I watched the conclusion of season four of "Sherlock". By that, I mean the British version that was aired there on BBC One is airing in the U.S. on PBS.
To say that I was disappointed in it would be an understatement. I don't know what the writers are doing, but "what the fuck are they thinking" would be one way to put it.
Their biggest mistake is veering far, far away from the template set by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself. The series in The Strand was a very long series of stories, they didn't rely on each other for enjoyment. You didn't have to have read "A Study in Scarlet" or "An Affair in Bohemia" to enjoy "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton". The episode aired last night, "The Final Problem", has as much to do with the original concept as does a ponderous supertanker with an airliner-- which is to say, nothing at all.
The American version, "Elementary", which is in its fifth season, is far closer to the theme of the original. Yes, there is an underlying story going on in most seasons. But the episode each week centers on a different crime to solve. It is, simply, at this point, a better show.
I'm not going to discuss the story. Watch it for yourself.
"Sherlock" has been airing three episodes every two years. At this point, I'll be halfway surprised if it returns at all.
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3 comments:
I've heard that this was the grand finale, as both Benedict Cumberhatchersomething and Martin Not Morgan Freeman are too tied up with other projects nowadays to continue it.
Actually, I didn't have a problem with the finale. I know the criticisms have been harsh but when you look at the series as a whole it's been a deconstruction of the Sherlock legend, not so much an updating but a re-examination of the characters' psychology. Almost like the Seven Percent Solution, but with more subtext and tweeting.
Long ago, even before "Silence of the Lambs," I got very tired of the brilliant super villain who knows everything, can manipulate anyone, or can lay hands on any device or material necessary to put the heroes in peril. Shows like "Bones," "CSI," etc. routinely trot out this tired cliche. Although I enjoyed the performances of the "Sherlock" finale, but even while watching, I found the entire central concept preposterous. Consider by disbelief unsuspended.
I wanted to like it, I really did. Big fan of Freeman & Cumberbatch and even bigger Sherlock fan. But his Sherlock never really gelled - my favorite still is Jeremy Brett's. (Very worthwhile old BBC series - I should see if it's been released on DVD).
I watched the first half of "the six thatchers" and shut it off. Frenetic editing and a jumbled storyline left me disinterested.
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