Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (Winter Special)

This was Sherlock on drugs. But no literally it was Sherlock on drugs, and Sherlock on drugs, and it was weird... and... I guess I liked it a lot? Let's get right to it, because of course I wouldn't be me if I didn't have some complaints.

Cons:

This is not an episode for a casual viewer. Now, being a not-so-casual viewer, I greatly enjoyed it. But as a critic, I place this episode in the same bucket as "The Sign of Three." Squeal-inducing awesomeness if you're a hardcore fan, but sort of confusing and silly if you're more of a casual viewer, or even a fan that doesn't engage in fandom. There has to be a balance between catering to the dedicated fans and creating a balanced story in its own right. I just didn't get a lot of balance out of this episode, even if I did have a good time watching it.

I'll ramble on in shock and glee about this episode's feminist message in a moment, but unfortunately I have to say that the message, while expertly handled in the Victorian period, didn't hit home enough in the episode's conclusion. Once Sherlock is out of his mind palace and we're back in the present-day, the most feminist thing we get is Mary chastising John for pretending he has any authority over her. It was a small moment, and not nearly enough to make the message hit home. I'm probably a tad oversensitive to this issue, but to me it felt like this whole "women are ignored and need to be given a bigger voice" idea was isolated to the special, and the second we were back in the story proper, it was like "alright, enough of this feminist agenda, back to Sherlock saving the day with his giant Man Brain."

I also just think it was pointless to leave us hanging. Sherlock said at the end of the episode that Moriarty was definitely dead, and that he knew exactly what he was going to do next. I get it - it's supposed to leave us in suspense as to whether or not we'll be seeing Moriarty in Season Four or whatever. But these little cliffhangers haven't worked so well for Sherlock in the past. It's okay to end on a clear answer once in a while.

Pros:

This episode is nested in Sherlock's mind palace, so there are a lot of complexities in terms of plot and continuity to discuss here. I want to start first by taking what we see in the Victorian time period at face value: the actual case within Sherlock's head, of Emelia Ricoletti. This story seemed to be about a supernatural ghost bride, but ended up being about a secret organization of women's rights activists, who let their friend, already dying of consumption, die to prove a point and to frighten the hearts of men who had wronged them. Okay, so, it's ridiculous and makes no real sense. But it's awesome all the same, and I loved the way this episode set you up for it so simply and clearly that if you didn't see it coming, you probably have some problems with misogyny yourself.

Mycroft tells Sherlock that there's an enemy coming that surrounds them, that's always by their side, but that this is a war they (meaning men) must lose, because the enemy (women) is right about this one. We don't get what he's saying right away, perhaps, but when we see women continually slighted by men in the story, it starts to become more clear. Holmes and Watson are dismissive of Mrs. Hudson. Mary Watson can't get her husband to even spend time with her. Molly Hooper dresses up as a man to be respected as a doctor. The Watsons' maid is treated as subhuman. Mrs. Carmichael's husband treats her like a silly and frivolous child. They've been there all along, being overlooked both by the characters in the story and, for the most part, by the viewer, and when it all comes together it makes perfect sense. Well done, Gatiss and Moffat. I hate to say it, but well done.

And then we have to step back and remember this is all happening in Sherlock's head. Examining some of the events with that lens makes it wonderfully complex and at times heartbreaking.

Mycroft, in the alternative universe, is overweight, and he and Sherlock are betting on how long he has left to live. This might seem like nothing more than a slightly morbid humor thing, but play it back with the understanding that this is Sherlock's way of working through issues subconsciously... does this mean that Mycroft is going to die? I'm thinking it's a pretty good bet at this point. Especially given the Mycroft in the present day. Turns out, Sherlock and Mycroft have a deal that whenever Sherlock uses drugs, he makes a list of everything he took so that Mycroft can help him. Sherlock, on the plane that was taking him away from London ostensibly forever, overdosed dangerously on a whole pharmacy of drugs. Mycroft is beyond worried - he's scared and angry and everything else in between. In another uncharacteristic moment of true sincerity, Mycroft promises he'll always be there for his little brother. Is it just me, or do those sound like the words of a soon-to-be-dead character? I'll freak out if Mycroft dies, but story-wise it would be an interesting move.

Then there's all the bromance - or should we just call it outright romance - between John and Sherlock in this special. I mean, where to even start? Let's remember that all of this stuff is happening in Sherlock's head. What the hell was up with that conversation the two of them had about companionship, and Sherlock having "impulses" or whatever. I can't picture a British dude from Victorian London ever prying in to his friend's sex life. It was hilarious and perfectly acted by both Cumberbatch and Freeman. To me it seems like Sherlock is working through his feelings of loneliness by using John, his dearest friend, as a conduit. The gayest moment was probably at the very top of the episode, though, when Lestrade comes up to 221B to tell the guys about the case. John tells Sherlock that he's misdiagnosed Lestrade as "embarrassed," when really he's "afraid." Sherlock gets this turned-on look on his face as he asks John to "correct me, doctor." I mean, really. What the hell was that about? It was totally in-your-face-over-the-top-Sherlock-is-in-love-with-John.

This special also gave the show an opportunity to do the classic Reichenbach Falls plotline, which traditionally has Sherlock and Moriarty meet their deaths, as they both fall off the edge of the waterfall. In this version, John shows up and saves Sherlock. Normally I get twitchy when Moffat spits in the face of tradition like that (especially with Doctor Who), but here I think it worked wonderfully. See, Sherlock and Moriarty already had their final showdown. This little scene is a manifestation of Sherlock's mind. Mind!Moriarty tells Sherlock that he's the virus on the hard drive of Sherlock Holmes' great brain. He's his weakness. The thing that will always keep him down. And then who shows up and saves the day? Mind!John, who not only manages to save Sherlock, but also deduces, quite brilliantly, that he is in fact a character in a story. Sherlock's perceptions of John are that he will always be there for him (as John says "there's always two of us") and that he's really very smart. I love that Sherlock can't lie to himself about what John means to him.

A few tidbits I must mention - Molly in drag gives me life. I love that Watson knew the truth about Dr. Hooper, but that Holmes couldn't see it.

Lestrade's mutton chops are a thing wondrous to behold, as is Watson's mustache. I loved all the little jokes about the canon of Sherlock Holmes, including the detail that Watson only grew the mustache so that people would recognize him - that's how the illustrator kept drawing him.

And on that note, the device of having John Watson be the storyteller was so amazing. That's obviously a really important part of the original canon, but the BBC show doesn't utilize John's blog all that much. Here, we see that John Watson has, in a sense, created Sherlock Holmes. He has made him in to what he is. The reality of the man doesn't match the image that Watson presents. And this stretches into the present day as well - John might help project Sherlock's aloof image, but he sees the truth underneath.

Let's be honest - this episode was mainly an excuse for some fun. But at the same time, I really admired how it still managed to connect to the larger Sherlock canon. Sherlock spends the episode in a drug induced dream/hallucination solving an old case he had been reading about, but in his mind, this case connects to the mystery of Moriarty's mysterious reappearance. How did Emelia Ricoletti survive shooting herself in the head? It's not the focus of the episode, but one of Sherlock's main drives in solving the case is to get to Moriarty. Of course, in the end it might prove to all be a red herring. It's possible that Moriarty really is dead after all. As annoyed as I am that they're pulling this kind of fake-out crap, I'm still intrigued to see what will happen next.

That's all I've got!

9/10