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| Credit: BBC |
The dust has finally started to settle on The Final Problem, which was one hell of a closer to Season 4 of Sherlock.
The episode was greeted with a wave of criticism both good and bad, and also kickstarts a long wait - perhaps even a permanent one - until Season 5. For now, fans are left to pick apart what has been the most controversial batch of episodes so far.
But the question is, how do they compare to previous episodes? With plenty of time to mull over all 13 episodes, especially the latest three that tie up a lot of loose ends and present even more, it's a good moment to rank every episode of Sherlock - deducing which ones were total failures, and which stand as absolute classics.
(Be warned that there are massive spoilers ahead for every episode of Sherlock.)
13. Christmas Special: The Abominable Bride
Everything about this episode feels unnecessary and overly confusing. What was advertised as a standalone, gothic adventure seeing everyone's favourite modern iterations of classic characters actually inhabit the Victorian era they came from was a tantalizing prospect. And on that front, The Abominable Bride succeeds: it's a well-directed tale, and a nice change from the familiar world of Sherlock.
But when we found out that the entire thing was a delusion in modern-day Sherlock's head, and became a confusing, dragged-out imitation of Inception that raises more questions than it answers, a lot of goodwill was lost.
This approach frustrated audiences and made the Victorian elements feel like a silly gimmick to appeal to fans, rather than something to entice newcomers and the general public.
The bait-and-switch between time periods is not deserved, after the audience has begun to enjoy a very distinctive piece of festive entertainment. The Abominable Bride is a very unsatisfying return after a long wait between episodes, and a complicated way to bridge the gap between seasons 3 and 4.
12. Season 2, Episode 2: The Hounds Of Baskerville
Out of the entire Conan Doyle Canon, The Hound of the Baskervilles is the most renowned, so anticipation was high for the modern-day take on it. Unfortunately The Hounds of Baskerville might be the most forgettable episode of the show, although the attempts to update it and make it more believable are admirable.
It was a smart move to get horror writer extraordinaire Mark Gatiss to tackle this particular episode, and it isn't without merit. However, it rambles a lot rather than setting an atmosphere, which is surprising with Paul McGuigan as its director. The VFX for the titular hounds is terrible as well. By the end, the resolution seems like a cop-out. Admittedly, it is tricky to create a grounded version of a story that is about a massive dog, but it seems like everyone forgot to have some fun along the way and embrace this most ludicrous of plots.
Sherlock and John's relationship isn't developed or tested to any great degree, the mystery doesn't intrigue enough to sustain its running time, and we're not entertained enough to overlook those flaws. No fan ever seems to discuss this episode in any great detail, or with any great praise. It's not controversial, and it's not beloved.
11. Season 3, Episode 1: The Empty Hearse
"How did he survive?" was the question on the nation's lips in the months running up to Sherlock Holmes' return from the dead. It's hard to pull off a satisfying answer after that cliffhanger, but the main problem with this episode is that it was too occupied with both confusing us and drawing attention to it.
The Empty Hearse lacks any emotional gutpunch; the fact that John's world has been turned upside down by Sherlock's return, and every element of Sherlock's crass way of breaking the news to his best friend, is too lighthearted from the start. It seems out of character for their more mature relationship, and wastes the opportunity for a perfectly-timed use of humour to break the tension.
Amanda Abbington's Mary is the best thing in this episode. Yet focus is drawn away from her to tease Season 3's main villain, spend time with Anderson (who always worked best as the butt of the joke) as well as his fellow conspiracy theorists, and give us yet another scenario where John is kidnapped and Sherlock has to save him.
This episode crams too much into its running time, and yet feels slight at the same time, resulting in an awkward mixture of filler and setting up future episodes.
10. Season 4, Episode 1: The Six Thatchers
The observances that Sherlock has turned into a James Bond-style show are particularly valid in The Six Thatchers. Mary's murky past was always intriguing, but delved into too early so that everything about her was revealed and we had nothing to keep us engaged.
Mary was a brilliant character killed off too early to really make her death mean something to the audience. Whilst the impact on our other main characters was well-handled, the main mystery of the episode tied together in a rushed and unsatisfying way.
Her death came out of nowhere after a globe-trotting adventure with a mystery that wasn't gripping, and the circumstances under which Mary dies are more frustrating than heartbreaking. For a series with such tight plotting, this episode is surprisingly sloppy.
Playing for the most part like an old-fashioned adventure, introducing Rosamund - John and Mary's baby - and Toby the Bloodhound, the opportunity for some light-hearted domestic humour that Sherlock has always excelled at is missed here to make way for something more espionage-heavy.
