Sherlock (TV Series) The Final Problem (2017) User Reviews

What happened to Steve Thompson?

[schniggityschnoogschnug · 7/10 · 16 January 2017]

Sentiment for Sherlock prevents me from rating below a 7, and I must say that "Six Thatchers" is by far the worst episode this series has ever had, "The Final Problem" comes in at a close second.

*****Spoilers Below*****

Unfulfilling is the very first word that comes to mind when I think of this episode. The second word is rushed. They spent so much time on these crazy (and wildly unbelievable) torture scenarios to set up Eurus as a terrible villain. Which, don't get me wrong, she was terrible; almost too terrible for this show. Children killing children is the creepiest thing I can imagine and I really cannot sympathize for her just because she's Sherlock's sister. But with ten minutes left they just decide "She just wanted Sherlock's love!" And with a nice hug everything stops, John gets saved from the well and we get a quick montage that shows everything is okay, the end! If this is potentially the last episode of the entire series, what a complete let-down.

Sherlock has always been strongest when it puts the mystery and the crime-solving up front and I feel like this was completely lost this season. Instead of focusing on interesting crimes, we get character plot twists that belong in a soap opera. I love that Mary was smart and could keep Sherlock on his toes, but making her an international super spy/soldier? Really? And aside from a funny moment in "The Lying Detective" with Mrs. Hudson driving an Aston Martin all of the secondary characters (Molly, Lestrade, etc.) were completely neglected this season. I also can't even imagine why they threw in that whole emotional "Make Molly tell Sherlock she loves him and vice versa" scene if they weren't going to follow up on it later. Again, I stress that the ending was very rushed.

Someone needs to save Moffat and Gatiss from turning into the next George Lucas. Complete creative control is not always a good thing. They constantly paint themselves into corners and just say "screw it" look at this next scene! (i.e. John being shot by Eurus at close rage with no injury to show for it or John, Sherlock and Mycroft surviving a large explosion with no injuries or the brief mention of Sherlock's organ failures due to his drug abuse in "The Lying Detective")

Which brings me to the title of this review. What happened to Steve Thompson? He wrote on the show for the first three seasons for some of the best episodes (The Blind Banker, Reichenbach Fall and The Sign of Three) This poor guy never received any credit for his great work and now with him gone, the show has devolved into pure chaos. I miss you Steve Thompson, I'll always enjoy your episodes and I really hope you come back and save the show.

Spectacularly over the top tension and thrill in what could be the last we see of Sherlock.

[sachinkr-07449 · 8/10 · 16 January 2017]

So the FINAL PROBLEM is here and hands down Moffat and Gattis have a commendable job to create the most tension filled and powerfully emotional episode of Sherlock till date. First of all those who are saying that Sherlock has lost its touch just don't listen to them because this episode is just mind blowing. You will find yourself discovering a new emotional side to Sherlock's character, the most powerful moment of the series featuring Molly Hooper, a highly entertaining and applaud-ably brilliant cameo, Cumberbatch's best performance as Sherlock till date and the dark secrets of the Holmes family disclosed.

Sian Brooke has just become the most menacing Sherlock villain of all time and Mycroft getting better screen presence are the high points or THE FINAL PROBLEM.

But despite all these exhilarating moments ,the climax is a bit let down but never the less we saw a humane side to Sherlock and a new angle to Mycroft's character. It may not reach perfection but has provided us with a more than satisfying possible ending to the world's most famous detective.

Exceptional finale, and I enjoyed it

[melowareskill · 9/10 · 16 January 2017]

How can I describe this? Well, it was the edge of your seat kind of stuff. For the first time in awhile, I felt nervous for the characters. (Then again, I've been anticipating season four since it was announced.)

This episode is definitely a crowd divider. Some like it, some don't. It currently has a rating of 8.9, and I fear it will go even lower, which is quite undeserved. Allow me to go over the things I enjoyed most of this episode. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

Firstly, the acting is great, as always. Mrs. Hudson's character was delightful. The scene involving Molly was excellent. The idea of having Sherlock, Mycroft, and John deduct things together was awesome. Jim Moriarty's appearance was a sight for sore eyes. Even though it was a bait and switch.

