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Sherlock - New BBC Drama (Part 2)


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Old 01-01-2014, 23:10
jcafcw
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Big fan of the Conan Doyle stories, and a huge fan of the first two series of Sherlock

This was the Emperor's New Clothes though. Very very lame, wafer thin plot, and the style is in danger of trying to be so clever that it disappears up its on backside.

The constant references to "it's a magic trick" at the time of the fall clearly point to the fact that they're not really going to tell you how it's done, which is a lame excuse for not being able to find a credible explanation.

I really hope the next two episodes return to the quality of the drama and the story telling that was evident in the first two series. This episode seemed to be more about intentionally NOT telling any kind of story at all.
I believe that they have already filmed the explanation.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:11
ClarkF1
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Watson's Latest Blog Post

First comments:

I see you haven't spent the last two years working on your writing technique.

Sherlock Holmes 7 November

Seriously? Don't make me come over there, Sherlock.

John Watson 7 November
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:11
slouchingthatch
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Newsflash- dealing in human emotion doesn't make something a soap opera. Its called drama. If Sherlock returned and everyone went 'oh fine! On we go' we would either be watching Star Trek or some really shit writing.
Or indeed the Conan Doyle original. Sherlock returns. Watson faints. After that it's as if nothing happened.

So much of the original stories is absolutely brilliant. That particular sequence was not Conan Doyle at his finest. This was vastly superior - a proper character study that felt realistic (insofar that anything like this can be realistic!)
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:12
Jimbob91
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I can see why they decided to portray tonight's episode as they did. It's really like an acknowledgement to Sherlockians, who are very passionate about the whole drama series. And I think Moffat and Co. are to be commended for that.
Completely agree, loads of little nuggets in there for fans to chuckle at. Even non-Sherlock stuff like the 'I like trains' was brilliant I thought
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:13
divingbboy
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Third explanation was it. There won't be any more.
^ This.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:13
saladfingers81
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Or indeed the Conan Doyle original. Sherlock returns. Watson faints. After that it's as if nothing happened.

So much of the original stories is absolutely brilliant. That particular sequence was not Conan Doyle at his finest. This was vastly superior - a proper character study that felt realistic (insofar that anything like this can be realistic!)
Quite. I love the original stories with a passion. I grew up on them. But that wouldn't fly these days. At all.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:13
slouchingthatch
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"Johnikins". LOL.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:14
Yvie123
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I enjoyed the episode but then I was less bothered about how Sherlock staged his death and more interested in how the Holmes/Watson reunion was handled.
I think Cumberbutch and Freeman play off each other really well and the peripheral characters are all very well drawn.
There was more scene setting and rebuilding of relationships in this episode than clue finding and deductions, but I think that was necessary given how the last series ended and how long the break was - I'm looking forward to the next episode.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:14
Kapellmeister
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Uh...squeeeeeeeeeeee?
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:15
Kapellmeister
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I enjoyed the episode but then I was less bothered about how Sherlock staged his death and more interested in how the Holmes/Watson reunion was handled.
I think Cumberbutch and Freeman play off each other really well and the peripheral characters are all very well drawn.
There was more scene setting and rebuilding of relationships in this episode than clue finding and deductions, but I think that was necessary given how the last series ended and how long the break was - I'm looking forward to the next episode.
A good writer would've done both i.e. told a story and explored the fall-out. Gatiss proved capable of doing only the one and spent the entire episode doing it.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:15
claire2281
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My only major issue with it is that I really can't see why Watson even likes Sherlock as a friend - he treats him like crap most of the time! The bomb stuff tonight was a prime example. And having no idea that his way of reintroducing himself to Watson might not be a good way. It bugs me because he does it so often it makes it a lot harder to buy the friendship moments between them. They haven't got the balance right imo as things like Elementary and the RDJ films have.

On the other hand I think the relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft is far more interesting.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:16
nethwen
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Or indeed the Conan Doyle original. Sherlock returns. Watson faints. After that it's as if nothing happened.

So much of the original stories is absolutely brilliant. That particular sequence was not Conan Doyle at his finest. This was vastly superior - a proper character study that felt realistic (insofar that anything like this can be realistic!)
Exactly. John picks himself up, dusts himself down, and then they both just get on with things heheh.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:16
Edeline85
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Well, the wait is over, and frankly, I’m still trying to process the whole thing. The episode was good. It wraps everything up in a perfectly satisfactory way. The gang is back together, everybody is happy, there are new mysteries afoot…but…I don’t know…something feels a little flat to me. I think that – for me, at any rate – the heart of the series has always been John and Sherlock’s relationship (I’m a slasher, but I think that the same rings true even if one choses to see them simply as bestest best heterosexual life buddies). This reunion just felt somewhat lacking to me.

