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tjmonteith
Reviews
Sherlock: The Empty Hearse (2014)
Disappointing.
I waited two years for a new episode of Sherlock. What I got... wasn't exactly what I expected or hoped for.
The entire episode felt cartoon-y. There was a distinct lack of realism to it, like everything that was happening was just a dream of sorts. And by the end of the episode, I'm just sitting back feeling distinctly disappointed. It lacked what the previous episodes clearly had, which is depth. There were twinges and hints of depth all throughout but overall... it was a bit like watching caricatures of John Watson and Sherlock Holmes.
Let's start with the beginning. We left off with a very somber episode, John talking to Sherlock at his grave. We come back and the first thing that they assault us with is a completely implausible theory as to how Sherlock did it as told by a very scruffy looking Anderson. This wouldn't be so bad if Anderson didn't continually make reappearances through out the episode. Which is confusing to me; is he important in the grand scheme of things? Does he provide some sort of importance at the conclusion of this season? What is he *there* for?
And from there, it seems to be a series of jokes upon jokes with a few meaningful moments in between. The scene at the restaurant where Sherlock finally reveals himself is heart breaking and really takes your breath away. But then its awkwardly broken by a joke and a followed by corny, cartoon-y actions. Then there is the heart breaking moment at the end where they're on the train that's about to blow up. It was so deep and sad and riveting but then... out of the blue, they awkwardly have Anderson and Sherlock on screen again. And Sherlock is explaining how he did it to ANDERSON of all people.
And it isn't just the awkward timing of this scene that makes it god awful. Its the fact that it just... doesn't make any sense and serves no purpose what-so-ever. Sherlock explains how he does it. How he does it is so disappointing however. And then this is brought up by Anderson who proceeds to poke holes in it and go crazy when Sherlock has left behind his back. And then you, as a viewer, is left wondering, Did Anderson imagine that? Is he going crazy? And this is only further assisted by the burning question, that Anderson himself even asked: WHY would Sherlock tell Anderson before he told anyone else? This makes absolutely no sense.
And then suddenly we're back to John and Sherlock and the resolution of the bomb and, consequently, Moran's storyline is extremely unsatisfactory. An off switch? Really? That's your answer? And Moran is so easily apprehended? And how does this episode even vaguely relate to the Empty House?
The primary problem with this episode is that there isn't. a single. resolution. You aren't told how Sherlock did it, there isn't a proper climax to the show, and Moran is easily subdued. Furthermore, its messy and prone to diverging everywhere. It isn't as neat and clean as previous episodes.
Furthermore, there seem to be many story lines started and then never finished. What was the scene between Mycroft and Sherlock *for?* Why did Sherlock feel the need to discuss Mycroft's social life? Is it leading to something? Hinting at something? What? What the hell was it for?
As for Mary, well... she is likable but easily forgettable. Its suspicious how fast she figured out the skip code, as well. Overall, the episode was not what expected for the start of the long awaited Season 3. There were plenty of things that could have been done better and overall, the episode felt sloppy and rushed.