Now for the negatives: This episode is relatively sloppy. There are unanswered questions, that weigh the episode down. Some believe the questions weigh the episode down to where it sinks, and touches the bottom of the ocean. For me, it is not THAT bad.

What we learn in this episode, is that Eurus is smarter then Mycroft and Sherlock, and can even manipulate people to do her bidding. (It's on the unbelievable side, but whatever, I guess.)

One of the things I loved most about this episode, is Eurus' character. The further the episode goes, the more we learn about her. Obviously, she's basically a genius, which makes her different. We learn she feels she has no one, because she's different, and was locked away. The sibling closest to her age is Sherlock, so she wants his attention. Sherlock doesn't give her the attention she wants, so she goes and hurts him, by drowning his best friend, who we learn is actually Redbeard. Sherlock's dad is allergic to dogs, but Sherlock wanted one. After his best friend, Victor/Redbeard goes missing, he changes his memory to "A better story". He made the memory of his best friend into a dog, most likely to deal with his grief or so. (A mouthful.)

Eurus is obviously insane. Her character begs the question, if you had so much intelligence, what would you do with it? Well Eurus just wanted a friend; someone to pay attention to her.

At the end, Sherlock learns of this, and gives her the help she needs. I personally think this was an excellent tale, and a decent finale.

I don't really know if this makes sense, but this is what I got out of the episode.

Most of the time, this episode baited us to believe one thing, and switched it up on us. Some people didn't like this, but I didn't mind it.

I don't know if it was very obvious, but this is almost definitely the ending of this show. The very end (which I found to be awesome, especially Sherlock visiting Eurus continually.) was almost definitely a conclusion, and an ending.

I may have viewed this episode completely wrong, but I don't care. That's just what I got out of it.

Anyways, sorry for the rather confusing review. I'll give this episode a 9.3/10.

Unbelievable CRAP. Just a bunch of pretentious pseudo-psychological twists...

[Dr_Sagan · 16 January 2017]

OK. This is designed to please the viewers with the lowest IQ. Trying to surpass all previous installments and to impress the low-minded with cheap tricks and ridiculous situations.

Honestly, you have to have a really really strong suspension of disbelief to swallow any of this, even for mere entertainment. It's a total mess. A bunch of pretentious pseudo-psychological twists, that you will forget soon after the episode ends.

As you might know from the previous episode, the Holmes brothers have a long lost sister. As we learn soon enough, she is some short of ...super villain, who is able to ...control your mind and make you do things, almost like Kilgrave in Marvel's Jessica Jones! No real explanation for that. She just can, because she is an..."era-defining genius, more clever than Isaac Newton." (LOL!).

The great Sherlock Holmes isn't at his best in this one, as he can't even notice a whole frame of bulletproof glass that it's missing, (no reflections or diffraction at all), 3 feet away from him, nor can understand the difference of the sound of a violin playing, supposedly on the other side of a thick glass that is strong enough to hold the worst criminals humanity ever known!

Among other things you also get the BXDXSN-707672 super duper hi-tech grenade that, very conveniently, needs ...3 whole seconds (!!!!) to explode, so our heroes to escape from its blast without a scratch.

The resolution is ridiculous and simple and the master villain sister becomes calm as a kitty, without any apparent reason other than some comforting words from her brother.

The epilogue is also a mess. Just random pieces from previous episodes: Sherlock remembers Lestrade first name, the parents (actual and fictional) of Sherlock make a cameo appearance, and also "Mary" (real separated and fictional dead) wife of Martin Freeman continues to talk in a DVD.

Overall: Tiresome beyond believe. Seems more like random pieces and forced twists masqueraded as a plot device: --The long lost sister of the Holmes is in cahoots with the officially dead Jim Moriarty and sets a couple of ridiculous riddle-ish exercises, just before she turned into a scared little girl who enjoys playing the violin with her brother.

The Final Problem? Well, if that's the case it better be the final episode.

.

