The Final Problem

This was an episode that could have been an awesome movie (like shutter island)... The last 10-15 minutes were very confusing and a bit rushed. It would have about 30-40 more minutes to make a smooth ending if it were a movie, and although it had its roots based on the continuity, it was still apart from the normal story like Hounds of Baskerville... There were a few plot holes and many things were left unexplained, also the ending of the previous episode (which was great) was not utilized to its potential. I still think it was a very good episode in itself and would rate it somewhere between 8.5-9... But if it's the final episode of the show (as the talk is), then the rating will go down to about 8 for the unexplained things throughout the episode. This should not be the last.

"Because Sherlock Holmes is a great man. And I think one day - if we're very, very lucky, he might even be a good man." -Lestrade in 'A Study in Pink'

This is what this season was about - Sherlock becoming human again, the only thing that was missing from a truly epic story told over the span of four seasons. In this mind numbing psychological thriller, the brilliant acting and inspired direction is only surpassed by the emotional undertone that makes Sherlock find his humane touch - something that he had locked away somewhere within his psyche since his childhood. But that humane aspect of Sherlock's character, though not superficially apparent, always found expression in his love for Dr. Watson and Mary, more so than ever in this season of this epic series. Truly, as Mycroft explains - the man Sherlock is today, is a result of memories suppressed and modified and of deep seated psychological trauma.

Why then is he a sociopath and not a psychopathic villain like Moriarty or Culverton Smith? Because, he was always a good person deep down even though he did not know about it himself. The finale does a stunning job at giving us an insight into his past, and his troubled childhood, while at the same time giving us a glimpse of his genius intellect as in other episodes. It's a shame that some people are criticizing it for being overtly about psychological twists and less about solving crime. I ask them if they ever truly would have been satisfied with 'Sherlock' if there had been so many unanswered questions at the end of what could well be the last episode ever for the series. This was a story that needed to be told - and told it was, in the most magnificent and epic way possible - something that is well captured in the following quotes near the episode end:

Police Officer - "He's a great man sir."

Lestrade - "He's better than that. He's a good one."

As Mary put it aptly at the end - it's all about the legend, the stories and the adventures - a story that might well be the greatest detective story ever told!

So this will be pretty much spoiler free. We know from last episode that the Holmes sister has shown her face and it ended with a gun shot. This episode goes from there with some horrific twists, emotional twists and all in all makes a pretty damn good ending to the season. I see that only one in three reviewers "liked" it yet it retains an 8.6 rating as of my writing this. It looks like the people rating this episode don't agree with the majority of the reviews.

Was this season different from all the others? Yep! We've seen the death of Mary, Sherlock going full blown junkie and him having to get in touch with his emotional side for the first time really since the start of the series. People who are used to and like seeing him be an a-hole are kinda put off by this episode but really, this is where the character needed to go from last season...

Mary is nicely not-quite dead thru both John's imagination and a DVD left behind.

Mycroft shows some different sides to his personality and in this one he definitely doesn't disappoint.

The final scene had me smiling and thinking, "Yeah! Now this is some classic Holmes..." It was a right and proper way to end such an emotional season!

So if you're thinking of not watching this only because of some nay- Sayers then think again. If you skip this episode you'll only be cheating yourself.

So the FINAL PROBLEM is here and hands down Moffat and Gattis have a commendable job to create the most tension filled and powerfully emotional episode of Sherlock till date. First of all those who are saying that Sherlock has lost its touch just don't listen to them because this episode is just mind blowing. You will find yourself discovering a new emotional side to Sherlock's character, the most powerful moment of the series featuring Molly Hooper, a highly entertaining and applaud-ably brilliant cameo, Cumberbatch's best performance as Sherlock till date and the dark secrets of the Holmes family disclosed.

Sian Brooke has just become the most menacing Sherlock villain of all time and Mycroft getting better screen presence are the high points or THE FINAL PROBLEM.

But despite all these exhilarating moments ,the climax is a bit let down but never the less we saw a humane side to Sherlock and a new angle to Mycroft's character. It may not reach perfection but has provided us with a more than satisfying possible ending to the world's most famous detective.

"East wind is coming Sherlock" So enigmatic, sounds dangerous, very suspensul.

Long awaited Season 4 was an incredible let down After Eurus officially made an appearance it started to look like a show we know and love. Heartless irredeemable psycho playing her mind games, very good. And she should've stayed in that lane, but writers pulled reverse and...it's like nothing ever happened. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I'm not even joking. S1 - we meet Moriarty and they escape death because of a phone call. S2 - the guy commits fake suicide. S3 - the guy actually kills someone. S4 - they play violin??

Seriously, the way they ended season 4 just showcased that it didn't really need to exist. Big bad villain(s) - completely unimportant, amounted to nothing. The only change is that Mary is dead and to this day I can't figure out why they decided to do kill her off.