Sherlock

An instant Classic! A modernization that doesn’t stop at “to make it present-day and look cool" (you know, Hamlet in a suit like in a Tarantino movie, holding a Beretta instead of a sword), but approaches the entire Holmes cult with such invention, while remaining true to the original (you can see that the creators are fans and had actually read the books and not just the cover notes), that however much Doyle didn’t like Holmes, he would love this “smart is the new sexy" style. And, from the very beginning, Cumberbatch is aiming for the best Holmes of all time, just as Freeman is gradually working toward becoming the most interesting Watson ever. 1x00: Unaired Pilot 4/5 See separate review. 1x01: A Study in Pink 5/5 The epitome of a perfect pilot “intro" episode to a series. And when I write perfect, I mean really perfect. 1x02: The Blind Banker 4/5: More detective, more adventurous in good penny-press style and in the second half even a much more traditional approach than you might expect after the first episode. Although being different from first time round, it certainly is no worse. 1x03: The Great Game 5/5: Having cut the pilot, McGuigan also did the cutting for the (first?) season finale, and you can really tell. If, using a bit of poetic license, we compare the first episode to Se7en, this one could be compared to Saw (or rather to Epitafios, if anyone has ever seen that). Phenomenal from start to just before the finish. The finish isn’t that phenomenal. It’s much, much more than “merely" phenomenal. I don’t share the certain hesitancy in accepting Moriarty’s affected style, but I understand. In any case it’s impressive. 2x01: A Scandal In Belgravia 5/5: Definitely the new sexy. The well-deserved status of “legend overnight" put Sherlock and its Moffat/Gatiss creator duo into a difficult position full of considerably great (or rather huge to unattainable) expectations not just of fans, but of everybody who values originality, style and quality. And so they spent a good long time preparing season two, because even a “darn good sequel" would have unavoidably meant disappointment over loss of quality. Also, in addition to these expectations, they lost the moment of surprise and initial enthusiasm too. On the other hand, time has shown that Sherlock isn’t based on hype. And so, how to repeat the unrepeatable? Simple... Add something else that not just jumps over the yardstick of quality, but that moves the yardstick up a notch. Yes, it seems impossible, but that’s how it is. Primarily due to the fact that the way Irena Adler is presented here is a commercial for femme fatales and is the perfect embodiment of sensuality. Sparks fly so much during their flirtatious scenes with Sherlock, that it’s surprising that the wallpaper in the living room didn’t catch light. The creators also improved their work with the viewer; this time round he/she is unabashedly encouraged (and he/she is given all necessary information and time) to engage in “deduction" alongside Holmes. And that wonderful feeling when here or there (or at least once!) you deduce sooner than he does... Money can’t buy that feeling of triumph! And while that intriguing idea involving characters’ “real" websites/twitter profiles from the first season remained unexploited, it is integral to season two. First and foremost is Watson’s blog where cases that came up between season one and season two are described in detail; unfortunately then these cases are merely mentioned in fragmentary form at the beginning of this episode. 2x02: The Hounds of Baskerville 4/5: Got to see a man about a dog. ...this English euphemism captures this perfectly. In comparison with previous episodes, this slows down by a few levels. Here and there we find breakneck speed or coquetting with the postmodern. It is sober (which isn’t necessarily bad), atmosphere building (nighttime passages are nicely horror movie, the daytime pleasantly less heavy). The problem is that this time for the first time ever the divergence from the original material in the main storyline comes across strained and forced; modernization in this case does more harm than good. This is not in essence The Hound of the Baskervilles and, what is worse, this isn’t even Sherlock. These are The X-Files; but good, no two ways about it. McGuigan did what he could In his director’s chair, but Gatiss did a bit of a sloppy job at his screenwriter’s desk. 2x03: The Reichenbach Fall 5/5: Or: the episode with the biggest heart. And also an episode when this version of Sherlock outgrew the original. Phenomenally written, even better performed; what the Cumberbatch, Freeman, Scott trio display here is usually rewarded with the highest of accolades. Enough ideas for thirty more movies (crime à la Brothers Grimm!). Suspense, an oppressive atmosphere, emotions, inevitable fates. You name it, you’ll find it here. A predictable ending, but how it was filmed. Hats off, wigs and all. 3x00: Many Happy Returns 4/5 The exceptional nature of Sherlock is reaffirmed in the domain of webisodes, which usually aren’t anything more than superfluous filler nodding exclusively at staunch fans. This episode is completely self-sufficient, clever and fans are also treated to more than one nod (and one wink). 3x01: The Empty Hearse 4/5 How to achieve the status of a legend after all that fatefulness? Simple: take a completely different slant that you have so far. Relaxed, tongue in cheek, even with a (meta)grin on their lips, which surprisingly really seems to fit after all that seriousness. The case as such this time is sidelined (literally), but for once it doesn’t matter one little bit. 3x02: The Sign of Three 4/5 The first episode which suffers from being feature length. You see, it takes a good half of the episode to get going, eventually managing to link the wedding celebrations with solving the case; however obvious the perpetrator and how he did it was. Although the first half contains potentially good scenes such as “Sherlock and the wedding speech" or “Sherlock and Watson drunk as a skunk" etc., but they are disproportionately drawn-out, sometimes teetering on the brink of an unintentional parody of itself. It doesn’t topple over it thanks only to the actors. 3x03: His Last Vow 5/5 That is the thing with Sherlock, it's always the unexpected. Full of twists and tension between characters and a finale in the best traditions of the preceding seasons. That makes it even more surprising that everything surrounding Appledore (including the solution) is so evident and unfortunately not very “Sherlock-esque". It was disappointing that the creators chose the cheap “ultra slippery" caricature option with Magnussen; if they had left him in a purely emotionless, business role, the solution would have suddenly been so much more interesting, controversial and bold. Too bad that they didn’t try that. 4x00: The Abominable Bride 4/5 See separate review of this special. 4x01: The Six Thatchers 3/5 See separate review. 4x02: The Lying Detective 4/5 See separate review. 4x03: The Final Problem 4/5 See separate review. (08/09/2010) (less) (more)