Each of us at some point in our lives has had the experience of being in a "group environment" that suddenly became uncomfortable as, inwardly, it became momentarily unclear whether the other members of that specific group were laughing with us ... or at us? The "tipping point" between the two states is subtle but, once crossed, there is no turning back. Bond purists often argue that the best Bond films were FROM Russia WITH LOVE and GOLDFINGER (Dr. No suffered from idiosyncratic plot issues having to do with essentially taking place in a cave), and they do this with some measure of justification. Virtually all the Bonds which followed (excepting the most current iteration) were written with a built-in sense of self-mockery, because, much too early in the franchise, the tipping point and been violated. Which brings us to this episode. If you are a purist, if you fell in love with the early episodes which were a near-perfect balance between the nuances of the relationship and the actual mysteries, this over the top, self-congratulatory episode might have you reaching for your nitroglycerin pills. On the other hand, if you are a certified fanboy of EITHER Sherlock Holmes or Cumberbatch or Moffat (pick one, or you may MIX AND MATCH) then you are in TV heaven here because the writing skews wildly back and forth between comedy and drama; no opportunity to wind up the audience with a reference to past episodes is ever missed EVEN WHEN IT SHOULD BE; and they do manage to deal with a terrorist plot to wipe out London between the "I'm not gay", "I'm really sorry" and "I'm getting married" bits. **Bottom line, depending on individual proclivities, you are either going to love or hate this episode. The truth possibly lies somewhere in the middle. But of this one thing I am certain -- wherever the tipping point point actually lies, they are very very close ...
Review of The Empty Hearse
