Elementary will see a sixth season. But will the events of the season 5 finale challenge the characters or take the series in a unwanted direction?

The latest season of Elementary achieved a stronger balance of Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson. At least when it comes to case work. Either detective can take point and run a successful investigation. They are truly two halves of the same coin. But will another story focused on Sherlock take away from Holmes and Watson partnership?

The introduction of Shinwell Johnson provided a current that carried the two detectives through a gang war, an inside track at the FBI, and challenged their working relationship in new and interesting ways.

However, as the season 5 finale drew near Elementary yet again, shifted the central storyline back to Sherlock’s inability to let Joan Watson help him.

Just as Sherlock Holmes tests Joan Watson’s deductive abilities, Elementary offers a case for viewers to parse out towards the end of each season. And while Joan Watson is a vital piece of the Elementary puzzle, these story arcs all tend to zero-in on the humanity of Sherlock Holmes.

The detective is abrasive, non-social, and almost more machine-like than he is human. He rarely sleeps, has a mind that is always churning, and, more often than not, it is easier to keep your distance than risk disrupting his rhythm. But over the course of five seasons, there are quite a few people who can go toe to toe with Holmes.

In good company

Captain Gregson, a man he respects, curbs Sherlock’s impulses to ensure tasks are accomplished within the guidelines of the jurisdiction. Sherlock respects his dedication to his precinct, his men, and making the city a safer place. Gregson took a chance on Sherlock, gave him a place to channel his focus.

Within that arena, Sherlock extends his courtesy to Marcus Bell, a colleague turned friend. Their working relationship created the necessary friction that forces Sherlock to accommodate, adapt, and respect another proud man in the detective profession. Marcus worked hard to get the position of detective.

Sherlock sees to it that Marcus remains level-headed and dedicated despite all outside circumstances – be it financial stability to support his mother, keeping his brother’s name clean, or backing Marcus off a ledge during the investigation of his girlfriend’s assault.

But Joan Watson is perhaps the most obvious example of this. Without Joan’s presence in Sherlock’s life this conversation would not be possible. She is the heart that beats strong enough for both to benefit. Joan powers their relationship with her unfailing dedication to their work and their partnership. Their dynamic undergoes quite a few transformations.

From sober companion to partner, Sherlock trains Joan in the art of deduction, and over time makes certain accommodations that admit her into his orbit. It took a great deal of effort to get her into this place of comfort on his part, so when she resists, when she pulls away, Sherlock feels out of order. This idea of abandonment for Sherlock, on a personal level affects him deeply, it makes it hard for him to cope.

Flight risk

When Joan leaves, Sherlock takes off for London. When Kitty leaves mid-apprenticeship in London, Sherlock breaks down. Another person he misread, someone who could not commit to changing their lives. He takes it on as his personal failure.

At the end of season 3, Sherlock leaves again. This time, he does not leave physically, but mentally. Following an investigation that forces him to explore the darkest corners of his mind, places where he could not remember anything, Sherlock relapses.

Another personal failure. He could not commit to himself and by extension let everyone around him down. All the while, Joan remains his most steadfast friend and companion. Over the course of season 4, Sherlock opens himself up more than ever to her. Their partnership takes on a new intimacy.

One moment when Sherlock reveals the ring he’s concealed from his father, the scene is shot as if Sherlock is proposing. It is, in a sense, a proposal. A moment where Sherlock is entrusting Joan with information he has tucked away in the recesses of his mind.

Why then, are we still seeing Sherlock pulling away from Joan? The friction that developed in their relationship at the end of season 5 was compelling, new territory for the two. But I fear that it will carry over into season 6 too much. As much as Sherlock would abhor the terminology, they are each other’s best friend.

Joan’s story arcs pale in comparison to Sherlock’s all-encompassing narrative. They are not chapters of a larger book, but rather footnotes to Sherlock’s story. If the focus is going to be on Sherlock, it’s going to be vital to keep Joan Watson as integrated in his journey as possible.

If Holmes and Watson at odds: What remains important?

The groundwork for this season’s Sherlock-centric character study begins as far back as 5×18, “Dead Man’s Tale.” At the close of the episode, Sherlock is beaten by Shinwell in the street after he gets close to revealing that Shinwell is responsible for the murder of his one-time friend. This scene works on two story-telling paths-– the divide between Joan and Sherlock over Shinwell and Sherlock’s examination of himself against his work.

“High Heat,” on the surface, appears to be a “filler episode.” It offers Sherlock and Joan some time to cool off and sift through where they stand with Shinwell, without making it the central plot of an entire episode. Instead, Sherlock’s focus goes elsewhere – dismantling N.Y.O.O.P.I., or the New York Order of Private Investigators.

“The detective thing” as Joan refers to it, does little to curb Sherlock’s fixation on dismantling the organization. Offhandedly referring to the collective in a dismissive way fuels his argument.

