Sherlock

[neadods]

Before we talk about me, Moffat and Gatiss have tweeted that there WILL be a third season, that it was already commissioned. Huzzah!

Now, tonight.

I've been offline all day so I haven't seen anyone else's reactions yet, and I really want to see this episode (and the previous one again) before I go into lots of detail. But that's not going to stop me from having (quite) a few first impression opinions.

The main one is that watching slow character assassination was actually loads more painful than watching a manhunt for 90 minutes. Especially when it looked like that slow character assassination was going to bring down Lestrade as well as Sherlock. (Anderson, really, do you hate Sherlock SO much that you're going to bring down your governor as well? If so, you deserve every nasty thing Sherlock ever said. And Donovan? Sherlock didn't do it with "just a shoeprint." He did it with a shoeprint, understanding of biology for stride and height, and rather a lot of painstaking chemistry, something that New Scotland Yard is theoretically capable of reproducing. Yes, if Sherlock had planted it then what NSY found would be what he said, BUT the fact remains that NSY detectives should be able to find the same data. It *wasn't* "just a shoeprint.")

I'm assuming that the three years dead will be resurrecting Sherlock's reputation instead of dismantling Moriarty's web. Or both. Mind you, the dismantling shouldn't be that hard, not *really* not with Moriarty himself gone. I watched in the company of a theater manager and a journalist; the theater manager was going on and on about how she'd contact all the theaters and see if "Rich Brook" really did have a part in all of those productions, because it's so unlikely that Moriarty actually acted as part of his cover story. The journalist had plenty to say about her counterpart on screen, and how true investigative journalism involves research, not taking the word and the paperwork of the guy you're boffing. (Hmmm. I suddenly sense an SJA crossover.) We all wanted to know two things:
1) Why was the crown jewel display so obviously, patently fake? Three Americans knew it was all wrong; we assume that all of England was pointing and laughing. And
2) There was incontrovertible evidence that Moriarty broke into the crown jewel display. What judge worth his law degree would put aside the tapes and the eyewitness account of the arresting officers on the say-so of an obviously tampered jury? And if the judge was also tampered with, why was the case not appealed? (Please tell me someone is working on a Law and Order UK crossover. Pers? That would be up your alley.)

How Sherlock managed to commit suicide in front of John and not die is a mystery that I dearly hope will be cleared up in the next season that I dearly hope will happen. Molly has got to have had something to do with it; too much was made of Sherlock soliciting her help.

On the converse, I hope that nothing was faked about Moriarty's suicide. He was such a whackaloon that there really didn't seem to be any other way out, and the idea that the Sherlock Holmes story would be reduced to season after season of the Sherlock-vs-Moriarty story really depressed me. Holmes isn't Batman, forever locked with the Joker. He really did detect crime and did not need a Napoleon of Crime to make his career worth living.

I'm surprised that Mycroft was that blindsided by Moriarty. Isn't My supposed to be the smarter of the two brothers? Because after all that time protecting Sherlock, it's gotta sting to know that you're the reason why Sherlock's nemesis could ruin him.

And I gotta say... after 90 minutes of bleeding for Sherlock and worrying about Lestrade? I'm so glad we got that last shot. I NEEDED that last shot.

Bottom line: I had a lot of angst about this one going in; not just because of the storyline, but because I had no confidence in the writer. However, this? Was way better than I feared it would be.

Comments

[themis1.livejournal.com]

Whilst it's true that NSY probably could have done the same scientific research as Sherlock into the footprint, the reality is that IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN, and even if it did, it would take at least six months. I speak as someone who worked for the UK police for 28 years. Lestrade being ripped off by his boss for using a civilian investigator was absolutely true to life - he really has no defence for that. What wasn't realistic was the way Donovan spoke to him, which in the heirarchical UK police service would definitely not happen. You might speak about your senior officer that way out of his hearing, but not to his face!

Am worried about Mycroft's behaviour, however - hope they do something in the next three to sort that out, as I couldn't believe he'd be that dumb!!

BTW as a Brit I have never seen the crown jewels, neither has anybody else I know. We don't really go and look at our own heritage ...

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

I don't actually believe that Mycroft was that stupid, now that I've had time to think about it; I think it's all part of the plot. Mycroft never says or does anything without multiple reasons. He's in on the fake suicide; I'm convinced of that. But it's been done in such a way that John won't go near Mycroft, so there's no chance that John would find out anything he shouldn't.

Argh! I want S3!

[penguineggs.livejournal.com]

I saw them once when I had an American friend in town who was interested. They look flashy, tacky and unbelievably fake, so pretty much like on the show.

[bentleywg.livejournal.com]

I saw them once. I hated the rolling sidewalks they have on both sides of the display case, making it so you can't stop and take a proper look.

