After a three-year hiatus, Sherlock is back with a bang! And not the fun kind. It is the bang that blew apart the show’s plot and delved deeper into feeding the borderline obsessive narcissism of the title character of Sherlock. It is a bit impossible to truly express the gravity of the plunge in the quality of the show without giving out spoilers but trust me, they have been kept to a minimum.
The show is much darker than the last seasons as it portrays Sherlock’s drug problems as more extensive than they have ever been. His fixation over Moriarty has finally gotten to him perhaps. The plot, which is loosely based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, is inconsistent thanks to a butt-load of fan service involved.
As Sherlock quickly solves a case, he stumbles upon another involving Margaret Thatcher which leads him to discovering Mary Watson’s past. Now, one would think that the show was finally trying to explore her character in depth like any good show does with its side-characters but, you’re wrong. Spoiler alert, Mary is dead.
After learning of Mary’s past, it is revealed that her life is in danger. So, Mary and Sherlock, with Watson in tow, attempt to solve a former case Mrs. Watson was involved in. When it comes down to the final confrontation, Sherlock is standing with a bullet headed his way only to have Mary step in and take the shot.
It seems that the show was basically forcing grief on its viewers as John and Mary had just welcomed their baby girl, Rosamund. The Watsons were quite happy to name Sherlock the Godfather, who is so very disinterested in the ceremony that it makes you question why they would put their faith in the “high-functioning sociopath.” And why would Mary die for him after just having given birth to a child? Any mother has a strong instinct to stay alive to look after their child, not to give their life for the man who coldly brushes past you at brunch.
It is utterly unnatural to expect your viewers to believe that a man as rude as Sherlock would have so many people, especially John, putting their faith in him solely because of his capacity to show human emotion like, once a year.
Although, I can’t say I’m surprised with Sherlock‘s declining quality after the abominable tale that was The Abominable Bride. Which reminds me, what is up with people reappearing after their deaths? What is this, Supernatural? Kinda ironic as the Mary in that show has come back to life. After Moriarty’s posthumous revenge, we now have Mary sending Sherlock a posthumous message asking him to “Save John Watson.” A repetitive plot tool, a cliffhanger, and a protagonist that takes up the entire screen space. Wow! Sherlock has really outdone itself this time.
