Just to make another comment: I agree with those who find Moriarty a bit Pantomime Villain - I find the character really over the top, and I'm disappointed that he appears to have been ressurrected.
I'm convinced though that Mycroft uses him to keep Sherlock alive and occupied - maybe that will be the reveal at the end of the next series? I do like the relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft.
I don't think Sherlock was "beaten" by CAM has some have said - he went to his place to make doubly sure that the files were in his head before destroying the files I.e: killing him...he didn't shoot him as a last resort, it was his plan all along; hence him making sure John had no gun on him, and waiting for witnesses to arrive first so that John couldn't be blamed.
I think I say this every week! But, again, I think the two leads are absolutely brilliant in this - especially Martin Freeman, imo.
They do allow the writers to get away with the odd weak episode, because their performances are so good.. But then, my humble point of view is that all TV shows have their weak episodes and their brilliant ones, and you either stick with the show, or you decide the weak points are outweighing the strong points and you give up on it... There's no right and wrong answer as to whether you should like something or not.

Yawn !

I can see how you've come to this, but I have to say I didn't see that at all. If killing Magnussen had been Sherlock's plan all along, then why allow Magnussen to humiliate John and then wait for Mycroft and the police to show up?

It can't have been to make Magnussen verbally admit there were no vaults - a search of the house would have determined that anyway.

And, before all the witnesses turned up, he could surely have shot Magnussen and then claimed it was self-defence?

Clearly asking John to bring his gun was an indication that Sherlock thought it might be needed, but I do think it was a last resort. When John asks Sherlock if he has a plan, he looks completely lost. It looked to me like he was playing through all the options - letting Magnussen flick John was him playing for time - before finally killing Magnussen. He would have known that the consequences for doing so were serious, so I don't see how it can have been his Plan A.

I see there have been the usual arguments on here filling up the board overnight, so ...

I've included my link for my review on the Metro website again. Yes, I very much liked His Last Vow - let's get that out of the way. No, I don't think it was perfect, but I haven't expended any energy stripping down its (few) flaws. Instead in my review I've focussed on analysing some of the key points of the story itself, including a closer examination of the clues about Mary that the episode didn't mention.

No over-the-top criticism. No over-the-top fanboyism. Just, you know, a review.

http://slouchingtowardstv.com/2014/0...-his-last-vow/

Thank you for that. Conan Doyle is one of those writers I've always meant to catch up with but have never got around to doing it.

It's one of those things where it's all down to interpretation, I guess!
To me, John seemed surprised when Sherlock asked if he had his gun, and I suspect Sherlock knew full well that John wouldn't bring it to his parents' house.
Sherlock often acts as though there's no way out of a predicament when he's actually waiting for the right moment to pull something out of the bag, and for me, waiting for the Helicopter to arrive saved John from being the only witness to what happened.
I get why people may have wanted Sherlock to save the day in a more "clever" way, though - and I totally get, and respect, your take on it; in fact, this is the only episode of this series that I'll probably watch again to see if I change my mind!

Whilst the person pulling the trigger may have been dramatically altered, magnusson/Milverton being shot dead is lifted directly from the original Conan Doyle story.

As is Sherlock cruely toying with a lady's affection by getting engaged just to gain access to the blackmailers property...and Sherlock deciding not to report a woman for shooting someone.

It is very good and enjoyable because of the chemistry between Sherlock and Watson, and has some other nice touches. It has much less in common with the original stories than Sherlock however (Mycroft is also thin in Elementary although his weight loss is down to a serious illness...but just to make it even more different rather than working for the government he is a chef/restaurant owner).

As a police procedural it's ok, but every week you can guess who done it well before Sherlock does even if you don't know how or why. In fact in several episodes you can say "They did it" as soon as the person appears on screen, in one show there were only two other actors in the show other than the regulars so they made it easy on you. : )

Surprised a few people thought that CAM had google glass type technology in his glasses. From the beginning I only saw it as a way of visualising his thoughts, like they've been so fond of doing with Sherlock this year. I guess that is why I was in no way surprised about the twist regarding the 'vaults' in the third act.

I do think that having Sherlock murder CAM was indeed a weak resolution. Sherlock should be outsmarting his enemies.

Lars Mikkelsen gave a good performance, but let's face it, Magnussen was seriously over hyped. All this talk of a chilling new nemesis before the season even started, but in reality he was just a fairly routine (and even slightly under developed) bad-guy-of-the-week villain. I guess because this season was so antagonist-lite they had to make a big deal out of him...

Thank goodness you are here to keep us all right...

I so agree. Seeing a character have power over people by knowing their secrets and weaknesses was instantly recognisable in real life with certain events that happened here in Britain over the past year; but someone having a weird fetish for licking and flicking faces to make him look even more threatening didn't cut it for me. I was expecting so much more than that lol.

The problem with most US police procedurals is that they are so predictable. It is never the first person suspected and it typically a minor character introduced towards the end of the first act. A lot of these shows are only watchable because of the personal relationships between the characters rather than the Mystery of the Week which are often instantly forgettable.

I thought it was awful, just awful -a terrible waste of good characters and fine actors in a preposterous plot full of holes and completely lacking in tension. The "twists" were easy to guess. The direction was over the top. "sherlock" has become a pastiche of itself. So sad because it had the potential to be truly great.

Don't forget urinating in victim's living rooms .

That seems over critical. There was much to love in the last episode, with some witty dialogue and excellent set pieces and effects. What is it you wanted? It's very easy to be over critical but not so easy to spell out what you think would have been better.

Anyway, one thing's for certain. Now we know why Moriarty had the Bee Gees' "Ha ha ha ha stayin' alive, stayin' alive, stayin' ali-hi-hi-ive!" tune on his mobile phone.

LOL!

If that is all it takes to get murdered in cold blood, I suspect a large percentage of the population of Glasgow will be in big trouble.

Umm, Sherlock thought he did too.

It wouldn't have made as interesting a storyline if everyone thought for certain all along that there were no vaults.

I thought Bradley Wiggins was going to be in this episode.

True that.

It's fun reading the explanations people offer for self indulgent writing and whimsical plots.

Oh No! I had forgotten about that!

That is my problem. IMO many series which start out brilliantly and are highly praised (rightly so) become a sort of game for the writers... they try harder and harder to entertain themselves with plot twists and character development that they lose sight of the entertainment of the viewers.

Sherlock started out as a exceptionally intelligent crime and problem solver - he has now turned into a criminal himself. I don't know, maybe it is because I am getting older. I want to be entertained not spend hours wondering what the hell had just gone one - I love Sherlock and John Watson but I like them solving crimes that don't require a degree in psychology and philosophy to understand.

Can everyone start rewatching the episodes to see if Moriarty was in the background anywhere? Hence, "did you miss me?"

I did think I caught a glimpse of him in a crowd scene.

Was Janine buying/moving in to Holmes' retirement cottage?