A Brilliant Finale To The Greatest Detective Story Ever Told

[subharthisenju · 10/10 · 22 January 2017]

"Because Sherlock Holmes is a great man. And I think one day - if we're very, very lucky, he might even be a good man." -Lestrade in 'A Study in Pink'

This is what this season was about - Sherlock becoming human again, the only thing that was missing from a truly epic story told over the span of four seasons. In this mind numbing psychological thriller, the brilliant acting and inspired direction is only surpassed by the emotional undertone that makes Sherlock find his humane touch - something that he had locked away somewhere within his psyche since his childhood. But that humane aspect of Sherlock's character, though not superficially apparent, always found expression in his love for Dr. Watson and Mary, more so than ever in this season of this epic series. Truly, as Mycroft explains - the man Sherlock is today, is a result of memories suppressed and modified and of deep seated psychological trauma.

Why then is he a sociopath and not a psychopathic villain like Moriarty or Culverton Smith? Because, he was always a good person deep down even though he did not know about it himself. The finale does a stunning job at giving us an insight into his past, and his troubled childhood, while at the same time giving us a glimpse of his genius intellect as in other episodes. It's a shame that some people are criticizing it for being overtly about psychological twists and less about solving crime. I ask them if they ever truly would have been satisfied with 'Sherlock' if there had been so many unanswered questions at the end of what could well be the last episode ever for the series. This was a story that needed to be told - and told it was, in the most magnificent and epic way possible - something that is well captured in the following quotes near the episode end:

Police Officer - "He's a great man sir."

Lestrade - "He's better than that. He's a good one."

As Mary put it aptly at the end - it's all about the legend, the stories and the adventures - a story that might well be the greatest detective story ever told!

What's everyone complaining about?

[oisinmoh-70104 · 10/10 · 16 January 2017]

This season started of disappointing, giving us an episode that would have been good on most TV shows, but not Sherlock. But they were able to pull it back with a fantastic second episode, one that felt more like the Sherlock we all know and love. And now the season finale has come out and a LOT of people are complaining. And I really don't see why. Maybe the show has gotten so big that people feel the need to criticize, maybe people are nitpicking like crazy, or maybe most people enjoyed it and what we're seeing is a loud minority. Either way it doesn't deserve half of the hate it's getting. This episode was full of brilliant dialogue, great twists and gripping tension. I was on the edge of my seat through parts and it's done through the fantastic writing, acting and directing we've come to expect from this show. And the way it builds on the characters we've known for years is the best part of it. Every episode of Sherlock is unique in it's own way, and this one focuses, more than any episode i think, on the morals and ideals of the characters. With great twists, emotion- and tension-filled moments, and the usual fantastic production, I give this episode a well deserved 10/10. If this is the lowest point that some are claiming it is, it's still better that 90% of the TV shows out there.

People are boring. The episode was not.

[vaiprash · 10/10 · 16 January 2017]

I would rate it second best after "A Scandal in Belgravia". Don't care what others think. Oh shut up! It was brilliant. The actress who played Eurus simply stole the show. However, Sherlock cannot end here. Bring Season 5 please! Even if it is by 2019...

I think the second episode was overrated to be precise. Just the last two minutes were good. Mr. Smith was simply a one episode villain. Nothing great. But, Eurus was a terrific character. I think people who are criticizing this episode were the same ones who criticised Batman v Superman.

Please don't end the show here, though. Just don't.

What is wrong with people ??

[archhebazatar · 10/10 · 16 January 2017]

Actually my summary could fit as a title for this episode, The final Problem was as brilliant and as well written as any other episode of the show, it was exciting, terrifying, emotional and thrilling. I can't believe how dumb people are for not liking this episode, yes we know it's not the usual sherlock, we know that for the first time he wasn't the detective you are used to and no not the smartest guy in the room, but there is nothing wrong with change, Yes a smarter sister, a child so genius that she committed a crime at the age of what?! five!! it really is the first time for a TV show to actually give such incredible importance to what happened in the childhood of the main characters and how being a genius for an adult is something difficult but controllable, but how is for a child?! The fact that redbeard was sherlock's friend and not a dog was the most incredible way to show the length that people go to when grieving the lost of a dear friend. Great episode, great show Get over it people, The east wind doesn't always go as you wish :P

Spellbinding!!!

