In the early episodes of this series Detective Bell came across as a bit of a doofus. Fortunately, his character has been allowed to grow out of that and he is seen to be a highly competent detective. Driving home, Bell is fired upon by another driver but is not seriously hurt. He thinks the perpetrator is a drug dealer, Curtis Bradshaw, who he was responsible for putting away. Bradshaw threatened to get Bell. Bradshaw is out of jail but soon after being questioned by Holmes and Gregson, he is murdered. Clues lead to Bell as the guilty party but Sherlock is convinced he's being framed. Bell thinks his brother, an ex-con, may have something to do with it. He and his brother Andre have long had a shaky relationship but it's clear that they basically love one another. Things go from bad to worse until Holmes realizes (or deduces, rather) that they need to look at the motive for the attack on Bell in a different way. The side story of Holmes trying to get Watson to be more proactive in learning self defense techniques is pretty funny and brings a welcome bit of humor to the show. Watson's therapist tell her that since she is no longer getting paid to be Holmes companion, that it is time for her to "move on, " something Watson clearly does not want to do. Even this issue is satisfactorily resolved by episode's end. This is one of the stronger episodes and is highly enjoyable.
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