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locker_monsterI wrote down a lot of this stuff as the episodes aired, so my initial impressions are in there, not an overall review, but I think for next season I'll post my thoughts right away.
"The Empty Hearse"
I am so happy this didn't suck. After waiting two years for a resolution, you want the show to come back with a bang. Actually, not much happens in this ep when you really think about it; the terrorist plot is barely there. It was all about John seeing Sherlock again. I love that Gatiss makes fun of how it happened in the books. Holmes shows up in disguise at Watson's office and then Watson promptly faints from surprise. No fainting for John. More strangling and punching and headbutting. :-) But who wouldn't be pissed? Your best friend fakes his death and doesn't even tell you?
And poor John. He moved on. He really did. He didn't become a shut-in or a crazy person. He found a job and he met a nice woman. And then whamo. There's Sherlock pretending to be a French waiter. I'm glad John didn't really come around to Sherlock's return until the end of the episode. He needed that time to process everything. At the same time, he was ready to jump into things again. You can see him watching the clock while meeting patients. He not only missed Sherlock. He missed solving crimes and helping people.
And I loved how differently everyone else reacted. Mrs. Hudson screamed her head off. Lestrade gave him a big hug (aw), and Molly, well, she knew so she didn't have to be surprised. She gets a kiss on the cheek for helping out.
And Mary likes Sherlock. :-) You can easily go the jealous route, but I'm glad they didn't. And Sherlock likes Mary. That's good, too.
As for the terrorist plot, it's just there to give Sherlock something to solve at the end. At least they explained why Sherlock was gone for two years. Because he easily could have come home much sooner. But really? Sherlock stops the bomb by flicking a switch? Yeah, yeah, this isn't Doctor Who where you need some technobabble and stuff, but still. I was actually worried it was an elaborate ploy from Sherlock or John to get back at the other one.
In regards to the resolution of Sherlock's fall, I'm glad it's never really said how he did it. In fact, it was awesome how they took the mickey out of it. Just when you thought you got an answer, it's just another crazy fan theory. Anderson's was kind of plausible (I kind of almost believed it until I saw Sherlock on a bungee cord), the fangirl's was like fanfic, and as for Sherlock's supposed explanation... Well, the fans certainly called the squash ball stopping his pulse. And the dead look alike. But really? An air mattress? It would have made more sense for Sherlock to jump into that laundry truck. It blends right in and it can make a quick getaway. Yes, the landing wouldn't have been as soft, but whatever. I think Moffat and Gatiss never had a solution. Moffat was just messing with people when he said that the fans all missed something.
Random: Sherlock groupies! And Anderson is one of them! Ha, that was nice. He feels guilty for calling Sherlock a crock. It felt a little weird how suddenly everyone knew Sherlock was back. You'd think he'd want to lay low for a bit longer. At one point Anderson says "I believe in Sherlock Holmes" and I like to think that it was a reference to the tumblr page with the same name. Sherlock's parents! That was nice. I don't think they were ever mentioned in the books? But they're just a normal couple who wish their son would call more often. I'd actually be interested in seeing more of them. How did they cope with two crazy geniuses for sons? And they were played by Benedict's actual parents. And Mycroft stuck at a Les Mis show made me laugh. Though, not as hard as Sherlock and Mycroft playing Operation. I actually thought they were playing chess, but the sound didn't sound right and at one point I thought, "Are they just tipping the pieces over?" I love how Sherlock is known as "the Hat Detective". And the deerstalker!
"The Sign of Three"
Okay, this episode had nothing to do with "The Sign of Four", but that's cool. If you've read the book, you're expecting something with Mary and her father and stuff (honestly, I don't quite remember the plot). Instead, we get Sherlock doing his best man speech peppered with cases that contribute to the ending.
I laughed when I saw that it took all three of them - Moffat, Gatiss, and Steven Thompson - to write this episode. Typically, the second episode of the series is always the weakest. I kind of thought this one needed all three to make it not suck, but I'm starting to wonder if one wrote "The Bloody Guardsman", one wrote "The Mayfly Man" and one wrote the stuff at the wedding. Either way, this episode was pretty good. Sherlock has never seemed more human.
