Sherlock 1.03
In short: better than the second one, definitely better than Gatiss' iDalek episode; still not as good as the opening case. Contains elements that made me smile and elements that made me groan. I'm ambiguous about whether or not I want more of the show, especially since the show I really want, about Lestrade's team with Sherlock only an occasional guest star, is not on the offering and never was, plus there's always a problem if you don't really like the lead of a show. (At least I'm filled with affection for Watson again which the second episode deprived me of, so I'm fond of half of the leads?)
Not to be stingy with my praise: Gatiss brings back the clever updates of Conan Doyle stock phrases which were in the pilot but not the second one. "I'd be lost without my blogger" (for "I'd be lost without my Boswell") was of win. As was the running gag about Holmes' lack of knowledge about the earth circling the sun, which is in fact pure ACD; naturally, my favourite example of this coming up was Lestrade's and Donovan's use of it to tease Holmes. I also appreciated that said running gag wasn't just for comic relief but connected to the mystery of the episode. (Well, one of them, anyway.)
Speaking of running gags and updating: the VR from Doyle's stories replaced by a smiley - which post-Alan Moore inevitably brings "Watchmen" and the deconstruction of the superhero in mind, and a geek like Gatiss can't have done that accidentally - was another good one.
Most importantly, this episode was really good with showing Holmes' genuine affection for Watson, and Watson's own intelligence alongside his compassion. Via Watson, it never lost sight of the fact that various human beings were at stake (or killed), and that Holmes' way of treating them as living clues in the game between him and Moriarty was appalling.
Of course, this brings me to the downside. Sociophath!Holmes was back in full force, and while his caring for Watson (and minding when he disappoints Watson) is all very well, I can't exactly root for him if he cares for no one else. (Caring for only one person only is appealing when a supervillain like the Master does it, not the show's supposed hero.) It's not that I can fault the show here for glorifying this because as in the pilot, it makes a point of not doing so and instead problematizing it, but it's still a bit too much for me right now.
From the intention to the unintentional downside: at least I hope it was unintentional. So, let me get this straight (no pun intended). The Great Game has: one homosexual couple where one half is a killer and the other written as comic relief, and the main villain pretending (or not) to be homosexual, and several "people assume we're gay, ha, ha, ha" jokes re: Watson and Holmes. If this were balanced by a non-evil, sympathetic gay character (or several) included - hey, why not have Watson's sister show up in person? - it wouldn't be as glaring, but as it was: head. Desk.
Regarding the women: I'm glad Sarah was back and despite only a brief appearance made it through the episode alive and unvilified or victimised, ditto for Donovan, but Mrs. Hudson as pure comic relief and the continuing depiction of Molly the coroner as pathetic grate. The victims of the hour, both alive and dead, were of both genders, so no complaints there.
Speaking of brief appearances, a plus again were Mycroft's scenes, though they reaffirm for me I like Mark Gatiss better as an actor than as a scriptwriter.
Swimming pool: updating of the Reichenbach Falls, y/n? I suppose we'll only find out if the show continues. Moriarty in general: fills, as established from the plot onwards, the "villain as darker version of the hero" type, with the only difference between him and Holmes depicted in this episode being that Moriarty doesn't have a Watson he cares about, which is not a little worrying. I'm really going back and forth on the way they introduced him. On the one hand, having Holmes entirely miss his identity by falling for Moriarty's disguise as Molly's gay boyfriend who's really after Holmes makes a point about Holmes' hubris; otoh, it also continues the irritating way Molly is characterized, plus with all the emphasis on Moriarty really having a crush on Holmes, the "pretending to be gay" is questionable, which leaves us with a probably gay supervillain, which, given the lack of sympathetic gay characters and the way Holmes/Watson assumptions are treated as a running gag, see above.
In conclusion: my feelings, they are mixed. Very.
Not to be stingy with my praise: Gatiss brings back the clever updates of Conan Doyle stock phrases which were in the pilot but not the second one. "I'd be lost without my blogger" (for "I'd be lost without my Boswell") was of win. As was the running gag about Holmes' lack of knowledge about the earth circling the sun, which is in fact pure ACD; naturally, my favourite example of this coming up was Lestrade's and Donovan's use of it to tease Holmes. I also appreciated that said running gag wasn't just for comic relief but connected to the mystery of the episode. (Well, one of them, anyway.)
Speaking of running gags and updating: the VR from Doyle's stories replaced by a smiley - which post-Alan Moore inevitably brings "Watchmen" and the deconstruction of the superhero in mind, and a geek like Gatiss can't have done that accidentally - was another good one.
Most importantly, this episode was really good with showing Holmes' genuine affection for Watson, and Watson's own intelligence alongside his compassion. Via Watson, it never lost sight of the fact that various human beings were at stake (or killed), and that Holmes' way of treating them as living clues in the game between him and Moriarty was appalling.
Of course, this brings me to the downside. Sociophath!Holmes was back in full force, and while his caring for Watson (and minding when he disappoints Watson) is all very well, I can't exactly root for him if he cares for no one else. (Caring for only one person only is appealing when a supervillain like the Master does it, not the show's supposed hero.) It's not that I can fault the show here for glorifying this because as in the pilot, it makes a point of not doing so and instead problematizing it, but it's still a bit too much for me right now.
From the intention to the unintentional downside: at least I hope it was unintentional. So, let me get this straight (no pun intended). The Great Game has: one homosexual couple where one half is a killer and the other written as comic relief, and the main villain pretending (or not) to be homosexual, and several "people assume we're gay, ha, ha, ha" jokes re: Watson and Holmes. If this were balanced by a non-evil, sympathetic gay character (or several) included - hey, why not have Watson's sister show up in person? - it wouldn't be as glaring, but as it was: head. Desk.
Regarding the women: I'm glad Sarah was back and despite only a brief appearance made it through the episode alive and unvilified or victimised, ditto for Donovan, but Mrs. Hudson as pure comic relief and the continuing depiction of Molly the coroner as pathetic grate. The victims of the hour, both alive and dead, were of both genders, so no complaints there.
Speaking of brief appearances, a plus again were Mycroft's scenes, though they reaffirm for me I like Mark Gatiss better as an actor than as a scriptwriter.
Swimming pool: updating of the Reichenbach Falls, y/n? I suppose we'll only find out if the show continues. Moriarty in general: fills, as established from the plot onwards, the "villain as darker version of the hero" type, with the only difference between him and Holmes depicted in this episode being that Moriarty doesn't have a Watson he cares about, which is not a little worrying. I'm really going back and forth on the way they introduced him. On the one hand, having Holmes entirely miss his identity by falling for Moriarty's disguise as Molly's gay boyfriend who's really after Holmes makes a point about Holmes' hubris; otoh, it also continues the irritating way Molly is characterized, plus with all the emphasis on Moriarty really having a crush on Holmes, the "pretending to be gay" is questionable, which leaves us with a probably gay supervillain, which, given the lack of sympathetic gay characters and the way Holmes/Watson assumptions are treated as a running gag, see above.
In conclusion: my feelings, they are mixed. Very.