I'm going to do something a bit different with this review. I'm going to watch through the episode again and do a bit of a re-watch "live blog" of it, only I'll pause and write down my thoughts about each scene as it comes. It's not normally how I write, but for this one I feel like I need to make sure I get every little detail. My opinions about this episode will become clear as you read, I think... let's get started.
Our opening before the credits focuses on Charles Augustus Magnussen. We're already seeing some of the beautiful cinematography that characterizes this episode. We learn that Magnussen is a newspaper man, and thus a private man, and that his access to sensitive government officials is therefore inappropriate. This reminds me of Irene Adler a bit, actually.
The pressure point thing is really cool - we see it used for the first time in this opening scene. There's a nice little touch where Magnussen touches the rim of his glasses just before we see the information pop up, which becomes significant later in the episode. He cleans the glasses just before looking at Lady Elizabeth Smallwood, again drawing attention to them.
"I have an excellent memory" - Magnussen. Already setting up for the twist at the end! That's awesome, didn't catch it the first time.
We then get the first look at Magnussen's vaults. Cinematography continues to be fantastic, and Lars Mikkelson is proving himself to be a very adept actor. His precision is frightening. We then transfer to Lady Smallwood and Magnussen, where Magnussen threatens Smallwood with information about her husband, which would cause a scandal if reported on. I'll admit as I watch this scene that it does go on a bit long... however, I understand the necessity of establishing this villain as a proper threat.
"I have the letters and therefore I have you... this is ownership!" That face licking thing... ugh. And the mention of the perfume is also so important! The details in this episode are impeccable.
Lady Smallwood goes to Baker Street to try and find help from Sherlock! Now we have a connection between this heinous man and our protagonist. In short, these first few scenes do a good job of establishing the tone of the episode, and Magnussen's presence as a threat has been well established.
After the opening credits, we go to John, who is dreaming about Sherlock. Not in a dirty way or anything... but still, it's telling that instead of going to Sherlock's point of view, we go to John's. He's lying in bed with his wife, yet he's not living in marital bliss. Instead, he's missing the action and adventure of his life with Sherlock. When I think about how "The Sign of Three" ended, this opening bit with John is actually quite sad. Sherlock was so worried that the wedding was going to mean a change in his relationship with John, and we see very quickly that it has changed. They haven't seen each other in a month!
Mary and John's neighbor comes in, and it seems as if her son Isaac is missing in a drug den. "He's the drugs one, yeah?" says John. His dissatisfaction about his current life is really obvious to me. Mary's compassion with this neighbor is lovely.
And John goes to get Isaac! Mary tags along. I love these lines: "You can't come, you're pregnant." "You can't go! I'm pregnant." They both hop in the car and off they go. We're still building up John's restlessness with his current life, and we're also building up compassion and love for Mary, so that the revelation later on hurts us.
More Mary amazingness when they get to the drug den. John has a tire iron, and Mary tells him it's a "tiny bit sexy." "Yeah, I know." Their marriage might be a bit domestic for John's taste, but he still loves Mary. This is so important, given what we find out later. John and Mary's relationship is sincere, but the ordinary world isn't really where either of them belongs.
John in the drug den, facing down the guy with the knife. SO. BAD. ASS. I love John Watson. He's being reckless here, because he's freakin' bored of his life. His incapacitating of that druggy was oddly hot... ummm. A good reminder of how powerful and important John is in his own right. In fact, a lot of this season has been showing us that. "Just used to a better class of criminal." Oh, John.
And then, enter Sherlock Holmes! Kudos to makeup department for making Benedict look gross. Didn't know that was possible. I loved the little fight between Sherlock and John. Even high as a kite, Sherlock falls right back in to his role in their relationship, and John falls right back in to being the scolding mother. "I'm under cover!" "No you're not!" "Well, I'm not now!!" "Sherlock Holmes needs to pee in a jar."
Then we've got the scene at Bart's, which was one of my favorite in the episode. We've got John, who's acting angry and a tiny bit worried, Mary who's patching up the druggies (again establishing her as a caring person that we all really like... just setting us up to fall harder later on!). And then there's Molly. You tell him, girl! I love that she hits Sherlock. And I love what she says, too: "How dare you throw away the beautiful gifts you were born with, and how dare you betray the love of your friends. Say you're sorry."
Molly's engagement is over... the episode barely talks about that. I'm wondering if it's ever going to come back in later seasons and be of significance? If not, I'm a bit annoyed at the waste of that development.
Here we see John break from his stoic attitude a bit and get right up into Sherlock's face - "You could have called, you could have talked to me." He's reminding Sherlock that the door is open, still. That they're still friends. Sherlock, however, shuts him down, talking about cycling to work, etc.
Billy (the addict who John attacked) says that some guy hit him. John responds "Probably just an addict, in need of a fix." Sherlock, looking straight at John, says "Yes, I think in a way it was." This is a confirmation of what this episode has told us already - John is bored. John's an adrenaline junkie. I love the way they look at each other here. Quite an intense moment.
Then we've got Billy's deduction about John riding a bicycle. I don't really understand the significance of this character, honestly. He seemed a bit out of place, but it was funny!
Sherlock and John in the cab. This shot brings us back to earlier days in the show, just the two of them together. Sherlock here mentions Magnussen. We're beginning to see how Sherlock is linking his drug use to a case - he wants his drug use to be made public so that Magnussen will identify it as Sherlock's flaw. They're heading to the flat. I like this shot coming in here, because clearly both of our boys have missed their old life together, and here we get to see them in something of a parody of it. Heading to Baker Street, but John is pissed off and Sherlock is high. Not exactly an ideal reunion. John's happiness and Sherlock's willingness to protect it at any cost are very important themes in this episode. It makes sense to start off with the exact opposite - John is not happy, and Sherlock is a big part of the reason why.
The bit at the door with the OCD was hilarious. Sherlock rolls his eyes at Mycroft's OCD behavior and then participates in some himself. It was just a bit of a joke, but it also seemed to show that Sherlock is not at all infallible, and that he has real mental disorders.
Ah, Mycroft! As this episode continues, it becomes apparent that Mycroft is actually the driving force behind the plot (or, one of them anyway...). In particular, it's Mycroft's affection for Sherlock that ends up being very important. So, in our first scene with Mycroft, we see how angry he is for Sherlock's drug use, thus establishing right off the bat that Sherlock is important to Mycroft. "Of course I bloody phoned him." "Of course he bloody did." This unites John and Mycroft as protective yet angry loved ones of Sherlock Holmes, drug addict.
Anderson was criminally underused in this scene! I wanted more! Argh.
John's chair is gone. This moment was rather heartbreaking. It seems fairly obvious that Sherlock moved it because he hated staring at it when it was empty. Again, we get the sense that our worst fears from "The Sign of Three" are being realized. Sherlock has been left behind. As I mentioned, John's happiness is a big theme here. The fact that Sherlock stayed out of the way and let himself be miserable for John's sake is rather sacrificial, actually. Of course, John doesn't see it that way. He just sees evidence of their life together being erased from the flat.
And now we get the first mention of Magnussen between the Holmes brothers. Mycroft threatens Anderson and the other random girl, which was also oddly hot. I think I have a problem. Also, John gets more bad ass points for this exchange with Mycroft: "I hope I won't have to threaten you as well." "Well, I think we'd both find that embarrassing." Sherlock's snort of laughter was priceless.
