Elementary backdrop
Drama•Mystery•Crime

The Best Episodes of Elementary Season 5

Every episode of Elementary Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Elementary Season 5!

Binge this in 16h 58m•Peaking at 8.2/10

A modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases. Following his fall from grace in London and a stint in rehab, eccentric Sherlock escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father

Airs on
CBS
BestEpisodes
WorstEpisodes
BestSeasons
AllEpisodes

Seasons7

All1234567

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Elementary Season 5 Episode 15 - Wrong Side of the Road (1)
    8.2/10(975 votes)

    S5:E15

    Holmes’ former protégé, Kitty Winter, returns to New York after a three-year absence to warn him that a killer is eliminating everyone involved with a case they worked on together in London, and they’re the next targets. As Sherlock, Kitty, Joan and the NYPD join forces to find the perpetrator, Watson discovers Kitty has a life-changing secret.

    Director:Jennifer Lynch
    Writers:Robert Doherty, Jason Tracey

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  2. Elementary Season 5 Episode 24 - Hurt Me, Hurt You
    8.2/10(961 votes)

    S5:E24

    Season 5 ends with Holmes and Watson pursuing an elusive criminal as a gang war erupts in New York City. While the NYPD works to contain the violence, the two investigate the murder that appears to have ignited the city-wide conflict and discover that a familiar face is pulling the strings.

    Director:John Polson
    Writers:Jeffrey Paul King, Robert Doherty

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  3. Elementary Season 5 Episode 11 - Be My Guest
    8.1/10(944 votes)

    S5:E11

    Holmes and Watson race to find a woman who’s been held captive for years before the kidnapper takes drastic steps to avoid being caught. Also, Watson becomes frustrated when Shinwell refuses to focus on his informant training with her and Holmes.

    Director:Maja Vrvilo
    Writer:Jason Tracey

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  4. Elementary Season 5 Episode 13 - Over a Barrel
    8.1/10(1011 votes)

    S5:E13

    A man takes hostages, including Joan, and threatens to execute them unless Holmes finds the person responsible for the death of his son. As Sherlock investigates, the captor gives him 16 hours to find the perpetrator before the statute of limitations on the crime runs out.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:Jeffrey Paul King

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  5. Elementary Season 5 Episode 9 - It Serves You Right to Suffer
    8.0/10(935 votes)

    S5:E9

    When Shinwell comes to Holmes and Watson for help after he’s framed for a gang killing, they have three days to find the real murderer before he is arrested and sent back to jail.

    Director:Aidan Quinn
    Writer:Kelly Wheeler

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  6. Elementary Season 5 Episode 16 - Fidelity (2)
    7.9/10(928 votes)

    S5:E16

    Joan and Kitty try to prove that a string of murders, stemming from an old case Sherlock and Kitty solved in London, is connected to an international government conspiracy with the Defense Intelligence Agency at its center. Also, Sherlock and Kitty’s relationship is strained after she shares life-changing news.

    Director:Christine Moore
    Writers:Robert Doherty, Jason Tracey

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 BEST Episodes of Elementary

    READ
  7. Elementary Season 5 Episode 6 - Ill Tidings
    7.8/10(956 votes)

    S5:E6

    Holmes and Watson investigate a mass murder when a chef and his patrons are poisoned after dining on a tasting menu tainted with snake venom. Also, Detective Bell’s crush on a work colleague makes Holmes realize his and Fiona’s relationship is at an important crossroads.

    Director:Ron Fortunato
    Writer:Jeffrey Paul King

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  8. Elementary Season 5 Episode 10 - Pick Your Poison
    7.8/10(915 votes)

    S5:E10

    When Watson is implicated in a DEA investigation into doctors writing illegal prescriptions, she and Holmes search for the person using her medical license to sell drugs.

    Director:Jeremy Webb
    Writer:Bob Goodman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  9. Elementary Season 5 Episode 21 - Fly Into a Rage, Make a Bad Landing
    7.8/10(878 votes)

    S5:E21

    When Detective Bell’s girlfriend, Chantal, is assaulted and her ex-husband is killed soon after, in what Holmes and Watson discover is a staged suicide, they search for one suspect behind the linked crimes. Also, as Bell fights the urge to seek his own brand of justice for Chantal, Sherlock makes a heartbreaking realization about the detective’s past.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:Bob Goodman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  10. Elementary Season 5 Episode 23 - Scrambled
    7.8/10(854 votes)

    S5:E23

    When Holmes and Watson investigate a murder, they find themselves in the crosshairs of one of New York City's deadliest gangs. Holmes' behavior becomes increasingly erratic when he secretly interacts with a mysterious woman.

    Director:Christine Moore
    Writer:Jason Tracey

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  11. Elementary Season 5 Episode 1 - Folie à Deux
    7.7/10(1080 votes)

    S5:E1

    When a serial bomber becomes active again after being dormant for six years, Watson seeks help from Shinwell Johnson, a former patient whose life she saved when she was a surgeon. Also, Holmes senses Watson is unhappy and questions whether she is still fulfilled by her detective career.

    Director:Christine Moore
    Writers:Jeffrey Paul King, Robert Doherty

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  12. Elementary Season 5 Episode 8 - How the Sausage is Made
    7.7/10(931 votes)

    S5:E8

    Joan worries Sherlock’s sobriety is at risk when she learns he has been lying to her about attending recovery meetings. Also, Sherlock and Joan discover a man’s death caused by ingesting poisoned sausage is connected to a lab working on a breakthrough in the artificial meat industry.

