Guys,
I would like to formally apologise for the previous post I uploaded. I had inadvertently added a clip from The Empty Hearse, Episode 1 in Season 3 of Sherlock, a mere day after it had been aired on TV. Granted, it was a clip that occurred in the first minute and a half of the episode, but I didn't warn any people who hadn't had a chance to see the episode yet, which is a disgrace, and I am fully ashamed of my actions.
In my defense, I had assumed that the airing of Sherlock was the same of that of Doctor Who, whereby it was available on TV worldwide. Although this doesn't guarantee that all fans had watched it, I thought I was safe in the knowledge that the majority of the fans would have. However, I have been reliably informed that this is not the case. That, for some reason, by being born in the UK, we are therefore entitled to advance showing. Usually, I feel honoured when I learn things like this, but for some reason, this makes me feel outraged for all other fans. As promised to my American Internetual Friend Lucysfootball, I plan on rectifying this by writing a strongly worded letter to Stephen Moffat et al, to sort this out.
Anywho, I have things to say about the most recent two episodes of Sherlock, and so would like to make it very clear, before I go on, that I will be talking about these episodes, and therefore Spoilers will occur. As such, if you don't want to hear anything about them until you have seen them, get out now... just run, run as fast as you can and don't look back or scroll down... If you're reading this post via a portable device, such as a phone or tablet; discard it. Throw it into the nearest river/sea/ocean/bath and get the HELL out of there.
...
Or, you know, just close down the page. Whatever works for you.
With that warning out of the way, I will begin with my thoughts. Welcome to all people who have either seen the episodes, or haven't but really don't mind about finding out everything there is to know about them, before they do see it. I love you all, and hope you have had a fantastic Christmas and New Year. Without further ado:
My thoughts on Sherlock
First off, I should mention that I have now watched The Empty Hearse 10 times since it aired on Wednesday. If you do the math, yes that does include watching it on more than one occasion on the same day. I can neither confirm or deny that this included watching it 3 times on the night it was aired... same as I can neither confirm or deny that I did the exact same thing last night with The Sign of Three... All I can say, is that I have now watched The Sign of Three four times... in less than 24 hours since it was originally aired.
To say that I have become enamoured and altogether swept up in the world of Sherlock over this past week, is an understatement of gross preportions. When I haven't been watching the programme, I have been scrolling through the endless gifs and posts on Tumblr and sometimes laughing to the point where I have lost all breath. This has made one thing very clear in my mind; as much as I love the programme with all of my heart, I also love the fans who go with it. Seriously, if you haven't seen what's on offer, go to Tumblr, type in Sherlock and lose yourself for about four hours as you go through it all. Amazeballs wrapped up in happiness and love.
For those who wanted a brief summary of the reasons why this series of Sherlock has been so unbelievably amazing, here it is:
This adaptation of Sherlock is amazing, to say the least. They are based on the Works of Arthur Conan Doyle's books and short stories around the life of Sherlock Holmes. The original series set in Victorian England, the current series adapted to modern day and brought to our screens by Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat. The reason for why it works so well is due to the fact that Gatiss and Moffat might actually be the biggest fans of Arthur Conan Doyle existing in the world today. As such, their adaptations are, although in many ways, very different to the original stories, amazing at capturing the overall feel and spirit of the characters, bringing them very much to life in the episodes we are given. What's more, the love that Moffat and Gatiss give these characters pours out from the screen and envelops its watchers with such a yumminess that you can't help but be drawn in. And so, notwithstanding the amazing performances from the actors themselves, the true genius and general workability of this series is first and foremost down to these two creators and the passion that they bring to it.
Series one and two of Sherlock were amazing, to say the least. It was Gatiss and Moffat at their very best, in terms of the geeky attention to all things Sherlock, both from the original text and the previous adaptations that have been. Although the series blew up almost instantaneously, the long wait between Season 2 and 3, coupled with the growing success of both Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch, meant that the "Fandom" of the series continued to blossom and grow steadily, as more and more people joined the flock of love.
I'm not going to pretend to know for certain what it was that had led to the direction Moffat and Gatiss took with Season 3, as I unfortunately have not had a chance to become best friends with them yet, but until that happens, I can only hazard a guess as to their thought process, and this is my take.
When you love a particular thing so much, there is no better feeling than when you manage to recruit another person into loving it as well. Although Sherlock Holmes was already a massively popular and famous character, both in literature and on screen, Moffat and Gatiss managed to make them applicable to a whole host of new generations in their adaptation, thus causing the love for Sherlock Holmes to grow substantially. As such, I can't imagine that there is anything more satisfying and joyful in their achievements on this show.
Season 3 appears to have become a celebration of this fact. The first two episodes have been almost exclusively a tip of the hat to Sherlock's most loyal fans. This was shown, in plain sight, on the alternative theories on how Sherlock had survived the fall, all seemingly based on a collection of Fanfiction ideas that had been expressed through the two year hiatus between Series 2 and 3. On the next level, they then seemed to cater for all the hidden wishes and dreams for romantic interests between the characters. There are fans for every eventuality, and almost all of them seem to have been acknowledged:
Sherlock and Molly: The most amazing kiss of all television ever in the world... check out my previous post for that one.
Sherlock and Moriarty: Oh yes, we all thought it. They were perfect for each other. It made complete sense. And, I can't help but say, the thought that neither had actually died and had, instead, run off into the sunset together, is so amazing and awesome, I can't even begin to show my love for it.
Sherlock and Watson: Not so much shown in the first episode, only with the occasional beautiful speech made in trains and such. But if the Sherlock/Watson fans were disappointed with that, they made up for it in buckets with episode 2, focusing the entire 90 minutes on the relationship that Sherlock and Watson hold.
