Elementary – Using Direction to Elevate the Procedural
I wrote recently about The X-Files being restored, and why some procedural (or ‘procedural adjacent’) shows are more equal than others. While Elementary isn’t in the pantheon of Prestige Shows such as copycat-spawning LOST, groundbreaking The Sopranos, or even genre-and-plot-soaked cult fun of Dollhouse, I argue it sets itself apart from most current TV procedurals … Continue reading
Title Sequence: Elementary
Elementary‘s title sequence presents us with a Rube Goldberg machine, something both straightforward and convoluted. Like the show itself, the sequence is not all chronological with clear cause-and-effect, but it includes pieces we’re familiar with: mouse wheel, rising bell, pulleys; procedural tropes, situational lying, criminal types, a figure trapped in a cage, etc. The machine includes potential elements of … Continue reading
Elementary: Quick Thoughts
I’ve been an impassioned follower of the BBC’s Sherlock, and before that, a lover of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes books. Cue ads for CBS’s Elementary. I was understandably wary, but, roommates. Initial Reactions Huzzah, no over-the-top gory body discovery to test the boundaries of the extra-of-the-week’s shrieking and sputtering abilities. An addition of an extra layer of … Continue reading
Mel Killingsworth - Film and TV blog 