‘Elementary’ Season 5 Spoilers: Sherlock And Joan Will Train Shinwell To Become A Better Informant

It looks like Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) will eventually support Shinwell’s (Nelsan Ellis) mission to dismantle SBK from the inside.

The synopsis for Season 5, episode 11 of “Elementary” reveals that Sherlock and Joan will, at some point, help Shinwell become a better informant. According to the episode summary, Joan (Lucy Liu) becomes frustrated when Shinwell refuses to focus on his informant training with her and her partner, Sherlock.

Sherlock giving Shinwell informant training is quite surprising, as a sneak peek from this Sunday’s episode (Season 5, episode 10) reveals that the London native isn’t really pleased when he finds out that the ex-con is still informing on SBK to the authorities despite giving him his “second second chance” to start his life anew.

“When I committed a felony to keep Shinwell out of prison, it was so he would have the opportunity to get his life straight,” Sherlock furiously tells Joan in the clip. “I thought he’ll find a clever way to extricate himself from the gang!”

“He is getting his life straight. He is finishing what he started,” Joan argues. “He risked his life to get back into SBK. They trust him. [And] he doesn’t just wanna waste that.”

In Season 5, episode 9, Shinwell was framed by FBI agent Whitlock (Dorian Missick) for the murder of Ricky Morales. Although Shinwell didn’t kill Ricky, he could still have been arrested for his death, as a gun obtained from the murder scene had his fingerprints. Shinwell’s trip back to prison, however, was prevented when Sherlock wiped Shinwell’s prints off the gun before it was processed by the authorities.

As for the case of the week for episode 11, titled “Be My Guest,” Sherlock and Joan will try to find a woman who’s been held captive for years and catch her kidnapper.

“Elementary” Season 5, episode 11 is the show’s first episode following its midseason hiatus. It airs on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 at 10 p.m. EST on CBS.