Well, I'll definitely have to watch this again. As a non English native, I found this episode was more difficult to understand than the previous ones. It all goes so fast and I got very confused during the part with the different women, I really didn't get it (why that woman knew about the wedding and "hamish" and all that), so I'll give a better opinion later, but all in all, I loved it!
It was unusual, indeed, and in a purely "plot" perspective, I wouldn't say it's a very good episode (I'm talking about cases and all here, that's Sherlock Holmes, after all) but in a emotional perspective, characters development and all, I think it was brilliant!
My favourite things after a first viewing:
* That hug: seriously, I'd been waiting for it for so long I swear I practically scream in front of my screen.
* That sad look on Sherlock's face before he gets ready for the wedding (when the camera focuses on John's empty seat)
* Those words Sherlock tell at the wedding. I think he has never opened up that much before. Saying so nice things about John (like for example "Mary, you deserve that man and that's the best compliment I could ever make"), recognizing his own faults in contrast with John's qualities, and I like the parallel "I solve crimes/he saves lives", saying John has saved his life so many times. Oh, the feels!!!
* Sherlock's blank face when he realises he is John's best friend
* The stag night: Sherlock drunk, and it was hilarious when they played the "who am I?" game ("Am i human?" "sometimes" lol)
* the nods to the Sign of Four, and also the fact that the main "plot" was linked to the different anecdotes (I had figured out from the beginning that the criminal was the photographer though)
* Lestrade rushing to rescue Sherlock (so cute) only to realise it was to help him with his speech (i'd seen this coming and yet I laughed in tears at Greg's face!)
* Mycroft in an sporty outfit, just priceless!
* Mycroft telling his brother "i guess I'll see you more often" or something like that. I think it echoes last episode in which Mycroft says he is not lonely and yet here he's practically looking forward to seeing his bro more often.
* Sherlock seeing/hearing Mycroft while trying to figure out who's the target of the criminal at the wedding. It was well done
I'm probably missing a lot of things but that's all that comes to my mind right now!
And I thought Ben and Martin's performances were absolutely amazing!
On the other hand, I didn't really get the role of that girl (can't remember her name, well, the one who dances with Sherlock and seems in love with him): Sherlock seems to find interest in her (he finds her beautiful as he says something like "I can't recognize the beauty when I see it" while looking at her, he looks for her on the dance floor and decides to leave when he realises she is having fun with a guy with glasses), and I don't get it. I mean, what was the point? And Sherlock is not the kind to fall in love, let alone fall in love purely on appearances, so I don't know, I thought it was weird but maybe it's just me, or I'll get it better after a second viewing or with a transcript...
As for Mary, she's still lovely (maybe a bit too much, but hey). I don't know what they have in store for her, if they're gonna follow the canon and if she'll already die in next episode or if she'll stay around for next season.
I wasn't expecting that whole baby thing (sign of three) at all, but I can't see them having John being a father (I mean, it would be too far from canon and it would definitely put limits in John & Sherlock's adventures, I mean: John loves danger, that's why he follows Sherlock, but once you become a parent, you don't LOVE danger, you usually avoid it, because you're not alone anymore, you've got a little one to protect and can't allow yourself to put you in danger just for the sake of adventure). So my throughts are that there's gonna be a problem with the baby: either they'll lose it and it'll bring conflicts in the couple resulting with Mary leaving (not that I especially want to, I like her, but I'm trying to imagine what they can come with to follow the canon and this would be a less cruel way to get "rid of her" rather than killing her), either she'll die while giving birth and the child won't survive either but that would be awful and I don't think John would ever cope, and go back to his old life with Sherlock as if nothing had happened. So I don't know, really.
Last edited by Punch me in the face (January 5, 2014 10:34 pm)