Sherlock: Series 4 - TV review
Sherlock: Series 4
Plot:
The Six Thatchers - As Sherlock waits to see Moriarty's next move, he takes on the case of finding someone who is going around and smashing six unique head statues of Margaret Thatcher.
The Lying Detective - Sherlock faces one of the most chilling enemies of his long career: the powerful and seemingly unassailable Culverton Smith - a man with a very dark secret indeed.
The Final Problem - Long buried secrets finally come to light as someone has been playing a very long game indeed. Sherlock and John face their greatest ever challenge. Is the game finally over?
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs
Number Of Episodes: 3
Channel: BBC (UK)/PBS (US)
Certificate: 15 (strong threat, violence)
Air Dates: Sunday 1st January 2017 - Sunday 15th January 2017
221B Baker Street. If you don't know the significance of that address, leave. Thank you for the blog view and don't let the proverbial door hit you on the way out. Obviously if you're still here you're either illiterate or know your Sherlock trivia. If the latter is the case, then welcome. When we left Sherlock and Watson at the end of series 3, Sherlock was on his way out of the country until the entire Sherlock fandom exploded when four words were uttered - "Did you miss me?" Then, in between series 3 and 4, the minds behind Sherlock filled the much needed gaps in our hearts with a Christmas special that, if I'm being truly honest, didn't work for me. It was entertaining but in regards to the grand scheme of things and the overarching plot, all we learnt was that Sherlock got off the plane. No answer to Moriarty's possible resurrection. No satisfying resolution to that almighty cliffhanger. So to say that I was clamouring for series 4 is quite an understatement. This review is going to work slightly differently. Instead of having a section on the characters and the actors and then another on the story and other technical praise/critiques, the review will work through each episode seeing as there are only three. Another thing to note, SPOILERS!! With only three episodes, discussing story elements is bordering on impossibility.
Kicking off the series was The Six Thatchers. Quite a lot of hope was resting on this episode. Would it wrap up a lot of unanswered questions? Would it leave me confused and frustrated. I have to say, unfortunately, The Six Thatchers wasn't Sherlock's finest hour but it also contains some of the show's strongest moments. As far as the integral plot of the episode is concerned, the mystery is a little weak. It starts strong with Sherlock concluding that the wealthy son had been dead in the car all along. Seeing Sherlock enter his mind palace and his blunt personality is sensational to watch resulting in a metaphorical treasure chest of acting possibilities for Benedict Cumberbatch to dig through. He is most certainly a tour de force in this role, perhaps it's his best in his career, but I think we take for granted how good he is at this point. Cumberbatch is nothing short of a master at playing Sherlock and is easily the strongest incarnation of Arthur Conan Doyle's character. The episode then descends into a espionage spiral to shed some light on Mary, who was revealed last series, to have been a spy in her past. The case shown in this episode brings back some memories for Mary to deal with involving some dodgy events during her time as a spy. Amanda Abbington is brilliant as Mary. I love her relationship with John and her secretive past that even complexes Sherlock at times but what I adore about Mary is her guidance and mother-like care for her Baker Street boys. It was this sole focus on her character that I began to get the unfortunate sensation that this episode was Mary's swan song. That would explain the by-the-numbers case as the showrunners intended this to be a tribute to Mary before she kicks the bucket. In all honesty, I would have preferred Mary's death to be more poignant and rewarding of how great of a character she was but just her act of saving Sherlock from the deranged senior citizen, Vivian, was still powerful. Her final scenes are tragic however where the emotion comes in full flow is John's reaction. I know a few people were taken aback that he didn't weep over his wife's corpse nor enter a state of shock. I found it more saddening to witness his rage grow and anger overcome him. This was Martin Freeman's strongest singular episode as John Watson. Ultimately, it wasn't Sherlock's best episode and had a rocky start but the way it concludes and the ramifications it had over the course of the series were huge and brilliantly done.
FACT: Sian Brooke played Ophelia opposite Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet in the 2015 Royal National Theatre stage production of Shakespeare's tragedy.
The second episode, entitled 'The Lying Detective', was much more psychological in nature and direction. After the death of Mary, Sherlock and Watson are apart. They've both taken the death unimaginably hard resulting in Sherlock drifting back to drugs. The episode isn't really focused on unearthing Toby Jones's Culverton Smith's sinister deeds as the intention is to mend Sherlock and Watson's relationship. That's what made this season special in my eyes. Whereas the past seasons have a few plotlines that crop up in each episode, series 4 was entirely dedicated to Sherlock and Watson's bromance. The idea that they rely on each other and need one another's company to live in sanity is very impressive and this episode was where I truly noticed it. The final scene in which Watson breaks down and makes amends with Sherlock is powerful television and I'd be surprised if Martin Freeman isn't given a few nominations come TV awards season. Whilst the calamitous brotherly love was taking centre stage, the subplot of this episode revolves around Sherlock attempting to reveal that TV personality Culverton Smith is not who he makes out to be. Toby Jones plays the seemingly untouchable TV god and like always, he is phenomenal. If there's two characters that Toby Jones can absolutely perfect, it's an unlikely everyman's hero or a despicable human being. This time round, he's the latter type. Every single moment Jones appears on screen, he chews up the deplorable nature with ease. I wanted to see him suffer and the way Sherlock incorporates him into his plan to win John back is fantastic. But let's talk about that ending? Right, if you've made it this far and haven't realised this review is spoiler heavy, this is your one chance to stop and turn away because the second episode drops one almighty bombshell. Ok, here we go. Don't say you weren't warned. At the end of the episode, we realise that Watson's new therapist and the lady who fooled Sherlock earlier in the episode is actually Sherlock and Mycroft's sister, Eurus. HOLY CRAP! Sherlock's done it again. The rug was well and truly pulled underneath us all. We can always count on Sherlock to give us one heck of a twist. By the end, mouth was open, eyes were wide and I could not even fathom how great that twist was. And to top that episode off, even if it couldn't possibly be any stronger, we learn that Ms. Hudson is a total beast behind the wheel of her OWN Aston Martin.
So now we come to 'The Final Problem'. An episode that has divided fans completely. Some thought it was the greatest episode of Sherlock since the series 2 finale whilst others thought it was disappointing. Where did I fall? I think by claiming that this episode ties with The Reichenbach Falls in terms of quality should be a good signal. I honestly don't understand some of the hate this episode is getting. It was incredible. This was easily one of my favourite episodes of television ever. It joins the much respected ranks of Ozymandias from Breaking Bad and The Battle Of The Bastards from Game Of Thrones. Eurus Holmes is such a well-written, brilliantly acted, fascinating character that she rivals Moriarty as the most intellectual and terrifyingly real villain in fictional history. Sian Brooke is hands down worthy of an award for her performance. She's almost Shakespearean in her approach and it's honestly like watching a master at work. Sian Brooke might as well have spent her entire screen time holding a placard with 'This is my award, bitches' written across it. This episode also showcases Mycroft at his most vulnerable and human. Mark Gatiss is one of the very underrated actors of our time and this is by far his best episode to date. Everything about this episode was gripping, tense and ridiculously entertaining to watch. Whether it be Sherlock, Mycroft and Watson planning their escape from Baker Street as the explosive detonates or the various trials that our trio face by Eurus to test their mental capacity and their overall strength. I cannot remember an hour and a half of pure excellence broadcasted to our TV screens. If this was the end, as sad as that may be, Sherlock has concluded in a firework display of brilliance with an episode that I could rewatch continuously. And yes. I was fooled by the Moriarty trick. Damn you Steven Moffat.
My Verdict: 9.5/10
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