The Lying Detective

[autumnatmidnite]

Well. That was... a bit trippy, strange and not quite shaped back into form. But. What a decided relief from last week's spectacular fiasco.

Comments

1/2 Because I can't control myself when I'm ranting

[lauand]

Okay, after last week's episode, it was difficult to make things worse, but I'm actually happy and relieved to see that they have actually made them better. Which, as you said, it was complicated after TST's trainwreck.

First, the case and the narrative of it. I sort of liked this intentionally confusing, unreliable narrating. A bit overdramatic sometimes, but efective in catching my attention. I couldn't help but notice that there were, indeed, two figures on the screen in Mycroft's surveillance room, so I sort of guessed that the fake Faith wasn't an hallucination. But still, that was well made and the case, in general, didn't suck. Culverton was maybe a bit over the top (ha, ha, the hospital scene with the kids... that wasn't creepy. At all. Or suspicious) but at least there was tension and it was well filmed.

Unlike you, I sort of liked Mary as a character. She was a female character that never tried to get between Sherlock and John and never felt threatened by their relationship. That's so completely new in a TV show that I just had to like her. But they're overdoing it a bit, letting her play such an important and present role EVEN AFTER SHE'S LEGITIMATELY DEAD.

2/2 Because I can't control myself when I'm ranting

[lauand]

But my big, big problem with this season is this dragging John's character through the mud. First with the cheating in a totally illogical point of his life. Then with his blaming Sherlock for Mary's death and beating the shit out of him. John is a violent man, I get that. That's part of what makes him interesting, the way he has to control the parts of him that he doesn't like. And punching Sherlock is totally okay, he sort of needed it. But... only a certain kind of man kicks a man who is already down. Literally speaking. Because no matter how extreme the situation, a part of you knows that it's dangerous. Also, I don't understand either that we see how John catches the reference about "my favourite room" and does nothing about it. He used to be the embodiment of Sherlock's conscience, now he's the kind of asshole who is an asshole and still has the fame of being a good guy when he is, in truth, an asshole. And I don't want to think that John is that kind of man, the one who would literally kick a man when he's down, because he wasn't during the first three seasons. The explanations at the end of the chapter did a lot of good in that sense, because I also understand that nobody is perfect and John isn't either, but there are some lines that you can't cross as a writer and still expect the character to be the same one you started writing. So this new John is a completely different guy and I liked the old one better. Because there was no evolution, this was just an unjustified jump from one thing to the other, more befitting to a second rate soap opera after their episode number two hundred and six (when the good characters are actually evil and the bad characters turn good). So I'm still deeply disappointed about it.

Leaving all this aside, let's get into Euros. My first reaction to this therapist twist was: "no, again? Really, it's okay if some important character gets introduced without this silly dramatics, they don't have to pose as something else first", but then I just thought "I understand that he was high as a kite, but even I would recognize my own fucking sister if she tried to pull that one on me". I trust they have a good explanation for this.

But the thing that got me all "WHATTHEFUCKINGFUCK" in this episode was this bullshit about people needing a romantic partner to be complete. Because John is only a good person because he wanted to be the good man Mary thought he was (wtf??) and Sherlock can only be completed as a person if he gets together with Irene Adler (wtf??) and Mycroft actually might be getting some, too, because caring is not an advantage but even the British Government is more British Goverment with love. Thank you, Sherlock BBC show, for telling me to my face to stop being just a half of something and go out there to get some love because otherwise my life will never be complete.

In spite of everything I said, I actually liked this episode, it gave me back a taste of what this show was at the beginning and the story-telling of the case was masterfully done.

Also, a bit overdone for my taste (sometimes I prefer some subtlety), but Mrs. Hudson being a BAMF was refreshing and, even if she's not overly consistent as a character, I liked her badassery (and the fact that she owns an Ashton Martin kind of makes sense).