‘You’re being a snob.’

‘Someone has to be.’

Sherlock is a showman, not unlike the deceased private detective, Frank Kirby. But his unnatural abilities as a deductive investigator come at a cost. His mind never stops, there is not a single moment of silence, no break from constant observation. He is failing on a personal level in his life, someone wanted his help to become better and instead when he stuck out his neck for Shinwell and concealed evidence, he gets burned.

This side adventure reasserts one of the pillars that holds Sherlock up—commitment to the work. Two episodes later, Sherlock takes on another case. “Fly Into a Rage, Make a Bad Landing” makes space to highlight something else Sherlock’s keen eye is capable of—protecting those who cannot protect themselves.

Sherlock’s conversation with Marcus in this episode, again, achieves two goals. First, it shows the connection forged between Marcus and Sherlock. It is one where Sherlock recognizes a friend needs his steady guidance and ability to bend the rules. Second, their conversation mirrors one that Sherlock needs to give himself in the final episode, but cannot.

“You want with every fiber of your being to avenge her, and yet you’re powerless to do so. In my case I disappeared, I spiraled into self-destruction and despair. For a long time, I was no good to anyone.” Sherlock here is describing the death of Irene Adler. When she was taken from him, Sherlock was alone in London. Marcus, though experiencing similar circumstances, has a community around him.

It’s a red herring. What would happen now if something Sherlock considered precious and essential to his life was taken away? What if the “her” in this conversation reflects not his romantic love, but his mind?

Isolation over interaction

From his actions across the final two episodes, we discover that a similar pattern emerges. Despite having a friend in Marcus, having the respect of Gregson, and living with Joan, he takes on this journey alone. These sudden bouts of memory loss, make it easier for him to step away from Joan. He cannot provide the balance to their relationship that she needs from him.

In the episode, “One Holmes, One Watson,” the duo have a conversation about Joan’s need to break out of her introspective behavior. Their partnership is only successful if there is one Holmes and one Watson.

But now, there is a hurt and betrayed Watson and a scared Holmes. His mind is betraying him, casting illusions of someone who resembles his mother, going blank, demanding sleep. Joan carries the weight of Shinwell’s murder on her shoulders and is actively trying to dismantle a gang from the inside.

It’s as if these two powerful magnets that are attracted to one another, suddenly flipped their poles. That force between the two of them is still palpable, but it is one of resistance. In the finale as Sherlock begins to flake on their appointments, sleep through their working sessions, and get defensive about his attendance at meetings, the tides change.

Who truly knows the mind of Sherlock Holmes?

Joan knows Sherlock better than anyone, a fact he attests to. But their rhythm is off and the more they stay out of sync, the further Sherlock retreats into himself.

The arrival of a familiar confidant in his life loops in the seemingly unrelated case of a teenage named Luke. Sherlock’s presence as an observer at an interrogation leads him to make a damning suggestion, that Luke is guilty of strangling his girlfriend with a chain. Sherlock Holmes, the self-described “man of details,” takes no further action. No house searches, no social media account audits, all physical evidence remains clean. It was solved by “The Great Sherlock Holmes.” The mythos of the great and singular mind.

When Luke hangs himself in prison, Sherlock’s mind kicks into overdrive to prove that Luke was guilty. As it turns out, Luke was guilty. But this case isn’t meant to show how great Sherlock’s intuition is.

Rather, it highlights how significant the minute details are to his work. He is fighting with his brain to get the details out. The boxes that he packs with an unusual collection of items slowly start to become impossible to recall.

In the final scene of the penultimate episode, “Scrambled,” Sherlock confronts his mysterious counterpart. And he is scared.

“People who love each other don’t make threats. They make promises.”

As much as he would like to, Sherlock cannot punish his mind. But it is doing a pretty bang up job of punishing him by enlisting the imagery of a most cherished woman.

Sherlock’s mind is collapsing. And as it does, he pulls May Holmes out of the wreckage and confusion. May is Sherlock. Her worst traits are inside of him as well. May was an addict, she did not get help when she knew she needed it, even with two sons at home who needed her love.

When the two things Sherlock loves most– his partner and his work– are at risk he retreats into himself and tries to handle it alone. As a result he is left to blame himself, taking to scolding his memory. He’s covering for himself and is self-destructing in the process. Channeling her love and guidance, Sherlock can see that his brain is failing him. That he needs to be brave and trust that someone else can give him an answer even if he doesn’t want to hear it.

The use of space in Elementary is one that I’ve always been keenly aware of. The deeper conversations between Sherlock and Joan tend to always happen in the kitchen-— the heart of the house. Sherlock’s room, a place where deeper secrets are tucked away, represents his mind.

As Joan stands in the wreckage, two things are clear—Sherlock’s brain and heart are broken.

Will Joan be there to help him put it back together? Only season 6 will tell.

Elementary will return for a sixth season on CBS.