I stand here, mid-episode, to say . . . Gobsmacked.

Never have I typed four letters with such portent.

OMFG.

It's like I've watched Andrew Luck go toe to toe with Joe Namath and it's 21-24 2:00 left in the 4th with the Raven's best defense against the Seahawk's best defense facing down these titans.

I fell like I've been gutpunched 10 times already, and Inception is sitting in the corner of the prom pouting like the girl dumped during the signature dance.

I've been brought to tears four effing times already, and there's still 20 minutes of show left.

It's the middle of the night and I want to pull down all my Sherlock books off the shelf to see where the inspiration came for this episode came from.

Reading ACD as a case study in Watson has always been a hipster d-bag fallback, but, . . . again OMFG.

Consider this a seal of approval.

My God, it's like every week television says "Oh, you think you've seen something, . . . well get a load of THIS!!!"

Ha. Enjoy the end. Good stuff.

Bit of trivia, Magnussen's brother in real life

Just now caught up on the first six on Netflix. S2E3 was intense enough that I had to go the torrent route. :)

And just to reiterate - S3 starts on Sunday on PBS.

S3 is available via torrent now ;)

Season 3 is available online at BBC ONE using Hola set to UK.
I mentioned this prior. Just save your drive space and time.

He looks like a young Robert Downey Jr. in that pic.

That's because it IS a young Robert Downey Jr. (Not sure the relevance of it here.)

:doh!:

I'm an idiot.

Don't feel bad - I assumed it was supposed to be Benedict or something, but a quick right-click image search made me feel less crazy for thinking it didn't look like him.

I thought maybe it was Moriarty.

Did you miss me ?

That's exactly what I thought.

So In conclusion "Young Robert Downey Jr" looks like a young Moriarty.

And that picture seems like one he'd be willing to show the world.

(Nice save?)

He doesn't look like anyone but Robert Downey, Jr to me.

Well, for starters....

http://www.scenemissingmagazine.com/...ney-poster.jpg

Ah. Wrong Sherlock. I get it. Kind of.

Are these all based on the original short stories by Doyle?

While we're on bizarre resemblances, does anyone else look at Mycroft and see a British Ben Schwartz?

http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__...n_Schwartz.jpg


http://sherlockcares.com/wp-content/...te-600x337.jpg

I believe that all of the episodes are based on one of the original short stories (or at least concepts from them), but they've taken TONS of liberties in the details.

Thanks, I may have to take a look now. I wouldn't if they were verbatim or close to it.

I'm a big fan of Jeremy Brett's Holmes.

I only started watching them on Netflix a month or so ago, and I've really enjoyed them. It's a nice new take on the characters.

The only warning I'll give you is that (in my opinion) the second episode of each series seems to be the weakest of the three, so don't give up after #2 if you enjoyed #1.

The only thing I see when i see Mycroft is "Hey that's Mark Gatiss, one of the writers of the show and an obvious homosexual". I'm shallow like that.

Solid advice.

This series actually renewed my interest in Doyle's catalog of Holmes stories.

I found a list of all of them that someone had compiled a rating of each based on Holmes fans feedback, so they're each rated from 1 ★ up to 5 ★'s.

Even better was I found 2 different versions of all of his stories in audio formats.

• A really cool one is an old BBC Radio version with an entire cast of voice actors doing every story unabridged, along with a bit of sound effects added in.

• The other is a narration by some British bloke, but he does a good job with it.

I'm busy enough as it is, so these are a nice listen when commuting or driving around town on errands.

Yeah, same here. I just picked up the 70-hour Audible version. Haven't listened to it yet, but looking forward to it.

I see it. Older version.

Putting spoiler tags on my reaction as it hasn't come out in the US yet.

My response above

I feel like in the first episode this season they foreshadowed pretty well about...

Sad, pushed back due to Moffat heading up Dr. Who, in part...

So we'll have another 2 year gap, this sucks.

Good. Moffat needs to focus on Doctor Who instead :D

On the upside, it seems as if as long as they do have that flexibility and it's okay with these extended gaps, he sounds like everyone involved is keen on doing many more seasons of it when they actually have good fresh material to shoot.
We already know there will be a 4 and 5, but now I'm thinking they intend many more than that, and it's just depending on when he comes up with quality stuff and then fitting in the time to get everyone to film it.

I would rather have Sherlock.

Good point. Are these production companies who work with BBC really BBC productions, or does Moffat own his own production company, produce content, then sell the content to BBC?

I'd say they're BBC. He's just their golden boy of the moment. He may have a deal worked out that his production company is involved in part maybe, but the shows are BBC property I'm almost certain.

I guess I don't understand why, in America, we don't have a network willing to forgo quantity for quality.

This 3-6 episode format is normal on BBC. It really is great.

You take that back right now.

So my understanding is that Sherlock's parents in the show are really Cumberbatch's real parents.

