Like?
1
0
Who have voted
Sherlock - Season 3
2014 already is the year of ‘Sherlock’, as the BBC finally, after a hiatus of almost two years, aired the third season of the highly successful modern adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective. The season finale of the second season left us wondering whether Sherlock Holmes was still alive; in ‘The Reichenbach Fall’ Holmes jumped to his death. When a third season was announced, we all knew Sherlock had to be alive, and the only question which still remained, was how Sherlock managed to survive the fall. The third season, as with the previous two, consists of three episodes. The series has become a global success and the actors playing Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) have become famous Hollywood actors. Despite their busy schedules, producer Steven Moffat announced there will be a fourth season.
The first episode, ‘The Empty Hearse’, deals with the solving of Sherlock’s apparent death. The writers have done so very cleverly, where even the audience is put on the wrong track several times. The first episode is a mixture of several Conan Doyle stories: ‘The Empty House’, ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ and ‘The Lost Special’. John Watson wouldn’t simply accept Sherlock’s fake death to join him on another crime, namely a possible terrorist bombing in London. The reunion of Sherlock and Watson is a great start of the season, where the focus doesn’t lie on the crimes, but on the characters’ developments. Watson is soon-to-be married and Sherlock’s personal life isn’t as superficial as it has been. Excellent use have been made of my favourite mode of transport: the underground. The atmosphere of this first episode resembles a classic episode of ‘The Avengers’ starring Patrick MacNee and Diana Rigg, which means it’s a great combination of mystery and science fiction. The guest appearances of Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham (from the classic English series ‘UFO’) are also amusing.
In the second episode, ‘The Sign of Three’, Sherlock Holmes is at first faced with one of his greatest challenges yet: being the best man at Watson and his Mary’s wedding, to whom he has to deliver a speech. The episode consists of many flashbacks, and there are several funny dialogues and situations, the best example of which would be Watson’s stag night. It takes a while before it becomes clear which is the main crime in this episode, but when we finally realise which cases Sherlock has to solve, everything falls into place. It is a well-written episode, but is not as good as the first episode of this season. I did notice the beautifully shot scenes, the surprising camera angles and nice images. Just like the first episode, the focus was put on the characters’ developments and changes, which emphasises the performances of the protagonists.
The final episode, ‘His Last Vow’, centres around a highly accomplished nemesis. This episode was based upon the story ‘The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton’. In this episode the villain is renamed Charles Augustus Magnussen. He is specialised in blackmailing and knows the weak points (or ‘pressure points’, as he calls them) of every single important person. Sherlock hates this Magnussen and tracks him through a case involving closed letters. Sherlock pulls out his entire oeuvre in order to defeat this evil villain. Magnussen is excellently portrayed by Lars Mikkelsen (‘The Killing’, ‘Borgen’). The terrible, ice-cold way in which he is able to defy both Holmes and Watson is played flawlessly from beginning to end. The case becomes increasingly personal for both men, but their engagement varies considerably during the episode. This season, like the other two seasons, ends with an open ending, and even after the credits another cliff-hanger is added. A great ending of this season: action, mystery, and the need for a fourth season.
In this third season, the audience is often put on the wrong track. You have to keep focused, as dream scenes, surrealistic shots and flashbacks are not to be trusted and turn out to be very different than originally thought. It is a highly fascinating season, where the strength of both protagonists is used excellently. A true successor to the equally strong second season. Hopefully we won’t have to wait for another two years for the fourth season.
Follow SherlockThe first episode, ‘The Empty Hearse’, deals with the solving of Sherlock’s apparent death. The writers have done so very cleverly, where even the audience is put on the wrong track several times. The first episode is a mixture of several Conan Doyle stories: ‘The Empty House’, ‘The Gunpowder Plot’ and ‘The Lost Special’. John Watson wouldn’t simply accept Sherlock’s fake death to join him on another crime, namely a possible terrorist bombing in London. The reunion of Sherlock and Watson is a great start of the season, where the focus doesn’t lie on the crimes, but on the characters’ developments. Watson is soon-to-be married and Sherlock’s personal life isn’t as superficial as it has been. Excellent use have been made of my favourite mode of transport: the underground. The atmosphere of this first episode resembles a classic episode of ‘The Avengers’ starring Patrick MacNee and Diana Rigg, which means it’s a great combination of mystery and science fiction. The guest appearances of Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham (from the classic English series ‘UFO’) are also amusing.
In the second episode, ‘The Sign of Three’, Sherlock Holmes is at first faced with one of his greatest challenges yet: being the best man at Watson and his Mary’s wedding, to whom he has to deliver a speech. The episode consists of many flashbacks, and there are several funny dialogues and situations, the best example of which would be Watson’s stag night. It takes a while before it becomes clear which is the main crime in this episode, but when we finally realise which cases Sherlock has to solve, everything falls into place. It is a well-written episode, but is not as good as the first episode of this season. I did notice the beautifully shot scenes, the surprising camera angles and nice images. Just like the first episode, the focus was put on the characters’ developments and changes, which emphasises the performances of the protagonists.
The final episode, ‘His Last Vow’, centres around a highly accomplished nemesis. This episode was based upon the story ‘The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton’. In this episode the villain is renamed Charles Augustus Magnussen. He is specialised in blackmailing and knows the weak points (or ‘pressure points’, as he calls them) of every single important person. Sherlock hates this Magnussen and tracks him through a case involving closed letters. Sherlock pulls out his entire oeuvre in order to defeat this evil villain. Magnussen is excellently portrayed by Lars Mikkelsen (‘The Killing’, ‘Borgen’). The terrible, ice-cold way in which he is able to defy both Holmes and Watson is played flawlessly from beginning to end. The case becomes increasingly personal for both men, but their engagement varies considerably during the episode. This season, like the other two seasons, ends with an open ending, and even after the credits another cliff-hanger is added. A great ending of this season: action, mystery, and the need for a fourth season.
In this third season, the audience is often put on the wrong track. You have to keep focused, as dream scenes, surrealistic shots and flashbacks are not to be trusted and turn out to be very different than originally thought. It is a highly fascinating season, where the strength of both protagonists is used excellently. A true successor to the equally strong second season. Hopefully we won’t have to wait for another two years for the fourth season.
Reacties (0)