It was a tough Elementary season 3 finale for Sherlock Holmes this spring, and to make matters worse for him, his father is coming to New York. What will the events of the finale mean for Sherlock and the role Joan has in his life in the fall?
First, here’s a quick reminder of the events of the Elementary season 3 finale. Sherlock had to travel down quite a dark path in an effort to find his missing sponsor and friend Alfredo, courtesy of Oscar, who wanted him to find his sister and knew he wouldn’t just help him without some sort of incentive. Joan and the NYPD found Alfredo alive, while Sherlock was stuck heading right towards a relapse. At the end of the road of Sherlock and Oscar’s search was Olivia’s body, with Oscar’s shoe print right next to her, indicating he had already found her dead of an overdose. Oscar wanted Sherlock to experience the same darkness his sister did before her death – and to give into it.
Three days after Sherlock left Oscar – and took heroin with him – Joan found him on the roof and told him his father was on his way to New York. Rewatch the end of the finale below.
Executive producer Rob Doherty told TVLine that what happened in the three days between Alfredo being found alive and Joan joining Sherlock on the roof will be explained at the beginning of Elementary season 4.
While you shouldn’t assume he’s been on a bender for those days, the EP did say that Sherlock leaving behind the phone and taking the heroin and “disappearing into that tunnel…should speak volumes” about what happened.
“At the end of the day, the hard, ugly truth is that Sherlock is an addict,” Doherty explained, adding that just because he has been working to stay sober and has the “best kinds of people” around him, “sometimes that’s not enough.”
As for Sherlock’s father coming to town for Elementary season 4, the EP said that “it’s time” to meet him.
“In the first season, we made a point of saying that Dad never shows up when he says he will. …I would very much like to meet Dad and explore this very complicated dynamic that we’ve been alluding to over the last two seasons. There’s a lot to get out of a longer-term story about Sherlock and his father and everything between them.”
But even though Sherlock has relapsed, don’t expect to see Joan take on a familiar role, as Doherty told Entertainment Weekly that she won’t be his sober companion again .
“She’s past that now. Yes, she can and will be helpful to Sherlock, but primarily as a friend and a partner.”
As the Inquisitr previously reported, Elementary season 4 will air Thursdays at 10 p.m. on CBS in the fall.
[Image via CBS]