Spoiler Discussion: Sherlock Season 4

So as of the 20th of January, I have caught up to all episodes of the BBC Sherlock including the mini 7 minute episode on Youtube and The Abominable Bride. So unless there actually is a secret fourth episode (I wouldn’t put it past them) I’ll only be discussing Season 4, the three released episodes. SPOILERS.

I don’t know why the hat thing always gets me everytime LOL

Imagine my surprise when the show actually decided to focus on Mary this episode, a little bit out of the blue but interesting nonetheless. But I knew there was something suspicious about Moffat & co. suddenly giving a female character her own agency..and I was right. so Mary died and for what. Oh right, for more angst between Sherlock and John and for John’s angst. This was just poor decision making. We know that however sure and confident Sherlock was in thinking that he could protect John and Mary, it remains that Sherlock was not at fault for this. If Sherlock had done something himself to John like I don’t know, put him or Mary in danger purposefully for the “game” then John’s anger would make sense but it just feels anticlimactic. And, of course, this is also marred by the fact that John himself couldn’t confess his “affair” before she died so of course he felt guilty. Btw I didn’t even think that John could cheat. I don’t even understand why they put that plotline there. Plotwise, this episode was so plot twisty and not in a good way? Like the six Thatchers mystery was actually about Mary? It just felt like they wanted to add more and more plot twists on top of the other just for the sake of plot twists. Like a USB drive? Really?

Also, fanservice anyone?

Sidenote: I need more Sherlock babysitting Rosie. They are too precious together.

I’m kind of sad that Mrs. Hudson didn’t have a bigger role in this series because she is THE sass queen.

John: Can I borrow your car sometimes?

Mrs. Hudson: no

She is literal comedy gold. Sherlock just keeps getting better and better with their on screen transitions. It’s honestly a work of art. I loved the part when Sherlock and Eurus (apparently) are trying to deduce the mystery in a dark street and Sherlock is deducing it all from a worn note. That that part is my favorite scene should tell you how much I’m nostalgic for the old deductions of Seasons 1 and 2. Everything else was kind of just a mess. For one, Culverton Smith. He’s set up to be the mind blowing bad guy in this episode but he comes no where near as compelling as some of the villains of Season 1 let alone Moriarty. And the only reason why he was compelling was because Sherlock’s mental state was in a fragile state itself. And as the episode wore on, I found myself not caring whether Culverton had actually killed anyone. Maybe I just have no soul. Idk. And of course the fact that Sherlock even cares that Culverton is a despicable human being is kind of laughable because Sherlock has never cared how inhumane a villain is. All he cares about is if “the game’s afoot”. You can say he’s changed but has he really? Especially when you consider the fact that just last episode, he was considered as the godfather for Rosie and he was texting during the baptism and all these microaggressions. And then in the end, it turns out that John’s therapist is Sherlock’s secret sister?? I actually did not see that coming.

Sidenote: So do the CDs labeled “Miss Me” Moriarity’s? or Mary’s? I’m really confused about that.

So throughout the these 3 episodes, we’ve been teased with Miss Me? which by this point just felt like a gimmick, like the creators didn’t know how to hook the audience without Moriarity. I felt like screaming at the TV when Moriarty came to talk to Eurus and I assumed he was still alive but then the text said 5 years ago. And in the end, he didn’t even really have that big of a part in this whole scheme which completely ruins the point of teasing us about him all this time. I don’t get it.

I thought the tests themselves were really interesting. The sort of mind games that only Sherlock as a show can pull off. I actually really liked the whole Sherlock getting Molly to say I love You even though once again, the show decides to disrespect and emotionally manipulate Molly for Sherlock but it was interesting to see Sherlock break down like that.

Remember when everyone was freaking out when they saw this in the trailers? Good times.

It would have also been pretty interesting if he was forced to call Irene because I suppose she would have been far less susceptible although Molly is the far more emotional option.

It would have been really interesting to see Sherlock shoot Mycroft but I suppose that’s out of the question. I love it when Mycroft says “Brother mine” it is so endearing.

The ending was kind of anticlimactic. I just wanted more. The whole well thing was anticlimactic because obviously John was not going to die at this point. It’s hard to believe Sherlock feeling this gutted maybe because we never got to know yellowbeard and never really got to know SHerlock before he was an adult except for snippets from Mycroft. But the fact that Sherlock repressed these memories kind of proves that the creators didn’t know how else to fit the whole eurus storyline in without Sherlock knowing about it. And that ending felt a lot like a series finale. A very, very rushed one at that. So I’m not really that satisfied.

Sidenote: Sherlock’s parents that appear at the end were actually Benedict Cumberbatch’s real parents. I thought that was cute.

At this point, I don’t want a Season 5. I had a glimmer of hope that Season 4 was somehow going to improve on Season 3 but it actually regressed sadly. But Sherlock, despite its flaws, always manages to entertain me so I’ll always come back. I’ll just come back with a lot of reservation.