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 15 January 2017]

Well that was 90 minutes of the most perfect, mind blowing, exciting, intelligent TV I have ever seen. I enjoyed every single minute, right from the very off, you just knew you were watching something pretty sensational, a programme people will watch again and again. The writing will hopefully win Mr Moffat awards and accolades, the acting will surely win awards for many members of the cast. Sian Brooke (Eurus) has made an incredible impact on the show over the last few episodes, surely that story can't end there.

Such a clever job in creating such a complex plot, I'm sure all viewers felt the level of crisis Holmes was placed in, and would have been asking themselves the many questions, who was redbeard etc?

That episode I'm sure has left us all desperate for more, with sadly none expected until at least 2019.

The best thing I've watched in years!! 10/10

Fitting end and edge of the seat thriller

[vnktrmn · 10/10 · 15 January 2017]

Well, this episode will be full of unexpected thrills. Many many things happening in a narrow 90 minute time frame and one got to have their eyes and ears real sharp.

Story was so intense that we should not take our eyes off even for a few seconds. Too intense and I really mean it. Lot of references to older episodes were made which was a nice reminiscence.

Only a few characters has major roles and as usual, Sherlock, Watson and the surprise character rocked all over the episode. We cannot tell anything wrong with the way the Sherlock is portrayed. Too good ! The CGI, cinematography, BGM and the editing is crisp and I found it gripping.

Not a single unnecessary scene. What went so well is that the first 10 minutes. I laughed like anything watching it unfold.

The surprise element is retained till the end. Baker street Boys ! Many questions were answered and that is indeed a relief. But it also gives a point that we may need to watch this episode at least 2 to 3 times to get ourselves thorough with the facts.

Each crime that SH solves is a stunner this time. Though the deduction part of it is quick and brief, the very atmosphere of the situation makes us shell shocked.

Lets see. Hoping for another season. Please>>>>

Great First Half, Messy second, which pretty much sums up the approach this season

[cherold · 6/10 · 17 January 2017]

Some critics have been complaining about season 4 of Sherlock, but in spite of all the flaws, from with the utterly ridiculous denouement of episode 0 on, the series' high style and wit had me feeling that yes, the show is a mess, and yes, it's ridiculously over-the-top, and yes, it's painted itself into a corner, but man is it ever fun.

I was still feeling that way by the halfway point of The Final Problem. Sure, there were issues, but what a blast.

Somewhere around the middle, I started just getting annoyed at how stupid it all was.

The episode is a classic example of how the series keeps painting itself into corners. This begins with the antagonist, who is the super-est, most unstoppable antagonist ever.

This is because the series felt an obligation to out-do Moriarty, who was previously the super-est, most unstoppable antagonist ever. This shows a fundamental difference between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Steven Moffat. Doyle used Moriarty as a way to tell stories for a while, then got sick of the supervillain thing and killed him off. Moffat decided killing him off just meant he needed something more spectacular as a replacement. It reminded me of the way in Xena Warrior Princess Calisto had to keep becoming more and more powerful because once Xena beat her, she had to up her game. And finally, they had to kill her off because there was just nowhere for the character to go.

Moffat doesn't seem to accept that there is a limit to how big and crazy something can be. Instead, season 4 displayed a palpable desperation to be the very biggest, craziest, wildest Sherlock season ever. This means that the stories had to be insanely complex, and the solutions even more so.

The first half of this episode created such a build up that the second half floundered trying to match it, resulting in a crazy series of deadly puzzles that relied on a weirdly misguided trust that the game was being played fair. When the case was solved it was maudlin nonsense. The show followed up on that with this bizarre little speech by a dead character about how swell Sherlock and Watson were. It wasn't remotely in keeping with the rest of the episode and was so out of place that I thought it must signal that this was the final season and they wanted a kind of happy-goodbye sequence. But apparently, a fifth season is probably going to happen anyway.

This final episode shows how much fun can be had from Sherlock, but also feels like it's not just jumped the shark but has jumped on the shark for a soft-shoe routine. Overall, this season has been fun, but it hasn't necessarily been good.

unbelievable and lovely!!!!

