Last night, after two years, Sherlock exploded onto our screens. What an opening scene. What an episode. A brilliant, dazzling roller coaster of an episode. Here were my 10 favourite things about The Empty Hearse (in no particular order)
1) Opening scene- Wow. This was the best opening scene of a TV show I've seen in a long time. As well as being exhilarating, I loved how it immediately dived into exactly what the audience wanted (an explanation on how Sherlock could have survived the fall), complete with acknowledgements to ludicrous fan theories (Derren Brown) and fan fiction (Sherlock and Molly), exciting stunts and raucous music...and then revealed it was a fake out. Prefect.
2) Handling Sherlock's survival- By this I mean two things. Firstly, how Sherlock's reputation had been fixed before he even arrived back in London. This meant we could head straight back into the action and focus on Sherlock trying to repair his personal relationships, instead of his relationship with the entire country. Secondly, how the 'How did he survive?' question was handled. The two fake solutions were ingenious and hilarious. When Moriaty and Sherlock leaned towards each other passionately, I think the Internet exploded. The actual solution (although...is it? Maybe it is being kept purposefully vague and uncertain) was simple and brilliant, and does make sense, as hints to it are seen in the previous episode, such as the squash ball. Sherlock's exasperated sigh of 'everyone's a critic' when Anderson admits he is 'disappointed' addresses critics themselves before they have even started complaining, acknowledging people are never going to be completely happy with the answer. Anderson was a perfect audience surrogate- I'm sure this was how many people felt when the method was revealed:
3) Acknowledgement of their audience- As mentioned above, this episode was full of acknowledgments of fan theories / fiction. Stephen Moffat and Mark Gatiss really know, and appreciate, their audience. I thought the nudges towards the romantic fan fiction were hilarious, especially this exchange:
Watson: I've met someone.
Mrs Hudson: So soon after Sherlock?
Which, as well as a continuation of the joke Watson is gay, refers to the fans who ship Sherlock / Watson, a ship strong enough to spawn monstrosities such as this:
Moriaty sums up my reaction to the above perfectly:
4) The restaurant scene- This scene was equal parts hilarious and tragic at the same time. Sherlock's French waiter impression, his attempt to ease the tension by joking about Watson's moustache, and the three times Watson throttled / hit / headbutted Sherlock to varying types of music all had me laughing out loud. However, this was balanced by Watson's shock and grief at Sherlock's deception (beautifully, understated acted as always by Martin Freeman), and Sherlock's slow, heart-breaking realization that 'Short version: not dead' was NOT the best way to reveal he was alive. Sherlock got remarkably more human in this episode (his parents, his treatment of Mollie, his need for John's forgiveness- all highlighted by contrasting him with his unbelievably MORE sociopathic brother), and his realization that it was not playful to approach Watson like that, as he thought, but instead rather cruel, was tough to watch. He really is trying!
5) Mary- With Benedict Cumberbatch's parents playing his real parents, and Martin Freeman's real life partner Amanda Abbington playing his girlfriend / fiance, this show has become a family affair. I really liked Mary- she was the right amount of cute, smart, and sarcastic. I also liked how her and Sherlock didn't immediately hate / feel threatened by each other, but instead seemed genuinely curious and pleasantly surprised by each other.
6) The depiction of London- London was portrayed brilliantly in this episode. It captured the claustrophobic energy of the city (and the tube in particular), while showing some beautiful cityscapes and buildings. This atmosphere was built upon by the fireworks, flames and smoke of the 5th of November, which was cleverly linked to the terrorist attack (although the terrorist attack did turn out to be slightly underwhelming, it was an appropriate subplot for an episode that needed to focus on Sherlock's return). The theme of Bonfire Night also led to the terrifying...
7) Bonfire scene- This whole scene was incredibly effective; a terrifying, disorientating nightmare. Between Sherlock and Mary's adrenaline inducing motorbike ride, to Watson's muffled screams for help drowned out by children laughing and playing with fireworks...chilling.
8) Molly- I amid that I thought Molly slightly irritating in the previous two seasons. However, in this episode I found her genuinely sweet, and her love for Sherlock very touching. Plus, Sherlock meeting her look alike boyfriend bought back wonderful memories of the episode of Friends where Ross met Russ:
9) Watson and Sherlock, friends again- Okay, so when Watson admitted he had something to say to Sherlock when they were trapped in the tube carriage and about to die, part of me honestly thought he was about to confess his love for him. Maybe the fan fiction was playing with my head. Anyway, Watson's speech was very touching: 'You are the best and wisest man I have ever known. Of course I forgive you'. Also, 'I wished for you not to be dead'. 'I heard you'. *Sobs*
10) Sherlock and Mycroft- Although I was a bit baffled when Mycroft and Sherlock were discussing the hat, I liked the focus on their relationship. As well as being amusing, from Mycroft's genuine horror at being trapped at a Les Mis concert to the fact Sherlock thought he was an idiot because 'they hadn't met other children', it is also an insightful dynamic.
Bonus...The demise of Watson's moustache- It really did age him. Plus, it caused the great line:
Although...I would shave for Sherlock Holmes.
I can't wait for episode 2 on Sunday, which includes Sherlock being Watson's best man...can he give the speech dressed up as a French waiter, please?
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