Well, each season has 3 episodes, and so far I have loved two and liked the third. I suspect this ep will be my 'only like it' episode. Hopefully the next two move the gauge up to love ;)

I rewatched it for the third (full) time yesterday together with a friend who has also watched the series from the beginning once. And I have to say: I love that episode meanwhile, my favourite scenes are at the beginning until the third restaurant scene has passed , and, who thought before, the bomb scene including the laughter (love it meanwhile).
My only concern has still to do with the references: This friend of mine who probably watched every episode before twice and is not involved in any fandom, was confused at the respective scenes. Hm. What a risk of the writers, and this just in the first episode!
But in the end this is not my problem, and the first two theory scenes are quite funny, too.

I watched it twice by now, the second time quite intensively with parallel analysing ;).

There are three things I've been thinking about the most:

1. John/Sherlock Relationship
At first I was VERY disappointed to that regards. It felt like John was really only the "pet" of Sherlock, as described by Moriarty. Now I am able to acknowledge that Sherlock in fact does care, too, but it is much more difficult to detect as a viewer because - well, Sherlock is Sherlock. I still wish that their relationship would be shown as being more balanced (like in the previous seasons) and there are a few things I am not really fine with (Sherlock's laughter especially) but it is ok. Let's see how things will progress today evening, maybe everything will make much more sense then.

2. The overall structure/plot
If the previous episodes were novels, this one is more like a loosely connected collection of short storys with widely varying quality ranging from absolutely brilliant to lengthy, too short when truly important, or just not fully convincing. It's not really all of a piece. This is an issue I think my opinion will not change too much anymore. On the other hand it is something I don't care as much as convincing characters. At least if it concerns only one episode. If the series will stay like that (which I don't think) I'd be a bit annoyed.

3. Relation to fandom
I don't mind the references to fandom, not at all. What bothers me is that Mofftis clearly spent a lot of time on tumblr or similar pages knowing very well what is going on in the fandom and STILL refuse to answer the most crucial questions- which are probably as important for most of the occasional viewers, too. Why, just why do they include alternative theories which will be truly appreciated only by a small percentage of people (us XD) while the others will like or dislike them as much as any other well-written scene, while on the other hand they don't answer how Sherlock survived and why he didnt tell John earlier?!

Last edited by Marva (January 5, 2014 2:39 pm)

LoveIsAViciousMotivator wrote:

When I first watched it, I had such confusing emotions. I loved it yet many things didn't suit well with me. On my second viewing, I still love the comedic moments yet believe there was too much as well lots of pandering to us (fans). I believe that is unnecessary. Also, I still didn't like how the plot wasn't as great as most of Sherlock's episodes. 

Yet, I can't hate this episode. It is so different and weird to me that it makes me think something big is going to happen. That all these comedic and heartwarming moments are leading to something that would make us get our shock blankets and curl up in balls. Or if some aren't that type, others will run around the house screaming and cursing at the screen saying: Why???!!!!!!!! 

Despite that fact this episode seemed more like a bunch of fanfictions rolled into one, I want to watch the next two episodes just to see what those writers are up to. 

All I know is when series give such episodes, they are telling us: Enjoy these moments because this is going to be the last you see of them for awhile. 

Okay, I just scared myself. *rolls up in shock blanket*

I'm pretty sure that's exactly what's going to happen next week, actually. I'm rather scared by the amount of feels they're going to hand us.

Sanaz wrote:

This episode kinda annoys me because it seems they've destroyed everything they'd built in season 2 and especially in TRF.
 

Yes, this.
The new episode made me rethink TRF completely... what I've thought about Sherlock's character. And I had so much time till series 3 to wrap myself around TRF, that my views are kind of... stuck now. I wouldn't have minded such an episode a few months after TRF. But after such a long time, it was just... too much. too much change. I don't want to rethink TRF, I have done that quite enough, I was finished with that.
I like the fall explanations even less now, I just wanted one short final version, the Anderson scene e.g., and that could have been it. And that there is no proper case, it just annoys me. and the fan stuff... I wouldn't have needed that at all.

After second watching, I can see clearer now where Sherlock is acting and pretending, and where he is serious. But still, it's not quite right.
I don't know how to express this... it's like Sherlock is off-balance (that was to be expected) but in the wrong way. I mean, he should be off-balance and strange and different, it's been 2 years. But somehow, his change in character... it could feel right because so much is wrong, but it doesn't.

I'm struggling. Something is definitely lost, which was there in series 1 and 2.
this episode is good, i like it. but it's not brilliant altogether, imo. makes me sad. it could have been.
god, that all sounds negative. it's not that I don't like it. I'm trying hard to befriend the new episode, but I never expected I would have to put effort in it

I like the first part of the episode mostly, and the last parts. somewhere in the middle, I started skipping scenes, while only watching it for the second time... :/

I would love a third episode that puts everything right, a big blast. But I don't dare to believe it now. Absolutely no expectations this time, don't want to hope for too much, again.

So far I've seen it 3x too and I think I can agree with you on all points,
But I loved Sign of Three straight away, as well!

Do you mean in  the signature?
He's not playing footsie with anybody, he's sitting with John.

Yes it is.

Some more thoughts after my...fourth, I think...viewing:

* When John and Mary are in the taxi, post reunion and its aftermath, and Mary says she likes Sherlick, she then looks away and doesn't face John for the rest of the scene.  That's always struck me as odd--that she wouldn't look at him while saying she liked the man who'd been his best friend.  I've wondered if she was lying when she said that.
* Sherlock looked very pensive standing there as Mary got into the cab, as if he were contemplating all the possibilities his deductions about her implied.  Almost as if he were wondering what to do about them...
* It seemed to me that the F-cough scene in the PBS version was cut by a second or two.  The "f" sound barely registered whereas in the BBC version it was slightly more obvious.  But otherwise, I didn't notice any omissions.
* I liked how, when seeing Mr. Shilcot (sp?) skyping with Sherlock and John about where the lost tube car could be, he is chewing on his hat.  This was the first time I noticed him doing that.
* Anderson's hair style is weird.  It's like his hair is plastered to his head.  It sort of reminds me of a medieval monk's haircut (see: Cadfael).
* Sherlock's controversial laugh in the underground tube scene: The laugh occurs immediately after Anderson asks why Sherlock would tell him of all people how he survived the fall.  So that got me thinking that maybe the laugh wasn't actually directed at John but rather was Sherlock's reaction at fooling Anderson.  That is, Sherlock is laughing because he imagines what it would be like to tell Anderson, who is now sycophantic towards his former nemesis.  Sherlock is imagining what it would be like to toy with Anderson and his laughter just indicates his amusement at, yet again, proving his superiority to him.  He's already found the off switch and, knowing he's survived this particular threat, Sherlock is thinking about Anderson.  So when the camera cuts back to Sherlock laughing, he's not really laughing at John but rather at his memory of how he could fool Anderson very easily.  John, and we the audience, misinterpret it to mean something different.  (Okay--feel free to say why this isn't a plausible theory!  )

Last edited by Sherli Bakerst (January 26, 2014 6:01 am)

besleybean, I agree wholeheartedly with your analysis of the carriage scene! Essentially, he did what he had done earlier in the restaurant, trying to relieve tension with his stupid moustache joke, only in restaurant it wasn't the right timing: he hadn't said sorry properly and John was not ready to forgive him. Now they both arrived to reconciliation and are ready to be "mates" again: hence John's reaction when he discovers that Sherlock switched off the bomb. He is angry, but he is not "hurt". Here they are again: old Sherlock and old John, ready for more adventures. However, it did take me some thinking and watching the episode three times before I fully understood the meaning of the scene.