[sarinamoradi · 10/10 · 18 January 2017]

i wonder how some people hated this episode or didn't like it! that was mind blowing . And I got 10 for all three Episodes. that was just something beyond my expectations! it is ridiculous to expect Sherlock's character stays still and without any changes during the whole seasons! it is also boring to have no knowledge about his past as the main character . I really dreamed of such a thing . that Sherlock solves a puzzle exactly related to his life and past. I really really wanted to feel his emotions and GOD I died watching his tears . he is the Sherlock I waited for, from the very beginning . now he is a complete character in my mind. that has no problem . there isn't the lack of humanity anymore . How great was the final part . that brother and sister Duet . the violin ... the music... it has become like a kind of drug for me! a Sherlock addicted! I hope to see them coming back again, I really gonna miss them . But if this is the END ... let it be . it was the best ending for the legend . for all stories, the adventures! Thank u Mark Gatis , thank u dear Moffat and God... Thank u Ben and Martin.

OK, but it's just not Sherlock, is it?

[IByte ! · 6/10 · 24 November 2017]

I am sad to say season 4 turns out to be my least favourite season of Sherlock. All of these trippy dream scenes and psychological drama are not what made the first three seasons such an enjoyable show for me, and this episode definitely has too much of that. Also, there are some plot holes and implausible scenarios. The scene with the glass is very questionable from a physics viewpoint, and as for the plane, without going into too much spoiling detail I can say that I saw this coming (whether that is necessarily a bad thing is something I leave up to you). I'm not saying it's not a gripping story, but perhaps it would have been better as a standalone film. It's not what I hoped to see on Sherlock. It feels a bit like the writers were overcomplicating things and going in the wrong direction thematically in an effort to create their masterpiece finale.

Masterpiece of butchery, slaughtering brilliant franchise in the most painful way

[aleksandra-jaworowicz · 4/10 · 17 January 2017]

I could have not expect bigger disappointment from this episode. After solid first one and great second, there comes the presumably series finale that makes you feel extremely grateful for it to come to an end. Did not see that coming... I cannot even list what was wrong with this episode without writing a book on it. Suspention of disbelieve required from the viewers is much greater that could even afford.

So, we start with a dream-like sequence of Mycroft being 'hunted' by horror clichés,Sherlock's way over-the-top means to force him to admit Holmes sister existence. Like Watson telling he met wasn't enough, but whatever. And it only gets worse. We get a super high-tech grenade that conveniently need 3 seconds too explode. We get people jumping of the window without a tiniest scratch. We get a super-secure and secret facility that gets infiltrated without much effort by... pirates (?). Well, at least this one was fun. We progress to see,for the first time, really dumb Sherlock, who cannot distinguish violin sound heard from behind the glass and without the glass. And stupid Mycroft, who was not able to control his sister in the facility, giving her... Christmast treats (?).

The worst thing is, we get Eurus. A well-adapted sociopath with perfect knowledge about the world, who was supposed to be locked out since she was 5. Apparenty, she's an X-man, because she can control people's minds without any limits. A very talkative X-man, because she must have talked to ALL people in the facility, as all of them are cooperating in a really big action. Taking her from and back to the island, putting cameras in Molly's apartment, buying drones, grenades and coffins, kidnapping three men and finally killing them. She's also X-man teleporting people to houses supposedly burnt down years ago, but well, whatever. Oh, and she cannot feel anything ('She asked me which one is pain'), except of jealousy. She killed her brother's best friend because they wouldn't play pirates with her. She's also fixated since early childhood on hurting Sherlock. Because with her brilliant intellect and possibilities she did not come up with other forms of entertainment. Or simply because the script says so. Oh, she's also a ventriloquist, but among all of her talents this one does not even matter.But please, dear viewer, feel sorry for her! Her whole life all she needed was a hug...

