BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / List your favourite episodes in order

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 10, 2012 7:30 am

Psh, I totally didn't pick up that it was Five Orange Pips...I thought that was Great Game...

**Posted by Wholocked** April 10, 2012 8:45 am

ARGH I'm getting them mixed up now. It's Sign of Four and Dancing Men for TBB

Last edited by Wholocked (April 10, 2012 8:46 am)

**Posted by sherlocked** April 10, 2012 9:00 am

Interesting info about a different director for the TBB. It definitely lacked tempo and pace, but I simply couldn't get into the story either. I found it a little tedious. Also I resented, that the Chinese girl had to die. Was there no way to save her? For me, A Study in Pink is still the shining jewell of the show, so TBB fared especially bad in comparison. It had some great moments, but for me they were overshadowed by the general lack of coherence. It's simply astonishing, how the same writer could come up with the brilliantly and tightly constructed Reichenbach Fall script.

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 10, 2012 9:07 am

I didn't like her dying either. Especially since John didn't really actually DO anything when he went out to help Sherlock.

**Posted by sherlocked** April 10, 2012 9:22 am

As to the last minutes of Scandal - I have a hunch, that we will hear more about it in the next season. After all, we have no idea, who was after Irene, and why she needed protection so desperately. When Sherlock and John ask her in the appartment scene, who exactly is trying to kill her, she answers very vaguely: 'killers'. When we see her in league with Moriarty, we tend to dismiss the whole thing, but Moriarty promised her in the telephone scene at the pool to make her rich, if she does , what he wants. Well, she did, what he wanted, but she still wants to negociate a costly protection scheme with Mycroft, and some group of people really make it necessary for Sherlock to safe her. Also the notion that Islamic terrorists were interested in her sounds not convincing at all. So I reserve judgement on the last minutes of Scandal for next season. I will write more about revisiting Scandal in the proper thread.

**Posted by sherlocked** April 10, 2012 9:28 am

Yeah, that's true, Sherlock, there would have been many more options for both John and Sherlock to save her, and I really felt for her. Her death seemed unnecessarily cruel to me and made no difference to the story line.
Also I missed Lestrade. He was introduced as such a compelling character and had great dynamics with Sherlock (the drugs bust scene is absolutely priceless). So why did they abandon him in the very next episode?

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 10, 2012 9:56 am

True, I thought that was a bit weird as well. I guess in the canon there are lots of different Inspectors that SH works with, not just Lestrade, so they were maybe trying to introduce that aspect a bit more, but then Lestrade was in every other episode after that so they obviously abandoned the idea.

As for Miss Adler, I hope they will bring her back, it'd be a shame not too.

We've completely gone off topic now of course.

**Posted by Wholocked** April 10, 2012 10:00 am

They won't bring back Irene Adler. It'd be completely off-canon and to no purpose if they did. Sherlock never saw her again in the canon and he won't see her again now. It was off-canon enough to have him save her from the headsman.

**Posted by sherlocked** April 10, 2012 10:00 am

Sherlock, I've had a few ideas, concerning Scandal. I will try to share, but, as you point out rightly, this is not the proper thread.

**Posted by sherlocked** April 10, 2012 10:03 am

wholocked, my ideas are not about whether they will bring Irene back or not, though I wouldn't mind either way, and anyway,they don't stick stricktly to canon all the the time.

Last edited by sherlocked (April 10, 2012 10:05 am)

**Posted by Wholocked** April 10, 2012 10:16 am

sherlocked wrote:
wholocked, my ideas are not about whether they will bring Irene back or not, though I wouldn't mind either way, and anyway,they don't stick stricktly to canon all the the time.

Er...I know? I wasn't commenting on the ideas, only on the comments that people would like to see Irene back.

**Posted by sherlocked** April 10, 2012 10:23 am

Lol, wholocked, understood!
It's interesting - if you browse the internet - Irene really divides people. Some want her definitely back, others go 'yikes' at the very idea.

**Posted by Milkomeda** April 24, 2012 1:22 am

1-TRF
2-TGG
3-ASIP
4-THOB
5-ASIB (It's the first episode I saw in English and I had some difficulties following the story with the not-so-great subtitles and Sherlock was talking too fast : ))
6-TBB

**Posted by LaconicLurker** April 30, 2012 3:06 am

jenosborn wrote:
I agree with others about 1) and 2). Both grab me every time, and depending on mood, either one can be my favorite. TRF gets the edge for me because of its unparalleled gut-wrenchingness.

