Sherlock Series 3 Episode 1 The Empty Hearse

Someone really needs to give Moffat a good retirement package. 

That was a my thought while watching this episode. Because while it wasn't too bad, and I don't think this show has been messed up as badly as Doctor Who, I began to see the danger signs with this episode. It turns out Moffat didn't pen this episode so I can't really blame it on him so much. Whatever the cause, this episode felt a little lacking. 

This episode of Sherlock has been much anticipated since the ending of season 2. Fans had man hopes and many expectations. Perhaps these expectations were too high. This episode wasn't bad, but something about it felt a bit off, a bit... not like the Sherlock I'm used to. I found myself checking the time a few times throughout the episode, which is a pretty bad sign, and I felt that the threads of the plot were a little disconnected, a little too loose and not as nicely woven together as they usually are on this show. 

I think the problem is that they were trying too hard to focus on the characters and the whole Sherlock and Watson relationship and how it's been affected by the time that has passed since the end of season 2, but this kind of flies against everything that made the show good. Sherlock and Watson's relationship isn't awesome because they dwell on it, it's awesome because Sherlock runs after evidence for a case and Watson can't help but be intrigued by it. It's awesome because of the small bits of conversation that happen while they're in the middle of solving the case. In this episode, unfortunately, the case was lame and it was sidelined. 

I don't think I can say much more without spoilers, so here are the ratings: 

World-Building: Great, but not up to the usual Sherlock Standards 

Characterization: Decent, but again a lacking compared to past episodes 

Plot: Shoddy

What fans really wanted to know at the start of this episode is how Sherlock survived the fall. Of course the importance of the meeting between John Watson and Sherlock can't be downplayed either. Both of these things were focused on in the episode, and while I found the fan-dream sequences a little too silly I accept the fact that any explanation they gave for the fall would have been found unsatisfactory so I'm ok with a non-solution. I also don't mind that they spent so much time on the reunion with Watson. It would have been nice, however, if they had squeezed in a good solid case too. I think that's not too much to ask for in a detective show. 

Another problem was the direction. The first few minutes made my eyes water and, quite frankly, they made very little sense. The problem with this is that Sherlock's characterization relies on his deductions and his quick mind and the way others respond to that, and on this show we get to see that through the little words that pop up on screen. Those words were always placed next to the clues that Sherlock saw and it made it easy for us to see how Sherlock's mind was working, where his insanely quick deductions were coming from. Well, now all we get is a big cloud of words next to someone's head. How is Sherlock finding out all these things about the person just by looking at their face? Magic? This is a problem for the show that I hope is remedied very quickly. 

Another characterization that has been negatively impacted is that of Anderson. Anderson's character worked before because like Donovan he was skeptical of Sherlock. I would like to know what has made him into a raving lunatic. The episode suggests guilt, but it's not as if the man pushed Sherlock off the rooftop. He simply aired his (very reasonable) concerns. And it's fine for him to feel guilty, but they didn't have to make him crazy... I think the writers have forgotten that not everyone has to be a Sherlock fangirl. Especially not people in the show. He's rude and insensitive and his deductions are difficult to swallow. It makes sense for people to dislike him. Even John Watson dislikes him most of the time! 

So while this episode wasn't bad and it certainly had some wonderful bits (I loved John's violent reactions) it indicates that the people in charge of the show may have forgotten what makes this show so great, what makes it work, and that is worrying. Hopefully, with the next episode this show will return to form, but for now I'm a little concerned.