BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Flaws in This Beautiful Show: Your Personal Pet Peeves

**Posted by Thouturdofperdition** January 11, 2017 10:53 pm

We all love Sherlock.
I personally have found few shows I enjoy so honestly, or that can make me truly fangirl.
However, only God, the Virgin, and dark chocolate are perfect, and Sherlock ain't any of these.

So, what bugs you about this show?

You don't have to be objective. It can be as minor and petty as you like.

My number 1:the false cliffhangers/suspense.
I love me some drama, but I like drama that delivers. 90% of the time Sherlock delivers well and beautifully. However-
1. S1E3 Moriarty is going to kill them, but then he doesn't. Everything is okay. Oh, wait, Moriarty changes his mind. He's going to kill them! -CLIFFHANGER-S2E1 Moriarty gets a call and changes his mind again. The whole suspense of the first season is dropped.
2. S2E1-Adler is dead. No, wait, she lied. She's alive! Oh, okay, terrorists killed her finally. Tragic...No, wait, Sherlock went all the way to Karachi to save her. She's alive! Guess the emotional impact of "Goodbye Mr. Holmes" falls flat.
3. S2-S3: Moriarty is dead! No, he's alive. The Abominable Bride: Moriarty is really truly dead. Really-
4. The Abominable Bride's confusing end scene-Just a bit too much guys.

Of course, we all knew Sherlock's death was faked because of the original ACD material, so I don't include that.

The Lying Detective also seems to have put some possible false suspense at the end, but I can't call that till next week.

So, what irritates you guys?

**Posted by Vhanja** January 11, 2017 11:21 pm

To me, it's all the beeps and sounds that the computers make in HoB. Come on, that is so the 90s portrayal of computers...

**Posted by ewige** January 11, 2017 11:34 pm

Thouturdofperdition wrote:
You don't have to be objective. It can be as minor and petty as you like.

My number 1:the false cliffhangers/suspense.
I love me some drama, but I like drama that delivers. 90% of the time Sherlock delivers well and beautifully. However-
1. S1E3 Moriarty is going to kill them, but then he doesn't. Everything is okay. Oh, wait, Moriarty changes his mind. He's going to kill them! -CLIFFHANGER-S2E1 Moriarty gets a call and changes his mind again. The whole suspense of the first season is dropped.
2. S2E1-Adler is dead. No, wait, she lied. She's alive! Oh, okay, terrorists killed her finally. Tragic...No, wait, Sherlock went all the way to Karachi to save her. She's alive! Guess the emotional impact of "Goodbye Mr. Holmes" falls flat.
3. S2-S3: Moriarty is dead! No, he's alive. The Abominable Bride: Moriarty is really truly dead. Really-
4. The Abominable Bride's confusing end scene-Just a bit too much guys.

To be honest, you've listed some of my favorite moments here!

My only pet peeve in the very beginning was that Moftiss had been using the gay jokes too much. Like, I actually complained about it to my friend halfway into the first ep. She explained that it was a running gag of sorts. *innocent pre-johnlocker shrug*

Oh, and all the weird "Wrong!" texts were a little offputting in the beginning - because NOBODY freaking told me that the show was set in the modern day! (Yeah, I know, I spent quite a few years under a stone.)

**Posted by Liberty** January 12, 2017 8:00 am

Well, one of my possible plot predictions for S4 is that Sherlock is the antagonist in some way, temporarily. This could be a way to do that. There have certainly been hints since the beginning that he might not be what he seems (although I do think it's important that he ends up as a goodie!).

My gut feeling is that this kind of plot (multiple personality) is a bit old-fashioned though. It had it's heyday a good few years ago, I think. Moftiss might like that retro aspect, though, as they are drawing on older material.

Last edited by Liberty (January 12, 2017 8:00 am)

**Posted by ewige** January 12, 2017 8:07 am

Psst, Liberty, have you posted in the wrong thread?

**Posted by Elemental** February 19, 2017 5:32 pm

Thouturdofperdition wrote:
We all love Sherlock.
I personally have found few shows I enjoy so honestly, or that can make me truly fangirl.

Me too. Not the fangirl type. And look at us both

What bugs me more is the scene in TSoT, when everybody starts crying in the middle of Sherlock's speech and he makes this clueless face and asks John if he did something wrong. I mean, Sherlock knows perfectly how people's emotions work. He proposed to Janine to get to CAM, he flirted with Molly to get her do things for him, he forced John's "confession" with the explosives in TEH. And he can't figure out why people are crying after his speech? I just don't buy it.

Either he's clueless about human emotions or he's just detached but knows how they work. I think the writers lean more towards option 2, given the way they portrait Sherlock most of the time. So that scene seems forced to me.

Also, he was researching how to make a great best man speech, and surely he must have learned by then that a speech that elicits emotions in people will be considered great.

On the other hand... John hugging him while he stays there all stiff is surely cute.

**Posted by Liberty** February 19, 2017 6:14 pm

I agree with you about TSOT. It's clear that he planned the speech carefully, and that one of the things it was intended to do was evoke emotion. But I suppose it adds drama.

**Posted by besleybean** February 19, 2017 6:15 pm

He's such a drama queen.

**Posted by Lis** February 19, 2017 7:08 pm

I actually quite like that moment in TSOT even if it doesn't really make sense for Sherlock to not understand why everyone is crying. I think I just overlook the not making sense part as it's a sweet moment between the two and I like how Sherlock turns to John for reassurance and then of course there's the hug

In terms of my own little pet peeves I'll have to have a think as I'm sure there are some but I just can't think of any at the moment.

**Posted by Schmiezi** February 19, 2017 8:17 pm

The "Go to hell" from Mary after the credits of TLD. It made her look evil again and I still wonder why. It made making my (kind of) peace with her unnecessarily hard.

**Posted by besleybean** February 19, 2017 8:21 pm

I always knew she meant it in terms of Sherlock having to face his worst demons, in order to save John...so that was never a problem for me.
To be honest, I have a list: but for me they are not really flaws, just things I disagree with the team about...but their show and not mine- and I love it so much.
I also really don't want to lose it and so would almost take anything I was given.

Last edited by besleybean (February 19, 2017 8:21 pm)

**Posted by Kittyhawk** September 28, 2017 11:08 am

The list is long, and I try to NOT analyze the fourth season as much as possible, so I have only one new petty peeve for now: Did they really have to use a visibly brand-new violin to play Euros's Strad? There's enough old ones around that are not too valuable to use on a film set (especially as Sian Brooke seems to know how to play) - I would have lent them mine!

**Posted by Liberty** September 28, 2017 1:45 pm

Not a big peeve of mine, but I think that sometimes the "detective" part can lack the fun, puzzle aspect. I like to have all the facts and be able to make my own deductions! (And I know that it's a show about a detective, rather than a detective show, so I'm not really complaining).

**Posted by Vhanja** September 29, 2017 8:13 am

Apart from the computer thing I wrote about earlier in this thread, my pet peeve is the use of the tv trope "The Yellow Peril", combined with a few (but not many) instances of handwaving in the most silly manner.