I really don't know which I find more baffling - people who don't watch a show then come on here and say it was awful because a few people on twitter have said so, or people who watch shows they hate in order to be able to come on here and say how bad they were.

Re. how many people liked it / didn't like it etc, well it seems discussing the actual programme and what happened seems to have been abandoned about 7 pages ago.

It's just a Moffat slanging match now.
Can't say I know much about him though I've gleaned some info from posts on here.
It does seem some of the 'anti' forum members are obsessed with him.
The people who liked the programme have just discussed the programme, but have then been drawn into fruitless brawls with Moffat 'haterz' (to use an internet phrase)

Quite entertaining watching the hammer and tongs, but ultimately pointless as you won't change an opinion when people have channelled blistering disgust onto one person.

Hi guys. I haven't read through the thread yet, I'll have a scout when I'm on my laptop.
I wasn't happy. Basically I think this was written for all the fans - it reeked of fanfiction (although in fairness I suppose Gatiss and Moffat are Conan Doyle's biggest fans).
It was too cliche. Watson's wedding didn't need an entire episode, Mary didn't need to be pregnant (just too sugary sweet).
Overly done sweetness, if I were writing the fanfic it's exactly how I'd have done it... But I'm not Moffat, and I wouldn't be wasting 90 minutes. From the emotional perspective it was great, but we only get 3 episodes every two years and plot wise this has been the poorest of them all.
Yes we had a little plot but... Meh. A character I didn't care about.

However, it was lovely to see Irene "not now I'm busy" Adler. And drunk Sherlock may perhaps be my favourite thing ever, there was just too much of him.
Intrigued about next week's episode, perhaps no Watson, given the end of the episode?

Final edit: I think my dad put it best: "It was very good, but it wasn't Sherlock."

Your attention seeking is beyond irritating.

It's not worrying. It's just an irrelevance.

The comment you quote is more than a fair point though…..

As I've said, I didn't care much for this episode (too sentimental, not enough detecting), but at least I watched the bloody thing in the first place.

Its a puzzle isn't it?

And for the record I'm no Moffat fan boy. He has made some awful decisions on DW or at least hasn't done what I would have liked. And yes these two episodes of Sherlock have in my opinion bordered on self indulgence and at times have seemed to have played to the gallery in placing the double act of Cumberbatch and Freeman front and centre at the expense of some pure detective action. I'm not deluded about the flaws.

But I'm sick of these anti Moffat obsessives who seem convinced he's destroying TV. At least watch the bloody program you're critiquing. Or even better watch something you like and stop with the bizarre personal vendettas against a man who just writes some very successful TV programs.

Enjoyed both episodes for the fun that they were but they really do need to stop with the smug fan serving and remember that this is ultimately still a crime show, and it is that not the comedy that originally drew people in, each case has taken up about 10% of each 90 minute episode so far and it's only a 3 episode series. If they haven't got an intense, multi-level, multi-crime, story-centric episode next week that makes up for and justifies it all then they've wasted an entire series on acknowledging how clever people think they are. I've gone from panto dislike to actual hate for Moffat, first all the shit with Doctor Who these past 3 years and now he's f*cking up his one saving grace too? Someone get him off tumblr before his head disappears up his arse. The fans girls don't represent the average viewer, stop catering it to them.

It is. For the first time evah I'm considering finding the Ignore function.

The drunk moment just didn't feel right for me. Didn't suit Sherlock and I got bored of it as it felt like that scene dragged on

Didn't expect to have to defend this comment, as I hoped that it was very obviously tongue in cheek and not meant to be taken seriously, but here goes...

So which other hits do you think he achieved? In terms of long-term popular hits, he certainly contributed to the two Ronnie's, but no other show he did achieved anything like the 'hit' status of Only Fools. Yes, we can look at his earlier contributions such as Citizen Smith and Just Good friends. Both can be considered hits of the time, but can't be considered as lasting hits in the same way as Only Fools. Of later work, should I talk of Roger Roger or The Green Green Grass (which, if memory serves, both wasn't particularly good and was largely not written by Mr Sullivan)? Or should I consider him as a gentleman who shall forever be remembered for creating one true timeless classic hit?

If we're talking of attempted humour, I feel my comment stands.

Its the people who don't watch it and then criticise.

