Sherlock Season 4 - Episode 1 Review
Three years ago we awaited Sherlock’s return from The Reichenbach Fall. We were given The Empty Hearse, The Sign of Three, and His Last Vow, however, we are still waiting for an explanation of how Sherlock survived the fall. Series three ended with Sherlock shooting Charles Augustus Magnussen – a powerful and wealthy businessman, referred to as the “Napolean of blackmail”. As a result, Sherlock was exiled from the country for a whole four minutes. Sherlock was soon forced to return after Moriarty took over every screen in the country. The question is, was The Six Thatchers worth the wait? This post does include spoilers so if you are not interested in those then I suggest coming back to read this after you have watched the show.
The Six Thatchers, written by Mark Gatiss is based on Conan Doyle’s The Adventure of the Six Napoleons. The credits actually highlighted certain letters in red to spell out S-I-X N-A-P-O-L-E-O-N-S, also linking to the reference made to the original story when Craig compared Thatcher’s legacy to that of Napoleon. The plot focuses on the demolition of six busts of Margaret Thatcher in order to get back an important memory stick. The cinematography during these action shots were beautifully executed and choreographed, in classic Sherlock fashion. There were a couple of hints as to where the next two episodes will go and what we could possibly expect to see.
As always, the acting was outstanding. The casting could not be better and it is nice to see how far the actors have come since starting in 2010. Benedict Cumberbatch puts his all into every single piece of acting that he does, it’s thrilling to watch someone who invests so much of themselves. During the course of the episode, we saw Sherlock become more human and in-touch with his emotions. Martin Freeman has made John Watson seem colder in this episode which could have been a result of Mary’s betrayal in series three. For some reason, John did seem different, however, there may be a major reason for this that is yet to be discovered. Amanda Abbington also returned in this episode as Mary Watson, John’s beloved wife and mother of his child. The relationship between Sherlock and Mary has grown and it was like something from a classic sitcom in a weird kind of way. In a lot of ways, this episode revolved around Mary and her past as the truth is finally revealed. Mary’s death divided the audience, some were glad whilst others were distraught. It was bound to happen at some point and Gatiss gave her a much better send off than Conan Doyle. Mary’s death could give Sherlock the potential to be even more emotionally destroying than The Reichenbach Fall but that is something we will have to wait for.
As always, the acting was outstanding. The casting could not be better and it is nice to see how far the actors have come since starting in 2010. Benedict Cumberbatch puts his all into every single piece of acting that he does, it’s thrilling to watch someone who invests so much of themselves. During the course of the episode, we saw Sherlock become more human and in-touch with his emotions. Martin Freeman has made John Watson seem colder in this episode which could have been a result of Mary’s betrayal in series three. For some reason, John did seem different, however, there may be a major reason for this that is yet to be discovered. Amanda Abbington also returned in this episode as Mary Watson, John’s beloved wife and mother of his child. The relationship between Sherlock and Mary has grown and it was like something from a classic sitcom in a weird kind of way. In a lot of ways, this episode revolved around Mary and her past as the truth is finally revealed. Mary’s death divided the audience, some were glad whilst others were distraught. It was bound to happen at some point and Gatiss gave her a much better send off than Conan Doyle. Mary’s death could give Sherlock the potential to be even more emotionally destroying than The Reichenbach Fall but that is something we will have to wait for.
So, was it worth the wait? Gatiss and Steven Moffat are innovative and just incredible when coming up with genius ways to reinvent Sherlock Holmes. I believe that The Six Thatchers was worth the wait and series four will continue to get better. I have seen people complain about series four yet I think it is the most clever show. I can’t wait to see The Lying Detective and The Final Problem. Let me know what you thought in the comments below!
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