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.

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

Well that was a long hour and a half. This episode started off interesting but tried to intertwine too many twists- yes it is possible to have too many twists- making the entire episode feel very clinched. The plot was made too complicated but with too simple of conclusions.

Since season three, Sherlock has turned into a mix of unnecessary special effects weaved with too many artistic cinematography and empty plot points. What happened to the original Sherlock from season 1 & 2? What happened to the well wrote stories?

I may not be able to finish this season. It is too great of a disappointment from where it started from.

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

We saw the first episode on STAN in Sydney on 2 January. We are absolute dedicated Sherlock fans, but were disappointed with the offering. Not because of what happened in the end- that was predictable. It just seemed as though we were watching a pilot that had not been tightened up either that or the authors had grown tired of the writing the series. It was all a bit sloppy with silly and unnecessary dialog that could have been deleted. And it just seemed as though the whole cast was wondering where it was all going. What was the reason for that ridiculous coiffured Dr Watson hairdo? Freeman just didn't seem the same to us. Was this because of his real life breakup with his partner?

But the biggest omission to my mind: where was that thumping Arnold and Price music that kept the pace of previous episodes. All the dynamic music had been 'sucked out' of the presentation and we were left with limpid weedy muzak that reminded me of cheap 80's drama background of distant wailing strings not all that relevant to the story. It sounded like someone had left the radio on in the background. It was pathetic. It left the characters 'naked' with embarrassing dialog in many of the scenes. So were all of these changes because of budget limitations? Sorry I give it a bare 6.5 to 7/10.