Ephemeris of the Mind (Show Review) Sherlock - Series 4
Time to read: 3 min read
Show Cover
Taking your own life. Interesting expression. Taking it from who? Once it's over, it's not you who'll miss it. Your own death is something that happens to everybody else. Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it.
Previous Sherlock reviews:
Review
The last series of Sherlock is probably the weakest series out of the four; that’s not to say that the fourth series is bad, but that the first three series were phenomenal. Unfortunately, the (very) high bar set for the first three series were not met, but series 4 is still an entertaining watch.
The Abominable Bride
The first episode is actually a standalone special that is based on a case that has only been mentioned in the books; Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) are in Victorian times. A bride (Natasha O'Keeffe) has seemingly come back from the dead to kill her husband (Gerald Kyd). The story is pretty interesting and I really enjoyed the Gothic feel of Victorian London as well as the return of Moriarty (Andrew Scott). I like how the episode jumps back and forth between Holmes’ mind and reality which was well executed.
The Six Thatchers
Based The Adventure of the Six Napoleons, a series of mysterious crimes are happening across London, all involving busts of Margaret Thatcher being smashed. This episode is probably the weakest in the series, mainly because of the scattered story, which featured plotlines such as John being unfaithful and the mysterious background of John’s wife Mary (Amanda Abbington). The story felt unfocused and almost overly dramatic.
The Lying Detective
Based on The Adventure of the Dying Detective, Holmes and Watson deal with the fallouts of the last episode when Faith (Siân Brooke), the daughter of prominent businessman Culverton Smith (Toby Jones), who she believes is a serial killer. Jones’ Smith is another brilliant Sherlock villain that’s both exaggerated but also very dangerous. This episode really explores some of the darker aspects of the Sherlock character, such as his drug abuse but at the same time also explores Sherlock's character development since the beginning of the show. Cumberbatch really portrays a Sherlock that is drastically different than the Sherlock from the first series.
The Final Problem
The last episode is an amalgamation of three different literature stories, with the name of the episode based on another. Holmes and Watson travel back to Holmes’ childhood home to confront their most dangerous foe yet. I do think there’s a tad too much fan service in this episode, especially with Molly (Louise Brealey); I also felt that the episode focused too much on Holmes’ personal story instead of on the clever mysteries (which are the main selling points of the show). Overall the ending felt very underwhelming, especially for such a strong show.
Conclusion
Series 4 sputters a bit but still had some very strong moments.