The Watcher - Sherlock, Series 3

by Stefan Harkins

Episode 1 - The Empty Hearse

Finally I return to the keyboard, hot on the heels of one Sherlock Holmes' reappearance on our screens. A welcome rebound for the infamous deerstalker-clad detective.

How did he survive the Reichenbach fall? It’s a question that’s been on all our lips since 2012 and The Empty Hearse doesn’t bury the lead! Right off the bat we are taken back to that fateful day on the roof of St Bart's Hospital and an explanation is given... or is it?

This episode is all about Sherlock’s return and as always our great detective's understanding of the' emotions of other people is wonderfully off - the timing of his return couldn’t have come at a worse moment! We’re meeting Watson’s soon to be fiancé Mary Morstan, played by Freeman’s real-life partner Amanda Abbington, who perfectly compliments the dynamic of the show and doesn’t feel like a third wheel between Holmes/Watson.

I loved the evolution of forensics officer Anderson into a guilt-ridden conspiracy nut, reflecting all the fans ideas and theories behind the return of Sherlock! 

Once the main plot is underway we hit both action and wit at full speed. Watson and Sherlock’s days are spliced together with humorous effect; the investigation into the underground (or is that Underground?) terrorist plot as well as the usual quick side cases and a motorbike chase with Mary in tow to save a slightly singed Watson! There's also a nice cameo appearance of a very ordinary - dare I say, boring? - couple on the Baker Street sofa who turn out to be the Holmes boy’s parents, portrayed by actors Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton aka Mum and Dad Cumberbatch! All of this does mean that the main plot ends up feeling a little left by the wayside, but for me as the series seems to re-establish itself as a show about the titular protagonist and the people who orbit him, rather than the cases themselves.

Episode 2 - The Sign of Three

If you thought the first one was funny... well this one is a laugh a minute! It’s the day of the Watson/Morston wedding and of course Sherlock is best man - what could go wrong?!

It starts with us following Lestrade; he's been  trying to capture a certain band of criminals for years now and when he finally has his moment, guess who calls? Sherlock, in need of some assistance with his speech! Felt it was a lot of setup for that single joke but hey ho, maybe it’s a precursor to a future episode. 

Overall this episode felt a bit frantic and a tad disorientating - what with all the jumping back and forth on the day’s timeline - but overall I loved it, there is mystery, humour and bromance! The stag do was particularly hilarious, with Sherlock and Watson playing the Rizla Guess Who game before trying to investigate a case while rather drunk. Sherlock’s usual visual deductions end up going a bit askew - chair seat leather sleeeeep!

Echoing on what I mentioned about the previous episode, this series so far has shown that it has become a show about a detective and not a detective series.

Episode 3 - His Last Vow

Secrets, betrayal, shock and awe - it’s all in this one! A lot darker than the previous two episodes, but still manages to squeeze in a couple of laughs.

We meet the very Lecter-esque Charles Augustus Magnussen (played brilliantly by Lars Mikkelsen), the one villain who truly turns Sherlock’s stomach. He is a media mogul-type who utilises the power of information to pinpoint the ‘pressure points’ of others in order to blackmail them and stay untouchable. He’s like a Bond villain, but in a subtle way he's a lot more chilling! A definite reflection on modern day fears of surveillance and the abuse of personal data.

Surprises galore for us and Watson, as Holmes has apparently not been seen for months, until he suddenly turns up in a drug den! Apparently he’s been in hiding and he also has a girlfriend! And the icing on the cake - Holmes household at Christmas! An unusual mix of a maths genius mum, a quirky dad and an odd moment of sentiment from his brother Mycroft! Also thrown into the mix is Sherlock’s new drug den buddy William ‘Bill’ Wiggins, a junkie with a knack for deduction. People familiar with the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories should recognise the name as the leader of the Baker Street Irregulars. 

We hear a lot more about Magnussen than we actually see, though what we do see is unnerving - face licking, fireplace urination and continually flicking Watson’s eye.

