Elementary 7x11 "Unfriended" liveblog
Aug. 6th, 2019 11:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
paradigm_shiftStandard disclaimers apply: this is a second viewing, technically. With captions on, and actual coherent thought. Typos may appear, and spoilers 100% abound.
Oh, unfriended is right. So very, very right. This is a pun, and it is a pun to the maximum effect. I go back to rewatch and see the titles of those episodes and just want to hang my head and groan. (Because they're good puns, man. But seriously.)
I don't like this, I scream, and continue to scream for various reasons, some of them good, some of them bad. Some of them because I did a silly, silly thing. (No, I'm not using my Elementary icon, because I am yelling.)
But alas. We live with our choices.
I can, at least. Can you?
First thing we learn, delusions-of-godhood-Reichenbach had no intentions of changing his methods
That look he had at the idea of babysitting? Hah. Also he would not be able to take feedback from anyone that isn’t either a) buttering him up in some way, or b) more powerful than him
That ‘no eyes’ technology is really disturbing. I still wonder if it’ll be beaten by older tech though. Like a tape deck. They did attempt to go through analog channels to avoid his notice – and Sherlock specifically says it takes out electronics – but we see that it’s not so much that they don’t have power, they just get overridden. Tapes are magnetic, but may need an electronic means. Hmmmm
You know, this is what Batman could’ve become. Had he been someone who decided to kill his problems. He has the money, he has the means. He has that same righteousness, but he (in the hands of better writers) attempts to also address the social issues behind the problem.
(That’s probably what rubs me the worst way about Reichenbach and his network. I mean, there have been criminal organizations Sherlock and Joan have crossed paths with previously – but they’re not so bloody righteous about it. They know what they’re doing and own up to it. Full stop.
That, and the whole he’s right, always bit.)
Anyway – final verdict is that there’s no way they’ll let him go on with things, especially not after staging Wesley Conrad’s death. (With collateral)
Odin is keeping up with his own little escapades, making sure loose ends are tied, and taking on another hit. He’s happy he got away with Conrad’s murder, at least by all appearances.
Morland is back.
And he has his own methods he can use, we already know they’re not the cleanest, but hey, it’s not like playing by the book is going to work. Not with so many people willing to look the other way, or abet Odin Reichenbach
Anyway, while Morland uses his own channels, Sherlock sets up his own gambit. With help from a security firm to bait the trap. The ‘case’ that came up so suddenly. Too soon to do as thorough a search as he could have.
The influential circle or backoom deals and moving money. Power. The lobbiests, the businessmen, the I’ll help you, you help mes. That also doesn’t like being threatened.
Annie Spellman. Reichenbach really does employ all sorts.
They’re really stepping up the stakes this season, given the tactics they’re using.
So Sherlock ‘entertains’ their gunman, while Joan searches for the means of communicating.
That’s an ingenious way of communicating – the trail is less likely to be found. If no one thought to look, they wouldn’t have any clue. And once the address is changed, they won’t have anything to go on really.
Blue stains. Once Joan confirmed it as blood, my first thought was lobsters – since I think crustaceans have blue blood, but then I jumped over to horseshoe crabs because they have huge research potential.
Sherlock sighs a lot.
And I was right! Tania Baccaro – scientist! Even before Sherlock mentioned that she worked with horseshoe crabs.
Spellman, like Meers is reluctant to talk. She has reasons, given how a school shooting is her motivation, or rather trying to prevent further incidents like those from happening again.
The ASMR scene! I hope someone gif’ed it.
Marcus is helping out! Not that he knows why from all impressions.
“Titillating tissue etude”
So Talia shouldn’t have attracted Odin’s attention, at least from online resources.
A quart at $15,000? That’s a lot. But hey, it’s big Pharma A lot of people miss her. They don’t touch her stuff.
Her company is super cooperative. And even the meeting with a conversation group went well, even if they didn’t agree on methods re: actual horseshoe crabs being used due to their endangered status.
Back to Odin – Morland’s influence is certainly having a dramatic effect, if a lot of countries are pulling out support of Reichenbach’s company. His board, who may or may not be aware of Odin’s extracurriculars are money minded. If they want business, Odin’s out.
Anyway, he undoubtedly will try to figure out why, and to see if he can rectify it before he gets kicked.
Conservationist group meeting actually brings things around – Talia still isn’t a reasonable target for Odin.