After such a long absence, Mary's death might have been more devastating if we'd been reminded what a happy family has been formed from Sherlock and his friends, only to have it torn apart.
9. Season 1, Episode 2: The Blind Banker
Out of the earlier episodes that are more about individual capers where we get to watch Sherlock and John grow as friends and partners, The Blind Banker is the least impactful. There is nothing particularly special or memorable about it, especially now after 4 seasons of episodes where the fun adventures were more thrilling, funnier and more emotional.
Playing out like a ripping yarn, The Blind Banker is thoroughly enjoyable if rather light. It's a solid, tight little story but it pales in comparison to more ambitious or controversial episodes that would follow it. However, most importantly it never forgets to keep the viewer guessing and always entertains them.
This approach was key in these early episodes to introduce people to the tone of this modern-day Sherlock Holmes, and it is doubtful if it would have been as successful had it started out with episodes in the style of The Final Problem or The Six Thatchers.
Hopefully if season 5 ever happens, we will see a return to more episodes like The Blind Banker, only utilizing everything that the team behind Sherlock have learnt from later episodes that have raised the stakes and felt like proper movies.
8. Season 1, Episode 1: A Study In Pink
Despite introducing the audience to characters, stories and tropes everyone knows, A Study in Pink manages to be refreshing and create a very different Holmes-Watson dynamic. But most importantly, the villain and central mystery of the episode still holds up in its own right.
The episode could very easily have been dominated by the origin story of Sherlock and John, with the plot just being an excuse to push them together. Instead, Sherlock and John hit it off because of the mystery, not in spite of it.
Phil Davis' cabbie is a chilling and memorable addition to Sherlock's rogues gallery, and sadly often forgotten. But despite being a creepy guy that everyone else would overlook, he manages to catch Sherlock off-guard, and motivate John back into action. He may have been working for Moriarty, but he is arguably more crucial to this episode than LeStrade, Mycroft, Molly or Mrs. Hudson.
Serving as the perfect introduction to the world of Sherlock, and remaining highly rewatchable, the only shortfall of A Study in Pink is that everything and everyone is being established. Such an adventure with a fully developed Holmes and Watson would be every bit as good.
7. Season 2, Episode 1: A Scandal In Belgravia
A Scandal in Belgravia is a key entry in the Sherlock canon for two reasons: we are introduced to the fan-favourite Irene Adler, and Sherlock is finally pushed out of his comfort zone. This is a story that blends a more ambitious adventure where national security is at stake and the shadow of Moriarty looms large, with a very funny romance between Sherlock, John and Irene.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are in their element here, and Lara Pulver is having a ball as Irene Adler. We get to see Sherlock and John at their best, in equal parts amusing, affectionate and cheeky towards each other.
With all the hard work of establishing the contemporary detective and his partner out of the way, A Scandal in Belgravia is ludicrously enjoyable, and a welcome respite before we see everyone tested by Moriarty's dastardly schemes finally coming to fruition.
It is fascinating to watch Sherlock unaware of how to react to someone like Irene Adler, especially before he is softened by the likes of Mary and Molly. The episode works so well because Lara Pulver's performance makes the beloved character seem flawed and vulnerable, whilst genuinely feeling like someone who could outwit Sherlock Holmes.
6. Season 3, Episode 2: The Sign Of Three
Much like The Blind Banker, this episode is a humorous, light-hearted adventure that ranks particularly high because we get to see the lovable trio of Sherlock, John and Mary with all introductions out of the way. It helps that the multiple mysteries all tie together in a clever and satisfying way, an element that could easily have derailed the whole script.
The Sign of Three is the romantic comedy that Sherlock never knew it needed, as we see Sherlock begin to soften, and John having to become more open and sensitive. Mary clearly brings out the best in the boys and holds her own against them both - at times outwitting them - as Sherlock tries to save the day, tie the clues together and actually be a decent Best Man to his friend on the most important day of his life.
Coming relatively late in the show, it's clear that Sherlock was in desperate need of an episode that wasn't going to devastate the audience, or get wrapped up in a complex case with the fate of the country at stake. Instead it reminds us that Sherlock is human, and that the little things in life are important even to him when it matters.
5. Season 1, Episode 3: The Great Game
Our first proper introduction to Jim Moriarty is the first time we sense real danger for Sherlock and everyone he loves. Andrew Scott's portrayal has attracted criticism for being pantomimic and too similar to Heath Ledger's Joker, but he is one of the best and most original on-screen incarnations of Moriarty we've ever seen.
He dominates every frame, even when he isn't there. One of the reasons The Great Game is so good is that every random mystery that Sherlock and John solve makes the audience feel ill at ease, as though something is very wrong. Like a monster, you imagine Moriarty could be hiding just around the corner.
