CheddarTrek

I think I immediately blamed Sherlock because I'm unable to connect with characters that are arrogant and act as if they're better than everyone else (even if they actually are).

I always dislike such people both in fiction and in real life so it's frequently my default reaction to put the blame on them when something bad happens.

In this case Sherlock already found the person responsible, he had her cornered and even the police arrived. It was all nicely finished. Then he had to ruin it with his typical feeling of superiority.

I guess you're right that he's not the one most responsible for this situation, but that was my initial reaction which I wrote down. I guess I should have thought about it longer.

 

That was so much better than last week. It was still batshit insane, but I was glued to my seat throughout. Genuinely gripping tv, everyone involved brought their A game.

Spoiler

So OK, third Holmes sibling is a sister - mind blown, yes, but Sherrinford? Curious to see what's happening there. The whole final scene reminded me of Moffat's 'Jekyll' mini-series, for reasons I won't spoil here, because if you haven't seen it it's fantastic, but where that ended on a massive cliffhanger here we've (hopefully) got another episode to explain it.
Glad Amanda Abbington got another crack at Mary, even if she was a hallucination, and John's confession almost - almost - made up for it happening in the first place (I still think it's barely in character for him, if at all, but hey-ho. Toby Jones was genuinely unsettling, and Cumberbatch was electrifying.

Oh, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I genuinely squealed with glee when Sherlock's text alert went off...

 

After last ep, which really put me off with its predictive stupidity, this one was 10000000 times better.

 

Top 3 episode that was. Excellent!

 

I thought that episode was marginally better than the previous week's but to be honest, I still wasn't impressed. The dialogue was a bit more witty, but the story was still batshit insanity.

I wish they would just return to the magic of the first couple of series, when it was actually about the mysteries as well as the characters, and not just convoluted nonsense. They have so many untapped stories in the original Holmes stories to adapt, and yet they insist on ignoring them in favor of hallucinatory silliness.

 

I just watched the first episode of the new season and had to turn it off during the Watson reveal. The episode was just so fucking terrible; they need to stick to Sherlock Holmes mysteries, not this godawful overarching plot or weird character backstories.

 

There is too much emotional drama and too little intellect.

Both compared to the original works and to the setup/promise made in the first season.

 

Oh but I'd argue it wasn't about solving a mystery. This was a character-driven, Sherlock actually savin John, episode. Think back on the whole series, how many times John has saved Sherlock, and Sherlock has saved John. It looks more often that John has saved him, and he has done that a lot, but it's actually the 'high-functioning sociopath' that has saved his friend, even to the point of faking his own death for two years (granted that was for other reasons as well).

I think 04x02 was a fantastic episode. Mostly because it made Sherlock vulnerable. His addiction, his vice, was what was needed to advance the plot.

I didn't doubt for a second that Culverton Smith was a serial killer, and the viewer was never meant to doubt it. The whole first 20 minutes of the episode were devoted to that. Sherlock so far off his tits but still right.

Sherlock being right and Sherlock being compromised are two different things. He was both in this episode.

Ah, I'm just arguing what most have already seen. It was a fantastic hour and a bit of TV, and I hope the next episode does it justice.

 

Wow. That was - mostly - brilliant.

Spoiler

If I had to criticise anything, there would be a couple of nitpicks - Eurus seeming to basically have literal mind control powers, the implausibility of her being able to waltz off Sherrinford whenever she liked with no-one noticing, even if she did control the island, that sort of thing - and one big thing, specifically the way she fell apart because she got a hug. Bit weak. But, crucially, I didn't really care about any of that at the time I was watching, because god damn that was a thrilling watch.

I really hope that it's the end. It's a nice finish, with everything wrapped up, and while there are obviously loads of ways they could carry it on, they should go out on a high - which I say as someone who thought they wouldn't get back to that high after 'The Abominable Bride'.

Highlights? That beautifully ridiculous opening, with Mycroft and his swordstick versus a clown. The flashback that, just for a moment, had me genuinely convinced that Moriaty was back for real. The pitch perfect dialogue between the Holmes and Watson trio. That excruciatingly brutal and perfect scene between Sherlock and Molly.

TL;DR - a few wobbles, but the last two episodes have been the best since series 2. If it is the end, then they can all be proud.

Ninja-edit

Spoiler

I did think it was a bit of a cop out that only minor characters got killed in that twisted little game though.

 

Ugh. Wanted so badly to love this episode. And I did. Till the last ten minutes. They fucked themselves by having such a brilliant actor in Andrew Scott. His Moriarty was a tangible evil that exists/could exist.

Whereas Eurus was described as being, not only more brilliant than both her brothers by a long stretch, on a level above everyone. Literally flying in the air. That just doesn't sit well with me. The suspension of disbelief bridge was collapsing on itself during this episode.

I would have liked it if she was smarter than the other two but had weaknesses (like Mycroft's laziness or arrogance) or Sherlock's emotion or his need for the solution to be complicated. All she had was an inability to comprehend emotions. Sometimes..

Spoiler

Also how easily she was beaten and the family just casually visiting her was a real WTF moment for me. And she's now above the rest of them/in a mental coma? Da fuck.

