I think that I've professed my love for BBC's Sherlock series more than once since I began writing on this blog. Since the New Year coincided with the British premiere of Sherlock's third season, it is fitting that my first post of the New Year involves the show. Sherlock certainly has set a high bar for itself since it began it's run in 2010. The American premiere date is the 19th of January which seems silly at this point. Since an empty hearse bearing the date of the British release date drove through London every American fan knew they were going to find some way to watch it on the New Year. The internet truly is a crafty place isn't it? Regardless of when you watch it, I suppose one would come here to know whether it has lived up to the high standard that the show has set.
"The Empty Hearse" picks up two years after the events of the second season's finale. Sherlock is 'dead', John Watson has carried on with his life and is even getting married (while sporting some sort of depression stache...spoiler alert: nobody likes it). Then theres a whole host of Londoners are trying to figure out a way that Sherlock, one: is alive and two: how he did it. There is a plot to the episode, of course there is, but do the fans really care about what case Sherlock solves in the episode? No, this episode is focused on how Sherlock faked his death and how he reconnects with John, who is less than happy to find out that Sherlock left him out of his grand scheme. Sherlock's been out taking down Moriarty's crime network before Mycroft decides it's time that he returns to London because there's a terrorist plot afoot. However, like I said, nobody cares about that plot. As fans we deserve to know how exactly Sherlock survived jumping off a building after all. I mean, we've only dreamed up so many scenarios in our heads of how he did it. The writers for the show seem to have recognized it and thus the presence of that previously mentioned "How Sherlock Could Have Survived Club" in the episode. Hell, the episode opens up with a totally badass scenario in which Sherlock bungees off the building, through a glass window, plants a kiss on Molly Hooper the coroner, and strolls off like a boss. About a thousand Sherlock fan's fantasies all came true in that one scene. Of course, it merely turns out to be nothing more than it is, just another fan theory dreamt up by Sherlock's old colleague Anderson. Yup, the guy who conspired to put Sherlock behind bars is that one dreaming up fan fiction about him. Later in the episode we see another dreamt up scenario in which Moriarty and Sherlock well:
There's certainly one for the Tumblr crowd! It's really awesome to see that the Sherlock writers have their fingers on the pulse of what their fanbase is like. Sure, it's likely a bunch of Tumblr addicts who ship every gay relationship in this show like nobody's business but man this is really an episode made out to the fans. I wouldn't be surprised if the writers simply took fanfics they found online and worked them into the show. Anyways, Sherlock and Watson do eventually meet back up, hilariously in fact:
So yes, that probably could have gone better but despite how bad you feel for Watson you can't help but laugh as the ridiculous events unfold. Obviously, Watson's not entirely game to just join back up with Sherlock again. Oh, and did I mention that Sherlock comes back into Watson's life right as he;s about to propose to his girlfriend? This entire first half of the episode is a gift to the fans and it's much appreciated. There are some scenes in which it feels like the actors are breaking the fourth wall and talking to the fans more than each other (Watson's anguished cry of "I'm not gay!" to Ms. Hudson comes to mind). The later half of the episode goes back to Sherlock the way we know and love which is solving mysteries. However, it still feels like the plot of this episode, the terrorist attack on London, takes a backseat to answering the questions posed in the finale of last season. Sherlock also seems to have developed some emotions during his absence away from London as this episode reflects how he's developed as a person overall. Mostly in the fact that he does seem hurt by John's initial rejection of him and understands that leaving him out was a bit unfair. Lastly, this season looks like it's going to have a little more continuity and subplots in comparison to the previous two seasons which were more self contained episode linked together by Sherlock's battle with Moriarty. There's more than a few subplots revealed in the episode and should be interesting to see how they play out.
So there's the verdict, it's good, actually great but you already knew it was going to be. I won't reveal much more about the episode than what I've already written but it's already shaping up to be another great season. There's still some answers that I'd like to know mostly because I hold on to the belief that Moriarty is still alive. Clearly from this episode, the writers are well aware of Sherlock fan's refuge in audacity when it comes to how one fakes their death. Either way that it pans out, nobody will be disappointed by "The Empty Hearse" because it's everything that fans wanted.
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