Sherlock holding Mycroft to the door... wow, that was one of the most unexpected moments in the episode. So many things about this moment are interesting. Sherlock using physical strength is not unheard of, but it's not common. Mycroft being taken off guard by Sherlock is also not unheard of, but this is a rather extreme example. John's interference is also telling - he is worried about what Sherlock might do to his brother, but at the same time we can tell that John isn't frightened that Sherlock will turn on him. He wants Mycroft to leave so that he can calm Sherlock down. His confidence in his abilities points to the strength of their friendship, even after they've spent time apart.
And then John does calm him down - by avoiding the subject of Mycroft all together and talking about the case instead. I love this little exchange: "You trying to put me off?" "God no. I'm trying to recruit you." So cute. Yeah, their relationship isn't rock solid right now, but they still have a great report.
JANINE! It's so surreal to see her in just a shirt, walking around like she owns the place. There's one little detail that's worth mentioning, when Janine remarks that the coffee is somewhere else now. It just makes me sad that the flat has changed like that, without John even knowing about it. I am glad that Janine is in this episode, though. She was fun to watch in "The Sign of Three," and she's fun again here.
So, the next scene is basically "John freaks out about Sherlock having a girlfriend while Sherlock tries to be serious and talk about the case." I feel like John represented the audience during this scene. While Sherlock prattles on about Magnussen, we're all much more interested in what's going on with Janine. To be honest, it was a bit awkward to watch this scene. I was sort of peaking at it from between my fingers. Seeing Sherlock act that way was so... out of character. I immediately knew something more was going on, but I'll admit I didn't know what. (The description of Magnussen as a shark was very good, just as a side note.) This scene was good at establishing a few different things, beyond just the awkwardness of it all - for one, it showed the strain in the Sherlock/John relationship... John doesn't know what to think about this Janine business, but he's also just miffed that Sherlock could have changed so much since they last saw each other. This scene also drives the action forward quite a bit, as we learn a few key pieces of information, most notably, the existence of Appledore, which will become crucial during the climactic scene.
And then we've got our first interaction between Sherlock and Magnussen! I loved it when they frisked John, and Sherlock looked all surprised by the weapons. That was a laugh. Sherlock's line was really telling: "If you know who I am then you know who he is." We're already foreshadowing this pressure point business.
This exchange was well-acted by Mikkelson once again; this guy is really creepy. John's pressure points are his sister and his wife, and not Sherlock. To me, this indicates once more the change in their relationship. Ever since Sherlock came back, John has worked hard to avoid Sherlock becoming the center of his world again. He's a smart guy, and he doesn't want to be hurt. Sherlock's pressure points are many, including the as yet mysterious Redbeard, opium, Irene Adler, and of course, John Watson.
Everything about this scene was spine-tingling. Sherlock acted professionally, bringing up Lady Smallwood. Magnussen was just really, really creepy. Good details again with Magnussen touching his glasses while he's "reading." The peeing on the fireplace was of course really disturbing. Yeesh. Here's the thing, though. As we learn later, Mycroft is really the one who Magnussen wants/needs. Sherlock isn't at all important to Magnussen. As such, he's not really much of a villain for Sherlock Holmes exactly. This episode was much more a case-centered one than the other two from this season. Sherlock is hired by Smallwood to confront Magnussen, and then things are much bigger than he expected. It's not really a matter of personal rivalry. I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing, but it is something to notice.
We now have Sherlock bring up the idea that Magnussen is looking for a deal. This will be important! Sherlock also reveals to the audience that he knows Magnussen's whole thing about "pressure points," but he here makes his first underestimation of Magnussen. He thinks Magnussen will write him off as a drug addict. Does that seem like a rather flimsy excuse to do drugs? It does to me! I think part of Sherlock's decision to go to that drug den had to do with his boredom and depression over John leaving him. I don't mean to sound dramatic, but he could have faked the drug thing without actually shooting up, and he didn't.
And then we have Sherlock just assuming John will be along for the case. This scene totally reminds me of something I wrote in a fic once, actually. Sherlock's confidence that John will be up for the case, even as John pretends to be less than willing... so cute. It's practically their way of flirting. Sherlock briefly mentions Mary in this scene as well, which to me is yet another way of integrating Mary into the audience's good will. We like her. Sherlock likes her. John loves her. It's all leading up to something awful!
I liked the break-in scene because Sherlock talks John through how they're going to do it. It's sort of cute, how Sherlock wants John to understand. It's a good sort of mind-palace-ish speculation sequence, which is quite lovely.
The proposal! Janine! So the truth comes out. This shows that even if Sherlock has feelings, he can still be very cold and cruel. "Did you just get engaged to break into an office?" "Yeah." Like it's no big deal. I like how Sherlock describes Janine loving him as "human error." It's rather self-deprecating. Of course, as soon as Sherlock and John get into the building, we learn that things are not as they seem... Janine and another guard are on the ground! Magnussen is still in the building!
A funny moment - "We should call the police!" "During our own burglary, you're really not a natural at this, are you?"
And then we get the perfume! We saw Smallwood putting it on earlier, so we're setting up our expectations to find Smallwood in the building. The mention of Mary is just a throwaway. It could just be to show that John pays attention to his wife's perfume. Nothing more. But then...
Remember the scene at the end of "The Great Game," when John walks into the pool and for one moment Sherlock seems to think John has betrayed him? This scene was like that scene, only this time it's Mary. There were a lot of great things about this. For one, Magnussen is cowering, clearly terrified to die. I liked this little humanizing moment with him, because it actually makes him scarier later on. This guy is not a psychopath like Moriarty. And then we have the moment when Mary turns around. Poor. Sherlock. Wow. I wasn't surprised that there was some big twist with Mary, because I think we all sort of expected that. Still, I got goosebumps. This episode (as I've continually mentioned) enforces Mary as a lovable character again and again, so this moment of betrayal is really quite effective.
Sherlock is visibly shaken. He can't even talk properly at first. Mary seems totally in control and potentially evil at this point. I love that Sherlock calls her "Mrs. Watson" when assuring himself that she won't shoot him. And then, after the bullet hits him, he says in a bewildered, scared voice - "Mary?" That actually really hurt me.
AND NOW FOR THE MIND PALACE SCENE! Even if a person were to despise the rest of this episode, you'd have to admit that this scene was bloody awesome. That staircase was cool. (Anyone notice it was the same staircase from "A Study in Pink?") And then we have Molly and Anderson and MYCROFT. And young Sherlock. That kid was adorable. I love the way that Sherlock sees himself as the little little brother of Mycroft. Their brotherly dynamic really does have that sense to it.
"What was directly behind you when you were murdered?... Balance of probability, little brother." What a chilling line!
The cinematography! Ahhh so great. All of this is amazing.
Woah, mentioning the East Wind thing. I didn't notice that last time. Good touch.
Redbeard. Now I'm crying. "They're putting me down too, now. It's no fun, is it?" That was seriously one of the sweetest and saddest moments in this entire show. Redbeard calms Sherlock down, but he was put down when Sherlock was a kid! Oh, cruel world! This entire scene just keeps hitting me from every emotional angle.