[stlscape.livejournal.com]

ITA. I saw them decades ago pre-moving sidewalks/cellphone cameras/etc., and thought they were much better displayed then. There was big cylindrical display area, with individual cases all side by side, and the items were displayed on black and were brightly lit under spotlights and you walked around the central area crocodile-fashion. IMHO, it was much more stunning and effective display.

I took my daughter to the Tower a couple of years ago, and was unimpressed to the max with the new display and the moving sidewalks. We both felt we'd wasted our time.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Any jewel over 3 carats looks flashy, tacky, and unbelievably fake (ref: Hope Diamond.) It wasn't so much that the display wasn't just right with the walkway and all that bugged me as much as the idea that the entire display of crown jewels was presented as a single display case. It's like Big Bang Theory (which also bugs me) - I know what a Cheesecake Factory looks like and it isn't a handful of folding chairs and bare tables in a soundstage.

Renting some more glitz shouldn't have been that hard; does neither of them know anyone at the RSC or opera so they can fill the background with stage glitter?

[neadods.livejournal.com]

IT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN, and even if it did, it would take at least six months

Even in an active kidnap case? Then Lestrade rather has an "out" for using Sherlock as an external lab to get his results faster! (But yeah... he's going to be counting police boxes in Essex - if not penguins in Faulkland - for his reliance on Sherlock so much.)

What wasn't realistic was the way Donovan spoke to him

I want to know how Anderson's going to fare within the force. He's the one who really stabbed Lestrade in the back by tipping his superior off to how much Lestrade has used Sherlock. Would any other DI trust him now?

And speaking of that superior, snarking off to John about how "odd" Sherlock looked was incredibly unprofessional. Don't know about the law there, but it would be grounds for a complaint higher up the ladder here, and a lawyer could make a case for prejudice/false arrest.

hope they do something in the next three to sort that out, as I couldn't believe he'd be that dumb!!

I know! But this is also the guy who let his little brother commit treason with Irene over Bond Air and scrapped with him like an 8-year-old in front of others at the Palace. He's not infallible.

as a Brit I have never seen the crown jewels, neither has anybody else I know. We don't really go and look at our own heritage ...

Technically neither do we - nobody really treats their own home like a tourist does - but I would have thought that there'd be enough pictures around for people to have an idea. I've never been in the White House or Congress, but I've seen enough mockups/news photos to know what they more or less look like.

[themis1.livejournal.com]

I'll try and post the link for the Met forensics site:
http://www.met.police.uk/scd/specialist_units/forensic_services.htm

Note the bit about 11,000 cases a month! I was under the impression Anderson was a forensics guy rather than working directly for Lestrade? I may have that wrong.

Yes, the police complaints division would have a LOT to say about the behaviour of Met officers in this ..!

And note the fact that the 'development' team are working on ways to save money, not better ways to look at evidence :-S

I've done a quick google and I think the Tower is very coy about posting any pictures involving the actual security of the crown jewels. And indeed it may be the case that in order to USE the crown jewels, the deal is that the site is not shown as it is, so as to not give away any actual security details to would-be thieves. Well, it would be if I was running the place, anyway!

As for Mycroft, the general consensus is that he was probably in on it, since he was in the original canon. I'm rather concerned though about why nobody did anything about those assassins ...

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

Am worried about Mycroft's behaviour, however - hope they do something in the next three to sort that out, as I couldn't believe he'd be that dumb!!

Me, too. I hope there's a plan and some resolution coming, rather than just character assassination to further the plot.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

As mycroft is one of the showrunners, I doubt they're going to totally destroy his character. But he's not infallible, not after BELG.

[penfold-x.livejournal.com]

But he's not infallible, not after BELG.

Agreed. I think he's much more interesting as an imperfect character, rather than the really rather too powerful character he was first presented as (creating the deus ex mycroft plotting problem). I think the idea that Mycroft could have been taken in by the magic code, and in falling for an appeal to his vanity, unwittingly betrayed his brother, is a really interesting one to play with (particularly in light of Mycroft reaming Sherlock out for just the same thing in BELG). Or perhaps Mycroft knew he what he was risking, but felt torn between protecting his brother and protecting the many other lives that depend on him (something they showed in BELG he is actually keenly concerned about).

Whatever actually went down, if there was a betrayal/massive mistake, I just hope that it gets picked up and actually dealt with--giving us a reason for Mycroft's apparent behavior, and having the consequences of it resolved between them. I'm afraid that, because this relationship isn't really the point of the series, we'll pick up next season without an adequate reason given for why things happened the way they did, and Mycroft's role will go back to the convenient exposition provider/furtherer of plot developments (IMO, the motiveless Ms. Adler demonstrates that M&G are not above just writing something because it seemed cool at the time, without really thinking too deeply about why the secondary character did what they did).