It was so funny to see him doing wedding prep stuff with John and Mary. Grilling Mary's male friends, helping with seating arrangements and napkins. Oh my god, the napkins. That shot of him surrounded by mini Sydney Opera Houses! "That sort of just happened." So cute. I bet Sherlock read a bunch of stuff about wedding traditions because he's logical like that. But the best part was how hard he tried. He didn't want to mess this up for John and Mary. Especially the stag night. Drunk!Sherlock. :-D His deductions while he was drunk! But he still solved it in the end. Even when his face is pressed into the floor, he picks up on everything.
His speech was great though and it highlights how important John is to him. Their friendship goes both ways. Sherlock just didn't save John. John has saved Sherlock, too. And Sherlock can see how happy John is with Mary and he didn't want to screw up their day. Also, I figured out why Mary works so well with the two of them. She's clever like Sherlock and compassionate like John. She's the best of the two of them, but in a feisty blonde package.
Anyway, I'm glad this episode didn't suck. They went for something a bit different and it worked.
Oh, but poor, lonely Sherlock. He was starting to click with the maid of honour and he even wanted to dance with her at the end of the episode, but alas, she found a guy. Anyone else think the ending was a reference or an homage to the end of the Doctor Who episode "The Green Death"? The Doctor leaves Jo's engagement party while the festivities are still going and he heads off into the night alone. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a reference, intentional or unintentional.
Random: I don't think we've seen Sherlock so petrified before. Even the crazy gas from "The Hounds of Baskerville" didn't have him this scared. Eyeball tea, anyone? Is the wedding hall the same one as Gwen's from Torchwood? It looked vaguely familiar. I found it strange that John's stag party was just him and Sherlock. What about all of his friends? Or did Sherlock forget to invite them? I loved how at the beginning Lestrade went running to Baker Street because he thought Sherlock was in danger. Aw, he does care. :-) And I didn't know that the actress who plays Mary is Martin Freeman's wife in real life. Huh. And ha, Sherlock likes to dance. And he wrote a violin piece for John and Mary! He does have emotions. Oh, and there were some references to "The Sign of Four": Major Sholto shares a name with a character in the story as does the killer and the dwarf with the blowgun is also a reference.
"His Last Vow"
Umm........ Okay, wasn't expecting that.
Let's just get right to the meaty bit. Mary Morstan is actually not Mary Morstan. That's a very brave twist I must say. In a way, it's kind of cool. Mary in the novels was just Watson's wife. Here, well, she can be a proper member of Team Sherlock. She's former CIA or something? Definitely a trained agent of some kind. She has skills that puts her on par with Sherlock and John.
Still, poor John. :-( This has not been a kind few years for him. His best friend dies, his best friend comes back, he nearly gets burnt alive and blown up, and then he finds out that his wife has been lying to him. I know she was lying from the start and she didn't want to hurt him, and she didn't marry him to manipulate him, but it still sucks for him. Nothing ever is simple in Moffat's works. Though, I am glad that John can move on in the end. He's still pissed, but he still loves Mary, too. She wanted a new life and she found one with John. Who knows what will happen in the future, though. Will that past soon catch up with her?
And of course, the clues were right there from the beginning. One was literally there on the screen. Sherlock's deduction of "liar" when he first meets Mary. Oh, Moffat.
So Sherlock's first and last vow is tested very much in this story. He said he would do anything to protect John and Mary and he does. Should he have murdered Magnussen? Sherlock himself said he's not on the side of angels. I was sort of expecting John to shoot Magnussen, but it makes sense that Sherlock would. He's protecting his friends, but it's a tactical move, too. He has less to lose. And it was all for his friends, too. He didn't go there to kill Magnussen to stop him. He went there for Mary so she could live her life without having to worry about what Magnussen had on her.
Honestly, I'm glad Magnussen got his comeuppance. It happened in the short story. I actually read "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" before the New Year, I think. Probably around Christmas since work was really slow. I never would have thought that it was required reading. The plot of the short story is pretty similar to "His Last Vow" actually. Evil blackmailer, Sherlock marries someone on the blackmailer's staff to get access to his house, blackmailer gets confronted by someone else he was blackmailing and is eventually shot in the end. And, boy, Magnussen was creepy. Even Sherlock can't admire him.