I agree that ASiP and TRF are so, so close. I guess if I could only watch one of those ever again, I might go with ASiP just because ... I would probably feel less like killing myself over the long term, but I really cannot decide between them in terms of quality. Here is my mini-treatise on my rankings:

1. ASiP (It is fascinating to watch Sherlock systematically (sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously) break John out of the flinty, depressive shell that encases him. John's transformation in this episode is astounding. This episode, to me, perfectly establishes that these two characters are soulmates.)
1. (tie!) TRF (With some other episodes, there are scenes that I tend to fast forward if I am rewatching, but this one, I rarely do. The last 45 minutes are especially magnificent in how things get progressively more claustrophobic for Sherlock until there is nothing left to do but ... die. Amazing.)
3. TGG (It is mainly the pool scene portion of this episode that I watch over and over and over again. It really is a genius bit of writing in having Sherlock repeatedly squash his heart into a tightly locked box in the episode only to have the whole thing explode on him so magnificently at the pool.)
4. ASiB (I think Steven Moffat called this a "love" story of sorts, and I agree: John's love for (and loyalty to) Sherlock really shines through in this episode. :-) )
5. HoB (There are a lot of fun moments in this one: Bluebell, Cluedo, the 50 quid bet. I did like that John was less okay with Sherlock renouncing their friendship than he was with being experimented upon - heh.)
6. TBB (It's been said upthread - some nice vignettes that shed light on Sherlock and John, but otherwise, meh.)

**Posted by JaneCo** April 30, 2012 9:05 pm

1. SIB The humour appeals to me; 'hit me in the face' followed by the tussle between JW and SH. The whole of the Buckingham Palace scene. The Christmas 'drinkies' scene is excruciating but is one of the pivotal scenes in the development of the relationship between Sherlock and Molly. The timing of the text alert in this scene is perfect. I love John's fury on discovering Irene Adler was still alive "I can see you and I don't even want to". The lovely scene in Mrs Hudson's kitchen showing Sherlock's more human traits - familiarity and affection. Throughout the episode there are quite a few intriguing little insights into Sherlock and Mycroft's relationship, current and past.

I have probably enjoyed these series more for the developing friendship of John and Sherlock and the latter's progressive humanisation almost in spite of himself than for the thriller elements of the plot.

2. RF My enjoyment of this episode is largely bound up in the puzzle to solve. I see something different every time I watch it. The rooftop scene is fascinating and so well played. Sherlock's facial expression as Moriarty walks past him and so can't see him is so revealing. I find both the fall and Moriarty's suicide both difficult to watch. Strangely, I have a real dislike of the Kitty Riley character even more so than Moriarty. Although both Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott are excellent throughout, I find Martin Freeman being so overcome by his feelings that he can't speak the words the most difficult part of the episode to watch. If you have been in that situation the portrayal is spot on.

3. SiP A bit like the curate's egg. SH and JW's first meeting, sinister 'Big Brother' Mycroft, so funny hearing the Holmes brothers referring to 'Mummy' and seeing JW's bemused expression.

4. GG

5. THoTB

6. BB

I should say that I and 2 change places accoring to my mood etc.

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** April 30, 2012 11:44 pm

I'm enjoying reading everyone's analysis of all the different episodes!

**Posted by ciarlock** May 14, 2012 1:51 pm

This wouldn't be accurate since I've watched the first four episodes twice and the last two episodes just once but anyway.

1. The Reichenbach Fall
2. The Great Game
3. A Scandal In Belgravia
4. A Study In Pink
5. Hounds of the Baskerville
6. The Blind Banker

Err the two season finales were my favorite epsidoes because they had Moriarty in it. And as you can see, Moriarty was also at the start of my # 3 (Scandal).

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** May 14, 2012 8:27 pm

Hmm. I deduce you are a Moriarty fan.

**Posted by Ellen5000** May 18, 2012 4:39 pm

1.The Reichenbach fall
2.A study in pink
3.The great game
4.Hound of the baskerville
5.A scandal in belgravia
6.The blind banker

**Posted by Molly Hooper** May 18, 2012 5:44 pm

A friend of mine is coming over for a sleep over on saturday and I am lucky enough to own the DVD's so we're going to watch an episode, but we don't know which one!
any ideas?