Moffat tried desperately to over dramatize the episode, and I guess that's the reason why it felt so flat. Flicking red lights, seriously? It's way too cheap show-off for this series. Scenes that were supposed to have tension were plainly boring. Sherlock about to kill Mycroft or Watson? Why even drag this scene and make him point the gun? Everyone watching the show knew he won't do it, making it like he's about to only made me cringe. Readbeard revelation... Not really a twist, one could see that coming from almost the very beginning of the episode, but still, a well that no one knew about? It must have been within walking distance from the house. They were playing around. And none came up with it? Where were Victor's parents? And when John told Sherlock he's in a well, he still could not recall its location? Fortunately, there was Eurus riddle. One asking her brother, basically, to come to her room and help her. Either did she compose it as a child thinking of 'reusing it' like 30 years later, or when everyone was asking her about Redbeard she already wanted them... to come to her room and save her from the plane. Pick your favorite option. Fortunately, Sherlocks hugs her and as a result they can through a rope inside of the well (because apparently chains around Watson's ankle got already rusty because of the water and fell off).

All ends up with a sweet happy end - she goes back to THE VERY SAME facility she took over, playing sweet violin duets with Sherlock, and a bit cheesy montage takes us back in an adorable, but super naive manner to where it all started. So Sherlock did not wreck Molly emotionally by forcing her to say she loves him, John did not became a widower and single dad, nor was he betrayed by Sherlock pretending to be dead. Basically, the whole character development went to hell. This episode would be WAY more believable if they actually resurrected Moriarty. I cannot think of ways Moffat could have done it even more of unbelievable, chaotic, messy, overdramatised and disappointing piece of cheesy cliché. I'm giving it 4 stars because of brilliant acting (especially of Gatiss), Mrs. Hudson vacuum cleaning scene, Mycroft trying to trick Sherlock into killing him, Molly/Sherlock phone call (Quickly ruined by not exploring its consequences, but the tension in the scene was good, and the whole episode was about not dealing with action consequences, so why would they make an exception here...) and my utter sentiment for the series. If the 5th season actually happens, I might be too scared of watching Moffat in action again to check if the series will redeem itself...

What the hell just happened? -10 stars !

[carjuros · 17 September 2017]

Utter garbage of a finale. It is as writer never hear of what Sherlock Holmes is about and just invented his own new character. I have not been this mad at the TV in a long time. Honestly just delete this episode it from Netflix. You should feel horrible for making such garbage TV.

Sherlock turns into the Human Hero we all need

[darwin-snyder-99 · 10/10 · 22 June 2017]

Honestly this episode has received a lot of bad ratings and good ones. People who thought this episode and series was horrible are just plain stupid and people who don't exactly have anything better to do than just hate on shows.

It kept me on the edge of my seat and was so intriguing to see how Sherlock became human and with so many super heroes and everything around us it's nice to see a hero actually become human and make mistakes.

Sure some things were cheesy but come on it's TV that's expected. Some things were not explained but that's the beauty of the show. Keeps us wanting more and wanting answers. Sherlock has transformed and developed since the first episode and lets us know that we all in turn can be true detectives if we just open our brains. One of my favorite shows!

The directors and producers put in the work and have won the heart of at least one very loyal fan! Hoping for a continued season!!

Very surprising episode but even more surprised by...

[JohnThomasAmatoII · 8/10 · 19 January 2017]

So this will be pretty much spoiler free. We know from last episode that the Holmes sister has shown her face and it ended with a gun shot. This episode goes from there with some horrific twists, emotional twists and all in all makes a pretty damn good ending to the season. I see that only one in three reviewers "liked" it yet it retains an 8.6 rating as of my writing this. It looks like the people rating this episode don't agree with the majority of the reviews.

Was this season different from all the others? Yep! We've seen the death of Mary, Sherlock going full blown junkie and him having to get in touch with his emotional side for the first time really since the start of the series. People who are used to and like seeing him be an a-hole are kinda put off by this episode but really, this is where the character needed to go from last season...

Mary is nicely not-quite dead thru both John's imagination and a DVD left behind.

Mycroft shows some different sides to his personality and in this one he definitely doesn't disappoint.

The final scene had me smiling and thinking, "Yeah! Now this is some classic Holmes..." It was a right and proper way to end such an emotional season!

So if you're thinking of not watching this only because of some nay- Sayers then think again. If you skip this episode you'll only be cheating yourself.

A heart-pounding episode finale!