And I'm very glad that this season didn't end with anyone in peril or anyone supposedly dead. Sure, Moriarty is back from the dead apparently, but it wasn't as if Sherlock or John had a gun to their head. Though, is Moriarty back? Or does he have some groupies who are acting in his name? Well, as long as a cult doesn't try to resurrect him, it's all good.
Random: I need to freeze frame the scenes with Magnussen's file info on everyone. I barely caught any of it. But Mrs. Hudson used to be an exotic dancer? For some reason, I was worried they were going to send Sherlock to America for his exile. I don't know why I thought that. Why is Molly not engaged anymore? Can't this woman be happy? But Sherlock did envision her while he was bleeding out and I think it's a sign that he admires her skills even more than he lets on. Same goes for Anderson. Though, maybe he was just picturing people who annoy him to get him through the trauma. But I'd rather believe he generally likes people. So the Redbeard that Mycroft mentioned in "The Sign of Three" was actually Sherlock's dog. Aw, Sherlock had a doggie that he really loved. Christmas with the Holmeses! I'm glad they brought back Sherlock's parents. I never would have expected that Sherlock's mum was a genius maths whiz. So that's where the boys get it from. :-) But she can still scold them. Sherlock and Mycroft looked genuinely freaked out when their mom almost caught them smoking. Some references to "His Last Bow" in there; retirement cottage with bees, that line about an Eastern wind. And poor Janine. I know Sherlock would never go for a proper relationship, but he was looked so cute when he was pretending. So John and Mary are having a girl. How cute that Sherlock suggested his name for the baby. Are they suggesting that his full name is actually William Sherlock Scott Holmes?
Oh, you know what I realized? John and Mary could have adventures on their own, like, as super spies. Mr. and Mrs. Watson. ;-) But seriously, the three of them together as a team would be awesome.
Well, that's another year done. Done so soon, though. Season four has been confirmed so that's good. But please, less waiting, Moffat and Gatiss.
"The Empty Hearse"
I am so happy this didn't suck. After waiting two years for a resolution, you want the show to come back with a bang. Actually, not much happens in this ep when you really think about it; the terrorist plot is barely there. It was all about John seeing Sherlock again. I love that Gatiss makes fun of how it happened in the books. Holmes shows up in disguise at Watson's office and then Watson promptly faints from surprise. No fainting for John. More strangling and punching and headbutting. :-) But who wouldn't be pissed? Your best friend fakes his death and doesn't even tell you?
And poor John. He moved on. He really did. He didn't become a shut-in or a crazy person. He found a job and he met a nice woman. And then whamo. There's Sherlock pretending to be a French waiter. I'm glad John didn't really come around to Sherlock's return until the end of the episode. He needed that time to process everything. At the same time, he was ready to jump into things again. You can see him watching the clock while meeting patients. He not only missed Sherlock. He missed solving crimes and helping people.
And I loved how differently everyone else reacted. Mrs. Hudson screamed her head off. Lestrade gave him a big hug (aw), and Molly, well, she knew so she didn't have to be surprised. She gets a kiss on the cheek for helping out.
And Mary likes Sherlock. :-) You can easily go the jealous route, but I'm glad they didn't. And Sherlock likes Mary. That's good, too.
As for the terrorist plot, it's just there to give Sherlock something to solve at the end. At least they explained why Sherlock was gone for two years. Because he easily could have come home much sooner. But really? Sherlock stops the bomb by flicking a switch? Yeah, yeah, this isn't Doctor Who where you need some technobabble and stuff, but still. I was actually worried it was an elaborate ploy from Sherlock or John to get back at the other one.