I love the way that Molly is being logical and practical, and Mycroft is being cruel. I feel like there was probably a lot of childhood trauma between the Holmes brothers, and it's fascinating how it's manifested itself inside Sherlock's mind palace.
And now Sherlock's got to control the pain. Where does he go? Well, this whole time we've been cutting to Sherlock running down a set of stairs, and now he's inside a padded room. I've seen some interpretations going around that I really like - this room seems to represent Sherlock's heart. A place within him that he feels the need to heavily guard. It contains great darkness (Moriarty) but the very mention of John Watson is enough to start it again.
The scene in the padded room with Moriarty was sincerely one of the creepiest things I've ever seen in my life. Such a stellar performance from Andrew Scott. And honestly, this was one of the only scenes in the whole thing that gave me John/Sherlock feelings. The fact that Sherlock was dead, and he literally restarted his own heart because he needed to protect John. Oh my word. And the acting between Moriarty and Sherlock. When Sherlock leaves the room and Moriarty just freaks out, like... No! Don't leave me in here! I had goosebumps. And just... all of this. This was the moment in the episode that I had the most intense reaction to. WOW.
When Sherlock wakes up, we cut to Mary walking into the hospital. Good job, editors. Good way to freak us all out. I love John's sort of reserved relief, and I love the fact that John tells Mary she's in trouble because Sherlock said her name first. Seems a bit like there's jealousy going on here!
This brief scene with Magnussen descending into the vaults again is lovely. It is juxtaposed with a rather creepy scene of Mary leaning over Sherlock, saying "you don't tell him!"
Oh, Janine. Her revenge was hilarious. I think my favorite part of this scene is that it seems like they both genuinely have no hard feelings. They're both pretty terrible people and they're both just after their own personal goals. I thought this scene was delightful. However, if I were to put my hardcore critic cap on for a moment, I'd say that I'm a tiny bit disappointed if this is all we get out of Janine. I sort of liked the idea of Janine being just a normal girl, pulled in by Sherlock's magnetism. Regardless, their scene was delightful to watch, and I loved the line where she remarks that he shouldn't have lied to her, because they could have been friends. (We also learn, incidentally, that Sherlock and Janine never had sex. Does that make Sherlock still a virgin?)
Next we get another brief mind palace moment, where Sherlock questions who Mary Watson really is.
Uh oh... Lestrade and John show up to the hospital, but Sherlock is nowhere to be seen! That's right in character for him, isn't it? The exchange that follows is really brief. We get John and everyone else freaking out and spouting out theories of where he might be. One moment I didn't notice before was John's lovely little moment of deduction in the flat... he remarks that Sherlock had to have known who shot him, because he would have been facing the person. Since Sherlock didn't talk, what does that mean? That he's protecting whoever it was. ("He's Sherlock, who would be bother protecting?" YOU, John! YOU!) Also, John sits down in his chair absentmindedly and then realizes that it's back where it used to be. I loved that little touch. Mary goes to Anderson for information, which was rather resourceful of her, I thought. This scene actually reminded me how many people there are who care about Sherlock. It was a nice run through of all the characters.
And then the line - "Mrs. Hudson, why does Sherlock think I'll be moving back in here?" And the perfume sitting on the little table... See, again we have Sherlock's dedication to John becoming clear. He decides immediately that John deserves the truth, but he has to be sneaky about getting it to him. I love that he sets this up as a clue that only John would be able to figure out. It continues the theme of John being bad ass and actually intelligent, even when standing next to the great Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock calls John, to set up the trap that they are about to lay for Mary.
Now we cut to Mary. We see a bit of Billy's use, as he is now working for Sherlock. Still not sure if his character was necessary, but that's a nitpick. Sherlock and Mary talk on the phone. This whole scene is fantastic, because it shows that in a warped way, Sherlock really respects Mary's intellect. Also, great acting from Amanda Abbington, because you can't quite tell if she's evil or not, as she's walking around the street. I like the empty houses thing, too.
Oh gosh, this scene between Sherlock and Mary is just the best thing. It's so well acted and so dramatic. She's staring at who she believes to be Sherlock the whole time, and when it's revealed to be John... I had goosebumps! In particular, we see here that Mary really does love John, even though she's been lying to him all along. It justifies the audience's approval of her. We've enjoyed her all along, and even though she's betrayed John (and Sherlock), she's not an evil person and we are allowed to like her. "John can't ever know that I lied to him. It would break him, and I would lose him forever, and Sherlock, I will never let that happen." Ouch.
Also, great acting from Cumberbatch in this scene. His breathing is coming heavy already, as he's setting up for his later collapse. Freeman is of course stellar as well. The look on his face when he stands up out of the shadows... that's the face of a man who has just realized that his wife nearly killed his best friend. Yeesh. Again, I just love the implications of all of this for Sherlock's character. He's doing all of this, in a sense, to repair the Watsons' marriage. John's happiness means that much to him.
And now we start jumping around in time. A Holmes family Christmas! Everything I never knew I needed! Mycroft is such a drama queen, I love it. And the Holmes parents are delightful. "Mycroft is the name you gave me, if you could possibly struggle all the way to the end?" There's something so deliciously Holmesian about insisting on keeping the name Mycroft, when Mike would be a suitable alternative. (Again, I'm not sure why Billy is here. Although, the stuff about being Sherlock protégé was funny. I laughed when Sherlock said "probably stop talking now.")
Something I didn't really catch the first time around - Mrs. Holmes is talking about Sherlock getting shot, and she says if she ever finds out who it was, she'll become "absolutely monstrous." In the very next breath, she says Mary's name as she goes to give her a drink. That's eerie.
Apparently Mrs. Holmes is a genius, but just not enough to satisfy her sons. Interesting detail.
And now John enters, and things are weird. I love how the tone of this scene is so off-putting. Mary is sitting in an armchair, pregnant belly, Christmas sweater, a crackling fire... and yet we've only just learned that Mary's entire time with John has been a lie. The contrast is great. I like Sherlock's casual manner about the whole thing - "they've had their ups and downs."
Now we cut back to the empty house, and Sherlock insists that they all go to Baker Street to talk. (Again, looking after his friend! Oh, Sherlock!) Sherlock looks exhausted as he enters the flat. Another little detail leading up to his collapse. I didn't notice how terrible he looked when I watched this the first time!
"Then what exactly is the point of you?" Sherlock to Mrs. Hudson. I really wish Mrs. Hudson had slapped him or told him off for this. Or that there had been some later apology for it. This was one moment that felt a bit needlessly cruel.
John's moment in the flat... standing between Mary and Sherlock. The anger bubbling up. Great acting, Freeman. I love that Sherlock can't keep his mouth shut. Or rather, he won't keep his mouth shut, because he needs to say the words that John needs to hear. As impossible as this whole situation is, Sherlock is still trying to help John's emotional well-being.
"Your best friend is a sociopath who solves crimes as an alternative to getting high. That's me, by the way. Hello. Even the landlady used to run a drug cartel." Basically, this quote explains John Watson. It's not improbable that his entire life is one crazy adventure after another. It's because he's drawn to it. He can't exist without it.
Mrs. Hudson was an exotic dancer! Well then!
