I just got to watching the ep tonight. So glad this show is back! Loved the snappy dialogue and allusions to the books too. I think I need to go back and read them all again as a refresher. And the cinematography was top notch, which isn't something I'm used to saying about any show other than BB. First time since BB where I was all ooo-eee at the weird camera angles and gorgeous shots they were using :D
That initial pool scene was out of the box, so unexpectedly hilarious--it was a nice change up (of course Moriarty would have a disco ringtone, and the more he goes along, the more he reminds me of John Simm's Master in DW :D). I adore Freeman's Watson so much...he's simply adorable and poignant and hilarious all at once :) The way him and Cumberbatch play off each other is a treat to watch, and I liked how we got to see more of Sherlock's brotherly relationship with Mycroft as well. I didn't mind Adler's character, or the whole Sherlock-Irene 'thing', but wasn't enamoured with how she ended up unravelling so easily towards the end with Sherlock and Mycroft (doing the 'villan reveals whole plot of their deceipt when they verge on victory' trope kills me when Irene's apparently been so discreet up to that point).
The end left me a bit underwhelmed too in not going through with killing off Adler, knowing that Moffatt plays the same cheating death tricks on DW--I felt like he'd squeezed in a few too many twists at the expense of settling on the drama side of things with Irene. Attaining that balance between plot and emotive drive seems one of Moffatt's weaknesses. He never really gives you a chance to settle long enough to feel for his characters and what they're going through, so when they're placed in mortal danger it doesn't really feel as suspenseful as it should. I'm still wondering at how Sherlock managed to con his way into a terrorist cell looking as white and British as he does, but like so many things that, as you said, could be picked apart if examined in more detail, I'll let it fall by the wayside and look keenly forward to next week's classic :)
And thanks for the link to John's blog! I hope they build on the content with each episode as a running gag of sorts.
I'm still wondering at how Sherlock managed to con his way into a terrorist cell looking as white and British as he does
I had the same thought!
I am not sure, it was supposed to be that much of a twist though; the minute Mycroft said that she did die for only Sherlock Holmes could have fooled him and he wasn't there, it foreshadowed the ending. Irene was mostly a plot device; she was used to underscore Sherlock's weakness but she also played a role in two triangles: John/Sherlock/Irene (the romantic one) and Sherlock/Irene/Mycroft(the game one). Between the brothers it's always a matter of who is going to outsmart whom!
Now that you mention that bit with Mycroft, you're right. I was just too into it to pick up on that. Ugh, it kinda bores me to see women playing plot devices. Adler deserves to be a character in her own right.
This week's ep proved a bit too predictable, but it was still pretty good. Felt so sorry for poor John being trapped in the lab as part of Sherlock's 'experiment'. Sherlock reminds me a lot of Eleven that way--he's sometimes a bit too cruel and manipulative for his own good, even though he's got benign intentions.
I think that "The Hounds" wasn't as good as "Scandal". Gatiss' writing has big holes and is both less refreshing and less clever than Moffat's. But Sherlock and John were still adorable together.
I'm not sure which one I'd rate higher, as I liked different things between 'Hounds' and 'Scandal'. I actually felt that the overall logic of the plot was more grounded this week than last, and I got more into the drama with the characters. But Moffatt is just so creative and takes you on such a great ride...even if you don't find yourself as emotionally invested in it.
That initial pool scene was out of the box, so unexpectedly hilarious--it was a nice change up (of course Moriarty would have a disco ringtone, and the more he goes along, the more he reminds me of John Simm's Master in DW :D). I adore Freeman's Watson so much...he's simply adorable and poignant and hilarious all at once :) The way him and Cumberbatch play off each other is a treat to watch, and I liked how we got to see more of Sherlock's brotherly relationship with Mycroft as well. I didn't mind Adler's character, or the whole Sherlock-Irene 'thing', but wasn't enamoured with how she ended up unravelling so easily towards the end with Sherlock and Mycroft (doing the 'villan reveals whole plot of their deceipt when they verge on victory' trope kills me when Irene's apparently been so discreet up to that point).
The end left me a bit underwhelmed too in not going through with killing off Adler, knowing that Moffatt plays the same cheating death tricks on DW--I felt like he'd squeezed in a few too many twists at the expense of settling on the drama side of things with Irene. Attaining that balance between plot and emotive drive seems one of Moffatt's weaknesses. He never really gives you a chance to settle long enough to feel for his characters and what they're going through, so when they're placed in mortal danger it doesn't really feel as suspenseful as it should. I'm still wondering at how Sherlock managed to con his way into a terrorist cell looking as white and British as he does, but like so many things that, as you said, could be picked apart if examined in more detail, I'll let it fall by the wayside and look keenly forward to next week's classic :)
And thanks for the link to John's blog! I hope they build on the content with each episode as a running gag of sorts.
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I had the same thought!
I am not sure, it was supposed to be that much of a twist though; the minute Mycroft said that she did die for only Sherlock Holmes could have fooled him and he wasn't there, it foreshadowed the ending. Irene was mostly a plot device; she was used to underscore Sherlock's weakness but she also played a role in two triangles: John/Sherlock/Irene (the romantic one) and Sherlock/Irene/Mycroft(the game one). Between the brothers it's always a matter of who is going to outsmart whom!
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This week's ep proved a bit too predictable, but it was still pretty good. Felt so sorry for poor John being trapped in the lab as part of Sherlock's 'experiment'. Sherlock reminds me a lot of Eleven that way--he's sometimes a bit too cruel and manipulative for his own good, even though he's got benign intentions.
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