Mary was a bit of a gooseberry throughout most of the episode, and took the focus away from the Sherlock/John dynamic. She was too much of a strong character to be included in those crucial early scenes…I found that my attention was on her and her reactions, rather than what was playing out between the boys. And when John and Sherlock are on the train, finally together, finally alone, and we get the big emotional build up when it looks like they’ve failed and the bomb is going to detonate…John admits what we’ve waited two years to hear him say…and then Sherlock’s just like ‘meh, it was all just a joke. Mwaha, look, made you think we wuz gonna die. Snerk’. I mean, I know Sherlock is socially impaired, but John has always been the one person that he genuinely respects and cares for. That whole sequence just didn’t sit right with me. In fact, Sherlock’s asshat-ness really threw me for most of the episode. I expected something more from him. Some sign of emotional distress, more hints of the burden that he’s been carrying alone for the past two years. Benny and Martin did a fantastic job, acting wise, all the ingredients were there…but it just all played out a little too smoothly, and I didn’t really feel like the script supported that these were two guys that had really loved (platonically, romantically, whatever) and missed each other for two years.

I dunno. Just my opinion. Will rewatch it again tomorrow and see if another viewing changes things.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:17
CaseyKlein
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am not a big fan of (any) sherlock holmes but have watched all these new series, well its more 'on in the background' tbh.

has sherlocks character changed in this episode from previous episodes? he was very funny and happy. whereas in others hes very dour and not up for a laugh?
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:19
Veri
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Yep. The story in this episode was never meant to be about the 'case' itself - it was all about exploring and repairing the dynamic between John and Sherlock. Conan Doyle dealt with it very poorly - I much preferred this.
I preferred it to Doyle's version but still thought it was quite poor.

They had plenty of time to come up with a great episode, and they didn't. The 'case', the non-explanations, and the John Sherlock relationship were all like separate fragments, rather than forming a coherent whole, and while there were clever ideas in each, the result was something less than the sum of it's parts, rather than more.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:19
CelticMyth
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I quite liked it, but it seemed almost like a filler episode, which is not that great as they only do 3 episodes every 2 years or so.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:20
claire2281
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I mean, I know Sherlock is socially impaired, but John has always been the one person that he genuinely respects and cares for. That whole sequence just didn’t sit right with me. In fact, Sherlock’s asshat-ness really threw me for most of the episode.
As I said above, I think they've been playing this aspect up more and more and it doesn't work. He just looks like an arsehole. Holmes is traditionally very good with people because it benefits him to be so. He really isn't that clueless or heartless.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:21
nethwen
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Mrs Hudson: "My boys! Back together!"

I love John's blog and the comments afterwards.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:21
RobInnes
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Is it not possible to grade a show on its own merits without having to put down another show which was NOT written by the guy who wrote today's Sherlock? Despite the fact that the two shows have little in common? Jeez. Nonsense comparison.
You finished with my head, cause I kind of need it for work tomorrow?
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:25
Rorschach
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Patience. It's a throwback to the original books.
She really doesn't play a huge part in the original stories, and when she dies (just how she dies Sir Arthur never actually bothers to relate) Watson just moves back in to 221b and never mentions her again.

Oddly in the novels she dies some time after Holmes fakes his death, because upon Holmes return he mentions her death to Watson. So on TV she's turning up just as she originally died.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:27
farmer bob
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An enjoyable return. Probably about the best 85mins that's been on, over the festive period. Mind, that wouldn't be hard Looking forward to the next instalment on Sunday now.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:27
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More reviews

Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-ra...es-cumberbatch
Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...se-review.html
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:27
Eater Sundae
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So, if there are 13 scenarios, how many did we have tonight? Was anybody counting?

Just wondering how many more we have to see before the TRUTH comes out.
Shelock had 13 scenarios. But the ones we've seen are additional to these 13, as they were from the fans
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:27
claire2281
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She really doesn't play a huge part in the original stories, and when she dies (just how she dies Sir Arthur never actually bothers to relate) Watson just moves back in to 221b and never mentions her again.
IIRC some people have figured out with the timelines that Watson must have been married 5 times! He was obviously a bit slack with losing them. Unsurprisingly most versions simply stick to Mary being his wife these days.
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Old 01-01-2014, 23:28
Joe_Zel
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Is it not possible to grade a show on its own merits without having to put down another show which was NOT written by the guy who wrote today's Sherlock? Despite the fact that the two shows have little in common? Jeez. Nonsense comparison.
Who mentioned what they have in common? He simply made the observation that it was more comprehensible than Christmas Doctor Who.
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