We are in The Darkest Timeline.Įvery episode of Sherlock has highlights and, for “The Empty Hearse,” they included: the introduction of Mary Morstan ( Amanda Abbington) Sherlock’s hilarious, pun-filled return from the dead and Mycroft ( Mark Gatiss) and Sherlock’s brotherly game of Operation. Unfortunately, we are not in that alternate universe. In an alternate universe, Sherlock was brave and doubled down on its character drama going into Season 3. More than anything, it was a missed opportunity. Sherlock took a dramatically-rich narrative twist and brushed right by it. It didn’t feel like John’s forgiveness was truly earned, or like we understood what Sherlock’s time on the run (without John) was like. Inevitably, Sherlock manipulated John into forgiving him by making him think they were both going to die in a fiery explosion, which is not really how emotions work.
“The Empty Hearse” was the first episode of Sherlock that really failed at what it needed to do, marking an unfortunate downturn in quality (or, if you’re being generous, a shift in the kinds of stories this show is interested in telling). After a Season 2 cliffhanger that saw Sherlock fake his own death in front of John, breaking his best friend’s heart, this episode had one major job: to deal with the emotional fallout from that decision and Sherlock’s inevitable return in a satisfying manner. As we learned in the most recent episode of Sherlock, emotional context matters, which is why “The Empty Hearse” was such a disappointment. Going into Season 3, Sherlock was riding a two-year hiatus wave of anticipation and expectation following the excellent Season 2 finale.
0 kommentar(er)
