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January 7, 2014 3:23 pm  #181


Re: First Thoughts...

Swanpride wrote:

Nope, I don't agree with that at all. I think it was well acted.

And just because there was a lot of comedy in the last episodes (like in more or less all - this hasn't changed at all, the only thing which has changed is the balance between cases and character moments) I wouldn't agree that they were not "deep". Especially this last one delivered in this regard on all fronts.

Agree with this. As one review said, there was indeed comedy but Benedict never allowed it to go into ridiculousness - and I think that's true for the whole episode.

 

January 7, 2014 8:02 pm  #182


Re: First Thoughts...

Swanpride wrote:

The Daily Fail (and most of the professional reviewers for that matter) are too blind to see what is right before their eyes...it's quite amusing how they all complain that there isn't a big baddie so far in the show. I mean, it's not like Moriaty pranced over the sceen in ep 1.1, is it?

It's a trick to divert attention to the obvious case of obviousness. Say the show is bad and don't have people watch ep 3. -puts on tin foil hat-
 

 

January 8, 2014 5:01 pm  #183


Re: First Thoughts...

There is something else that keeps bugging me on a completley different note.  They tried to make John a bonfire 'Guy' - and if you notice it is exactly Sherlock stating this fact that focuses his mind on 'the plot'

I can't help but wonder, with all the ways to kill John, if this was chosen to be clever, or if it was infact intended to be an arrow to point Sherlock in the right direction.  Enough time allowed for a rescue, and even if it doesn't what does this nefarious stranger care, right??

I just keep coming back to that moment Sherlock realises and knowing that without the strangers choice of weapon, he may never of known in time and can't help but wonder if it was more a clue than an attack??

Have I finally gone over the edge and seen clues where there are none??

Mxx

Last edited by Mirthxx (January 8, 2014 5:02 pm)

 

January 8, 2014 11:03 pm  #184


Re: First Thoughts...

Yeah, but would the stranger care if Watson died?  As long as Sherlock got the message.  For his own nefarious reasons, (such as he controls part of the existing government, people of power, and if they all die he will have to start again with unknown players) he may want them saved, but does not want it to come back on him.  However it played out, the message would stil be recieved.

People like this only think about players, and Watson is expendable in most peoples books.  Sherlock 'said' he never knew who or why yet.  There is not a reason for it yet, and yet it seemed to be connected to thier current case. 

Mxx

Last edited by Mirthxx (January 8, 2014 11:07 pm)

 

January 13, 2014 3:24 am  #185


Re: First Thoughts...

I have just seen TEH and TSoT for the first time.  
I had seen some interviews with the writers and understood that they are clearly changing the character of Sherlock. He now will be more emotional and learn to interact with people was basically what the writers were saying. They feel that Sherlock must evolve because he is a genius and it makes sense that he must change.
I can see the point that they are making.
But I have  always thought that Sherlock was obviously a flawed genius.
In enjoying other portraits of Holmes (Brett and Rathbone), I marveled at his powers and overlooked his sometimes insensivity toward people. 
Watching these two new episodes, I felt something is wrong here.
I noticed I had gone into the kitchen and was busy cleaning.
I wasn't watching the show.
I stopped and asked myself-am I not enjoying Sherlock?!!!
Why?
Have Sherlock's skills deserted him?
Is he still drunk? Has Mycroft suddenly become a mentor or guide? 
The "Best Man" speech went on and on forever.
I watched till the end. I am sad to say I am disappointed.
I felt like watching the first two seasons.
I also felt like watching Jeremy Brett in the Granada series.

 

January 14, 2014 6:29 am  #186


Re: First Thoughts...

Okay, this "new" Sherlock is haunting me.
So, I watched TEH again.
It's good. John is good. Sherlock seems basically Sherlock.
He doesn't seem completely emotional and an alien Sherlock to me.
I am afraid to watch "The Wedding one" again. That speech put me right off. I am sure in the history of the universe no one EVER gave an hour long speech. Poor BC! He has to learn all of that. All we saw was Shrrlock going on and on and almost no input from anyone else. That's where the show lost me.
Please ignore me just driviling on here. It's my mind palace.
I am just trying to cope.

 

January 14, 2014 6:37 am  #187


Re: First Thoughts...

John Watson had several wives in the Canon. So this Mary is a temp.
I liked that Greg, Molly and Mrs Hudson are getting their moments.
I love them all and love it when they are onscreen.
Sherlock's friends.

No offense, Mark Gatiss, but I would like less Mycroft.
He overstays his welcome.

 Good Lord, I am so glad I am not going to a wedding.
I am sure I would beg off now!
Sherlock should have begged off too.

I am looking forward to number 3  now.

 

 

January 14, 2014 7:16 am  #188


Re: First Thoughts...

Au contraire I have absolutely loved all the Mycroft. We've seen so much of Sherlock's family in this season, which of course gives us further insight into this version of Sherlock. It's been brilliant.