[OllieSuave-007 · 9/10 · 5 March 2017]

This is the final episode of Season 4 of the UK TV-series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the popular detective. My friends and I watched this episode in the theaters and it featured an intense, heart-pounding story from start to finish.

Sherlock, his brother Mycroft and Dr. Watson have been captured by a psychopath violinist, who is alleged to have hijacked a plane by computer-means. In order to save the plane, Sherlock and his assistants must solve dangerous and life-threatening clues and unlock a long-buried secret.

I have not seen this show before this episode, but from what I've experienced, it has a very well-acted cast with dry humor, intellectual action and dramatic delivery. The game the detectives try to solve in this episode will definitely play in the minds of the viewers, as unpredictability and surprises roam in almost every aspect of the story.

The episode might have a tad bit of slowness toward the middle, but the level of intensity is just right in this well-written story and is really an entertaining feature.

Grade A-

Best Sherlock episode ever!

[ochevi · 10/10 · 19 January 2017]

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss created the most amazing episode ever. They gave us the opportunity to see why Sherlock Holmes became a detective in his past and who is he nowadays.

Eurus Holmes is absolutely stunning, cool and strong female character. It's a new level and a proof that Mark and Steven are really geniuses. All scenes with Eurus are thrilling and complicated.

Mycroft Holmes proved us that he is not an Iceman and that he is the most human being with typical human errors. His decision to die for the happiness of his little brother Sherlock, to make sure that Sherlock's new best friend John stays with him - is the most touching moment in the whole Sherlock series! I'll re-watch it endlessly. Pure Drama in a nutshell.

Sherlock and John were The Detective and The Soldier, best friends ever like they were in series 1 and 2. But Sherlock became wiser, he became a hero from the ACD' original stories - and that was the main treat and pleasure for viewers. Thank you, Mark and Steven, for these guys!

And the last scene... two violins... Well, it was pure beauty and the best scene from the whole series. As Benedict Cumberbatch said: 'Love conquers all'.

"The Final Problem" is a story about Love, Friendship, Humanity, Family Values and Hope.

Me and all my friends (hundreds of them!) in Russia are sure: "The Final Problem" is definitely THE BEST Sherlock episode ever!

Spellbinding, comical, and moving- everything Sherlock was and should be

[elliephant · 10/10 · 15 January 2017]

*Warning spoiler* Either you get it our you don't it seems- and I surely got it. It was relatable and sweet, while it at first seemed like a slap in the face, a "where did this come from?"- one by one the pieces came into place and we got to see something unique to Sherlock- a slice of his humanity. He finally earned his medal as "a good man" by showing us the way that people of all types care for one another in ways as unique as they are. His sister's separated brain-her intelligence and her humanity-helped to pull all the characters together in a magnificent way for what seems to be the final problem indeed. Goodbye Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson- it has truly been a magnificent ride.

I can excuse the secret big bad sister but THAT ENDING. Incorrigible

[blankyblank · 6/10 · 29 September 2021]

"East wind is coming Sherlock" So enigmatic, sounds dangerous, very suspensul.

Long awaited Season 4 was an incredible let down After Eurus officially made an appearance it started to look like a show we know and love. Heartless irredeemable psycho playing her mind games, very good. And she should've stayed in that lane, but writers pulled reverse and...it's like nothing ever happened. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I'm not even joking. S1 - we meet Moriarty and they escape death because of a phone call. S2 - the guy commits fake suicide. S3 - the guy actually kills someone. S4 - they play violin??

Seriously, the way they ended season 4 just showcased that it didn't really need to exist. Big bad villain(s) - completely unimportant, amounted to nothing. The only change is that Mary is dead and to this day I can't figure out why they decided to do kill her off.

