‘Elementary’ season 5 needs to solve their Moriarty problem — and quickly

Tonight, we made it to about the halfway point in “Elementary” season 5. Maybe it is because of “Sherlock,” or maybe we were starting to get reflective about the series given that there may only be a season or two left of it. Either way, one question rose to the surface: Why is Moriarty, the signature villain of the entire Sherlock Holmes canon, so minimal in her influence on this show?

The last time we actually saw this character in the flesh on the show, it was the midway point of season 2 — in other words, it’s been three years roughly since she turned up, and that appearance only lasted for an episode. While she’s been mentioned many times then, and we’ve even heard her voice, it’s hard to proclaim that this is anywhere close to the same thing.

If you were to come up with a significant reason why this is the case, it wouldn’t be all that hard to figure out: Natalie Dormer just is not available. It’s a double-edged sword. You have to give casting credit for securing an actress of her caliber for this role, and the idea of playing both Moriarty and Irene Adler had to be enormously appealing. Unfortunately, since that time she’s become a significant star thanks to both “Game of Thrones” and “The Hunger Games,” and the schedule is such that she has several movies still on the pipeline. She’s said in the past that the interest is there on her part in reprising the role, just as executive producer Rob Doherty’s said the same exact thing on occasion.

It’s too bad that there’s a different in interest in actually making it happen. The show could certainly use her — ratings remain low, and it’s been some time since the series had a major marketable event beyond just its loyal fans. Moriarty is a name that even casual Holmes fans know, and (“Game of Thrones spoiler alert!) following the death of Margaery Tyrell, it is easy to assume that there would be a contingent of viewers out there intrigued at the prospect of getting to see Natalie back on TV.

What should the show do at this point? – Reach out one more time to see if Dormer is available. If she’s not, we would almost question if now is the time to recast the character. Obviously, it’s something that you don’t want to do, but at a certain point you are leaving good story on the table and your time is limited. You can argue that she had facial-reconstruction surgery if need be, or you can just find someone similar to Dormer in appearance. Given that Natalie was on a show where people were recast all of the time, she knows about this better than anyone.

If recasting doesn’t happen, then at the very least bring in more disciples for the character, and find ways to include her in the story without actually seeing her. Maybe you even put her in a shadow and just use a stand-in and Dormer’s voice for scenes. It’s not ideal, but is it better than this? Probably.

We do enjoy “Elementary” and its procedural stories often, and we recognize that the show is about more than just one guest character. The issue here is just that when your guest character is THIS great, obviously you want to see them. Unfortunately, we’re left with an empty horizon, and a future that is certainly unclear.

Do you think “Elementary” needs Moriarty this season in order to shake things up further? Share in the comments, and be sure to head over to the link here in the event you want some other news when it comes to the show. (Photo: CBS.)