Yes, there might be some weirdness associated with people watching something they hate, but at least they watched it. Even if they watched it for the sole intention of hating it, they did, at least, actually watch what they hated. That's better than hating something you've never seen, on the basis that you've heard someone else say they didn't like it.

What gets me are the people who seemingly loved series 1 and 2, but gave up watching after one episode of series 3 and are hating on episode 2 even though they haven't seen it! One episode you hate seems a little much to give up on a series you'd previously loved.

Just to say, I'm ok with people who watched and disliked the last two episodes and are fans of the prior two series. That's just personal opinion and taste. Nothing wrong with that. Its just weird things like "I loved all the prior episodes, but hated last week's, so never bothered to watch this week because it was obviously Moffat-masturbating rubbish." It just seems such a sudden and aggressive switch for supposed fans. I've loved enough series, that have had the odd bad episode, to know you can't give up on something that had entertained you previously on the basis of one or two eps.

What really amuses me, though, is the Moffat-hating bandwagon-jumping. Its hard to take anyone seriously when they blame his mere presence for destroying the quality of the show, when he's the very man who created the show in the first place! If its obvious Moffat's involvement would wreck Sherlock, then it should have been wrecked since series 1.

I enjoyed it, but its not as good as the previous series'. The comedy/sluething ratio was a bit off for me. It would have been fine as part of a longer series, but of as 1 of only 3...

Not getting the Moffet hate though. Without him there would be no sherlock....

That doesn't excuse him for then ruining it, or make him immune from any criticism.

Reviews

Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/t...-2-review.html
The second episode of Sherlock (BBC One) saw Benedict Cumberbatch’s otter-faced detective tackle his toughest challenge yet: delivering the Best Man’s speech on Dr Watson’s wedding day. No easy task for a high-functioning sociopath who’s somewhere on the autistic spectrum and simply does not understand trifling matters like love.

Metro http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/05/sherlo...f-one-4248141/
Sherlock’s best man speech is initially awkward but ultimately poignant – from his own self-description (‘the most unpleasant, rude, ignorant and all-round obnoxious arsehole that anyone could possibly have the misfortune to meet’) to his heartfelt praise for John (‘the bravest and kindest and wisest human being I have ever had the good fortune of knowing’)

Independent http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...r-9038017.html
Unlike the usual open and shut case, this week was made up of a compelling series of vignettes told via Sherlock’s unorthodox best man speech. All the strands were delicately woven together by writer Stephen Thompson to create a strong story.

Blaming Moffat for a bad episode of Sherlock that he didn't write, is like blaming him for the dire Rings of Akhaten that was written by Neil Cross for DW. There is some element of responsibility on the showrunner's part, but they are not in any way wholly to blame.

That said, Moffat's is the finale. Regardless of the thing's actual quality, it's pretty much guaranteed that some will love it, some will hate it, and this thread will become a civil war. Again. Albeit more so, because, well, Moffat.

His hands were all over it, as they were the Reichenbach Fall, I highly doubt they let Steven Thompson write anything soley by himself after his story in the first series and his mess for Doctor Who. I don't actually think it was a bad story though, just lacking one. If it had any less it would have been a sitcom. I actually liked the story there was, just wished there was a lot more of it rather than centring most the episode on his speech and comic anecdotes.

Epic fail yet again. I have not criticised episode 2 as I made clear in my previous post. But feel free to selectively quote as per usual.

Only the people that liked it? Is everyone else just a Moffat hater?

Compelling?? What was she smoking?

Here's one from the Daily Mail:

Irritating, soppy and, worst of all, boring... how Sherlock turned into a cross between 'Carry On Doctor Watson' and 'Doctor Who' for grown ups

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...m-Shelley.html

I was wondering whether that was Debbie Chazen in tonights ep, she's lost a lot of weight. As for the episode I enjoyed it, I don't see what all the complaints are for.

I don't care who writes it. Stabbing a character in the back without them noticing, having them walk around with some sort of tourniquet and not bleeding all over the place and then have them collapsing in the shower, having not noticed the blood pouring away is inexcusable.

because that was the entire plot wasn't it?

Forget all the many good reviews! The real proof of this episode's brilliance can be found in the The Daily Mail's review.

Cos their critic didn't like it at all.

Not actually very accurate. The people who disliked the episode have provided reasons why, those who claim to have liked it have not.

It's actually quite simple, not at all baffling. People are complaining because the shows they like are, in their opinion, nowhere near as good as they used to be. And there is one common person involved in the decline.