The Empty Hearse

My favorite episode so far. It's badly bashed online because it really has its flaws. The main argument is that this episode is more of a parody to Sherlock than it is new Sherlock story. The fact is that this episode does not bring new complicated crime and Sherlock's genius solution, and to a certain extent I can understand the disappointment of those who waited two years for this episode. But I, who waited for it just a few minutes, really cannot recall last time I had so much fun. It may be bad from the crime/mystery genre point of view, but it's not written in the stone that every episode must follow that pattern. It's premium entertainment and I am thrilled.

9/10

However, I have one objection. It is not a big deal and most of the audience won't even notice it, because it is obvious only to former Yugoslavian audience and Russians, but it needlessly undermines the quality of this awesome show. I will quote Bosnian guy who presented this issue par excellence:

"Besides Serbs always being the bad guys, torturing someone when they have nothing else to do, how come they wear Russian parade uniforms and talk their Serbian like a parrot with Aerosinusitis, which is hardly intelligible. I know that Mycroft had few hours to learn Serbian, but the other Serbian guy speaks his mother tongue like a text-to-speech software. It seems that using google translate instead of human keeps production costs low... just as the quality of it."

I only gave "The Empty Hearse" 6 stars for the effort and out of respect for the actors, who did the best they could with a very poor script. The episode seemed like endless nodding to Sherlock's fans. The writers spent so much time nodding that they forgot to actually look at the characters and notice what they were doing. And they were not doing much. Sharp concise dialogue of Sherlock Series 1 becomes in "The Empty Hearse" either syrupy squirts of sentimentality or a parody of itself. Since the camera-work was gone out of the series by Season 2, there is no need to mention it here. However, the creators thought it wise to eliminate the iconic music from Sherlock this time as well. In short, whereas in Season 1 and partially 2 Gatiss and Moffat treated the characters as real, complex, multi-faceted people, here they decided to turn them into caricatures of themselves.

Self-referential and alarmingly smug, this first episode shows all the signs of brand trashing. I loved the first two seasons and thought they represented the very best contemporary entertainment television. I called it smart entertainment for smart people. Sadly, smart is the one thing that this latest episode is not. It played out like an old, well-worn joke told by someone who doesn't quite understand what made the original so funny. The two leads are still a delight to watch but this time around they're working with tired material. Conan Doyle would have sympathized. I'm going back to my Hustle reruns. More fun and, worryingly, more intellectual stimulation.

It ended with a bang. Or, rather, a quick drop and a sudden stop - one that sent fans and critics alike reeling and demanding more, more, more. And this past New Years Day 2014, the two- year-long wait finally ended for millions worldwide as the infamous Consulting Detective returned to London with a theatrical flair that can only be described as, well… Sherlockian.

In many regards, the latest and newest installment of BBC's smash hit, Sherlock (2010 - present) did not disappoint fans worldwide - and why would it? Finally, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman) are back to embark upon more exciting and thrilling adventures! This is the moment that we've all been waiting for! Yet, this first episode - while exciting - did have a few shortcomings that made it less than what some fans might expect.

When a TV show opens its door to the fandom world - i.e. Tumblr - and brings it into the fold of its own plot, it often risks laughing at itself, becoming a pantomime of the speculations, theories and obsession that have propelled it forward - in short, it risks lessening itself by approaching and enveloping the - sometimes, frankly alarming - fan world. Yet, somehow, Sherlock avoided this entirely, carefully balancing itself on the knife's edge of playful, poking jokes which Sherlockians will probably die over, and that the average viewer can appreciate in the grander scheme of the episode's overall and surprisingly cheeky nature. The fact remains that no one listens to their fans better than Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, and, while some fans might find offense in their references to the, again, frankly alarming Sherlock fan-base, being toyed with was actually quite enjoyable.

The laughs weren't too far behind in regards to this episode, either. Again, "cheeky" is the word for this script - as perhaps are the words, "confident," "smart" and "clever," as Gatiss once again shows off his prowess as not only a co-creator of the show, but a writer as well.

