Aww. More great Joan/Sherlock friendship stuff! Let's jump in. I'm going to be brief.
The case this week involves Everyone, the hacker coalition. Sherlock gets a visit from one of its members, and learns that there's a civil war going on in the group. Some of them want to remain anarchists, helping and hurting people on a case-by-case basis as they see fit. Another faction wants to be a full-blown political movement, supporting the left and working against the right. Things get complicated when a member of Everyone winds up dead. It's up to Sherlock to figure out who killed him. This is made all the more difficult by the fact that he has to track down people's actual identities and match them to their online handles.
Eventually, after some twists and turns involving a hacker working undercover for the FBI, multiple real people using the same online handle, and sensitive government secrets, the case is solved.
Meanwhile, Sherlock notices that Joan seems to be pulling into her shell, and is not getting out and socializing nearly as much as she used to. She is invited to hang out with her friends and plan a bachelorette party, but she ducks out early and makes excuses. Sherlock talks to her, concerned. He believes she is turning inward and becoming antisocial as a way to cope with the traumatic loss of Andrew. He tells her that their friendship is a give and take - that they should both work towards the best aspects of each other. Sherlock admits that his antisocial tendencies are not his strongest quality, and he believes Joan should avoid emulating them. Their relationship works best with one Holmes and one Watson. Not two Holmes. Later, Joan goes out to spend time with her friends, realizing that she needs to maintain her social life.
So. If I were to complain, I'd say this episode suffered a bit from some exposition overload. It wasn't really anybody's fault - they had to remind people about Everyone, and not all viewers are going to be as attentive to past details as us crazy fans. What with all the recapping and reminding, I did at times feel like the episode got a little bit... talk-y.
But that's actually a rather minor complaint in the scheme of things. This episode was great.
I loved the return of Everything! They've been a sort of... recurring character on this show, or a recurring collective, in any case. To have them brought to the front and center was unexpected and quite fun. I like how the anonymity of the internet added a whole new dimension to the case. Everybody had two names, and part of the case was simply tracking who was who in real life and on the internet.
There were a lot of really fun little moments in this episode. Clyde, apparently, is not a Taylor Swift fan, which I find profoundly unacceptable. Sherlock has a snake delivered to the loft, but "it's gone now." We get mention of the picture of Sherlock in a dress, though we don't get to see it. All of these little moments were so much fun.
Mostly, though, as always with this show, the best part is the relationship between Sherlock and Joan. Sherlock notices that Joan is not acting like herself. Even though he's not exactly all that well-equipped to talk with her about it, he tries. He expresses his concern in a typically Sherlock-esque way, but then he goes back and talks to her again, to make sure she understands the message. This was just so sweet. Sherlock frames his concern in this narrative of their friendship - he knows they have a give and take. They both bring something to the table. If Joan starts letting herself transform into Sherlock, the friendship they've built will be significantly weakened.
But that's actually a rather minor complaint in the scheme of things. This episode was great.
I loved the return of Everything! They've been a sort of... recurring character on this show, or a recurring collective, in any case. To have them brought to the front and center was unexpected and quite fun. I like how the anonymity of the internet added a whole new dimension to the case. Everybody had two names, and part of the case was simply tracking who was who in real life and on the internet.
There were a lot of really fun little moments in this episode. Clyde, apparently, is not a Taylor Swift fan, which I find profoundly unacceptable. Sherlock has a snake delivered to the loft, but "it's gone now." We get mention of the picture of Sherlock in a dress, though we don't get to see it. All of these little moments were so much fun.
Mostly, though, as always with this show, the best part is the relationship between Sherlock and Joan. Sherlock notices that Joan is not acting like herself. Even though he's not exactly all that well-equipped to talk with her about it, he tries. He expresses his concern in a typically Sherlock-esque way, but then he goes back and talks to her again, to make sure she understands the message. This was just so sweet. Sherlock frames his concern in this narrative of their friendship - he knows they have a give and take. They both bring something to the table. If Joan starts letting herself transform into Sherlock, the friendship they've built will be significantly weakened.
Then at the end, we see Joan take Sherlock's words to heart. She knows that even if she's in a slump right now, she needs to try to find equilibrium and get back to her old self. As she heads out the door to see her friends, Sherlock says: "Enjoy yourself, Watson." Joan replies: "I'll try... Holmes." This echos Sherlock's earlier observation about "one Watson, one Holmes," and it works perfectly. What a sweet moment for the two of them!
I think that's all I have for now. I adore these characters. I can't wait to see what they do for the end of the season!
9/10
I think that's all I have for now. I adore these characters. I can't wait to see what they do for the end of the season!
9/10
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