Sherlock is a show that is certainly full of surprises, more in fact than any other show I've seen in years. So I suppose it shouldn't come as a surprise that a wedding episode, something that I thought the show would never undergo, happened. Wedding episodes in standard media usually play out disastrously with the protagonists usually consoling themselves at the end with something like "based on what's transpired I suppose such a disaster is fitting given the premise of our show"...or something like that. Regardless, the fact remains that this is a wedding episode of Sherlock, in which the title character is acting as the best man! Sherlock's wedding episode invokes many classic wedding tropes and yet still manages to be a different entity entirely.
In the past, the middle episodes of Sherlock's seasons have been of lesser quality than the season opener and finales that have sandwiched them in the past. Both "The Blind Banker" and "The Hounds of Baskerville", while still excellent television haven't quite matched their counterparts. So while approaching "The Sign of Three" I remained wary. However, I was delighted to find out that it's actually a fantastic episode in it's own right. John and Mary are tying the knot and Sherlock is the best man. The episode plays out through Sherlock's hilariously offensive and yet heartwarming best man speech in which he recounts several past cases that he and John have been on (watching Lestrade's face during Sherlock's toast is utterly hysterical). Sherlock begins to recount two cases in particular "The Mayfly Man" and the "Bloody Guardsman" which were deemed unsolved before Sherlock's eventful toast. As he begins to recount the cases, Sherlock, in classic fashion, begins to put two and two together, leading to a resolution to both cases which causes the wedding to erupt into small chaos. As always, the episode is brilliant filmed and well paced. There are several other cases which Sherlock mentions and it is at this point where the episode puts itself out into the ridiculous territory. Sherlock begins to point out several of him and John's most outlandish cases, one of which involves a literal elephant in a room. My main problem with this is that most of Sherlock's cases, while ridiculous, still remain somewhat grounded in reality. The fact that they had a case involving such a ridiculous scenario just feels a little out of place to me. Anyways, here's a few things I picked up from the episode.
Before the season began, show creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat teased the season as being 'funnier' than the previous two. The previous two seasons had a way of being charming, quirky, witty, and occasionally silly. It has a whole atmosphere which while occasionally being silly, retained a serious and refined vibe. This season however has certainly been more tilted towards the silly side of things. Perhaps this is a refreshing change since the show's fans have always latched onto those silly moments from the first two seasons. These first two episodes have certainly been more about making us laugh, especially since the whole premise of this second episode was "A sociopath gives a wedding toast". The creators have certainly succeeded at making this season more comical than the others. They've also done this in a way that doesn't cheapen the show's feel of sophistication either. Otherwise, the show would simply go the way Psych did, sacrificing the real meat of the show in order to make us giggle. A lot of Sherlock's humor comes from when it places it's protagonist in generally normal, everyday situations. For example, he gets drunk in this episode, to humorous effect. It would appear that these situations have become more frequent. It also helps that Gatiss and Moffat seem to know the exact way to make the character funny. This season has been different that's for sure but it's one that I think we'll all welcome with open arms.
Unfortunately, I can't help but notice a trend in these first two episodes and that's the level of narmy, fanservice moments that are cropping up. The first episode's conspiracy theories about how Sherlock survived were a nice call out to the fans but "The Sign of Three" has a few moments that feel unnecessary. Irene Adler makes a cameo appearance during a moment in which Sherlock lets us into his brain (his thoughts operate in a courtroom, rather fitting). However, her appearance offers nothing of real substance to the scene or to the episode. She has no lines nor significane other then to let us know that "Sherlock still has her on his mind!". However, on the flip side, this could also be foreshadowing to a possible reappearance down the road. Maybe, but it felt all to similar to Moriarty's appearance in the first episode, she's just sort of there. Secondly, Sherlock also drops the infamous "I'm not a psychopath, I'm a high-functioning sociopath" line that has made fans squeal since the first season in this episode. However, it feels less fanservicey than Adler's cameo because it actually suits the scene where it's used well. This episode would seem to act as a highlight reel of John and Sherlock's escapades, another treat for the fans as well. Maybe the creators feel they owe us for making us wait. Either way, it's entertaining.
The previous two seasons have been about proving that Sherlock Holmes is, by all accounts, a human and not just a crime-solving robot. However, Sherlock's emotions seem to be a bit more out in the open these days. One, he actually returns Molly Hooper's affections (in his own way). Two, his concerns about John are much more out in the open. Three, he actually seems genuinely interested in one of the bridesmaids at the wedding. Sherlock's emotions have rarely been as much of a part of the fabric of most episodes as they have been this season. Once again, this is another change we can live with. The fact that we have an episode where one of the underlying themes is Sherlock's fear of how John's getting married changes things is a remarkable benchmark for character development. Not to mention the best man speech, which is done the only way someone like Sherlock could.
Sherlock's best man speech is the highlight of the episode, mostly because it nearly takes up the entire episode. Perhaps more entertaining are the roles that the guests play during the wedding. Let's take into a account a few things. One, John and Mary's families have certainly heard of Sherlock but have never experienced him firsthand. Two, a few guests have, namely Molly, Lestrade, Molly's fiance (sort of), and Ms. Hudson. Watching their faces of sheer embarrassment as Sherlock gives his speech in a way that only he can was probably my favorite part of the episode. One highlight in particular was when Sherlock opened up the floor for questions as to how the man in "The Bloody Guardsman" was killed. Molly's fiance Tom comes up with a rather elaborate plan as to how it was done (either he's really imaginative or there's more to him than meets the eye). Of course, Sherlock shoots down both his and Lestrade's guesses in a typically Sherlock way. Meanwhile, Molly Hooper's expressions during this whole ordeal are simply hysterical.
Sherlock's season finales have always been especially strong so anticipation for this next one should be high. While it also frightens me that the season is nearing it's end so soon, especially when taking into account how long we waited for this current season, it's the introduction of the new villain that excites me. Jim Moriarty was a fantastic villain through the first two seasons and now we get another villain from Sherlock's lore, Charles Augustus Magnussen. His eyes were the one's we saw teased at the end of first episode. We've known that Magnussen would be this season's new villain for awhile; the question is whether he'll be as good as Moriarty. I know I'll be a hard one to impress because I was a huge Moriarty fanboy (actual best villain I've seen in anything) but I'll try to keep an open mind. The promo indicates that Magnussen is a threat to Sherlock and threatens to destroy everything he holds dear. It doesn't sound unlike Moriarty's plot from "The Reichenbach Fall" so it'll be interesting to see how Magnussen goes about his plot of taking down the detective. The episode will be based off of "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with Magnussen being a revision to the original article's name. Magnussen is a blackmailer and a dangerous one at that. It also appears that this case will pit Mycroft and Sherlock against each other. The first episode of this season featured the two pitting their minds against each other for sport, perhaps that was foreshadowing a game with higher stakes. It should be another great episode and I'll be sure to wrap up this season next week.
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