One thing that no one had to worry about for this new series is the superb acting. Benedict Cumberbatch is simply flawless as Sherlock Holmes, supporting an argument that he is, in fact, the best actor to have ever portrayed the sociopathic, genius sleuth. Martin Freeman once again shone as a modern John Watson, showing a wide array of emotions simultaneously. And fans who were worried about the introduction of John's romantic interest, Mary Morstan (played by Amanda Abbington, Martin Freeman's real-life partner) have little to fear. Mary is as charming, brazen and clever as we could have possibly ever hoped for. Though only shown sparingly in this episode, she's sure to become a fantastic character in the near future, one that will not only add to the plot, but help shape a wonderful, new dynamic for this new series.

The plot itself was, overall, very intriguing. From the get go, the audience is immediately thrown back into the excitement and adventure that makes Sherlock exactly that - an adventure unlike anything television has seen before. This new series is sure to be a unique experience.

However, somehow, the plot was very convoluted and sometimes choppy and jaggedly presented for those that couldn't catch every single word of dialog being presented. However, after my second viewing of the show (after my disastrous first attempt at a live stream), I could completely comprehend the plot of "The Empty Hearse" and its implications towards the later episodes. It's truly a masterpiece - yet one that was initially confusing. Yet, despite its many pros, there is one crucial con to "The Empty Hearse" that made it less than what many fans have been expecting - the relationship between John and Sherlock.

Again, it's been two years since Sherlock's faked suicide, and it's been only days since he's been vindicated of all of the charges that had been brought against him, thanks to one "Richard Brook." Somehow, the thrill of the new plot took away from that developing reconnection, and their struggle to reconcile after many years of hurt and loneliness. Again, we understand - Sherlock is an adventure, a wild ride through the twisting alleys of London, filled with danger, excitement and deductions galore. And, again, "The Empty Hearse" did not disappoint in this regard. Yet, the one thing that this episode should have been about - John's forgiving Sherlock, their friendship - was not touched upon enough. After a third viewing (yes, a third), I could see the small hints towards the larger picture, but they were vague and barely noticeable for those who weren't looking. If not for the fantastic performances by Cumberbatch and Freeman, Sherlock and John's character arcs would have been completely lost in the grandeur, the danger and the thrill.

Perhaps this crucial shortcoming has to do with the restrictive time set for Sherlock episodes - ironic, seeing as they're practically feature length films. Yet, an extra half hour would have been enough to help bring this absolutely vital dynamic to life. If not that, then taking away some of the action would have helped - it certainly would've helped clear up some confusion with the intense and rapidly moving plot line.

All in all, however, "The Empty Hearse" was an explosive opening episode in what is promising to be the most action-packed season of Sherlock yet. And its hints towards a greater danger for not only London, but Holmes and Watson, give a glimpse into the new, exciting plot that Gatiss and Moffat have lined up for Sherlock fans globally. I was only slightly disappointed with this opening episode, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

If you choose to end a series of your internationally worshipped TV programme with its protagonist jumping to what looks to be ineluctable decease, orchestrate it in a way that contracts the credible possibilities to no more than a dozen, and then take a two-year hiatus to let innumerable amounts of blogs and websites speculate about how that character isn't yet pushing up daisies after all, you're going to have quite a bit explaining to do once you return. Sherlock's creators, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, were aware of that and did the best thing they could under such circumstances: choosing one of these much contemplated possibilities, while also factoring in that a good deal of the fans of their product will ten to one be disappointed with their decision.

The slightly insane former police officer Philip Anderson is the embodiment of all the uploaders of conjecturing YouTube videos, essayists of circumstantial analyses of "The Reichenbach Fall", and participants in online forums that scrutinise every shot from Sherlock's pilot onwards; and as Sherlock spells his complex scheme out to him, Anderson's reactions precisely mirror those of some of the programme's fandom. Gatiss and Moffat were bright enough to accept that, no matter what they did, they couldn't really confound their audience anymore, nor could they leave the mystery open without avoiding the loss of their entire viewership, bar the critics earning their living for watching their work. Hence, they opted to resolve their conundrum in a rather ordinary manner, while counterbalancing it with acknowledging just that – which, to my mind, is as audacious as it is clever.