    Director:Michael Pressman
    Writer:Mark Hudis

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  13. Elementary Season 5 Episode 12 - Crowned Clown, Downtown Brown
    7.7/10(917 votes)

    S5:E12

    When Holmes and Watson investigate a clown’s murder upstate, they discover a connection between his death and the creation of a new weaponized virus. Also, Watson helps Bell when he’s targeted by his new love interest Chantal’s ex-husband in attempt to sabotage her career at the district attorney’s office.

    Director:Michael Slovis
    Writer:Jordan Rosenberg

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  14. Elementary Season 5 Episode 3 - Render, and then Seize Her
    7.6/10(964 votes)

    S5:E3

    Holmes learns a secret about Captain Gregson’s girlfriend when she hires him for a case she wants kept off of Gregson’s radar. Also, Holmes and Watson join the NYPD’s search for an abducted woman.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Jason Tracey

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  15. Elementary Season 5 Episode 4 - Henny Penny the Sky is Falling
    7.6/10(950 votes)

    S5:E4

    Captain Gregson lobbies to include Holmes and Watson when his unit is selected to receive a city commendation for its exemplary work. Also, as Holmes and Watson consult on the investigation into a financial analyst’s murder, they are drawn into the world of asteroid research.

    Director:John Polson
    Writer:Bob Goodman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  16. Elementary Season 5 Episode 5 - To Catch a Predator Predator
    7.6/10(941 votes)

    S5:E5

    Holmes and Watson have plenty of suspects when they investigate the murder of a man who led a secret life as a vigilante, “catfishing” sexual predators on dating sites and publicly shaming them. Also, when Shinwell’s criminal record prevents him from finding a full-time job, Holmes disagrees with Watson’s plan to help him.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:Tamara Jaron

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  17. Elementary Season 5 Episode 7 - Bang Bang Shoot Chute
    7.6/10(925 votes)

    S5:E7

    Holmes and Watson search for two murderers after a base jumper is shot out of the sky by one killer, and has his parachute sabotaged by another. Also, after Joan’s sister, Lin, thinks she sees Shinwell with a member of his old gang, Joan takes drastic measures to make sure he won’t be drawn back into a life of crime.

    Director:Jerry Levine
    Writer:Celeste Chan Wolfe

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  18. Elementary Season 5 Episode 2 - Worth Several Cities
    7.5/10(1006 votes)

    S5:E2

    When the leader of a local street gang abducts Holmes to compel him to find the person responsible for a hit on his men, Holmes and Watson get caught in the middle of an international hunt to recover a centuries old, priceless artifact. Also, Watson debates whether a personal favor Shinwell asks of her is outside her comfort zone.

    Director:Guy Ferland
    Writer:Robert Hewitt Wolfe

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  19. Elementary Season 5 Episode 17 - The Ballad of Lady Frances
    7.5/10(909 votes)

    S5:E17

    The police call in Holmes and Watson to consult on a homicide “heard” by a cutting edge gunshot detection system when they can’t find any tangible evidence that a crime was committed. Also, Sherlock and Joan become suspicious of Shinwell when he’s the target of a drive-by shooting that reveals a connection between him and an unsolved murder.

    Director:Aaron Lipstadt
    Writers:Bob Goodman, Jordan Rosenberg

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  20. Elementary Season 5 Episode 18 - Dead Man's Tale
    7.4/10(896 votes)

    S5:E18

    Sherlock and Joan question how well they know Shinwell when they investigate the possibility he may have gotten away with the unsolved murder of his friend, a fellow gang member. Also, Sherlock and Joan’s latest case puts them on the hunt for a treasure map rumored to lead to a fortune in pirate’s gold hidden around New York City.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Tamara Jaron

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  21. Elementary Season 5 Episode 14 - Rekt in Real Life
    7.3/10(945 votes)

    S5:E14

    Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of a former professional eSports video game player who died after being assaulted in front of his fans during a live video stream. Also, Shinwell approaches Joan for advice when his teenage daughter asks to meet with him for the first time in years.

    Director:John Polson
    Writer:Robert Hewitt Wolfe

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  22. Elementary Season 5 Episode 20 - The Art of Sleights and Deception
    7.3/10(893 votes)

    S5:E20

    Holmes and Watson get mixed up in murder and magic when they investigate the death of a magician killed while performing a classic stunt. Also, Watson suspects Bell is being targeted by the ex-husband of his girlfriend, Chantal, after a false allegation lands him the middle of an Internal Affairs investigation.

    Director:Ron Fortunato
    Writer:Mark Hudis

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  23. Elementary Season 5 Episode 19 - High Heat
    7.1/10(874 votes)

    S5:E19

    Holmes and Watson investigate the murder of a man Sherlock considered one of New York’s worst private investigators. Also, as Holmes stews over being beaten by Shinwell, he decides to take out his aggression by dismantling a local organization of private investigators.

    Director:Michael Hekmat
    Writer:Kelly Wheeler

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

  24. Elementary Season 5 Episode 22 - Moving Targets
    7.1/10(881 votes)

    S5:E22

    When a reality show contestant is murdered, Holmes and Watson zero in on another competitor as a suspect, a former war criminal who may be the most skilled killer they’ve ever pursued. Also, for the first time since he attacked Sherlock, Shinwell reaches out to Joan to ask for a favor

    Director:Lucy Liu
    Writer:Robert Hewitt Wolfe

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

Season 5 Ratings Summary

"Wrong Side of the Road (1)" is the best rated episode of "Elementary" season 5. It scored 8.2/10 based on 975 votes. Directed by Jennifer Lynch and written by Robert Doherty, Jason Tracey, it aired on 3/5/2017. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Hurt Me, Hurt You".