What a beautiful episode.  I felt strangely proud of Sherlock he's come such a long way. Dying to know what Mary's secret is- the way Sherlock looked at her in their last scene, almost like he wished he didn't know...

SusiGo wrote:

Well, I slept well but not for very long. And the more I think and read about this "bright and funny" episode the sadder it gets. Underneath all this light and airy atmosphere there is always a sense of loss and sadness. Sherlock's look to John's empty chair - Mrs Hudson talking about the friend who left the wedding early - there are some many moments and I have work to do. 

Btw - did you notice that the prison where Sherlock and John spend the stag night is the same as in TRF? 

I concur. I went into the episode fully expecting it to be the warmest and funniest like I had read, and it was, but I was unprepared for how...sad it was. Like you said, there is a sense of sadness and loss that is constant through pretty much the entire thing that is heartbreaking...

I just read this on a blog somewhere, and it is so true! ;

...STEALTH HEARTBREAKING. Like, while you weren’t looking, they slipped a dagger into you, and you didn’t really notice it, and it doesn’t come back to kill you until the very, very end when it gets ripped out....

^ Yep.... Those sly, evil geniuses of Sherlock. I don't know whether to love them or hate them....ah bugger, of course I love them!  But still....*sniffles* 

Last edited by SilverMoonDragonB (January 6, 2014 12:34 pm)

So I watched it twice last night and will be watching it again.  I adored this episode.  It was liked Dr. Watson Appreciation ep and it's about time.  I'm going to try and do this in order so I don't forget:

1. Would have liked Lestrade to say, 'but you said please' as a reason for the helicopter because although OTT, I did find it funny.  I also liked that they showed Lestrade solving something without Sherlock to prove he is capable.

2. With the sending the boys 'out for a run' - I find it worrying that Mary can manipulate Sherlock without him knowing given that we all seem to think she is hiding something. 

3. I loved John stumbling out of the kitchen after Mary 'pushed' him.  I love 'They just sort of happened' for Sherlock to explain the breeding Opera House napkins.  I love the 'list of people who don't like Mary' from John's side.  I adored Sherlock scaring off Mary's ex and especially like the way the scene eneded with 'Yes, a sociapath who has your number' and then the wide manic smile - made me LOL, both times.

4. I adored the entire 'You're my best man/friend' scene.  Everything lovely and adorable and sweet, and that leads into Sherlocks best man speech which is open and vulnerable and yet still Sherlock.

5. I loved the way they did flash backs, and I loved the way they did the convo between Sherlock and Mycroft, sweeping between the two.  The forum being held in a court room?? was also brilliant, and I loved how he turned to find Mycroft in an elevated and primary position, showing his unconcious belief in his brother as a higher power, even if Mycroft more bullied him into a deduction then helped him.  So, who do we think Redbeard was??  Teddybear or Dog??

6.  When Sherlock says 'We wouldn't do that to John, would we, you and me'  So many things, especially in the ramble while he identified who the victim was, that made me think *sigh* He does feel.

7. Love the hug - obviously. 

8. Figured CAM was something, but didn't get the CAM reference till I checked the other thread and feel stupid for not getting it now.

9. Sad that Sherlock was actually looking for someone to join in with, wanted to be a part of it, but felt his only contact had been the bridesmaid and when her attention was elsewhere he left.  I think he should have at least tried to blend in with Lestrade and Hudson, his supposed two other friends.

10.  My heart broke when John said Yes, of course you're right and Sherlock thought he meant to the last line he said, You don't need me anymore, when I think John meant, You're right, I've had plenty of practice looking after a child.

11.  Oh and how could I forget.  John going BAMF at the barracks, demanding to see the body and to get an ambulance.  ooooh, enjoyed that.  Not to mention the man looked damn good in his shirt and blue coat. 

I want to see next weeks now, but then it will all be over and we've been without it for so long, it seems cruel to just give us three and then make us wait a whole year.  This episode was full of things that made me laugh, things that made me go awwwww, things that made me smile at the monitor with a soppy, soppy smile on my face.  It made me want more, and yet I know that next week will be dark and horrible to watch, and yet I won't be able to look away.

I can't believe I watched a whole ep about a Best Mans Speech, and it became my favourite ep of all time.  Brilliant writing, acting and effects??  What is the term for way they flashed between Sherlock and Mycroft, the way Sherlock flashed between present and his mind??