Very Intense

[ilovemrjandhislaugh · 10/10 · 19 January 2017]

The bad reviews really surprised me, but what really surprised me, was the episode in general. I started watching it with the idea that Moffat and Gatiss would probably use a mix from the past to make this episode "decent-ish", but predictable. I really thought there was nothing that could catch me off my guard, but I ended up being completely hooked with all the plot. I can't remember the last time a movie or TV show made me feel that tense or filled with emotion as this episode did. Sure, it has its flaws, but I think it all is very well weaved together for a story worth telling. I really liked the ending, I liked they used a very uncommon one that fitted the story. As for character development, my applause goes to Moffat and Gatiss for creating a realistic Sherlock Holmes, that has all of its roots on Sir A.Conan Doyle's stories, but still advances as a normal human being does, with its environment. It still maintains its clever and witty personality, with a bit of humour, despite it being really dark. Acting, as is expected, is sharper than ever, hoping it gets a Golden Globe nomination next year for that area. A must watch.

Could not spot Holmes in this one.

[jacman2084 · 6/10 · 13 February 2017]

I had my hopes high when they did some justice to initial third of the second episode (the lying detective). I thought at least they are back to the "detective" mode.I had my doubts when this sister character came out of the blue during the last five minutes. But then I thought all the 3 holmes' would join hands to solve a great mystery (set by an already 'dead' Moriarty) in the last one.

No. I was wrong. Eurus was 'the' villain. The super hyper psycho. The master manipulator. Someone worse than Mr.M.

Whatever. I was OK with that. Now I was rubbing my hands in excitement. The game's afoot. Some extraordinary mind games are going to take place between the master detective and the megamind. At the very least, something reminiscent of the final chess game in the 'Game of Shadows'.

I was wrong again.The writers were thinking along emotional lines. Their plan was to unite the two with warm hugs.

And they went down the crazy road to achieve the same.

Why crazy?

Think like this - the whole asylum was under her control, every single staff was being manipulated by her and the first one to spot this was who? Dr. Watson? Come on. Which show is this that I'm watching??

You've Sherlock who's capable of spotting a dog's hair in a fur coat from 30 feet away getting fooled by a no-glass trick?

Mycroft who's considered to be worse than Holmes when it comes to emotions; was doing a melodrama to pick up a gun and shoot someone & vomiting at the sight of a dead body?

How I wished they (the Holmes brothers) took on their evil sister and beat her fair and square. Yeah you could bring in the consoling part later if you want to, but it should have been shown as an intellectual victory for Sherlock whichever way you put it. Then we could have forgiven all the related nonsense that they put to add some tension to the episode.

There were a few positives. We had Holmes playing a violin, a proper disguise part, musgrave rituals & even showing the dancing men (in a passing frame) made me smile.

But I have to put the episode as a failure. You can at best think of it as a standalone fan fiction episode and watch it in the future. You might end up liking it that way.

But certainly not as part of this series or as a proper Sherlock Holmes story. The detective that I am familiar with would have behaved entirely differently in the same story. It was as simple as that. . .

NB: Felt really sad for the on-screen Moriarty. He was supposed to be an equal. Not some average guy who can be brainwashed in under 5 minutes and was made to record "choo choo" in front of the camera. Felt bad for the (real) Napoleon of crime.

How the mighty have fallen

[Mattjohnsonva · 5/10 · 19 January 2017]

After being thrilled by the first three seasons of Sherlock it was with dismay that I watched the 4th season slide ever deeper into a convoluted mess. I am actually quite surprised the actors actually agreed to make this crap. The story in "The Final Problem" is so bizarre I think Moffat must have been on the same drugs Holmes used in the previous episode. Totally unbelievable throughout, it tries to be way too clever for its own good and ends up being stupid, and worse it makes Sherlock look stupid.

If this is the way it is to be from now on I would say please don't bother with another season, not unless you get a new writer. I give it 5 only for the fine acting which was the only thing that made this bearable to the end.

Could have been a movie

[HarryEvans11 · 16 January 2017]

This was an episode that could have been an awesome movie (like shutter island)... The last 10-15 minutes were very confusing and a bit rushed. It would have about 30-40 more minutes to make a smooth ending if it were a movie, and although it had its roots based on the continuity, it was still apart from the normal story like Hounds of Baskerville... There were a few plot holes and many things were left unexplained, also the ending of the previous episode (which was great) was not utilized to its potential. I still think it was a very good episode in itself and would rate it somewhere between 8.5-9... But if it's the final episode of the show (as the talk is), then the rating will go down to about 8 for the unexplained things throughout the episode. This should not be the last.