The Six Thatchers

I am sure this episode isn't like anyone was expecting, it's not really this important, We don't really care about Mary Morstan or here future, we only care about Sherlock Vs. Moriarty.

That doesn't mean that the episode was bad but it should have been in the previous season or something not in this season "the final". we were expecting an epic start for the name of "Sherlock Holmes" final show.

Can't really imagine why they wasted one of only 3 episodes in this thing and what make them relying on only 2 episode to end this epic war. I can only hope the just don't disappoint us.

I will give it 8/10. Because again it's not a bad episode but it's not the time really.

I feel like the writers of Sherlock aren't even trying anymore. The "ah-hah" moments are completely phoned in every single time, the solutions to the mysteries are so far-fetched that you can easily tell that the writers were thinking "ok, what sounds ridiculous?"

It doesn't even feel clever anymore. It's the same old formulaic structure that is so open-ended that any character could be killed off and brought back at any moment.

Steven Moffat is doing the same thing to Sherlock that he's doing to Doctor Who. He's somehow able to create mediocre shows with huge fan bases who are willfully oblivious to how awful the shows actually are. Granted, I watch both of them, but now they're both guilty pleasures.

I was so hyped for this season of Sherlock, after all it's been years since the last present-day episode. But this one was not anything like what I expected, and not in a good way. First of all, it takes a long time for the plot to get moving, with many irrelevant scenes, which while funny are obtrusive in what's supposed to be the darkest season yet. And the plot itself is convoluted, lacking a clear focus. It's mainly about Mary's backstory, which is annoying as it requires you to recall details from Season 3 which was about three years ago. There's also not much of a sustained sense of threat, very little tension expect in a few scenes. There's no traditional murder case to solve and it feels like a generic thriller rather than a Sherlock episode. And one other thing- that action movie-style fight in the pool is unintentionally goofy and silly, which I would not usually expect from a Sherlock episode.

That's the bad, but the episode is still clever and fast-paced, despite lacking a clear focus. The ending sets the tone for rest of the season, marking a clear change in Sherlock's personality and explaining this season's tagline 'This isn't a game anymore'. So not the best Sherlock episode, but the sets the scene for the rest of the season.

The Six Napoleans has to be one of my favourite stories from Conan Doyle, so I was intrigued to see what work would be done for The Six Thatchers. The result was something quite wonderful, you can truly see that plenty of time and effort was put into every detail, from the script, to the casting, to the shock ending. Loaded with twists and turns, this has to be one of the best episodes of Sherlock to date, if this one is anything to go by then the series is going to be wonderful.

They played an absolute blinder with Marcia Warren, such a talented actress I always associate with humour and lighter roles, the ending she helped create was spectacular. Best episode I thought for Amanda Abbington, given a big story, to which she put an amazing performance into.

It will be interesting to see how the dynamic between Holmes and Watson develops....

Thrilling 9/10

It seemed like centuries since I had popped down on the couch for the newest episode of Sherlock. Dare I say I ever doubted the arrival of the new season, as I spent my days checking the Twitter account that counted down the days until the new episode. Without a doubt, the first episode of season 4 has been one of the more lacking entries in the series' history. For the first hour or so, Sherlock and co. investigate a newer case that Lestrade has handed them, along with the expository re-introduction of the cast. Even early in the episode you can see how the writers intended for there to be a focus on the matrimony of John and Mary. As the episode dwindles on, Sherlock solves the first case easily and the plot deepens. Unfortunately, going deeper is not what the episode needed. We find out about the huge spy-associated history of Mary, and the mysterious flash drives and their connections to her team. This entire story is built in one episode, and it is the centerpiece of it as well. This decision by the writers backfires, because the actual flesh of the story is not only unnecessary but at times boring. As viewers have come to see a show about Sherlock, they are immersed into the Watson world of Mary and John's boring adventures. From an irrelevant 'love' side plot of John and a random bus passenger, to Mary's affairs in the spy world, the episode lacks any real entertaining substance. Mary is followed by Sherlock to the destinations she wishes to hide herself, thus making the whole idea of her hiding herself unnatural and unneeded. Another issue is some plotshielding throughout, which allows the characters to go about things altogether unrealistic. Although the episode uses the concurrent themes and music from the past seasons, its main focus is astray from the brilliance of the Sherlock series- and that is Sherlock himself. The great thing that lifts this episode above a terrible rating is the acting. Even though the writing and plot bores me, Cumberbatch and Freeman once again deliver exciting portrayals of their characters. By the end of the episode, there is a deep gash in the cast, with Sherlock and John divided for 'classified reasons' (I wish not to spoil). Hopefully this gash will be the interest of a new story arc to power the next two episodes in season 4. The first episode just lacked interesting detail and function for the latter half. Please, Moffat, don't disappoint me like you did with Doctor Who, and bring season 4 home with some exciting content.

6/10