Sherlock looks about ready to collapse/burst into tears as he looks at John during this whole scene. My heart! John is also near tears as he manages a choked question: "But she wasn't supposed to be like that. Why is she like that?" Sherlock's answer: "Because you chose her."
John's outburst is perfectly acted. He wants to know why it's his fault. Why is he like this, why does he attract this sort of thing? And he looks to Sherlock for answers. I don't even think he's aware he's doing it, but he is.
And now we have a moment that I don't think people have been talking about enough. As I've continually stated, one of the major themes of this episode is that Sherlock is striving for John's happiness, even at the expense of his own. He tries to get John to calm down here, and to look at Mary as a client. "What is she?" he repeats again and again. He knows that John needs to step back and think about things logically. He knows that John needs answers. And what does John respond with? We'll do it your way, Sherlock. "Always your way." Right after this, Sherlock looks down, and this hurt expression crosses his face. To me, it seems like Sherlock just realized that John doesn't get it. He doesn't get that everything Sherlock does is for him. That this isn't his way. If he were being selfish about it, he'd let Mary and John's relationship fall apart and he'd get to have John back.
Then we get the setup of the client/detective thing, and John's line: "That's what you are now, Mary. You're a client. This is where you sit and talk, and this is where we sit and listen, then we decide if we want you or not." This was sort of heartbreaking, but it was also exactly what needed to happen if they had a chance of surviving as a couple. Also, the fact that John phrases it like "if we want you or not..." it's just so precious. Sherlock and John really are a unit.
I love that we cut away back to the Christmas party now, because it's like we don't get the question answered right away. Did John and Sherlock decide they wanted her? John has a flash drive with the initials A.G.R.A on it.
Now, back to the flat, several months before. Mary gives the drive to John and tells him that it has everything on it about her old life. This line actually made me pretty sad: "If you love me don't read it in front of me. Because you won't love me when you've finished, and I don't wanna see that happen." What a powerful statement.
Also, what about the line from John - "look at you two. You should have gotten married." I think that probably hurt both Sherlock and Mary so bad, because it was like John was putting them on some separate, lower level where he didn't include himself. Again, still with the great acting from Cumberbatch. His physical pain is more apparent now.
And how Sherlock turns it to business, and says that he will help retrieve any information Magnussen has on Mary. Mary asks why, and Sherlock says "because you saved my life."
We get to go back and see the moment when Mary shot Sherlock again. I think it's lovely that Sherlock couldn't see all of this detail and make all of these deductions at the time, because he was just feeling so shocked and betrayed. With the distance of time, however, he figures out what Mary was up to when she didn't kill him instantly.
(A sort of random side note... I just love the settings in this show. As they sit around the flat, you can see the yellow smiley face on the wall, and all of the general clutter is so fascinating to study if you can tear your eyes away from the amazing actors).
The ambulance shows up and Sherlock collapses in pain. The panic and worry on John's face... oh boy. The moments of John's love for Sherlock in this episode are very few, so this was a nice little treat... I also think it's so amazing that Sherlock literally spends his last breaths assuring John that Mary can be trusted. We see Sherlock go down, supported by the paramedics, gasping in pain. We cut to John's scared expression, and then to Mary, who is staring at John. This was such an amazing series of shots, because it's showing the complexity of this cause-and-effect situation. Mary is the reason Sherlock is in serious pain and John is freaking out. And yet Sherlock, the victim here, is insisting Mary can be trusted. How messy. How delightful. Also, this scene bleeds right into the next one, which is...
Back to the Christmas dinner! John has the drive, and Mary nervously asks him if he's read it. Again, as angry as we all are at Mary, we still feel real sympathy for her here. She's clearly terrified. And then John gets to have one of the sweetest, best lines in the whole episode. "The problems of your past are your business. The problems of your future are my privilege." Jesus. I feel like the entire audience now has permission to forgive Mary for what she's done, as John is willing to let her stay. Of course this exchange was also very sweet - "You don't even know my name." "Is Mary Watson good enough for you?" And that hug... so emotional. Great acting.
From this scene we move to Sherlock and Mycroft outside. In re-watching this right now, it occurs to me that the two most important relationships in this episode are John and Mary, and Sherlock and Mycroft. Not that John and Sherlock aren't important to one another, but that's really not the emotional weight of the episode. This scene between the two Holmes brothers was another one of my favorites in the whole episode.
I could actually rant about this all day. But I'll be brief - the cigarette thing, and them being afraid to be scolded... and then Mycroft telling Sherlock about a job but asking him to decline it... I particularly loved this moment because it showed that Mycroft is willing to defy the government to keep Sherlock safe, and that they both know this but don't need to say it. In fact, Sherlock even makes a joke about Mycroft wanting him dead. However, something is different about this moment from all the other conversations they've had on this subject... Mycroft says "Also, your loss would break my heart."
You can tell from Shelock's reaction that he genuinely wasn't expecting anything like that from his brother. But see, it wasn't like he didn't know Mycroft loved him. It's just that it's an unspoken rule that they're never going to talk about it. This scene was actually quite touching to me, because it shows how sometimes the unsaid things need to be said aloud.
Another great transition - we cut back to Mary and John, still hugging to celebrate their reconciliation. Sherlock's name gets brought up by Mary, as she observes that he brought them together so that they could patch things up. Here we have an official acknowledgement that Sherlock worked hard and planned for John's happiness. Of course, again we juxtapose this adorable knowledge with the fact that Sherlock just drugged Mary and his entire family... oh, contrasts, you delight me.
Kind of sweet that Sherlock checks on everyone's breathing... (wow, what a strange thing for me to say. He's the one who knocked them out in the first place! This show does strange things to me.)
And now we mess with time again, and we jump back to shortly after Sherlock was shot. He and Magnussen meet in a café. Now here's where a lot of the details of this episode come into play. Upon a second watch, it all sort of clicked together for me a lot better. Sherlock's earlier description of Magnussen's dead eyes, coupled with the constant touching of the glasses, lead Sherlock to an interesting conclusion: he thinks the glasses have software on them that allows Magnussen to read people's secrets as he looks at them. All of these details are leading up to this moment, but... Sherlock. Is. Wrong.
Again, he's underestimated his enemy. Or rather overestimated his enemy's technological capabilities. I'm not sure which. Sherlock's desire to see Appledore is his desire for knowledge, and also his desire (again) to help John. If he can get to the information, he can protect Mary, and countless others besides. This setback with the glasses comes far before the scene at Christmas, so we can assume Sherlock has ruminated on his miscalculation for some time. I'm reminded once more during this scene that Magnussen is not really a personal enemy of Sherlock's. They are certainly fascinated by one another, but it's Mary that's threatened by Magnussen, not Sherlock. Over and over, the episode reminds us that Sherlock's stake in these events is personal. It's his love for John (and maybe for Mary as well) that drives his plot forward.
And then Sherlock offers Magnussen a present: "my brother." We cut just after this to Sherlock's face, back at the Christmas party, and he looks guilty as hell. As we will be soon discovering, this was all part of a plan to get into Appledore and bring Magnussen down, but it still seems to hurt Sherlock that he has to betray Mycroft to do it.