Feasible, they were actors back in the day. His parents don't use the Cumberbatch name, though because their family were famous slaveowners in the Carribean.

MoF, there is a NY Councilwoman named Cumberbatch because her ancestors took the name of their owners.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/n...edict-cumberba

Finally getting around to watching S3E3. About halfway through.

What an incredible show.

Might be my favorite episode. A Scandal in Belgravia is awesome because of the Sherlock/Irene Adler dynamic and The Reichenbach Fall is great because of Moriarty, but the season 3 closer just has so much to offer.

I thought the first half of the episode was phenomenal, but then I thought the second hour was nowhere close to that good. Not bad, just not...special, the way I felt about the initial hour.

I think if you like Brett's Holmes then you'd like the way they potray Holmes in Sherlock.

What's weird is that I love this show, but I only think less than half of it is good. The only great episodes, IMO, are the first episode and the three series finales. The other five episodes are muddled and meandering.

Yeah, after my post above, it calmed down significantly. The Mary story line was phenomenal, but the rest was just OK for me.

Oh well. Still great overall.

I like the Irene Adler episode. But Cumberbatch's acting gets you through the duller moments.

Indeed. He's quickly become one of my favorites.

I didn't care for "A Scandal in Belgravia" as much as some people do because Irene Adler is nowhere near as awesome as she is the Doyle story, "A Scandal in Bohemia" (which is my favorite Sherlock story).

In Doyle's fiction, Holmes calls her "THE Woman" because she's the only person to get the better of him. They are no worse than true equals. Having BBC Sherlock defeat her rubs me the wrong way. But I can admit the episode itself is better structured than any of the middle episodes, and s03e01.

But, yes, the performances from Cumberbatch and Freeman can massage out most of the flaws in any script. Excellent work by the two of them.

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I guess these relocation of time setting will be a bit different. We'll see how they employ it, as that'll make all the difference for me. I'm confident though. They generally do a great job.

That's basically Steven Moffat in an nutshell.

I feel like the special is just employing a dreamscape as means to adjust the historical period. Unless I missed the news that they are shifting the time period going forward for the remainder of the series?

Delivers once again.

No, this was a one shot deal. Although if the ratings are good, I could see them doing other throwback episodes.

Looking forward to seeing this.

Very doubtful that they would return to Victorian England. You'll understand after you watch it.

Yeah I am waiting for a two hour time block to watch it completely removed from reality (ie--the wife and kids). Will probably watch it late tomorrow night.

How are you guys watching it? I'm not sure where it's available.

It's on PBS, listed as an episode of 'Masterpiece'

If you can't find it locally, PBS.com will start streaming it again on the 11th

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/...minable-bride/

Excellent - thanks.

Did not like the whole .

But

This guy nailed it. [emoji106] [emoji122] [emoji471]

Not saying I agree, just food for thought.

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Ended up just downloading it last night since I didn't record it when it aired, and I thought it was fun, but kind of weird. I guess I'll spoiler tag this...



But whatever - it was still a fun watch, and I look forward to the next series.

Definitely not. He's complaining about having to think about what's going on on a mystery detective show, and effectively just wants it all regurgitated back in easy to follow plots and dialogue.

He complains that Christmas specials are supposed to be about attracting new fans with a simple taster episode? No, they’re usually a gift to the fans and typically a bit more lighthearted with some wink to the universe or background easter eggs pertaining to the show.

I say this fully conceding the Sherlock special didn't have the normal payoff, and got somewhat muddled in the concept of jumbling time periods. Perhaps, the quality of the script suffered because Moffitt is being stretched thin with taking on Dr. Who. A bit more time to tighten up the script more than likely would have been a large benefit to satisfyingly pulling off the dream throwback plot wrinkle.

Either way, the episode is still definitely in the top 10 best episodes for the show all time. [emoji6]

Lastly, he complains Dr. Who has become too confusing and used to be a "family" show. WTF is he talking about? I know jackshit about Who, but I do know it's always been out there with a heavy learning curve, and an extensive history that has significance in new shows. It's never been a one off stand alone show format.

Seems to be he's just not a fan of Moffitt's headier style, and wants dialogue more on par with something like Two Broke Girls. Again, I don't think I've ever seen Two Broke Girls, but the promos for the show give a fairly certain indication as to the gravitas of the material.

We definitely got some revelations of upcoming events - such as Mycroft upcoming death based upon the consumption conversation and bet, and then Watson and Mycroft's plea to please look out for Sherlock after a previous scene discussing family and Sherlock's support system.

The diary we get a quick glimpse at that had Redbeard in large letters, as well as Vernet - which is both an old established European family the Holmes are descendants of as well as a syndrome that involves tumorous growths in and around the cranial nerves.

It could be an indication of someone's impending death, or potentially a clue as to why both or one of the Holmes brothers have such an amazing intellect.

