleasure is not the answer

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