I'm sad to say. I do agree with most of this blogger's opinion. Series three did seem off to me and I hate to say it, I can't rewatch it fully unlike Series 1 and 2. Plots were underwhelming. Characters like CAM were underwhelming. I just...just can't get into like the last two. 

 

No matter if you agree or disagree, a review is an opinion and everyone has one.

She certainly makes some valid points, but I have to say that I can't really take her/her review seriously. A little less ranting might have done the trick for me to actually being willing to give some of the points she makes a serious thought. Might be pedantic, but come on: it's "Mary", not "Marry"! She probably couldn't care less, but still...

This review is certainly over the top (especially the part about series 3 changing her live!), and she missed many subtler hints , but IMO she has some valid points. For example, I thought, it was a terrible idea to completely change the 'flavour' of Mrs. Hudson's character. Some things are better left unknown. That's a minor point, though, but she addresses bigger plot holes as well. The longer you think about the reasons, Mary shot Sherlock, the less it makes sense. Maybe, we will see this with different eyes after season 4, but increasingly, I harbour the suspicion, that all sorts of clues and hints and suggestive dialogs are thrown in, which keep us busy, but they are really making it up, as they go along. As our board member The Doctor said, I find it chilling, that the makers admitted, that they made TRF too early.
Whoever is interested, might like to read the review in GQ couk. The reviewer makes a convincing argument, why the digital revival of Moriarty was really a bad artistic move, since it can only end in disappointment. Either, he's really alive with all sorts of credibility problems in toe, or he isn't, which makes it a cheap sensationalistic cliffhanger. Mind you, there's still the chance, that they come up with a very good explanation, one way or the other, but it's worthwhile to follow the links, given in that article. Moffat apparently has a well documented tendency to build up big expectations with many tantalyzing hints thrown in, only to come up with a very unsatisfying solution, or deliver none at all.

Last edited by sherlocked (January 18, 2014 1:11 pm)

Quite.

miriel68 wrote:

I suppose that many negative reactions and criticism were born from an emotional attachement to the characters and the tendency to consider them almost as they were REAL, They are not: Sherlock may be the most intelligent and witty TV series I have ever seen, but it is still a SHOW and it follows the rules of the film genre not those of the real life. I think we need to remember this if we want to enjoy it fully.

Miriel you articulate what I wanted to say, only better. 

I really enjoyed coming to this forum but the amount of hate an critcism is really putting me off now, I'd much rather talk to people who actually like the show, like I do. I'm not sure yet whether I'll be hanging around here longer if it stays this way. 

Anyway, I agree with Miriel, I think the problem is that some fans are just a little bit too obsessed and indeed emotionally attached to the show and the characters. Maybe they're (you're) still pretty young, I don't know, and it doesn't matter. A bit of obsession is good, but if it spoils the fun it might be better to take a step back. 

Of course there are going to be things that don't really make sense IRL, Mark even said on the commentary that Hounds doesn't really make sense. Fictional universes have different laws than the real world. There are fans here with a medical, scientific or forensic background and we have to suspend disbelief all the time, 'cause the technical side doesn't make sense all the time either. Some people can, some can't and that's fine, difference of taste, I hope they find something else that they do like. Something really realistic perhaps. 

(Maybe Mycroft had a valid point about Redbeard.)

miriel68 wrote:

silverblaze wrote:

Anyway, I agree with Miriel, I think the problem is that some fans are just a little bit too obsessed and indeed emotionally attached to the show and the characters. Maybe they're (you're) still pretty young, I don't know, and it doesn't matter. A bit of obsession is good, but if it spoils the fun it might be better to take a step back. 

Creators/writers today have surely a difficult life, given that new technologies give the fans a possibility to watch and re-watch every tiny detail and spot all errors etc. And for Sherlock to be a cult series now has its good and bad sides, because a part of the fandom tends to treat it as kind of real thing and - worse - to feel they "own" the series because the are so ardent about it. I think this board is really very sane, compared to some other places, where the people claim to know better than Moffat and Gatiss what are the sentiments between Sherlock and John or feel entitled to maintain that they M&G have "no right" to say or to write certain things.Series 3 was difficult to swallow for some people, because it experimented with some new genres and introduced new filmic elements. I was not completely convinced by TEH, but I admired creators' boldness to think out of the box. They could have played it "safe" and repeat the formula which proved to be so successful earlier. Instead, they decided to develop BOTH the characters and the narrative scheme of the show. Once I accepted it, I embraced their ideas with new enthusiasm. sj4iy: sorry, it would take me too long to deconstruct now TRF and TSiB, but just think about time factor in TSiB and all the gaps in Moriarty's plan (for example, could he really forsee that John would punch superinspector, lol?). It doesn't matter, IMO, TRF is probably the most gripping and heart wrenching piece of television I have ever seen (now I added HLV).  

Just to answer it: not sure what John punching the guy in TRF has to do with it.  Moriarty wanted Sherlock to run, not John.

besleybean wrote:

But John's hititng the chief inspector meant he and Sherlock were both arrested.

Yes, but John didn't have to get arrested for Moriarty's plan to work.  In fact, John didn't need to be there at all.  So long as Sherlock found the newspaper and went to Kitty, it would have gone according to plan.

miriel68 wrote:

With both hands cuffled behind his back it would be rather difficult for Sherlock to escape...

It's Sherlock.  He probably had 4 or 5 ideas by the time he got down there.  He even said that it was going to be more difficult with the two of them...he never planned on John being cuffed to him.