And now Sherlock and John are off to Appledore in a helicopter! Sherlock entices John to come along with the following information - we're doing this to protect Mary, and it's going to be very, very dangerous and the odds are not in our favor. John, of course, is all in. I love the detail about the gun - "why would I bring my gun to your parents' house for Christmas dinner?" "Is it in your coat?" "Yes."
One helicopter ride later, and our protagonists have arrived at the climax! What a beautiful mansion... seriously, this is visual gold. The image of Magnussen sitting so nonchalantly on the couch was really chilling. Sherlock does a good job playing it casual, as he takes a seat next to Magnussen and remarks - "Oh, it was you." They are looking at a video of Sherlock pulling John out of the fire, which we saw in "The Empty Hearse."
This scene was one example where I thought we could have gotten a bit more of a reaction out of John. Magnussen is talking about pressure points, and we're seeing Sherlock's panicked face as he rushes forward to save John from the fire... I wish we could have seen John react to this. However, it's still gratifying to hear yet more confirmation that John is Sherlock's pressure point. And now we get to see how Magnussen's mind works. It's a scary place in there...
"Let me explain how leverage works, Dr. Watson. For those who understand these things, Mycroft Holmes is the most powerful man in the country. Well, apart from me. Mycroft's pressure point is his junkie detective brother Sherlock. Sherlock's pressure point is his best friend John Watson. John Watson's pressure point is his wife. I own John Watson's wife, I own Mycroft." Creepy!
And it just keeps getting worse. Magnussen seems to know the whole freakin' plan. Sherlock asks for everything Magnussen has got on Mary, but Magnussen knows that Mycroft's laptop includes a GPS locator, and thus Mycroft will be able to find Magnussen's vaults. But here's the thing... if he knows he's doomed, why is he smiling?
Again, all the details of the episode keep coming together. We thought we knew the game. We trusted Sherlock with this. The atmosphere of this moment is quite something. The music is building, Magnussen's calm demeanor is becoming more and more sinister... Sherlock is clearly holding back panic as he tries to figure out what he could have missed.
There. are. no. vaults! It's all inside Magnussen's mind palace. Now this, I thought, was a genius twist. It was sort of easy to see it coming, but at the same time, all of the details of the episode come together and make this moment so creepy and so intense. We've been seeing him use his mind palace all along, we just didn't realize it. And now we get the tour. Great cinematography and continually excellent acting from all involved. We get a few hints about Mary, too. Apparently she has killed a lot of people, and went a bit "freelance" for a while. The beautiful thing about this is that more information is not necessary. The tone of the scene gives us all we need to know. If we never get Mary's full story, that's okay.
"I don't understand." "You should have that on a t-shirt." 'Nuff said.
And then you have this business about the corrupt nature of news. Not sure what the BBC/Moffat/whoever else is trying to say about this, but I am intrigued by this whole idea of corruption, and how Magnussen isn't evil because he's a murderer or a terrorist or anything. He's evil because he's willing and able to ruin everybody's lives just using words. It sort of reminds me of the way that Moriarty didn't have any special code, but instead was able to get what he wanted through bribery alone.
"Sherlock, do we have a plan?" says John. I just love it when they talk using "we." Sherlock just closes his eyes in despair. He's clearly just come to the conclusion that he'll have to kill Magnussen, and he knows how much it's going to hurt John, even though ultimately he will be doing it for John. GOOD ACTING!
Oh gosh, this scene between Sherlock and Mary is just the best thing. It's so well acted and so dramatic. She's staring at who she believes to be Sherlock the whole time, and when it's revealed to be John... I had goosebumps! In particular, we see here that Mary really does love John, even though she's been lying to him all along. It justifies the audience's approval of her. We've enjoyed her all along, and even though she's betrayed John (and Sherlock), she's not an evil person and we are allowed to like her. "John can't ever know that I lied to him. It would break him, and I would lose him forever, and Sherlock, I will never let that happen." Ouch.
Also, great acting from Cumberbatch in this scene. His breathing is coming heavy already, as he's setting up for his later collapse. Freeman is of course stellar as well. The look on his face when he stands up out of the shadows... that's the face of a man who has just realized that his wife nearly killed his best friend. Yeesh. Again, I just love the implications of all of this for Sherlock's character. He's doing all of this, in a sense, to repair the Watsons' marriage. John's happiness means that much to him.
And now we start jumping around in time. A Holmes family Christmas! Everything I never knew I needed! Mycroft is such a drama queen, I love it. And the Holmes parents are delightful. "Mycroft is the name you gave me, if you could possibly struggle all the way to the end?" There's something so deliciously Holmesian about insisting on keeping the name Mycroft, when Mike would be a suitable alternative. (Again, I'm not sure why Billy is here. Although, the stuff about being Sherlock protégé was funny. I laughed when Sherlock said "probably stop talking now.")
Something I didn't really catch the first time around - Mrs. Holmes is talking about Sherlock getting shot, and she says if she ever finds out who it was, she'll become "absolutely monstrous." In the very next breath, she says Mary's name as she goes to give her a drink. That's eerie.
Apparently Mrs. Holmes is a genius, but just not enough to satisfy her sons. Interesting detail.
And now John enters, and things are weird. I love how the tone of this scene is so off-putting. Mary is sitting in an armchair, pregnant belly, Christmas sweater, a crackling fire... and yet we've only just learned that Mary's entire time with John has been a lie. The contrast is great. I like Sherlock's casual manner about the whole thing - "they've had their ups and downs."
Now we cut back to the empty house, and Sherlock insists that they all go to Baker Street to talk. (Again, looking after his friend! Oh, Sherlock!) Sherlock looks exhausted as he enters the flat. Another little detail leading up to his collapse. I didn't notice how terrible he looked when I watched this the first time!
"Then what exactly is the point of you?" Sherlock to Mrs. Hudson. I really wish Mrs. Hudson had slapped him or told him off for this. Or that there had been some later apology for it. This was one moment that felt a bit needlessly cruel.
John's moment in the flat... standing between Mary and Sherlock. The anger bubbling up. Great acting, Freeman. I love that Sherlock can't keep his mouth shut. Or rather, he won't keep his mouth shut, because he needs to say the words that John needs to hear. As impossible as this whole situation is, Sherlock is still trying to help John's emotional well-being.
"Your best friend is a sociopath who solves crimes as an alternative to getting high. That's me, by the way. Hello. Even the landlady used to run a drug cartel." Basically, this quote explains John Watson. It's not improbable that his entire life is one crazy adventure after another. It's because he's drawn to it. He can't exist without it.
Mrs. Hudson was an exotic dancer! Well then!
Sherlock looks about ready to collapse/burst into tears as he looks at John during this whole scene. My heart! John is also near tears as he manages a choked question: "But she wasn't supposed to be like that. Why is she like that?" Sherlock's answer: "Because you chose her."
John's outburst is perfectly acted. He wants to know why it's his fault. Why is he like this, why does he attract this sort of thing? And he looks to Sherlock for answers. I don't even think he's aware he's doing it, but he is.
