BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / POLL: Your first impression (pre TLD and TFP!)

**Posted by ewige** January 4, 2017 7:35 pm

It's great to have new Sherlock to decipher. How do you feel about the new episode?
I think the opinions may change after watching the whole season, maybe we can compare the results then

Last edited by ewige (January 4, 2017 8:35 pm)

**Posted by Pops** January 4, 2017 7:39 pm

I loved it from the beginning, even if I had to watch it twice more to understand the majority of it. I still think there are details that I missed.

But overall, and after so many years of waiting, I was just too happy to see some new Sherlock and I loved it at once !

**Posted by ewige** January 4, 2017 7:52 pm

The feeling that something's missing was very confusing when watching the premiere and the show felt off during the first half hour or so. I really hoped there would be more to come!
Now, having watched the ep several times and also discussed it, I'm certain that "more" is still to come and I'm loving the ep for its (not immediately apparent) cleverness.

Last edited by ewige (January 4, 2017 7:53 pm)

**Posted by besleybean** January 4, 2017 8:03 pm

Not only did I love it form the start, I thought it was very clever from the start!

**Posted by Lis** January 4, 2017 8:46 pm

I didn't not like it when I first watched it but something about the episode seemed odd, then upon watching it a second time that feeling disappeared so I think the excitement of a new episode and having not seen the characters in so long kind of threw me off at first. I'm looking forward to seeing how it fits in to the series as a whole.

**Posted by besleybean** January 4, 2017 8:47 pm

Me, too.

**Posted by Vhanja** January 4, 2017 8:50 pm

After the first view, I was utterly confused and overwhelmed, only hanging on for dear life. It took me a second viewing to properly appreciate what was going on.

**Posted by Liberty** January 4, 2017 8:52 pm

I loved it from the start. But it's the first episode (apart from TAB) that I've seen as it aired, and I was terribly excited! I think it helped that I got an awful lot of what I was hoping for in the story. I had really wanted more of an explanation of Mary's past, I had wanted to her atone in some way and be redeemed, and to be honest, I also wanted her dead/gone by the end of the first episode. So I was delighted! I'm glad they started with explaining how Sherlock was going to get away with shooting Magnussen, because that had been bothering me too, and I hadn't actually expected to get it answered (I expected some vague coverup). I liked the little touches tying back to previous episodes. I like the new "feel". I like that the episodes are less standalone these days. If anything I liked it less on the second viewing, just because I loved it so much on the first!

**Posted by Lis** January 4, 2017 9:03 pm

I definitely enjoyed and understood the episode when it aired and, like you Liberty, it dealt with things that I wanted to have dealt with so I was happy but there was still something that I couldn't put my finger on but again, watching it the second time that feeling disappeared so I put it down to my emotional state rather than the episode haha.

**Posted by gently69** January 5, 2017 9:49 am

Tbh I was disappointed. Any fear I had were fulfilled. But I still try working on it. To get more references.

**Posted by sherlocked** January 5, 2017 10:02 am

gently69 wrote:
Tbh I was disappointed. Any fear I had were fulfilled. But I still try working on it. To get more references.

I really disliked it, too, at first. I'm still not very fond of it. I found it muddled, too busy with all the onscreen overlays and messages and I didn't like the overall action saturated story arc. But I decided to postpone final judgement until I've seen all episodes. I said elsewhere that the script might turn out to be a lot cleverer and more multi-layered than we thought at first viewing. I do hope I'm right about this. Otherwise the many continuity errors would add up to a staggering number.
While I don't enjoy analysing the episode very much I sure got very interested in how it all will play out in the following episodes.

**Posted by Lola Red** January 5, 2017 10:17 am

I still don't love it, but that is mostly due too the extremely high standard Mark and Steven have set for themselves. It was still good TV, at times even very good, but with Sherlock I have become used to excellent. So for now I would say I am a bit disappointed, but I might reverse my opinion after the next (two) episode(s). Maybe the episode is much cleverer than it seems to be out of the context of this season. For now I put it right next to TBB in terms of favourite episodes.

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** January 5, 2017 10:56 am

I voted for the first option. I loved it at the first watching.

But it only got better at the second and third time. It grows!

**Posted by gently69** January 5, 2017 11:58 am

sherlocked wrote:
gently69 wrote:
Tbh I was disappointed. Any fear I had were fulfilled. But I still try working on it. To get more references.
I really disliked it, too, at first. I'm still not very fond of it. I found it muddled, too busy with all the onscreen overlays and messages and I didn't like the overall action saturated story arc. But I decided to postpone final judgement until I've seen all episodes. I said elsewhere that the script might turn out to be a lot cleverer and more multi-layered than we thought at first viewing. I do hope I'm right about this. Otherwise the many continuity errors would add up to a staggering number.
While I don't enjoy analysing the episode very much I sure got very interested in how it all will play out in the following episodes.

I have totally the same opinion. Couldn't describe it any better.
And I'm too hooked on the show and don't want to give it up.

**Posted by SolarSystem** January 5, 2017 12:44 pm

Lola Red wrote:
I still don't love it, but that is mostly due too the extremely high standard Mark and Steven have set for themselves. It was still good TV, at times even very good, but with Sherlock I have become used to excellent. So for now I would say I am a bit disappointed, but I might reverse my opinion after the next (two) episode(s). Maybe the episode is much cleverer than it seems to be out of the context of this season. For now I put it right next to TBB in terms of favourite episodes.

That's pretty much how I feel about it. Of course there is the comparison with all the other episodes in which they have repeatedly shown how brilliant they can be. And yes, maybe they are still brilliant and we simply have to wait for the next two episodes to fully understand it all. But after having Mofftiss and all the actors talk about how breathtaking it's all gonna be for weeks and months, I'm a bit at a loss right now.

**Posted by ewige** January 5, 2017 12:56 pm

Maybe the bad rap for the first ep is the price Moftiss are willing to pay for making TV history with this season. I just hope they are not setting up the second ep in the same manner too! TLD reviews indicate that we'll be getting some serious payoffs, so I still trust Moftiss to do the right thing.

**Posted by Mothonthemantel** January 5, 2017 1:03 pm

I loved all of it from the beginning until that one scene.
Now I do love all of it.

**Posted by ewige** January 6, 2017 5:39 pm

I've just read a less than stellar review on the Swiss watson (hehe) and only two or three out of 27 comments were negative. Looks like a different crowd compared to Guardian...
http://www.watson.ch/!260459051?utm_medium=earned&utm_source=twitter&utm_rainbowunicorn=1950607335&utm_campaign=share-tracking

Last edited by ewige (January 6, 2017 5:40 pm)

**Posted by besleybean** January 6, 2017 5:42 pm

I didn't even read The Independent one...but the headline was a shocker!

**Posted by besleybean** January 6, 2017 9:10 pm

I can only agree.