It’s a tour-de-force outing for Cumberbatch marred primarily by a conclusion that forces Sherlock to make an uncharacteristically lethal decision in order to win the day. Sherlock goes after a Rupert Murdoch-esque media baron, who is attempting to orchestrate the detective’s own downfall. On the other hand, it’s great to get our first tease of Andrew Scott’s Moriarty, who will provide plenty of those aforementioned OMG moments going forward. Sherlock’s second episode is solid through and through, but lacks the crucial OMG factor that define the series’ best installments. In retrospect, having Cumberbatch simply enter the frame and say, “I’m back,” would have been all the explanation we needed.ħ) The Blind Banker (Season 1, Episode 2) Faced with constructing a narrative that has to serve two masters - explaining how Holmes is ambulatory again (a ridiculously convoluted account is offered, but there are numerous reasons to doubt its veracity) and giving him and Watson a mystery to solve - Moffat whiffs on both. Turns out that killing Sherlock is easy… resurrecting him is another matter. By the time the credits roll, you’ll be howling with annoyance rather than excitement.Ĩ) The Empty Hearse (Season 3, Episode 1) Not that he doesn’t try, going with an oh-so-modern “military experiment” explanation for the titular beasts that just ends up feeling forced. It’s odd that one of the best-known Sherlock Holmes stories would result in the worst-ever episode of Sherlock, but maybe Baskervilles is just too familiar for Moffat to reinvent successfully. While we count down the days, hours and minutes to The Abominable Bride, here’s our definitive ranking of Sherlock episodes to date.ĩ) The Hounds of Baskerville (Season 2, Episode 2) How do we know? By binging on their previous nine adventures, all of which can be streamed on Netflix. The exact reason for this bit of time traveling is unclear for now, but rest assured that Freeman and Cumberbatch will be an ace crime-solving duo in any century. Unlike previous episodes, this one takes place in Holmes’s traditional stomping grounds of Victorian era London.
WATCH SHERLOCK THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE PBS UPDATE
After a two-year hiatus, Steven Moffat’s beloved update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s signature sleuth releases a fresh mystery, The Abominable Bride, which reunites Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock and Watson respectively. January 1 ushers in both a New Year and new Sherlock.