sherlock abominable bride review terrible

#Sherlock abominable bride review terrible tv#

One of the reasons why Sherlock was so refreshing was because it glorified other things.Īs if Sherlock’s assassination of Magnussen wasn’t enough, the episode ended by absolving Sherlock of all possible consequences for the crime.

#Sherlock abominable bride review terrible tv#

We have enough movies and TV shows that solve problems with bullets. It was disappointing to see a show that had once been so finely focused on the play between intellect (as represented by Sherlock) and emotion (as represented by John) as integral to the problem-solving process, introduce a third, all-too-common element to the mix: violence/murder as a solution. The episode ends with Sherlock shooting Magnussen point-blank in front of the British government. Ultimately, however, its biggest crime was in having Sherlock solve the Magnussen problem not with his brain, but with a bullet. Like much of the rest of Sherlock Season 3, “His Last Vow” had some good moments, but was weighed down by its larger-than-life plot twists. At some point in there, Magnussen pees in the Baker Street fireplace and licks John’s face. In addition to it all, Sherlock works to get Mary (and, by extension, John) out from under Charles Magnussen’s thumb. John is then forced to decide if he will forgive his pregnant wife for her deception (and, you know, for shooting his best friend). Mary shoots Sherlock, revealing herself to be a former assassin. It tried to do far too much, and therefore succeeded at very little. It was also a hot mess of an episode to cap a hot mess of a season. The Season 3 finale was filled with intrigue and action. “The Empty Hearse,” despite its other flaws, was an excellent example of this. If post-Season 2 Sherlock has done anything right, it is the slow, steady development of the Sherlock/Mycroft relationship.

We are in The Darkest Timeline.Įvery episode of Sherlock has highlights and, for “The Empty Hearse,” they included: the introduction of Mary Morstan ( Amanda Abbington) Sherlock’s hilarious, pun-filled return from the dead and Mycroft ( Mark Gatiss) and Sherlock’s brotherly game of Operation. Unfortunately, we are not in that alternate universe. In an alternate universe, Sherlock was brave and doubled down on its character drama going into Season 3. More than anything, it was a missed opportunity. Sherlock took a dramatically-rich narrative twist and brushed right by it. It didn’t feel like John’s forgiveness was truly earned, or like we understood what Sherlock’s time on the run (without John) was like. Inevitably, Sherlock manipulated John into forgiving him by making him think they were both going to die in a fiery explosion, which is not really how emotions work. “The Empty Hearse” was the first episode of Sherlock that really failed at what it needed to do, marking an unfortunate downturn in quality (or, if you’re being generous, a shift in the kinds of stories this show is interested in telling). After a Season 2 cliffhanger that saw Sherlock fake his own death in front of John, breaking his best friend’s heart, this episode had one major job: to deal with the emotional fallout from that decision and Sherlock’s inevitable return in a satisfying manner. As we learned in the most recent episode of Sherlock, emotional context matters, which is why “The Empty Hearse” was such a disappointment. Going into Season 3, Sherlock was riding a two-year hiatus wave of anticipation and expectation following the excellent Season 2 finale.