Villainess Review: Natalie Gale (Elementary)

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I love Elementary. I really loved that show and everything about it; the cast, the plots, the stories, and yes, the villainesses. The show had an amazing crop of evil and murderous women in the seven years that it aired on CBS, and the episode, "Blood is Thicker," was certainly no different.

The episode centered on the sudden murder of Haley Tyler, who was actually found on the roof of a van--having fallen from her apartment. The investigation revealed that she had some connection to Ian Gale, a known billionaire, with the belief that they were in some sort of relationship. Ian was actually a suspect; however, Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson's encounter with Ian revealed that he was in absolutely no shape to kill anyone--as he was badly ill. Ian needed a heart transplant, and with his wife, Natalie, at his side, the truth about Haley was revealed. Haley was actually Ian's daughter from an earlier relationship, and regarding Natalie, she suggested to Ian that he should reach out to Haley, as he may not have another chance.

Haley's mother, Maureen Tyler, had her own suspicions when it came to her daughter's death, and they were directed towards Natalie Gale, who ended up being interrogated. Natalie revealed earlier that Haley was needed to donate blood to Ian, but after it was unveiled that Haley was actually named in Ian's will, the suspicions increased. Natalie stated that she would hire lawyers, and regarding Haley being an heiress, Natalie informed Watson and detective Marcus Bell that she willingly gave up part of her inheritance to Haley. Later on, Ian suddenly passed away, and afterwards, Sherlock suddenly realized that Ian was possibly the actual victim. This led to a confrontation with Natalie, which ended up confirming Sherlock's suspicions that Ian was the true main victim, and his death was caused by Natalie.

So as it turned out, Natalie had been planning to divorce Ian, but as far as money was concerned, she would only receive $15 million as part of a prenuptial agreement. However, an extra zero would be added to that number in the event of Ian's death, leading to Natalie plotting her murderous scheme. Earlier, Natalie had stated that she convinced Ian to reach out to Haley, but that was part of her plan to inject samples of Ian's bad heart into Haley, which tainted her blood. She also said that she gave up part of her inheritance to Haley, but that was all done to maintain Haley's trust in her--plus it was a small price for Natalie to pay. Natalie paid Christian Suarez, a doctor, $1 million to inject Haley's tainted blood into Ian, all the while, Haley was becoming ill herself but didn't know what the cause was. Ian's health took a turn for the worse, and afterwards, Natalie entered Haley's apartment and stabbed her to death, doing so to prevent Haley from finding out the truth about Natalie's evil plans. Ian ended up succumbing to Natalie's scheme, though Natalie's exposure led to her arrest.

"Blood is Thicker," was the eighth episode of Elementary's second season, and aired on November 14, 2013. The episode featured Margaret Colin as the main villainess, Natalie Gale, and she was clearly the best one from the show's sophomore season. Natalie was an absolute Bitch in Sheep's Clothing; she put on this big show of generosity and acted like she was so, so charitable, but the truth was...Natalie was evil, scheming, greedy, and murderous. Other than that, she was quite sociopathic as well. Haley Tyler, for all intents and purposes, was basically Natalie's stepdaughter, but all Haley was to Natalie was a means to an end. Natalie caused harm to Haley in order to eliminate her husband for his wealth, and once her ultimate goal was close to being achieved, she eliminated Haley--as she was a loose end. Colin acted out Natalie's feigned generosity very well, and we also get a very brief flashback scene featuring Natalie's heel persona as she murders Haley, which was a brilliant performance from Colin when it came to her character's evil and ruthless nature.

Ironically, Margaret Colin actually appeared in the 1987 telefilm, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, as Jane Watson--Dr. Watson's female descendant. Her other credits include films such as Three Men and a Baby and Terminal Velocity, and she has also appeared in episodes of Chicago Hope and all three Law & Order series. Colin also replaced Lolita Davidovich as Linda Wozniak on the NBC series, Shades of Blue.

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