In regards to the resolution of Sherlock's fall, I'm glad it's never really said how he did it. In fact, it was awesome how they took the mickey out of it. Just when you thought you got an answer, it's just another crazy fan theory. Anderson's was kind of plausible (I kind of almost believed it until I saw Sherlock on a bungee cord), the fangirl's was like fanfic, and as for Sherlock's supposed explanation... Well, the fans certainly called the squash ball stopping his pulse. And the dead look alike. But really? An air mattress? It would have made more sense for Sherlock to jump into that laundry truck. It blends right in and it can make a quick getaway. Yes, the landing wouldn't have been as soft, but whatever. I think Moffat and Gatiss never had a solution. Moffat was just messing with people when he said that the fans all missed something.
Random: Sherlock groupies! And Anderson is one of them! Ha, that was nice. He feels guilty for calling Sherlock a crock. It felt a little weird how suddenly everyone knew Sherlock was back. You'd think he'd want to lay low for a bit longer. At one point Anderson says "I believe in Sherlock Holmes" and I like to think that it was a reference to the tumblr page with the same name. Sherlock's parents! That was nice. I don't think they were ever mentioned in the books? But they're just a normal couple who wish their son would call more often. I'd actually be interested in seeing more of them. How did they cope with two crazy geniuses for sons? And they were played by Benedict's actual parents. And Mycroft stuck at a Les Mis show made me laugh. Though, not as hard as Sherlock and Mycroft playing Operation. I actually thought they were playing chess, but the sound didn't sound right and at one point I thought, "Are they just tipping the pieces over?" I love how Sherlock is known as "the Hat Detective". And the deerstalker!
"The Sign of Three"
Okay, this episode had nothing to do with "The Sign of Four", but that's cool. If you've read the book, you're expecting something with Mary and her father and stuff (honestly, I don't quite remember the plot). Instead, we get Sherlock doing his best man speech peppered with cases that contribute to the ending.
I laughed when I saw that it took all three of them - Moffat, Gatiss, and Steven Thompson - to write this episode. Typically, the second episode of the series is always the weakest. I kind of thought this one needed all three to make it not suck, but I'm starting to wonder if one wrote "The Bloody Guardsman", one wrote "The Mayfly Man" and one wrote the stuff at the wedding. Either way, this episode was pretty good. Sherlock has never seemed more human.
It was so funny to see him doing wedding prep stuff with John and Mary. Grilling Mary's male friends, helping with seating arrangements and napkins. Oh my god, the napkins. That shot of him surrounded by mini Sydney Opera Houses! "That sort of just happened." So cute. I bet Sherlock read a bunch of stuff about wedding traditions because he's logical like that. But the best part was how hard he tried. He didn't want to mess this up for John and Mary. Especially the stag night. Drunk!Sherlock. :-D His deductions while he was drunk! But he still solved it in the end. Even when his face is pressed into the floor, he picks up on everything.
His speech was great though and it highlights how important John is to him. Their friendship goes both ways. Sherlock just didn't save John. John has saved Sherlock, too. And Sherlock can see how happy John is with Mary and he didn't want to screw up their day. Also, I figured out why Mary works so well with the two of them. She's clever like Sherlock and compassionate like John. She's the best of the two of them, but in a feisty blonde package.
Anyway, I'm glad this episode didn't suck. They went for something a bit different and it worked.
Oh, but poor, lonely Sherlock. He was starting to click with the maid of honour and he even wanted to dance with her at the end of the episode, but alas, she found a guy. Anyone else think the ending was a reference or an homage to the end of the Doctor Who episode "The Green Death"? The Doctor leaves Jo's engagement party while the festivities are still going and he heads off into the night alone. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a reference, intentional or unintentional.
Random: I don't think we've seen Sherlock so petrified before. Even the crazy gas from "The Hounds of Baskerville" didn't have him this scared. Eyeball tea, anyone? Is the wedding hall the same one as Gwen's from Torchwood? It looked vaguely familiar. I found it strange that John's stag party was just him and Sherlock. What about all of his friends? Or did Sherlock forget to invite them? I loved how at the beginning Lestrade went running to Baker Street because he thought Sherlock was in danger. Aw, he does care. :-) And I didn't know that the actress who plays Mary is Martin Freeman's wife in real life. Huh. And ha, Sherlock likes to dance. And he wrote a violin piece for John and Mary! He does have emotions. Oh, and there were some references to "The Sign of Four": Major Sholto shares a name with a character in the story as does the killer and the dwarf with the blowgun is also a reference.