And now we have a moment that I don't think people have been talking about enough. As I've continually stated, one of the major themes of this episode is that Sherlock is striving for John's happiness, even at the expense of his own. He tries to get John to calm down here, and to look at Mary as a client. "What is she?" he repeats again and again. He knows that John needs to step back and think about things logically. He knows that John needs answers. And what does John respond with? We'll do it your way, Sherlock. "Always your way." Right after this, Sherlock looks down, and this hurt expression crosses his face. To me, it seems like Sherlock just realized that John doesn't get it. He doesn't get that everything Sherlock does is for him. That this isn't his way. If he were being selfish about it, he'd let Mary and John's relationship fall apart and he'd get to have John back.
Then we get the setup of the client/detective thing, and John's line: "That's what you are now, Mary. You're a client. This is where you sit and talk, and this is where we sit and listen, then we decide if we want you or not." This was sort of heartbreaking, but it was also exactly what needed to happen if they had a chance of surviving as a couple. Also, the fact that John phrases it like "if we want you or not..." it's just so precious. Sherlock and John really are a unit.
I love that we cut away back to the Christmas party now, because it's like we don't get the question answered right away. Did John and Sherlock decide they wanted her? John has a flash drive with the initials A.G.R.A on it.
Now, back to the flat, several months before. Mary gives the drive to John and tells him that it has everything on it about her old life. This line actually made me pretty sad: "If you love me don't read it in front of me. Because you won't love me when you've finished, and I don't wanna see that happen." What a powerful statement.
Also, what about the line from John - "look at you two. You should have gotten married." I think that probably hurt both Sherlock and Mary so bad, because it was like John was putting them on some separate, lower level where he didn't include himself. Again, still with the great acting from Cumberbatch. His physical pain is more apparent now.
And how Sherlock turns it to business, and says that he will help retrieve any information Magnussen has on Mary. Mary asks why, and Sherlock says "because you saved my life."
We get to go back and see the moment when Mary shot Sherlock again. I think it's lovely that Sherlock couldn't see all of this detail and make all of these deductions at the time, because he was just feeling so shocked and betrayed. With the distance of time, however, he figures out what Mary was up to when she didn't kill him instantly.
(A sort of random side note... I just love the settings in this show. As they sit around the flat, you can see the yellow smiley face on the wall, and all of the general clutter is so fascinating to study if you can tear your eyes away from the amazing actors).
The ambulance shows up and Sherlock collapses in pain. The panic and worry on John's face... oh boy. The moments of John's love for Sherlock in this episode are very few, so this was a nice little treat... I also think it's so amazing that Sherlock literally spends his last breaths assuring John that Mary can be trusted. We see Sherlock go down, supported by the paramedics, gasping in pain. We cut to John's scared expression, and then to Mary, who is staring at John. This was such an amazing series of shots, because it's showing the complexity of this cause-and-effect situation. Mary is the reason Sherlock is in serious pain and John is freaking out. And yet Sherlock, the victim here, is insisting Mary can be trusted. How messy. How delightful. Also, this scene bleeds right into the next one, which is...
Back to the Christmas dinner! John has the drive, and Mary nervously asks him if he's read it. Again, as angry as we all are at Mary, we still feel real sympathy for her here. She's clearly terrified. And then John gets to have one of the sweetest, best lines in the whole episode. "The problems of your past are your business. The problems of your future are my privilege." Jesus. I feel like the entire audience now has permission to forgive Mary for what she's done, as John is willing to let her stay. Of course this exchange was also very sweet - "You don't even know my name." "Is Mary Watson good enough for you?" And that hug... so emotional. Great acting.
From this scene we move to Sherlock and Mycroft outside. In re-watching this right now, it occurs to me that the two most important relationships in this episode are John and Mary, and Sherlock and Mycroft. Not that John and Sherlock aren't important to one another, but that's really not the emotional weight of the episode. This scene between the two Holmes brothers was another one of my favorites in the whole episode.
I could actually rant about this all day. But I'll be brief - the cigarette thing, and them being afraid to be scolded... and then Mycroft telling Sherlock about a job but asking him to decline it... I particularly loved this moment because it showed that Mycroft is willing to defy the government to keep Sherlock safe, and that they both know this but don't need to say it. In fact, Sherlock even makes a joke about Mycroft wanting him dead. However, something is different about this moment from all the other conversations they've had on this subject... Mycroft says "Also, your loss would break my heart."
You can tell from Shelock's reaction that he genuinely wasn't expecting anything like that from his brother. But see, it wasn't like he didn't know Mycroft loved him. It's just that it's an unspoken rule that they're never going to talk about it. This scene was actually quite touching to me, because it shows how sometimes the unsaid things need to be said aloud.
Another great transition - we cut back to Mary and John, still hugging to celebrate their reconciliation. Sherlock's name gets brought up by Mary, as she observes that he brought them together so that they could patch things up. Here we have an official acknowledgement that Sherlock worked hard and planned for John's happiness. Of course, again we juxtapose this adorable knowledge with the fact that Sherlock just drugged Mary and his entire family... oh, contrasts, you delight me.
Kind of sweet that Sherlock checks on everyone's breathing... (wow, what a strange thing for me to say. He's the one who knocked them out in the first place! This show does strange things to me.)
And now we mess with time again, and we jump back to shortly after Sherlock was shot. He and Magnussen meet in a café. Now here's where a lot of the details of this episode come into play. Upon a second watch, it all sort of clicked together for me a lot better. Sherlock's earlier description of Magnussen's dead eyes, coupled with the constant touching of the glasses, lead Sherlock to an interesting conclusion: he thinks the glasses have software on them that allows Magnussen to read people's secrets as he looks at them. All of these details are leading up to this moment, but... Sherlock. Is. Wrong.
Again, he's underestimated his enemy. Or rather overestimated his enemy's technological capabilities. I'm not sure which. Sherlock's desire to see Appledore is his desire for knowledge, and also his desire (again) to help John. If he can get to the information, he can protect Mary, and countless others besides. This setback with the glasses comes far before the scene at Christmas, so we can assume Sherlock has ruminated on his miscalculation for some time. I'm reminded once more during this scene that Magnussen is not really a personal enemy of Sherlock's. They are certainly fascinated by one another, but it's Mary that's threatened by Magnussen, not Sherlock. Over and over, the episode reminds us that Sherlock's stake in these events is personal. It's his love for John (and maybe for Mary as well) that drives his plot forward.
And then Sherlock offers Magnussen a present: "my brother." We cut just after this to Sherlock's face, back at the Christmas party, and he looks guilty as hell. As we will be soon discovering, this was all part of a plan to get into Appledore and bring Magnussen down, but it still seems to hurt Sherlock that he has to betray Mycroft to do it.
And now Sherlock and John are off to Appledore in a helicopter! Sherlock entices John to come along with the following information - we're doing this to protect Mary, and it's going to be very, very dangerous and the odds are not in our favor. John, of course, is all in. I love the detail about the gun - "why would I bring my gun to your parents' house for Christmas dinner?" "Is it in your coat?" "Yes."
One helicopter ride later, and our protagonists have arrived at the climax! What a beautiful mansion... seriously, this is visual gold. The image of Magnussen sitting so nonchalantly on the couch was really chilling. Sherlock does a good job playing it casual, as he takes a seat next to Magnussen and remarks - "Oh, it was you." They are looking at a video of Sherlock pulling John out of the fire, which we saw in "The Empty Hearse."