Brain tumors have been medically documented to sometimes result in highly advanced brain function through overstimulation of area of the brain that control various functions and processing centers.

It's not uncommon that persons with Vernet syndrome show growth of these cranial nerve tumors but an overwhelming majority of them are benign even though it may have other negative effects such a seizures, ticks, temporary irregular speech patterns, lack of emotional processing, among other things.

Then there's the emergence of Mary and her role and her intellectual prowess. As she says, 'I don’t care if you go or how long you're away, I just don't want to be left behind," to Watson. Possibly an indication of a reinventing of the character and her capabilities - which this episode most definitely touched upon the role of women and the equals to men. Mary certainly showed herself to be an equal peer among the 3 men and her capabilities to be resourceful.

So, Moriarty is 'dead' yet Sherlock says he knows what his next move is?

This episode didn't have the same punch or payoff, but it certainly got the wheels turning to set in motion for the upcoming season(s).

Moffitt has already said that they have tentatively sketched out 8 or 9 seasons, but that is completely dependant on the actors being available and wanting to do it, and for the studio being flexible in allowing for extended breaks between seasons to accommodate everyone's schedule and other obligations / projects.

Good stuff. The kind of stuff I was looking for posting that.

A much more salient criticism I saw was Moffat's weird embracing of feminist issues. They whole suffragist thing was neat to reference. But nothing came of it as it was a mental exercise, and the story was told entirely through Sherlock's speechifying, with mute columns of women watching reverently, no less.

Kind of a paternalistic co-opting.

And anything less would be completely untrue to the Sherlock that Moffat has created and could be considered pandering.

As far as the concerns go about the declining quality of the Moff's shows, I just don't see it. Has Who changed? Sure, but I don't personally see the shift away from the swashbuckling Who of the 70s and 80s to the more reflective or philosophical current iteration as a bad thing. Similarly, while this may not have been the best Sherlock yet, I'd rank it 4th or 5th of the 10 episodes that they've created. Relative to the quality of the majority of TV programming, that's pretty damn good.

There's more no doubt, and I'm sure I'm biased in my defense of Moffitt.

He and Milch are what they are, and any man responsible for Deadwood (Milch) gets my undying benefit of the doubt, and the bar set for them is so much higher than your average show, even a decent offering by them often is still a rather compelling watch. Moffitt gets that same treatment because he's got a track record that's proven!

If people think Sherlock or Who have been too heady, try watching John from Cincinnati. A show so packed with obscure historical and literary reference and symbolism it's mind boggling. Not to mention the dialogue is dense and ratchets up the weight found in Deadwood. It's a bit of a blend of Shakespeare meets Melville.

At first blush, a fair number of people would be put off by it, and at the very least wondering what the **** is going on. You have to dig into it, but there's discussions you can find to help fill in the places you need to appreciate all that's going on as well as the references and topics discussed.

No doubt, that's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you do your homework and accept the need that it's a show that almost requires footnotes, it's extremely rewarding, and amazing just how rich the material is. The Analysis and payoff for that show is the most rewarding of any show or film I've seen with the exception of a number of Kubrick's films.

No different than a cold read of Shakespeare, there's a lot to process and contextualize before fully appreciated.

It's a shame it only lasted one season, but I understand that the show ended up being a tough sell to gain a broad audience because it required the viewer to do some heavy lifting to get "it". Some people will absolutely hate that- especially if you consider a show to be simply escapism for amusement.

I loved the challenge Moffitt offered up by rewarding those who took the time to unlock the full meaning of the material he was presenting!

It was the show equivalent of those computer generated pictures.
At first glance, all you see is a blob of various colors, and you're say what the **** am I looking at?
However, with spending some time and adjusting how you look at the piece, all of a sudden a picture of something all of a sudden comes into focus and there's a sailboat, for example, in the same picture of colored blobs. The picture didn't change - you just needed to look deeper and adjust your vantage point to appreciate what you were looking at at first glance.

Oh I agree. Particularly the pairing of Moffat and Milch, who if you know me I place in the pantheon of greatest television writers in history, perhaps the greatest.

The appropriation of feminism was more of a subject matter/political critique than a craft/ability one.

Bit of trivia, did you know Milch was a frat brothers with Dubya?

Yep, Milch has talked about one night W was wasted and in a moment of candor told Milch he was "a good Jew. A white Jew."

Finally got the chance to watch the special tonight.

Thought it was a bit confusing in parts, but was fantastic overall.

Definitely will be watching a second time to put all the pieces in place.

Can't wait for season 4!

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Stingy mother ****ers - seems like a decade since the last series, pop onto my YT feed and see a Sherlock BBC promo - take a glance. . . . 15 seconds, with the final 5 seconds the BBC logo.

It doesn't help that the 2 leads are in EVERYTHING.