Mxx

SilverMoonDragonB wrote:

SolarSystem wrote:

KeepersPrice wrote:

I would just like to mention that this episode was a tour d'force for Benedict Cumberbatch. This whole show was basically on his shoulders the entire way through. Longest best man speech in history and all those deductions in his mind with the girls who dated the "ghost". He was funny and touching and just all around wonderful. He needs an award of this!

I agree wholeheartedly. If not for anything else, this episode will definitely always have a special place in my heart because of Benedict. He was... amazing. There aren't enough awards out there to reward him with for this. It was pure joy to watch him doing what he did... and Martin had a really hard job, I would say, because at times there wasn't a whole lot to do for him apart from reacting... and he also did this brilliantly. Those two guys... are killing me. They made me laugh, they made me cry, they made me spill my tea... and really, what more can you ask for...?

Yes to all!!! 
 

Agreed !!!  Excellent job !

SolarSystem wrote:

KeepersPrice wrote:

I would just like to mention that this episode was a tour d'force for Benedict Cumberbatch. This whole show was basically on his shoulders the entire way through. Longest best man speech in history and all those deductions in his mind with the girls who dated the "ghost". He was funny and touching and just all around wonderful. He needs an award of this!

I agree wholeheartedly. If not for anything else, this episode will definitely always have a special place in my heart because of Benedict. He was... amazing. There aren't enough awards out there to reward him with for this. It was pure joy to watch him doing what he did... and Martin had a really hard job, I would say, because at times there wasn't a whole lot to do for him apart from reacting... and he also did this brilliantly. Those two guys... are killing me. They made me laugh, they made me cry, they made me spill my tea... and really, what more can you ask for...?

Oh ladies, don't do that! I'm sitting in the office... swallowing and sighing all the time.

well, one thing I really hope that Lestrade managed to film them on his phone 

I'm sure it has been mentioned somehwere in the 10 or so pages of this thread, but did anyone else feel...I dont know...a bit disappointed with this episode?

Let me clarify: I absolutely loved some moments, laughed out loud many times, and felt that Benedict was really fantastic, but what I loved about the previous 2 series was the subtlety of the bond between John and Sherlock. Now, we've seen more than a handful of scenes where John or Sherlock is expressing how they feel toward one another, which removes the audiences ability to use their imaginations regarding what was unsaid between the characters. It's too much of a departure from what has made Sherlock so great for me to enjoy it wholeheartedly. 

Also, what was so great about the previous series was that we saw Sherlock through the eyes of John, which allowed Sherlock's genius deductions to remain more of an enigma and therefore made Sherlock all the more interesting. This allowed us to believe that Sherlock was smarter than the viewer and was doing stuff in his head that he didn't tell us about, but with this episode, we are living inside Sherlock's head, which makes the deductions less mysterious and more far fetched. 

Maybe I'm just having a hard time letting go of who Sherlock was, versus who he has become post 2-year "holiday" (as Mycroft referred to it as). I think I'll watch the episode again to see if I feel differently...

Mirthxx wrote:

I want to see next weeks now, but then it will all be over and we've been without it for so long, it seems cruel to just give us three and then make us wait a whole year.

I would be so happy to wait just a year. But I'm afraid it will be a lot more. 
I think I'm gonna jump from a roof... 
 

shouldbestudying wrote:

Mirthxx wrote:

1. Would have liked Lestrade to say, 'but you said please' as a reason for the helicopter because although OTT, I did find it funny.  I also liked that they showed Lestrade solving something without Sherlock to prove he is capable.



Mxx

I have a different opionion of this scene; I saw it as Sherlock had a hand in this and it only was solved after Sherlock's return. This also explains why Lastrade goes running to Sherlock with backup as he thinks Sherlock is in danger.

 

Really?  They didn't mention Sherlock, so I do think it was Lastrade who realised they were monitoring them somehow, but obviously it would have been SY tech dept who discovered it,
but I do think he overreacted because Sherlocks 'death' is still fresh in his mind and he wasn't taking any chances.  Knowing how much it hurt the first time, I think they are all adamant they won't lose him a second time. 

*Grin*  Now, I've got that cliche line in my head.
To lose a genius detecitve once is misfortune, to lose him twice is careless.

Mxx

I hope I do not repeat something that has been said before - to me the curly boy was a hint a how Sherlock might have been as a kid. Bright, moody, interested in weird things like murders and not afraid of them.