I don't agree that Sherlock becomes overly emotional or 'alien' throughout the series either. He's developing into a personality more in line with the canon version. More mature, more empathetic, more morally aware. More self-aware and comfortable with who he is and where he fits.


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I dislike being outnumbered. It makes for too much stupid in the room

 

January 27, 2014 8:02 am  #189


Re: First Thoughts...

I should really be in bed, but I was too buzzed after the late viewing of The Sign of Three tonight and catching up on browsing some of your thoughts in various threads now, to piece much together besides…  'oh… my… god!!!'            
As much as the first had many moments I loved, as an episode as a whole (and balancing the murder plot with flashbacks and the wedding!), this one was fantastic!  The undercurrent of John and Sherlock going on cases yet doing wedding planning and emotions about it looming close.  Mary being absolutely awesome about that and all the easy banter between them.  (I'm so dreading the bad stuff I know is coming up for!)  Stag night, Sherlock's mind palace, the amazing cinematography for both those, all of their friends getting a moment in the spotlight, then swirling us up all over again…. 

My mind is so sleepy happy fuzzy, there's only one sticking point I'm not remembering… why again was the young guard targeted?  I get why the women were… the guy was using them to get info against Sholto.  But him?  And really?  Not even an added little comment from Greg about what happened with the Waters Gang (yeah, I know it's likely to come further into play next week, but still)?


_________________________________________________________________________

We solve crimes, I blog about it, and he forgets his pants.  I wouldn't hold out too much hope!

Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay!

I'm working my way up the greasy pole.  It's… very greasy.  And…  pole-shaped.
 

January 27, 2014 8:22 am  #190


Re: First Thoughts...

Hi Russell,

he tried to kill the guardsman to practise for Sholto. They have both the same type of belt.

And yeah, this episode is really sooo great, but also so sad in the end. Sherlock is alone :-(.


The Game is On!
 

January 27, 2014 8:24 am  #191


Re: First Thoughts...

The young guardsman was used to test the stabbing method and was chosen because he wore a uniform with a belt similar to Sholto's. Please do not ask me why Small stalked him before stabbing him because I am still wondering about that. Maybe it has been answered somewhere else. 


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"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
 

January 27, 2014 9:29 am  #192


Re: First Thoughts...

I actually got up at 3AM to watch TSoT--  I was so sleepy earlier, I couldn't stay awake for the 10-11:30PM showing in my time zone, so I let my DVR do its job and got up later to watch. And can I just say this about that? I have renamed the episode The Sign of Squeeeeeee.  'Nuff said, for now. More later when I'm more conscious.
 

 

January 27, 2014 1:49 pm  #193


Re: First Thoughts...

"The Sign of Squeeeeeee"

I'm totally stealing this AG. 


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Proud President and Founder of the OSAJ.  
Honorary German  
"Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not".
 -Vaclav Havel 
"Life is full of wonder, Love is never wrong."   Melissa Ethridge

I ship it harder than Mrs. Hudson.
    
 
 

January 27, 2014 3:25 pm  #194


Re: First Thoughts...

I am sorry to say I'm in the minority who did not like this episode. I am hoping they'll go back to the one-ep-one-mystery format. It worked so well. Why do they feel like they have to change that? It would have been enough of a change just that John has moved out and now Mary is a part of their lives. Why change the whole structure of the show? 

At least three things made no sense to me. 1 - Mycroft being in Sherlock's head. WTF? They're suddenly besties? I thought Sherlock hates his brother. 2 - Sherlock texting Lestrade for help with his speech. Why would Lestrade know funny stories about John? Also, Lestrade would never call in that kind of police presense without knowing exactly what was going on. 3 - The guard was presumably killed recently since it was practice for the murder at the wedding. So, we're supposed to believe that Sherlock just gave up? If he hadn't solved it, he would still be working on it. 

I did not like the line about Sherlock being a drama queen rather than a puzzle-solver. It's not true. Solving puzzles is exactly what he does, and until about 3 years ago, he avoided notoriety.

For me, it's not just that they're having Sherlock "evolve" or whatever. His character now seems completely inconsistent to me. The awkwardness and misanthropy are what makes him interesting. Are we really going to lose that? Anit-heros are so much more compelling than regular people. 

Things I did like:
1- pretty much everything Mary does.
2- the thing with the eyeball and the cup of tea. gross, but hilarious.
3- Sherlock walking around with about 12 cigarettes in his mouth. 
4- Benedict does drunk so very well.

 

January 27, 2014 3:44 pm  #195


Re: First Thoughts...

During the first half of The Sign of Three I was concerned that the whole episode was going to be humorous incidents, with no real crime to solve.  But the second half balanced that out nicely and I was a happy fellow.

Reading the comments above about why the murderer was stalking the guardsman started me thinking, and I realized that the murder may not have been stalking that one guard only -- he was observing all the guards while he learned their individual schedules and debated which one would be his victim.  The guardsman who contacted Sherlock may not have been the only one who was concerned about the man, but he was the only one who reported the stalker's presence to someone else. 