 

Eurus falls into the typical Sherlock trap of being smarter than the writers - and thus making it impossible to write in any depth about her ability to manipulate anyone other than Sherlock - who she can only manipulate because she's holding information over his head.

That said, was a gripping story from beginning to end. I enjoyed the actual character driven bits. I found the parts with the psychedelic flashes to Moriarty to be distracting more than anything however. Am I the only one who honestly can't think of anything he actually added to the episode? Kinda felt he was just added in because everyone would be pissed if he never showed up after the previous seasons finale.

That said, the redbeard reveal was one of the most shocking t.v. moments I've experienced in a long time. This definitely wasn't a well constructed mystery - in that there's no way anyone could have accurately predicted the ending without just guessing - but it wasn't supposed to be a well constructed mystery. It was supposed to be a heart felt story about three siblings finally coming to terms with their dark past, and with each other.

Also, despite this shows best attempts, I do not feel bad for Molly Hooper. She was more annoying than ever this episode. Sherlock's breakdown afterwards was fine, but Molly herself was absolutely infuriating.

 

Well that was fucking disappointing. It's a shame too, because there were parts of the episode that were really well done (my favorite scene is probably Mycroft trying to get himself shot), but they were surrounded by bullshit and plot holes all around.

I kinda feel bad for the actress that played Eurus, because she did a great job, but the writing got in the way. In fact, all of the cast were great. At least they can't think up of dumber shit than straight mind control for the next series, if it's ever made. Makes me happy I never got into Doctor Who, I hear they did some similar fuckery there.

And of course, there's fangirls proclaiming their love for the episode on Reddit, with varying degrees of condescension for the naysayers.

 

I enjoyed season four in the moment. But, upon reflection, it did very little to change my view that the show should have ended after season two.

 

If nothing else, the episode has introduced me to a new experience - it's the first time I've watched a fandom explode with such vitriolic outrage over a show before, at least at close range. I'm not one to poke fun at Tumblr, but I saw someone genuinely compare their heartbreak at the lack of canon Johnlock to the worldwide horror at Trump winning the election.

 

Andrew Scott dancing to Queen is something every TV show needs more of.

 

I enjoyed the episode.

Spoiler

here were parts that broke my suspension of disbelief, such as Eurus' outright mind control, but once I'd managed to take that in mind I thoroughly enjoyed the rollercoaster that was Sherlock's jaunt through his family history.

Andrew Scott's inclusion into the episode was excellent not because of his performance, but because it showed us an incite into Mycroft's character: He is a nearly sociopathic person and tries to portray himself as such, but in reality he is just as sentimental as Sherlock when it comes to his family. The scene where he tries to get Sherlock to shoot him rather than John was especially touching.

The ending was fulfilling enough that it satisfied me, especially once it was revealed that...

Spoiler

Eurus wasn't was emotionless as she thought she was. The scene where Sherlock went to shoot himself, though I fully expect that he had enough understanding of her to have it not come to that, was especially interesting as it made Eurus relatable to her brothers beyond their intelligence.

All in all I enjoyed it well enough that I'd rank it in the top five Sherlock episodes. NOt as good as the actual Moriarty episodes, but still more than good enough to be entertaining.

 

I may be completely off base here but I think it was actually my favourite Sherlock episode.

There was very little that I thought was wrong with the episode but then again I'm the kind of sappy guy that likes episodeslike this so what do I know?

Spoiler

The reprogramming thing stretched my suspension of disbelief a little and I think they could have handled that better. Then again, I suppose they were trying to subtly liken it to what cult leaders do with their cult. Perfectly normal people fall under the sway of people calling themselves mesiahs so I suppose it's not too hard to believe.

I can usually tell most of the plot twists that happen. I was expecting the first scene to be a drug addled hallucination or something. Was quite funny to see it was John and Sherlock. I do however think it was a bit of a cop out not to show what went down between Euros and John.

I knew right away that the plane scene was faked. At first I thought the girl was Euros's child (That throwaway line about her sleeping with a guard) and that she was in a simulator helping her mother out or something.

It would have been much better if Molly had died anyway. Sherlock's tantrum just seemed stupid and the fact that he seemed to get on with Molly in the montage just kind of defeated the purpose of it.

I geunuinely thought Sherlock would shoot Mycroft and he would die or he'd shoot John and he'd be wearing a bulletproof vest underneath. Or that the gun would be empty.

But the interacting between the brothers and Watson. Definitely some of the best interaction I've see in a long time in any medium, let alone Sherlock.

Now, as for Sherlock forgiving Euros. Halfway through he episode, for some reason, I imagined what the Doctor (Doctor Who) would do and I knew he'd forgive her. It was just one of those strands of thought that enter your mind when watching something.

That's why it was so shocking to see him actually do it. I was watching the episode with my sisters so my view may be skewed but I really liked that scene. It showed how much Sherlock had progressed since A Study in Pink and how he reacted to things now. Heck, I even liked the end montage.

I'm curious though, how would all of you rank the intellects of the main intellectual/deductive characters in the show?

I know Mycroft is meant to be better than Sherlock and they always say it but they rarely ever show it. As for Moriarty, was he as good as Mycroft? Euros? Or was he just at Sherlock's level? As for Irene Addler, does she factor in at all? My rankings:

1. Moriarty
2. Euros
3. Mycroft
4. Sherlock