She was a targeted hit, but she wasn’t the goal. Her brother’s company was.
So Reichenbach goes to the precinct. They both know a lot about the other person, Sherlock, about Odin’s company and dealings. Odin about Sherlock’s family connections.
“I was led to believe you relationship was quite frosty.”
And so, not a problem? Except it’s a problem now. Again, people being people throwing a spanner into Odin’s plans. His reach would be seriously curtailed, and he’ll definitely lose some of his friends.
Note that Sherlock doesn’t reveal anything about Conrad’s death, just Talia’s.
Framesift is the company Talia’s brother founded, and is an important part of Reichenbach’s program.
Judge, Jury, Executioner. Thoughtcrime. How right is it to kill someone for something they’ve yet to do?
If this was a Telltale game, He will remember that will have probably popped when Reichenbach leaves.
So they’re both angry. And the wheels have been put into motion.
It’s Joan’s turn to talk to Annie, and she’s more stick than carrot. Or rather, she doesn’t bother with anything but the truth even is she’s understanding of her situation.
So Morland’s done his part. And he’s willing to move on.
“I wasn’t sure you’ll come.”
“Don’t I always.”
The thing here is, I’m not sure Sherlock’s idea of being there and Morland’s idea of being there are the same.
Spellman has a chance to think things over and is willing to work with them, though learning that what you’re doing is wrong is the worst kind of revelation.
Morland at tea, with his Chinese contact. The situation he outlines reminds me of what’s happening in Hong Kong. Anyway, Reichenbach made his move, and decided to take Morland off the board.
I wasn’t sure she was crying, but she is. And those are definitely notMorland’s guards.
Power once again is the bottom line. Mrs. Tseng may not have been contacted personally, but those ruling certainly have. If that’s how Reichenbach is willing to operate, he really doesn’t care about the blood he gets on his hands, or whose right and wrong if he gets to keep running his little program. That old righteousness rearing its head once again! I wonder what else he did in order to stabilize his position in his company? Because undoubtedly he will justify it.
He may trust in his algorithms and data sets, but we know he has made 80/20 calls, and chosen murder as his answer time and time again. And they can be fooled.
So at this point, originally, I went to get a glass of water because I forgot my clock was set forwards by a few minutes and had missed this the first time around. (I got back mid-conversation in Gregson’s office.)
But Gregson and Marcus, he was hoping to find them together to update him on what’s they’ve been doing. Re: the whole conspiracy/cells
Gregson gets on the page very quickly, and is already working through what and who are possible people they can talk to.
Anyway, Marcus is there to let him know Morland’s dead. And hey, it’s that people thing again. It doesn’t matter sometimes, how bad things between people are. You can’t help the emotional ties that develop.
So, I was basically screaming though the entirety of this episode.
End thoughts, with Morland dead, and knowing that Moriarty will be back in some capacity, the way for her to take back her criminal regime is clear.
Plus bonus Pratchett quote:
History needs shepherds, not butchers. — Thief of Time, by Terry Pratchett
(That season 6 bit was right, she didn’t have to do anything, because it wouldn’t be long before Morland was out of the way.
Not that she would help or hinder Sherlock or Joan on her own merit, but she could.)
Reichenbach talks a lot about saving people by targeting individuals what about those forums where likeminded folks talk about certain things? Could he not have instead done something about those?
Why will he not work with the system? What’s with the whole lone wolf thing? Yeah, he has a network, but again, he’s the one at the top, and has no check and balance to keep him from overreaching. Not when the people he works with are willing to go along with him since they also believe they’re doing the right thing.
Am I angry? Yes. Am I scared for what’s ahead? Also yes. Do I need that clip of Joan and her ASMR in order to chill out? Yes please.
I literally couldn’t not sleep after this episode.
To quote myself just after since these sort of fit in somewhere in the above ramble:
• re: I was at a con recently, and one of the panels was about scifi in general - a question posed to one of the guest authors there was: what is the scariest thing with current technology.
Their answer: facial recognition tech. And this demonstrates it very well.
• How many people do you propose it will take to flood the flashsite (?) program and cause it to not work as intended? How many fake IDs, videos, etc can be added to the internet and waste valuable resources? (I'm not saying Everybody could help, because let's face it, it's a hacker collective with their own values and motivations, but enough people laying a good trail of false positives will be extremely valuable if that's a tactic).