However, if they've thought that a simple »We know it isn't perfect.« could stop me from picking holes in the explanation for Sherlock's survival, I feel obliged to quote Dr Cox for a second: »Good God in heaven, Newbie. There are just so very many ways for me to say this to you: Never. Not in a million years. Absolutely not. No way, José. No chance, Lance. Njet. Negatory. Mm-mm. Nuh-uh. Uh-uh. And of course, my own personal favourite of all time, man falling off of a cliff: Noooooooooo!«

Sorry about that. If you've understandably had enough of all the inspection that has been surrounding Sherlock ever since that one jump, I suggest skipping the rest of this paragraph, but to account for my merely semi-enthusiastic rating for this episode, here be the nit- picking: if Mycroft was able to 'get to' the sniper aiming at John, why couldn't he do that with the ones responsible for Mrs Hudson and Lestrade and thereby render all the fuss about Sherlock's fake suicide utterly useless? Did the Holmes brothers actually risk John finding out everything about their manoeuvre if he just were to move his fundament for a few metres or would have been able to elude the assailant on a bicycle? And last, though really quite the opposite of least: a doppelgänger? The only plot device lazier than that would be Sherlock genuinely dying, but a divinity stepping in to revive him for the reason of him 'having not yet attained his true mission'.

Just like writing wit clashes with the messy reasons for Sherlock's survival, "The Empty Hearse" as a whole is comprised of nothing but ups and downs. The introduction of Mary as a human and amiable character stands in sharp contrast to John's unduly aggressive response to the apparent resurrection of his best friend. Furthermore, the ensuing alliance of Sherlock and Molly is propelled by a lovely chemistry between the two of them, as the latter has finally moved on from Sherlock at least a bit, but all of that is at odds with a Hollywoodised and clichéd rescue sequence that slackly reunites Sherlock's two main characters for the last third of the episode. There, an enjoyable if not particularly noteworthy case is solved quite logically after both John and the audience were initially put on the wrong track (no pun intended), though the scene is roughly interrupted for the required clarification of Sherlock's Reichenbach fall, which screenwriter Mark Gatiss ostensibly couldn't fit anywhere else.

Charles Augustus Magnussen, the primary antagonist in this series, who here makes his first appearance in an intriguingly chilling final scene, would be better off rewatching the footage of Sherlock's previous episodes instead of this one's.

My detective scribblings: • The episode tackles this only marginally, but how did the investigators ascertain that Moriarty was lying about Sherlock? And since they did, Moriarty's plan was entirely non-effective, since Sherlock not only didn't die, but wasn't disgraced either. • As was demonstrated in the previous two series, John has had plenty of girlfriends during his time at 221B Baker Street, many of whom he brought there with him. So, sorry, but that running gag about him being gay just doesn't work for Mrs Hudson. • Cinematographer Steve Lawes did a phenomenal job at deceiving the viewers into believing that Mycroft and Sherlock are playing chess in a scene that is also exquisitely written and acted. In fact, now that I've started thinking about it, I'm fairly sure that this is the best scene in "The Empty Hearse". • »I like trains.« - Is that a cameo from the creator of asdf movie? • Oh, a character mistaking an eccentric-looking character for another character in disguise. This is the very first time I've seen this! • I've already touched on Gatiss and Moffat's ingenuity at playing with expectations in this episode, and a prime case in point for that would be John getting jabbed with the needle of a syringe during his abduction in a brilliant nod to one of the theories concerning "The Reichenbach Fall". • Sherlock pressing his hands to his face when in deep thought is frankly fatuous. And the same goes for his atypical exclaiming of 'Oh!' after having found a solution.