TV Review: Elementary Season 5

Season 5 is the first time – IMHO – that Elementary starts to feel a little tired 

“This is in fact my third murdered clown”

Here’s my 10 favourite performances in Season 5 of Elementary

  1. The late great Nelsan Ellis gets Season 5’s series-long arc as Watson’s former patient Shinwell Johnson whose connections to his previous life of crime end up being a bit tedious sadly, the character never feels like an integral part of the storytelling
  2. Forever Alias’ Arvin Sloane, you just know that Ron Rifkin’s Wayne Vachs is going to end up satisfyingly villainous in Episode 2 ‘Worth Several Cities’
  3. And forever Prison Break’s hapless Bellick, Wade Williams’ same predilection for the darker side offers up great results in Episode 11 ‘Be My Guest’
  4. Ruthie Ann Miles may be Broadway royalty in my house but in that same episode, she’s given nary a name and a passing glimpse as Rockaway Detective
  5. Debra Jo Rupp is most famous to me for That 70s Show which means her cameo as Sheriff Malick in Episode 12 ‘Crowned Clown, Downtown Brown’ is arrestingly amusing
  6. Known in the UK for his work in Young Frankenstein, Shuler Hensley’s size is once again exploited as Frank Trimble in Episode 13 ‘Over A Barrel’
  7. Even if she’s sorely under-used, any presence of Kathy Najimy is a highlight, here seen briefly in Episode 14 ‘Rekt in Real Life’
  8. Who else should turn up briefly in Episode 17 ‘The Ballad of Lady Frances’ but Meat Loaf as the mysterious Herman Wolf
  9. Danny Burstein appears in Episode 21 ‘Fly Into a Rage, Make a Bad Landing’ as attorney Ted Winthrop
  10. And the excellent Tomiwa Edun packs in a huge amount into his multi-faceted role as Akello Akeny in Episode 22 ‘Moving Targets’

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