Oh, unfriended is right. So very, very right. This is a pun, and it is a pun to the maximum effect. I go back to rewatch and see the titles of those episodes and just want to hang my head and groan. (Because they're good puns, man. But seriously.)
I don't like this, I scream, and continue to scream for various reasons, some of them good, some of them bad. Some of them because I did a silly, silly thing. (No, I'm not using my Elementary icon, because I am yelling.)
But alas. We live with our choices.
I can, at least. Can you?
First thing we learn, delusions-of-godhood-Reichenbach had no intentions of changing his methods
That look he had at the idea of babysitting? Hah. Also he would not be able to take feedback from anyone that isn’t either a) buttering him up in some way, or b) more powerful than him
That ‘no eyes’ technology is really disturbing. I still wonder if it’ll be beaten by older tech though. Like a tape deck. They did attempt to go through analog channels to avoid his notice – and Sherlock specifically says it takes out electronics – but we see that it’s not so much that they don’t have power, they just get overridden. Tapes are magnetic, but may need an electronic means. Hmmmm
You know, this is what Batman could’ve become. Had he been someone who decided to kill his problems. He has the money, he has the means. He has that same righteousness, but he (in the hands of better writers) attempts to also address the social issues behind the problem.
(That’s probably what rubs me the worst way about Reichenbach and his network. I mean, there have been criminal organizations Sherlock and Joan have crossed paths with previously – but they’re not so bloody righteous about it. They know what they’re doing and own up to it. Full stop.
That, and the whole he’s right, always bit.)
Anyway – final verdict is that there’s no way they’ll let him go on with things, especially not after staging Wesley Conrad’s death. (With collateral)
Odin is keeping up with his own little escapades, making sure loose ends are tied, and taking on another hit. He’s happy he got away with Conrad’s murder, at least by all appearances.
Morland is back.
And he has his own methods he can use, we already know they’re not the cleanest, but hey, it’s not like playing by the book is going to work. Not with so many people willing to look the other way, or abet Odin Reichenbach
Anyway, while Morland uses his own channels, Sherlock sets up his own gambit. With help from a security firm to bait the trap. The ‘case’ that came up so suddenly. Too soon to do as thorough a search as he could have.
The influential circle or backoom deals and moving money. Power. The lobbiests, the businessmen, the I’ll help you, you help mes. That also doesn’t like being threatened.
Annie Spellman. Reichenbach really does employ all sorts.
They’re really stepping up the stakes this season, given the tactics they’re using.
So Sherlock ‘entertains’ their gunman, while Joan searches for the means of communicating.
That’s an ingenious way of communicating – the trail is less likely to be found. If no one thought to look, they wouldn’t have any clue. And once the address is changed, they won’t have anything to go on really.
Blue stains. Once Joan confirmed it as blood, my first thought was lobsters – since I think crustaceans have blue blood, but then I jumped over to horseshoe crabs because they have huge research potential.
Sherlock sighs a lot.
And I was right! Tania Baccaro – scientist! Even before Sherlock mentioned that she worked with horseshoe crabs.
Spellman, like Meers is reluctant to talk. She has reasons, given how a school shooting is her motivation, or rather trying to prevent further incidents like those from happening again.
The ASMR scene! I hope someone gif’ed it.
this was their price. Apparently, a bunch of them found the crinkling sound invigorating.
Marcus is helping out! Not that he knows why from all impressions.
“Titillating tissue etude”
So Talia shouldn’t have attracted Odin’s attention, at least from online resources.
A quart at $15,000? That’s a lot. But hey, it’s big Pharma A lot of people miss her. They don’t touch her stuff.
Her company is super cooperative. And even the meeting with a conversation group went well, even if they didn’t agree on methods re: actual horseshoe crabs being used due to their endangered status.
Back to Odin – Morland’s influence is certainly having a dramatic effect, if a lot of countries are pulling out support of Reichenbach’s company. His board, who may or may not be aware of Odin’s extracurriculars are money minded. If they want business, Odin’s out.
Anyway, he undoubtedly will try to figure out why, and to see if he can rectify it before he gets kicked.
Conservationist group meeting actually brings things around – Talia still isn’t a reasonable target for Odin.
She was a targeted hit, but she wasn’t the goal. Her brother’s company was.