This scene was one example where I thought we could have gotten a bit more of a reaction out of John. Magnussen is talking about pressure points, and we're seeing Sherlock's panicked face as he rushes forward to save John from the fire... I wish we could have seen John react to this. However, it's still gratifying to hear yet more confirmation that John is Sherlock's pressure point. And now we get to see how Magnussen's mind works. It's a scary place in there...
"Let me explain how leverage works, Dr. Watson. For those who understand these things, Mycroft Holmes is the most powerful man in the country. Well, apart from me. Mycroft's pressure point is his junkie detective brother Sherlock. Sherlock's pressure point is his best friend John Watson. John Watson's pressure point is his wife. I own John Watson's wife, I own Mycroft." Creepy!
And it just keeps getting worse. Magnussen seems to know the whole freakin' plan. Sherlock asks for everything Magnussen has got on Mary, but Magnussen knows that Mycroft's laptop includes a GPS locator, and thus Mycroft will be able to find Magnussen's vaults. But here's the thing... if he knows he's doomed, why is he smiling?
Again, all the details of the episode keep coming together. We thought we knew the game. We trusted Sherlock with this. The atmosphere of this moment is quite something. The music is building, Magnussen's calm demeanor is becoming more and more sinister... Sherlock is clearly holding back panic as he tries to figure out what he could have missed.
There. are. no. vaults! It's all inside Magnussen's mind palace. Now this, I thought, was a genius twist. It was sort of easy to see it coming, but at the same time, all of the details of the episode come together and make this moment so creepy and so intense. We've been seeing him use his mind palace all along, we just didn't realize it. And now we get the tour. Great cinematography and continually excellent acting from all involved. We get a few hints about Mary, too. Apparently she has killed a lot of people, and went a bit "freelance" for a while. The beautiful thing about this is that more information is not necessary. The tone of the scene gives us all we need to know. If we never get Mary's full story, that's okay.
"I don't understand." "You should have that on a t-shirt." 'Nuff said.
And then you have this business about the corrupt nature of news. Not sure what the BBC/Moffat/whoever else is trying to say about this, but I am intrigued by this whole idea of corruption, and how Magnussen isn't evil because he's a murderer or a terrorist or anything. He's evil because he's willing and able to ruin everybody's lives just using words. It sort of reminds me of the way that Moriarty didn't have any special code, but instead was able to get what he wanted through bribery alone.
"Sherlock, do we have a plan?" says John. I just love it when they talk using "we." Sherlock just closes his eyes in despair. He's clearly just come to the conclusion that he'll have to kill Magnussen, and he knows how much it's going to hurt John, even though ultimately he will be doing it for John. GOOD ACTING!
"I still don't understand." "And there's the back of the t-shirt." HA. HA.
Now we get to the most disturbing part of the whole damn episode. Magnussen flicking John's face. This entire thing was just so disgusting. Magnussen is sick. The look on Sherlock's face was really heartbreaking. He hates seeing John humiliated, and he just feels so helpless. Again, the whole theme of this episode is that Sherlock wants to help John. He wants to keep John happy. And right now he's failing horribly. It's all about Mary, really. If Sherlock can protect Mary, he's protecting John. I think it shows how selfless Sherlock can really be, because if he were being selfish (as I've mentioned before), he could just say to hell with Mary and stay with John. But that's not what he does. Again and again, when given the choice, he decides to do what's best for John and Mary's relationship, even if it's at his own expense.
And Magnussen's true evil can best be express in this line: "This is what I do to people. This is what I do to whole countries. Just because I know." What an interesting type of villain.
"Sherlock." "Let him, I'm sorry. Just... let him." That exchange actually sort of broke me. John looks to Sherlock for help, and Sherlock cannot provide it. I thought that bringing up Janine here was sort of interesting. The look on Sherlock's face suggests that maybe she meant more to him that we're first led to believe. In any case, clearly Janine was interesting to Sherlock.
And the helicopters arrive! Mycroft looks a bit frantic, which is all sorts of adorable... and you can see the plan brewing in Sherlock... you can sense what he's about to do... I love it when Magnussen steps forward and says "it's fine, they're harmless!" Little do you know, Magnussen...
God, the way Sherlock looks at John, just as Magnussen tells Sherlock there's no way for him to be a hero... and Sherlock is just thinking... but here's one thing I can do!
"Oh, do your research! I'm not a hero, I'm a high functioning sociopath. Merry Christmas!" Okay, so analysis time - remember earlier, when Mycroft asked Sherlock to say Merry Christmas to him? Well, now he is. He was saying that to Mycroft. It really wasn't a "screw you," but more of a defiant "this is my only choice, brother dear!" That goes back to what I've been saying - the heart of this episode really isn't the Sherlock and John relationship. I mean, Sherlock's motivations for most of what he's doing are centered around his love for John, but that's not the relationship being explored here.
Mycroft is panicked. He looks about ready to break down. He's ordering his men not to fire, and he is not in control. Sherlock turns to John and tells him to give his love to Mary. You can tell that Sherlock honestly believes he's about to be killed, and yet he faces death stoically. But instead of lingering on John's reaction (which is heartbroken, it must be said) we again go back to Mycroft.
And then we see the single most tragic image in this entire freakin' thing... "Oh Sherlock, what have you done?" AND WE SEE LITTLE KID SHERLOCK, TEARS ROLLING DOWN HIS CHEEKS. Mycroft still sees Sherlock as a little kid! His baby brother! Ahhhhh!!!!
But then we have Mycroft being the politician. He insists that his pleading on Sherlock's behalf is not familial sentiment. "I am not given to outbursts of brotherly compassion. You know what happened to the other one." WHAT THE FFFFFFFFF. Did Sherlock and Mycroft have another brother?! I love how brief this moment is. So quick you might miss it.
So now we have the end scene, with the sad goodbye. First of all, Mary and Sherlock hug, which was lovely. It seemed so natural. These two people share quite the bond, after all. They're the two people who love John most in all this world.
"You will look after him for me, won't you?" "Don't worry, I'll keep him in trouble." "That's my girl." Awww.
Sherlock asks for privacy, because this is likely to be "the last conversation [he'll] have with John Watson." I love how the camera focuses on John's face for that moment. So sad. Mycroft looks rather surprised at the request. (Ahem did he think Sherlock was finally going to confess his love for John? Perhaps? hehe).
William Sherlock Scott Holmes. And he went with Sherlock. Kind of like how Mycroft refuses to be called Mike. They've always taken great pleasure in being difficult, haven't they?
I love the slight awkwardness of John and Sherlock's last ever conversation. Everyone keeps talking about how it sounds like Sherlock is going to say "I love you" but then he backs out. I think he is saying "I love you." He's proven himself capable of it in the past. He tells John he loves him in "The Sign of Three," and I don't think John has any doubt that it's true. This conversation was, again, Sherlock giving John what he needed. He didn't tell John that he was going to be dead in six months (God, poor Mycroft, having to send his brother to his death...), he didn't make any sort of big declaration... he just gave John some baby name suggestions and shook his hand goodbye. I loved the mention of the east wind, and another little mention of the Holmes childhood. Gosh, this season had a lot of Mycroft. I love that. This scene was such a touching goodbye, and would have been such a sad and sweet way to end the episode. Great music by the way... so sad, as the plane flies away.
