Elementary (CBS): Do You Ship Sherlock and Joan?

I have a confession to make: I ship Sherlock and Joan.

I know the writers don’t want me to, they’ve made their stance on the subject abundently clear, but their methods are backfiring. By taking the possibility of a romantic relationship off the table and removing the Hollywood manufactured unresolved sexual tension (UST) from the equation, they have inadvertently made the idea of Sherlock and Joan more appealing. UST is usually built into the DNA of a series, and as a result, many of the television relationships that we’re supposed to root for feel forced. Because Sherlock and Joan’s relationship is free of will-they-or-won’t-they tension what they’re building feels far more realistic and intimate than it would if they were constantly flirting.

The connection that exists between them has evolved naturally from the professional to the personal as Joan’s sober companion duties have given way to friendship. In “M” when Joan’s tenure was supposed to come to an end, we were treated to the beautiful scene where Sherlock allowed himself to admit that he would miss working with Joan, a gesture that would have been unthinkable in the pilot. In moments like that, I find it difficult not to imagine a scenario where these two people decide their relationship could be more than platonic.

Then I feel guilty because television is notoriously bad at committing to platonic male/female friendships, and I don’t subscribe to the When Harry Met Sally school of thought that states women and men can’t be friends. Romantic relationships aren’t always the most important relationships in an individual’s life. A friendship can be every bit as emotionally satisfying as a big damn kiss. Rather than daydreaming about Joan and Sherlock holding hands at crime scenes, I should appreciate the complexity of their ever-evolving friendship as it is.

Unfortunately, for a lifelong shipper like myself, that’s easier said than done. The fact that they’re friends only makes me ship them more. Friend ships and partner dynamics are emotional catnip for me. From Mulder and Scully straight on through Booth and Brennan, I have always had a weakness for the partners become something more trope. With Joan and Sherlock, those feelings are increased tenfold due to their constant proximity (he picked out her outfit in the Super Bowl episode, for pete’s sake). When faced with that level of domesticity, my resolve to see them as just friends crumbles. CBS’s promo department isn’t exactly helping me stay on the no-shipping wagon either: “I am better with you Watson” –seriously? I’m not supposed to ship them, but he gets to say things like that?

I acknowledge that at this stage of the series, a hook-up would be disastrous. What they both need right now isn’t romance, it’s connection, and connection is exactly what they’ve found in each other. My shipping doesn’t amount to a fervent need to see them immediately fall into each other’s arms, instead it has only deepened my appreciation for Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller’s amazing, natural chemistry. That doesn’t mean I won’t be clamoring for them to kiss four seasons from now, I’m only human, after all, but at the moment I love them exactly as they are.

I’m going to turn it over to you guys: Do you ship Joan and Sherlock or would you be annoyed if the iconic friendship ever left the friend zone behind? Share your thoughts on the subject in the comments.

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