So Reichenbach goes to the precinct. They both know a lot about the other person, Sherlock, about Odin’s company and dealings. Odin about Sherlock’s family connections.
“I was led to believe you relationship was quite frosty.”
And so, not a problem? Except it’s a problem now. Again, people being people throwing a spanner into Odin’s plans. His reach would be seriously curtailed, and he’ll definitely lose some of his friends.
Note that Sherlock doesn’t reveal anything about Conrad’s death, just Talia’s.
Framesift is the company Talia’s brother founded, and is an important part of Reichenbach’s program.
Judge, Jury, Executioner. Thoughtcrime. How right is it to kill someone for something they’ve yet to do?
If this was a Telltale game, He will remember that will have probably popped when Reichenbach leaves.
So they’re both angry. And the wheels have been put into motion.
It’s Joan’s turn to talk to Annie, and she’s more stick than carrot. Or rather, she doesn’t bother with anything but the truth even is she’s understanding of her situation.
So Morland’s done his part. And he’s willing to move on.
“I wasn’t sure you’ll come.”
“Don’t I always.”
The thing here is, I’m not sure Sherlock’s idea of being there and Morland’s idea of being there are the same.
Spellman has a chance to think things over and is willing to work with them, though learning that what you’re doing is wrong is the worst kind of revelation.
Morland at tea, with his Chinese contact. The situation he outlines reminds me of what’s happening in Hong Kong. Anyway, Reichenbach made his move, and decided to take Morland off the board.
I wasn’t sure she was crying, but she is. And those are definitely notMorland’s guards.
Power once again is the bottom line. Mrs. Tseng may not have been contacted personally, but those ruling certainly have. If that’s how Reichenbach is willing to operate, he really doesn’t care about the blood he gets on his hands, or whose right and wrong if he gets to keep running his little program. That old righteousness rearing its head once again! I wonder what else he did in order to stabilize his position in his company? Because undoubtedly he will justify it.
He may trust in his algorithms and data sets, but we know he has made 80/20 calls, and chosen murder as his answer time and time again. And they can be fooled.
So at this point, originally, I went to get a glass of water because I forgot my clock was set forwards by a few minutes and had missed this the first time around. (I got back mid-conversation in Gregson’s office.)
But Gregson and Marcus, he was hoping to find them together to update him on what’s they’ve been doing. Re: the whole conspiracy/cells
Gregson gets on the page very quickly, and is already working through what and who are possible people they can talk to.
Anyway, Marcus is there to let him know Morland’s dead. And hey, it’s that people thing again. It doesn’t matter sometimes, how bad things between people are. You can’t help the emotional ties that develop.
So, I was basically screaming though the entirety of this episode.
End thoughts, with Morland dead, and knowing that Moriarty will be back in some capacity, the way for her to take back her criminal regime is clear.
Plus bonus Pratchett quote:
History needs shepherds, not butchers. — Thief of Time, by Terry Pratchett
(That season 6 bit was right, she didn’t have to do anything, because it wouldn’t be long before Morland was out of the way.
Not that she would help or hinder Sherlock or Joan on her own merit, but she could.)
Reichenbach talks a lot about saving people by targeting individuals what about those forums where likeminded folks talk about certain things? Could he not have instead done something about those?
Why will he not work with the system? What’s with the whole lone wolf thing? Yeah, he has a network, but again, he’s the one at the top, and has no check and balance to keep him from overreaching. Not when the people he works with are willing to go along with him since they also believe they’re doing the right thing.
Am I angry? Yes. Am I scared for what’s ahead? Also yes. Do I need that clip of Joan and her ASMR in order to chill out? Yes please.
I literally couldn’t not sleep after this episode.
To quote myself just after since these sort of fit in somewhere in the above ramble:
• re: I was at a con recently, and one of the panels was about scifi in general - a question posed to one of the guest authors there was: what is the scariest thing with current technology.
Their answer: facial recognition tech. And this demonstrates it very well.
• How many people do you propose it will take to flood the flashsite (?) program and cause it to not work as intended? How many fake IDs, videos, etc can be added to the internet and waste valuable resources? (I'm not saying Everybody could help, because let's face it, it's a hacker collective with their own values and motivations, but enough people laying a good trail of false positives will be extremely valuable if that's a tactic).
Not mentioned
Date: 2019-08-06 03:51 pm (UTC)• And you better have your own name on that fancy little hitlist of yours my good sirrah.