All of this was done without ruining the credibility of the original characters and storyline. Somehow, Moffat and Gatiss were able to incorporate the silly with the realistic in perfect balance that didn't compromise any aspect, but satisfied all who watched.
The first episode focuses solely on the reuniting of Sherlock and the rest of the world, after his fake death. I will take a moment here to just gasp and gulp back tears, as I make reference to the most amazing performance I have ever seen from Martin Freeman, when Watson first lays eyes on Sherlock. Oh my days, my heart was in my throat the whole time, my eyes lost in his as I felt the multiple emotions running through him. How does a person display all that in one look?? HOW????
Lestrade's reaction to Sherlock returning, with his two worded response to hearing his voice in the phrase "You Bastard" could not have been more perfect for him. Beforehand, I had no clue how Lestrade would react, after that, I couldn't imagine any other response fitting the bill.
The Molly/Sherlock companionship shift was also something I enjoyed. I am truly baffled as to where Moffat and Gatiss will take this, as Molly is the only member of the regular cast who isn't in the original stories. There are hints, especially throughout the first episode, that there is an attachment growing there, but I would be very surprised if this was ever acted on. Mainly due to the fact that the idea Sherlock is anything but asexual (with the exception of The Woman and the Fanfiction fantasies) is something that I can't quite get my head around. Molly would have to really impress him, intelligence wise, in order to spark his interest, and I just can't see them developing that relationship in that way... but I could be wrong... I'm also not saying that I would hate it if that did happen, but it doesn't exactly look likely. However, I do like that they have given her a backbone this series. Her "I'm having lots of sex" line in The Sign of Three, slayed me to the point that I raised my hand for a high-five and had to sadly lower it as I realised I was alone in my room.
And then there is Mary... ah Mary. My love for her character is making me really hate Moffat and Gatiss right now. They are gearing me up for an emotional breakdown unlike anything the world has ever seen. They keep on giving her the most understanding and awesome lines, knowing full well that the world is falling in love with her, just so that they can...
*words falter and lets out a small sob*...
I know this isn't going to end well... I just know it. And, although I have only known her for two episodes (yes, I consider that I know her, despite her being a fictional character, judge away), the love I have for her has already been set in and deeply routed... And now I'm terrified. Especially as I already have made plans to buy a T Shirt that says "I don't shave for Sherlock Holmes", which will only remind me of her every time I wear it.
Which brings us nicely into The Sign of Three. As much as I have always been an avid lover of previous Sherlock episodes, I don't ever quite remember laughing as much as I did with this one. If Martin Freeman got a chance to flex his gut-wrenching, "I-will-make-everyone-watching-cry-dammit" acting skills in The Empty Hearse, then Benedict Cumberbatch well and truly matched his performance in this episode. The look on Sherlock's face as he stares into Watson's eyes,after being told he was his best friend was amazing. Although nothing quite matches the simple obliviousness that Sherlock held after he had made the entire room cry with his simple observation of his admiration for his best friend. The fact that he had no clue how human he had sounded and his urgence to continue on with the speech, I couldn't breathe for the entire time, my heart in my throat, my mind acknowledging that this was the best moment Sherlock had ever offered.
...
Until fifteen minutes later of course, when suddenly our screens were filled with a drunk Sherlock... something that I had always wondered what would be like... and was not disappointed at all. My highlights of this?
1. Drunken Sherlock calls Mrs Hudson "Hudders."
2. Watson claiming Sherlock is "Clueing for Looks."
3. Sherlock's drunk observations around the room.
4. Sherlock punching the air as he is dragged away by Watson.
5. Sherlock: The game is... something
Watson: On?
I don't need to say anymore. You all know how awesome that was.
I will end now, I appreciate this is my longest post of all time... apologies. My geekdom rang through and wouldn't let me stop typing. But I have made observations and predictions on the latest episode that I'm pretty certain are completely true and so I may very well be revealing something about the next episode... if you don't want to read on with this; Peace out, we'll speak soon...
...
Everyone else? CAM. Charles Augustus Magnussen. He's the new arch enemy for the next episode. There was a telegram at the wedding to Mary from CAM, wishing her family could be at the wedding. The text on Watson's abduction in The Empty Hearse was sent to Mary's phone and not Sherlock's, despite texts being addressed to Sherlock.
Charles has her family. She's not an orphan after all.
I don't believe that this means she is working undercover and doesn't love Watson. I don't believe that there is anything sinister or evil about her. What I think is going on, is that her reasons for not telling Watson what is going on is tied into her family being abducted but not her reasons for being with him.
We all know how this is going to go. Apart from anything, Stephen Bloody Moffat has written this next episode. As much as I adore him, he knows just what to put in his storylines to make me fall into a heap of snot and tears. Doctor Who has well and truly proven that. He is lining it up for an all out blood fest. No good can come out of this next episode. No good at all. Only tears and sadness and Sherlock trying his hardest to save the people he's vowed to save, and failing miserably in some form or another...
There is a small part of me; the part of me who watches Romeo + Juliet and turns the film off after they consumate the marriage, stating that that was a lovely romantic story; who is tempted to just not watch the next episode. Just sit in my ignorant bliss at all the sweet and happy moments from the first two episodes and shut my ears to anyone telling me otherwise.
Although I know this part of me is nowhere near strong enough to stop me watching the episode. Which leads me to inviting all who feel they will need it, to start up a support group for this time next week. It will be necessary, otherwise we'll never be able to move on, whatever it is that they have planned.
Peace out my lovelies.
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