The plot of The Great Game is not the most original, but as this newly-established Sherlock plays the game of his arch-nemesis for the first time, it perfectly captures the tone of a Sherlock Holmes story where Moriarty is involved.
The success of each on-screen version of Sherlock Holmes rests on how well Moriarty is introduced. The Great Game does it in a masterful way, and wisely keeps the villain's screen time limited, holding their cards close to their chest until they were ready to unleash Moriarty at his peak in The Reichenbach Fall.
4. Season 4, Episode 3: The Final Problem
Without doubt the most shocking, extreme and divisive episode ever aired. The comparisons to Saw are apt, and this is an episode with some real problems. But there is a reason it has ranked so highly in the list: it is bold, daring, and incredibly emotional. Shock twist after shock twist is handled well, even if Sian Brooke's Eurus is so over-the-top that it can become an irritating rather than terrifying performance.
It can be all too much to take in for a first viewing, but The Final Problem holds up well after rewatching, because its extremities are earned. The audience holds so much affection for each character that is tested by Eurus so well, that when they are pushed to their very limits- or might very feasibly be killed in a brutal way- it has us on the edge of our seats.
Our main characters, and the audience, are led down a rabbit hole we're afraid we'll never get out of. There's no comfort here and no safety. Sherlock has never been this dark, or this intense. There are so many heartbreaking moments, but by the end Sherlock has become the man we always knew he could be - a good man who really does care.
3. Season 3, Episode 3: His Last Vow
After relying so heavily on Moriarty, Lars Mikkelsen's turn as the vile Charles Augustus Magnusson feels like a breath of fresh air, and crucially felt like something very new in a series that by this point had got a little too comfortable.
Magnusson is a villain that brought the show to darker, more disturbing places, allowing for the introduction of Culverton Smith and Eurus. Magnusson also forces Sherlock and John to face off against an adversary different to what they are used to.
Mary's true identity also adds an emotional element to His Last Vow that previous series finales had lacked. There is more at stake here than just Sherlock and John surviving and outwitting Moriarty, and this episode wisely balanced its despicable villain and serious tone with some domestic comedy that introduced Sherlock and Mycroft's parents for the first time.
Season three of Sherlock was key to Sherlock growing as a person, and having people to care for and fight for. His Last Vow is a perfect conclusion to an arc where Sherlock has gone from being a better man because of John, to a decent man ready to sacrifice himself, and finally to an actual flawed human we are able to relate to on some level.
2. Season 4, Episode 2: The Lying Detective
Moriarty is Sherlock's most popular villain, Magnusson pushed Sherlock to his limits, and Eurus was insane. But the most evil villain of them all is Toby Jones' electrifying turn as Culverton Smith.
The comparisons to Jimmy Savile and Harold Shipman were obvious, and because such a monster as Culverton Smith is more realistic than Moriarty or Eurus, it makes your skin crawl that Sherlock would go to hell and back for John and face off against someone so repulsive who is actually based on real people.
Whilst The Lying Detective is a rather delicate and well-done examination of John processing his grief over Mary's loss, his guilt and his bitterness at Sherlock, the episode is absolutely Jones'. After the mess of The Abominable Bride, this episode does a better job or portraying Sherlock's drug-addled viewpoint, but this episode would not be as high in the list if not for Culverton Smith.
The cliffhanger reveal of Sherlock and Mycroft's secret sister manipulating the duo behind the scenes feels tacked on and loses its impact because of the exhausting experience we've been through experiencing Smith, our hearts breaking for John, and our heads hurting from Sherlock's mindbending drugs trip that seems to last most of the episode.
1. Season 2, Episode 3: The Reichenbach Fall
The Reichenbach Fall takes everything that worked about The Great Game and dials it up to 11.
Moriarty's masterplan is almost too much for Sherlock to get his head around and keep up with. But by turning Sherlock's new-found fame against him, Jim Moriarty proves he knows more than anyone how to tease and torture Sherlock. Every revelation of the trap that's been set for Sherlock reminds us why no one will ever match the great detective's arch nemesis.
For the first time in the show's history, the stakes are high and you get a real sense not everyone might make it out alive. When Sherlock is trapped on that roof and Moriarty has committed suicide in front of him, you truly believe there is no way out for Sherlock, and that he has no plan. It's doubtful that any future episode will ever top that first moment when Sherlock isn't able to rely on his smarts to save him.
The Reichenbach Fall is epic yet devastating and intimate in its scope, and is the most iconic battle between Cumberbatch's Sherlock and a villain. For those reasons, it is the best episode of Sherlock to date.
What's your favourite episode of Sherlock? What's the worst? Share your opinions in the comments below!
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