I don’t want to give too much away but the final confrontation doesn't quite go to plan, there are some great uses of the ‘mind palace’ in order to survive, and not just for Sherlock.

Everything changes but then again everything stays the same. All threads are resolved but we are given a glimpse of something which suggests hope for more to come.

One line in particular I’d like to end on - 

“The problems of your past are your business. The problems of your future are my privilege.” 

OK, call me a liar, it has to be -

“Did you miss me?!”

Stefan Harkins is still thinking about the beautiful almost-kiss...

New Beginnings - Prophecy #1

Whenever I see the name Ron Marz I automatically think of Witchblade or Green Lantern, so to see his name on a Dynamite branded comic certainly caught my eye. Admittedly my exposure and knowledge of Dynamite is very limited, but there are characters I already recognise such as Red Sonja.

Prophecy #1 is the first part of a seven issue crossover which also includes Vampirella, Dorian Gray and Dracula (to name but a few). What is also good is that this is completely self contained. Readers won’t have to worry about missing parts or story arcs in other titles or comics - it is a focused and direct event. In an age when we have seen Marvel trying to cash in on Fear Itself across over 20 different titles or DC using Flashpoint to push a multitude of “new” but limited titles it’s certainly refreshing to see a publisher which is looking after the story first.

The story opens in 1890 with a very well know fictional detective and his faithful ward Dr Watson investigating a murder with a distinct Mayan flavour to it. All in a day's work for the genius of Holmes, but then the why of it all opens another door. Skipping back in time we are introduced to our heroine, Sonja, and her nemesis Kulan Gath, both doing what they are best at. For Sonja this is fighting and for Gath it’s magic and witchcraft. This also includes a very special dagger that hurls Gath through time with Sonja in hot pursuit wanting his head. Unfortunately for her they become separated and she is thrust into the world of vampires.....

Marz has written a strong story that is easy to read. It can be a little wordy in places and normally this is something that I shy away from, but given whose involved (mainly Holmes and Watson) you can understand why. It fits the mythology of the characters well. When reading the Mayan section you get a complete feel for the old movie style filled with clichéd action and cliff hanger action which was really enjoyable. I did get a slight whiff of cheese from the story but it was just at the right level to make it fun without making you frustrated with the dialogue too.

Walter Geovani has provided the artwork for this issue. Every frame is packed full of details with a lot of attention paid to virtually every person in the frame. Even people in the background have been given extra touches and adornments that mean they don’t fade into the colour wash. This is certainly a piece of work that a lot of time has been taken over. Even when the frames open up into full page images the level of detail increases even further and they become softer and more lush.

As a new comic on a publisher people may not know this is a good introduction. As this miniseries goes on I think it will engage a lot of different characters, which some may find overwhelming, but it gives you an introduction to Dynamite’s roster.

A fun story so far and one which will open doors for sure.

Matt Puddy pulled off a last minute substitution.

The Watcher - Sherlock, Season Two Finale

On Sunday night, a nation of viewers sat gripped as Sherlock grappled with his final problem and those events that led to his inevitable fall. The final episode of Sherlock season two ‘The Reichenbach Fall’ seemingly chronicled the last few months of the titular hero’s life, as told by a tearful Watson, as he related a terrible plot by arch-nemesis Moriarty to turn Sherlock’s reputation against him and drive him to the brink of despair.

To say that the impressive twists and turns of the episodes plot is not even the most impressive aspect of Steve Thompson’s script, a clever adaptation of Conan Doyle’s original story ‘The Final Problem’ is actually a compliment, given the context of an episode which is the perfect culmination of the groundwork laid over the last two series.

Beginning with a brief montage which highlight’s Sherlock’s growing fame and Watson’s growing discomfort as his friend simply ignores the increasingly intensity of the press scrutiny, the groundwork is already being laid for a tense finale. We then cut to Moriarty who artfully carries out multiple raids on some of London’s most secure sites, for motives which remain a mystery.

Stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman seem so comfortable in the roles by this point that they no longer simply seem like the latest pair in a long line of actors to portray Conan Doyle’s famous sleuths, but in fact have made these roles their own. The emotional beats and character scenes, which are many and intense in this week’s episode, are heartbreakingly sincere and manage to elicit intense feelings without being overplayed, such is the rapport the pair have built up over the preceding two series. That isn’t to say that Holmes and Watson don’t still get to have some fun, and there are still one or two moments that bring the pair’s physical comedy and easy chemistry to the fore.

Credit also goes to director Toby Haynes who manages to fuse some of the series key visual and musical cues seamlessly into a satisfying whole. A scene in which Sherlock surveys a mental map of London is saved from being routine, as the following events remind the audience, rather shockingly that in Holmes’s world, not everybody takes his genius for granted. The music too, has finally worked its way sufficiently into one’s unconscious that at points you might even find yourself humming along the series trademark theme, proof that composers David Arnold and Michael Price have done their job well. It wouldn’t be surprising to find this theme placed alongside the likes of Doctor Who and The Avengers in nostalgic looks back at British cult television.

Many of the series supporting characters turn in equally charged and suitably weighty performances for this eventful episode, but sadly, Andrew Scott’s Moriarty still remains a frustrating enigma. True to form, the viewer can never quite see what lies behind the camp veneer of Scott’s performance, which is either genius or madness, but never wholly satisfying.

Luckily, this final episode is so thrillingly good that any shortfalls can be easily overlooked. And finally, it may come as no surprise that showrunners Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have revealed that season three is in the works. It will however, take a true genius to explain Holmes’s inevitable return.

Robert Barton-Ancliffe is pondering his theories on just how Holmes survived...

Holmes Away From Holmes

Typical. You wait years for a decent version of Sherlock Holmes and then two come along at once.

Whilst the Guy Ritchie version of Holmes was essentially an action packed re-telling of the Holmes stories, this new BBC series is a full on re-imagining. Spearheaded by Steven 'Doctor Who' Moffat and Mark 'League of Gentlemen Gattis', this is a modern re-telling of the Holmes character.

The characters remain the same, Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, LeStrade are all present and correct. The setting remains London. Only now Watson blogs about the adventures of Holmes, who has no problems searching the internet to solve a crime.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a superb Holmes. With Moffat in the driving seat of the series the concern would be that it would be too close to The Doctor. It isn't. Holmes' borderline sociopathic tendencies are brought to the fore expertly by Cumerbatch. He's ably assisted by Martin Freeman, in probably his best role since The Office. His crumpled face is perfect for Watson, constantly trying to keep up with Holmes' logic. The support characters, especially the police who don't necessarily like Holmes sticking his nose into their business, don't let the side down either.

The series rests with Watson and Holmes. If they don't work as a team then everything collapses. It's what made the recent film so good and it's the heart that keeps this series on its feet. Their back and forth is a joy to watch. The other relationships built up in the series work just as well. The world of the series fits together very well. This is something interesting about a modern Holmes, as there would be no Sherlock Holmes stories in popular culture. No deer stalker or pipe jokes or anything like that.

This problem however, is this. We have three episodes in this series. The first, written by Moffat, is a great setup show, expertly introducing the characters. The third, written by Gattis, builds to a superb climax. The second, whilst not a mess, seems to leave behind everything that makes the other two episodes so good. The interesting police characters, gone. The plot nicely convoluted but without a decent villain. Watson reduced to the role of a passenger. The writer here, Stephen Thompson, seems to really drop the ball.

It's a shame. It doesn't bring the whole series crashing down but it is a noticeable drop in quality. There remains however a great deal still to enjoy in this show. Gattis' cameo role is a top notch, the final scene in the first episode is only bettered by the superb cliffhanger of the last episode.

Well worth buying when it comes out on DVD. You could also say buying it was an ELEMENTARY decision.

Phil Doyle is one of the creators of abadeducation.com and co-host of the sonicsring.com podcast. His real job is in insurance which he hopes won't be forever. He also has a complete set of Marvel 2099 first issues, even Ravage 2099.