Sherlock is truly a masterpiece. Each episode is like a full-length feature film, sucking in us viewers from the opening scene and keeping us hooked and begging for more by the end. Between this episode and the previous one, set in the late 1800s and leaving me so confused I begin to ask myself whether or not current Sherlock was not in fact the hallucination, I was less than thrilled. Not to say either episode was "bad", it's just that every single episode prior were works of art. No one can keep reaching an impossibly high bar that Sherlock set, though they have tried and succeeded multiple times. I am not necessarily heartbroken by the death of a relatively new character, but I am supremely disappointed in the impulsive out-of-character actions of another. I only have one problem with The Six Thatchers, and it is John Watson, who until this very episode has been the rock solid dependable man, who threw away everything we thought we knew about him thus far.
Seriously, if I were to rank every single major and minor character in order of who I thought would be unfaithful or disloyal, John Watson would have been at the very very bottom of this list. His furtive exchanged texts with some rando he met on a bus made zero sense. I honestly waited for the reveal, that he was texting Rando a couple years later after the death of the love of his life, Mary, as we all pretty much knew her death was coming. I truly hope that an explanation is given in the next episode, I don't want to think my favorite character had fallen from grace so quickly for something as stupid as what is in his pants. Here are some thoughts.
All in all, I am disappointed. It wasn't terrible, it's just not up to Sherlock standard. It is actually a nod to the producers and writers of this show, as we have come to expect perfection from them. I do not want this show to ever end, so knowing that I only have two episodes left is disappointing, I can't believe I ever refused to watch this show.
Seriously, if I were to rank every single major and minor character in order of who I thought would be unfaithful or disloyal, John Watson would have been at the very very bottom of this list. His furtive exchanged texts with some rando he met on a bus made zero sense. I honestly waited for the reveal, that he was texting Rando a couple years later after the death of the love of his life, Mary, as we all pretty much knew her death was coming. I truly hope that an explanation is given in the next episode, I don't want to think my favorite character had fallen from grace so quickly for something as stupid as what is in his pants. Here are some thoughts.
- Lestrade is a character I need more of. How far his relationship with Sherlock has come since that pilot episode. It's also nice to not see Donovan, I am glad they got rid of her. I could stand to see more Anderson, though.
- Was there even a point to this contrived showdown between Ajay and Mary? I mean, it's great to finally learn Mary's backstory, but I can't help but think the resolution was nothing more than a mere plot device. To make matters worse, it was all caused by what amounted to a court stenographer's boredom. It was all very anti-climactic.
- A tracker in the flash drive makes perfect sense and led to one of the funnier scenes, but how in the world did Sherlock know where to go before the tracker? He is super smart and observant and all, but come on.
- Did anyone fully expect Sherlock to goad the old lady into shooting the glass out of the aquarium, drowning them all? I thought that was perhaps what Mary was trying to prevent.
- How did Mary escape such a dangerous situation in Georgia when everyone else was caught and tortured? She is apparently faster than a speeding bullet! Slo-mo made for amazing dramatic effect, but unfortunately enabled us viewers to see that Mary didn't actually jump to action until like 15 seconds after the gun was fired. Either way, it was a heroic death and Sherlock will forever carry the guilt of knowing his inevitable smug and arrogant speech is what caused Mary's demise and possibly an enemy of his best friend.
- John must have been a terrible doctor. Holding his hand over her wound while leaving her in that totally uncomfortable position doesn't seem very doctor-like. Even a chiropractor would cringe.
- The actress who played Mary died really well. I always thought open-eyed deaths were always so much more believable than someone dramatically sighing and fluttering their eyes closed.
All in all, I am disappointed. It wasn't terrible, it's just not up to Sherlock standard. It is actually a nod to the producers and writers of this show, as we have come to expect perfection from them. I do not want this show to ever end, so knowing that I only have two episodes left is disappointing, I can't believe I ever refused to watch this show.