"His Last Vow"
Umm........ Okay, wasn't expecting that.
Let's just get right to the meaty bit. Mary Morstan is actually not Mary Morstan. That's a very brave twist I must say. In a way, it's kind of cool. Mary in the novels was just Watson's wife. Here, well, she can be a proper member of Team Sherlock. She's former CIA or something? Definitely a trained agent of some kind. She has skills that puts her on par with Sherlock and John.
Still, poor John. :-( This has not been a kind few years for him. His best friend dies, his best friend comes back, he nearly gets burnt alive and blown up, and then he finds out that his wife has been lying to him. I know she was lying from the start and she didn't want to hurt him, and she didn't marry him to manipulate him, but it still sucks for him. Nothing ever is simple in Moffat's works. Though, I am glad that John can move on in the end. He's still pissed, but he still loves Mary, too. She wanted a new life and she found one with John. Who knows what will happen in the future, though. Will that past soon catch up with her?
And of course, the clues were right there from the beginning. One was literally there on the screen. Sherlock's deduction of "liar" when he first meets Mary. Oh, Moffat.
So Sherlock's first and last vow is tested very much in this story. He said he would do anything to protect John and Mary and he does. Should he have murdered Magnussen? Sherlock himself said he's not on the side of angels. I was sort of expecting John to shoot Magnussen, but it makes sense that Sherlock would. He's protecting his friends, but it's a tactical move, too. He has less to lose. And it was all for his friends, too. He didn't go there to kill Magnussen to stop him. He went there for Mary so she could live her life without having to worry about what Magnussen had on her.
Honestly, I'm glad Magnussen got his comeuppance. It happened in the short story. I actually read "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" before the New Year, I think. Probably around Christmas since work was really slow. I never would have thought that it was required reading. The plot of the short story is pretty similar to "His Last Vow" actually. Evil blackmailer, Sherlock marries someone on the blackmailer's staff to get access to his house, blackmailer gets confronted by someone else he was blackmailing and is eventually shot in the end. And, boy, Magnussen was creepy. Even Sherlock can't admire him.
And I'm very glad that this season didn't end with anyone in peril or anyone supposedly dead. Sure, Moriarty is back from the dead apparently, but it wasn't as if Sherlock or John had a gun to their head. Though, is Moriarty back? Or does he have some groupies who are acting in his name? Well, as long as a cult doesn't try to resurrect him, it's all good.
Random: I need to freeze frame the scenes with Magnussen's file info on everyone. I barely caught any of it. But Mrs. Hudson used to be an exotic dancer? For some reason, I was worried they were going to send Sherlock to America for his exile. I don't know why I thought that. Why is Molly not engaged anymore? Can't this woman be happy? But Sherlock did envision her while he was bleeding out and I think it's a sign that he admires her skills even more than he lets on. Same goes for Anderson. Though, maybe he was just picturing people who annoy him to get him through the trauma. But I'd rather believe he generally likes people. So the Redbeard that Mycroft mentioned in "The Sign of Three" was actually Sherlock's dog. Aw, Sherlock had a doggie that he really loved. Christmas with the Holmeses! I'm glad they brought back Sherlock's parents. I never would have expected that Sherlock's mum was a genius maths whiz. So that's where the boys get it from. :-) But she can still scold them. Sherlock and Mycroft looked genuinely freaked out when their mom almost caught them smoking. Some references to "His Last Bow" in there; retirement cottage with bees, that line about an Eastern wind. And poor Janine. I know Sherlock would never go for a proper relationship, but he was looked so cute when he was pretending. So John and Mary are having a girl. How cute that Sherlock suggested his name for the baby. Are they suggesting that his full name is actually William Sherlock Scott Holmes?
Oh, you know what I realized? John and Mary could have adventures on their own, like, as super spies. Mr. and Mrs. Watson. ;-) But seriously, the three of them together as a team would be awesome.
Well, that's another year done. Done so soon, though. Season four has been confirmed so that's good. But please, less waiting, Moffat and Gatiss.