I'm still puzzled by the fact that the murderer is clearly shown stabbing both the guardsman and Sholto in the back, but several characters state that the victims were stabbed in the abdomen.  Did anybody else catch that?

Last edited by Bruce Cook (January 27, 2014 3:59 pm)


A good debate is like a fencing match — you don't have to win to get a good workout.
 

January 27, 2014 6:27 pm  #196


Re: First Thoughts...

Bruce Cook wrote:

During the first half of The Sign of Three I was concerned that the whole episode was going to be humorous incidents, with no real crime to solve.  But the second half balanced that out nicely and I was a happy fellow.

This. Exactly. I was really feeling trepidatious about this episode because I was worried it was going to be just another boring wedding. Giving Sherlock the floor was perhaps not John's best idea---but in the end it worked beautifully. (And did ANYONE mention Ben's eyes?)(Sorry.)

(Not really.)

Anyway....I was certainly more impressed than I thought I was going to be. I am enjoying a little more humor in these past two episodes, maybe it's character building and maybe it's a play to that fans--either way, I don't care. Hearing a little bit of Mrs. Hudson's back story was marvelous. (Though I'll always see her as a retired spy in my own head canon, lol!)

All the women in the courtroom (?) soooooo reminded me of several episodes of House. That is not to say it doesn't work---because it gives the viewer a chance to see what little bit of order Sherlock puts on his thoughts. (And the laptops? Freaking hilarious.) I know some people didn't like it, but it totally works for me. Actually, it makes sense that Mycroft is in there, too---he seems to be not only Sherlock's older brother archtype but also a paternal one, as well. Judgemental, perhaps?

And Mary.

I am so glad she isn't the froofy tinkerbell of Doyle's creation. Yeah, yeah I know about the times and all that, but it is wonderful to see her in 3-D on her own.

As I've said before, I can't wait for the next episode. So glad MPT is showing them in their entirety!
 


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I haven't disappeared completely, I've just been busy writing
 

January 27, 2014 7:15 pm  #197


Re: First Thoughts...

Right, thanks… I thought it was something like that!   (and being so thin/narrow, and in a spot where clothing is so tight, they really wouldn't feel much?)
But.. man… similar wariness like some of you that it was going to be 'jumpy' and leaning heavily on humor moments yet again, small nitpicks aside, that was awesome.  And the cinematography style and acting (especially the boys!) at so many points!!  Very impressed.


_________________________________________________________________________

We solve crimes, I blog about it, and he forgets his pants.  I wouldn't hold out too much hope!

Just this morning you were all tiny and small and made of clay!

I'm working my way up the greasy pole.  It's… very greasy.  And…  pole-shaped.
 

January 27, 2014 11:24 pm  #198


Re: First Thoughts...

LOL about the eyeball in the tea cup. Ewww and lololol all at the same time.

Love how Sherlock stood there like a wooden Indian after being asked to be John's best man. Too funny.

The lighting during the wedding reception was a bit much, I thought. Everyone in that bright yellow and white room was bathed in incandescence, and it wasn't subtle enough for me. It's almost as though they were in a Twilight Zone episode or something. There was something other-worldly about the streams of bright light. It made Ben's eyes even paler than they really are, so they looked strange, too--  blue rather than their usual green and all washed out. Usually I enjoy the lighting in Sherlock eps, but whoever made the decisions about that set wasn't on the same wavelength as me. It seemed dream-like. ??

Was anyone disappointed that we didn't get to see even one second of the actual wedding?  I sure was.

 

January 27, 2014 11:33 pm  #199


Re: First Thoughts...

Seems like a real change of tone from the rest of the series, including (and perhaps especially) TEH. Much lighter and funnier, I mean. Sherlock has never been nicer, I don't think, or funnier, or more social, than he was here. 

I was pretty surprised that the wedding (reception) took up so much of the episode. I thought it would be mostly rushing to solve a case in time for the wedding, with the wedding at the very end.

And the solving of the crime felt true to canon, somehow. I know the overall story is nothing like canon, but the way we watched Sherlock go through cases, and the cases themselves, were more like canon than some episodes with a lot of physical confrontation and explosions. The motive was like something out of canon, too.

As obnoxious as that long of a best man speech would be in real life, I thought the way the case was woven into the speech and wedding was pretty brilliant.

I knew Sherlock was going to say that John made him a better person. Initially I felt like, "but John really couldn't do that...he has too many demons of his own." But after this episode, I bought it.

It almost felt like a happy enough ending to be season or series finale.

Last edited by SherlocklivesinOH (January 27, 2014 11:51 pm)

 

January 28, 2014 3:48 am  #200


Re: First Thoughts...

1. I love Mary
2. I love Mary
3. I freaking love Mary
4. Is this only about the wedding?
5. He said the L word. He said the L word.
6. Pregnant freaking pregnant
7. His. Last. Vow.


 

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