But... there's more!!! What a lovely little fake-out when the ending music starts to play and then we cut to a TV screen instead. Of course, everyone already knows what happens next! MORIARTY! I love Sherlock's exasperated sigh as Mycroft tells him that he's needed. You're not fooling us, Sherlock! We know you're thrilled to be coming back! And John and Mary are thrilled too!
See, there's a small part of me that wants to be annoyed with all this, but I'm going to reserve judgment. Whatever they do in the next series, I'm not going to form an opinion just yet. Even if the twist ends up really stupid, I'm still thrilled to have Andrew Scott back as Moriarty. I think, if I'm being honest, this season lacked coherency because there was no centralized villain to fight against. I loved the three individual episodes of series three, but they didn't make as tight of a unit as the first two, in my opinion.
Alright, so there you have it. In summary, this story was about Sherlock's love for John, but less about the reverse. It was about Mycroft's love for Sherlock, and it was about Mary and John's messed up relationship. It was about character development. It was about a very creepy and very excellent villain. It was about sacrifice.
This has got to be the longest review I've ever written. It took me forever. But I'm glad I did it. I think this episode really deserved the attention. As you can probably tell, I loved it. Yeah, I had my nitpicks. When do I not? But this was really stellar television, and I'm sure I'll be watching this episode again and again in the future.
9.5/10
Now we get to the most disturbing part of the whole damn episode. Magnussen flicking John's face. This entire thing was just so disgusting. Magnussen is sick. The look on Sherlock's face was really heartbreaking. He hates seeing John humiliated, and he just feels so helpless. Again, the whole theme of this episode is that Sherlock wants to help John. He wants to keep John happy. And right now he's failing horribly. It's all about Mary, really. If Sherlock can protect Mary, he's protecting John. I think it shows how selfless Sherlock can really be, because if he were being selfish (as I've mentioned before), he could just say to hell with Mary and stay with John. But that's not what he does. Again and again, when given the choice, he decides to do what's best for John and Mary's relationship, even if it's at his own expense.
And Magnussen's true evil can best be express in this line: "This is what I do to people. This is what I do to whole countries. Just because I know." What an interesting type of villain.
"Sherlock." "Let him, I'm sorry. Just... let him." That exchange actually sort of broke me. John looks to Sherlock for help, and Sherlock cannot provide it. I thought that bringing up Janine here was sort of interesting. The look on Sherlock's face suggests that maybe she meant more to him that we're first led to believe. In any case, clearly Janine was interesting to Sherlock.
And the helicopters arrive! Mycroft looks a bit frantic, which is all sorts of adorable... and you can see the plan brewing in Sherlock... you can sense what he's about to do... I love it when Magnussen steps forward and says "it's fine, they're harmless!" Little do you know, Magnussen...
God, the way Sherlock looks at John, just as Magnussen tells Sherlock there's no way for him to be a hero... and Sherlock is just thinking... but here's one thing I can do!
"Oh, do your research! I'm not a hero, I'm a high functioning sociopath. Merry Christmas!" Okay, so analysis time - remember earlier, when Mycroft asked Sherlock to say Merry Christmas to him? Well, now he is. He was saying that to Mycroft. It really wasn't a "screw you," but more of a defiant "this is my only choice, brother dear!" That goes back to what I've been saying - the heart of this episode really isn't the Sherlock and John relationship. I mean, Sherlock's motivations for most of what he's doing are centered around his love for John, but that's not the relationship being explored here.
Mycroft is panicked. He looks about ready to break down. He's ordering his men not to fire, and he is not in control. Sherlock turns to John and tells him to give his love to Mary. You can tell that Sherlock honestly believes he's about to be killed, and yet he faces death stoically. But instead of lingering on John's reaction (which is heartbroken, it must be said) we again go back to Mycroft.
And then we see the single most tragic image in this entire freakin' thing... "Oh Sherlock, what have you done?" AND WE SEE LITTLE KID SHERLOCK, TEARS ROLLING DOWN HIS CHEEKS. Mycroft still sees Sherlock as a little kid! His baby brother! Ahhhhh!!!!
But then we have Mycroft being the politician. He insists that his pleading on Sherlock's behalf is not familial sentiment. "I am not given to outbursts of brotherly compassion. You know what happened to the other one." WHAT THE FFFFFFFFF. Did Sherlock and Mycroft have another brother?! I love how brief this moment is. So quick you might miss it.
So now we have the end scene, with the sad goodbye. First of all, Mary and Sherlock hug, which was lovely. It seemed so natural. These two people share quite the bond, after all. They're the two people who love John most in all this world.
"You will look after him for me, won't you?" "Don't worry, I'll keep him in trouble." "That's my girl." Awww.
Sherlock asks for privacy, because this is likely to be "the last conversation [he'll] have with John Watson." I love how the camera focuses on John's face for that moment. So sad. Mycroft looks rather surprised at the request. (Ahem did he think Sherlock was finally going to confess his love for John? Perhaps? hehe).
William Sherlock Scott Holmes. And he went with Sherlock. Kind of like how Mycroft refuses to be called Mike. They've always taken great pleasure in being difficult, haven't they?
I love the slight awkwardness of John and Sherlock's last ever conversation. Everyone keeps talking about how it sounds like Sherlock is going to say "I love you" but then he backs out. I think he is saying "I love you." He's proven himself capable of it in the past. He tells John he loves him in "The Sign of Three," and I don't think John has any doubt that it's true. This conversation was, again, Sherlock giving John what he needed. He didn't tell John that he was going to be dead in six months (God, poor Mycroft, having to send his brother to his death...), he didn't make any sort of big declaration... he just gave John some baby name suggestions and shook his hand goodbye. I loved the mention of the east wind, and another little mention of the Holmes childhood. Gosh, this season had a lot of Mycroft. I love that. This scene was such a touching goodbye, and would have been such a sad and sweet way to end the episode. Great music by the way... so sad, as the plane flies away.
But... there's more!!! What a lovely little fake-out when the ending music starts to play and then we cut to a TV screen instead. Of course, everyone already knows what happens next! MORIARTY! I love Sherlock's exasperated sigh as Mycroft tells him that he's needed. You're not fooling us, Sherlock! We know you're thrilled to be coming back! And John and Mary are thrilled too!
See, there's a small part of me that wants to be annoyed with all this, but I'm going to reserve judgment. Whatever they do in the next series, I'm not going to form an opinion just yet. Even if the twist ends up really stupid, I'm still thrilled to have Andrew Scott back as Moriarty. I think, if I'm being honest, this season lacked coherency because there was no centralized villain to fight against. I loved the three individual episodes of series three, but they didn't make as tight of a unit as the first two, in my opinion.
Alright, so there you have it. In summary, this story was about Sherlock's love for John, but less about the reverse. It was about Mycroft's love for Sherlock, and it was about Mary and John's messed up relationship. It was about character development. It was about a very creepy and very excellent villain. It was about sacrifice.
This has got to be the longest review I've ever written. It took me forever. But I'm glad I did it. I think this episode really deserved the attention. As you can probably tell, I loved it. Yeah, I had my nitpicks. When do I not? But this was really stellar television, and I'm sure I'll be watching this episode again and again in the future.
9.5/10
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