Last week, there were a lot of people shuffling in their seats, pretty disappointed by Sherlock‘s latest episode. With a bumbling plot that had no coherency as it sped along trying to connect the dots to get to its crushing end: Mary’s Death. It felt so underdeveloped and without thought, rushing through its intellect and never fully realising it. Last night I sat with my friend, drinking a pint when The Lying Detective was on and, as an obsessive fangirl, this was an entirely new circumstance for me. Trudging home to watch it on iPlayer, I was overcome with a sadness: “Had I lost my favourite show? Had I stopped caring?”
Which the latest episode of Sherlock replied going: “No. No. I still possess your heart.”
Because The Lying Detective was good. Great even, possibly one of the best episodes the show has done and squealing in my pyjamas and overcome with heart palpitations, the show proved that it could still shock and surprise.
Set weeks after Mary’s death, John and Sherlock are estranged with the latter turning to drugs as an alternative for his lost friend. High pretty much all the time, he is embroiled into the life of Faith Smith. The daughter of the famed Culverton Smith, she is sure that her father has killed but has troubling remembering the confession. It is up to Sherlock to deduce exactly who Culverton has killed and unravel the public persona. To do so, he has to get John involved – can he bring his friend back into the fold?
Last week, I spoke about a lack of atmosphere due to the pacing of the episode. Happily, I can report that The Lying Detective brought it all back. Focusing on one major case and tying the threads of our characters together with it, The Lying Detective became a hub of intrigue as we watched Sherlock flap throughout the case, trying to uncover the truth about Culverton. There was enough mystery to sink your teeth into whilst also appeasing the emotional side too. There are two tales here running against one another that are delicately weaved thanks to Stephen Moffat’s writing: John tackling with his anger following his wife’s death and Sherlock dealing with his addiction and Culverton. They spin with ferocity that ultimately collide gloriously, leaving us with a powerful finale.
Toby Jones was a welcomed addition as the slimey Culverton that, though he lasts one episode, makes an unforgettable villain. It’s not just because he’s a bad guy, but it’s because he flaunts it – using his power and money to bend people into believing he is generally a good guy with a few quirks. Jones is one of our best actors and trusting him with this role that is positively creepy proves worthwhile to the show. Martin Freeman tackling John’s grief is yet again superb, with deep gut-wrenching moments hitting us hard.
But truly, it is Benedict Cumberbatch that takes the cake this week as Sherlock. He adds a level of humanity to Sherlock previously unseen. The drug-addled state following his “break-up” with John and Mary’s slaying proves to have bent him out of shape to the point where he showcases his true empathy for humanity. Though he makes astute deductions, he is also unable to trust his mind or stop his hand from shaking, Cumberbatch balances this with utmost brilliance and sheer ferociousness that you are captivated with the tale from start to finish.
The show ended on a massive spoiler that, I cannot speak about because you have to experience it for yourself, but it’s just absolutely mind-blowing and stupidly clever. We were so wrapped up in the story and the character arcs that we let admissible evidence fool us. By the end, Sherlock flummoxed us with a surprise, keeping us dangling until Episode Three. It shows that we were perhaps wrong to dismiss the series: Sherlock still can surprise and they can embroil you into a plot that you were so sure of only to twist it at the final second, leaving us confounded by the final moments.
What did you think?
