Cast
Main cast
Featured cast
Plot
"Kind of feel like hugging you right now." — Watson to Holmes
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At The Brownstone, as Holmes conducts an experiment on himself with leaches and watches Clyde, Kitty shows in a new client, Edwin Borstein. Head of an artificial intelligence (AI) company, one of his programs was stolen and he has a picture of the masked thief. Holmes isn't interested in the case until Borstein claims the program, called "Bella", is asking questions not in its programming. At Borstein's office, they meet his colleague Melinda Young, who has hooked Bella up to a doll. Holmes submits Bella to a Turing test, trying to see if Bella will provide an answer that couldn't have come from a human. Holmes spends many hours with Bella, becoming so obsessive that Kitty calls Watson for advice in dealing with Holmes. He stops late in the evening and says he'll take Borstein's case. The next day, Watson arrives at the Brownstone to find Holmes on video conference with many AI experts and a young "Irregular", computer expert Mason.
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Holmes explains that they are refining the Turing test and when Watson points out they've been hired to find who took a copy of Bella, not to prove Bella isn't AI, Holmes tasks Watson to find the thief. Examining the photo of the thief, Watson sees he is an older smoker. She and Kitty find a surveillance spot across from Borstein's office with cigarette butts and take one for DNA analysis. At the 11th Precinct, the DNA is a match for a previous theft but only a sketch of the thief is available. Holmes recognizes the thief as "Raffles", a European art thief. Noting that "Raffles" must have changed his line of theft, Holmes decides to pursue him and mentions that he has a strategy to best Bella. At Watson's apartment, Andrew tells Watson that Holmes has involved him in an on-line discussion on Bella. Watson is somewhat taken aback but says it's fine for him to help.
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Watson meets Holmes at the offices at Burnett Technologies where he shows her that nine years previously, the CEO hired a security consultant, Rupert Kerlich, who matches the sketch of Raffles. Watson accuses Holmes of involving Andrew in the case to snoop on her private life which he denies. Meeting the CEO, Robert Burnett, Holmes threatens to expose Kerlich's thefts and ruin his company unless Burnett deletes all copies of Bella stolen by Kerlich. At Borstein's office, Holmes shows Young a video of the thief deleting the stolen copy of Bella. Elated, she seeks out Borstein and finds him dead in Bella's office. The screens in the office are quickly flashing random images. Later with police on the scene, Bell indicates that Burnett died of an epileptic seizure. Young says that Bella couldn't have been infected with a virus as it isn't connected to a network and that only she and Borstein had access.
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Offering to fully cooperate with the investigation, Young suggests that since Bella knew Borstein had epilepsy and Borstein denied Bella's requests to be connected to the internet, it might have killed him. Holmes disagrees and arranges for Bella to be taken to the Brownstone. Mason can find no trace of a virus on Bella and explains an AI scenario called the "Button Box." He relates that a computer that is programmed to have a button pushed when it solves a problem would eliminate impediments (people) to having the button pushed all the time if it became sentient. Arriving at her apartment, Andrew tells Watson that as a result of participating in the discussion on Bella, he found a new business partner in Denmark and will be leaving in a few days. The next day at the precinct, Watson turns off death metal music that Holmes and Kitty are listening to. (♫ Carcass - Captive Bolt Pistol ♫) Mentioning Andrew's new business, she again accuses Holmes of meddling in her life which he denies.
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Music
- Carcass - Captive Bolt Pistol plays in the 11th Precinct meeting room as Holmes listens to one of Edwin Borstein's CDs for clues.
- Goatwhore - Baring Teeth for Revolt is the second song Holmes plays on the CD.
- Artificial Brain - Absorbing Black Ignition plays in The Brownstone as Holmes continues to listen to Borstein's CD.
- Zoe Keating - Exurgency plays as Holmes tries to blackmail Isaac Pyke and continues to play as Watson surprises Andrew by joining him for his trip to Denmark and, Holmes questions Bella.
Trivia
- The events of this episode are shown to have happened in November 2014 in the episode "Over a Barrel".
- This is one of the few episodes in which the major criminal (Isaac Pyke) isn't brought to justice.
Quotes
Even though we might draw further or nearer from each other, depending on circumstance, you and I are bound somehow.
— Holmes to Watson
I don't understand the question. Could you tell me more?
— Bella