Sherlock TV Review

Alright, I know I missed a week but someone important showed up and I got caught up in that, so we'll pick things back up a week later with a television review.
[Also, sorry if this seems less thought out than my other reviews, I haven't been working on this one all week after all]

Now to get this going, I have to say this is going to be a bit shorter than my reviews of video game or movie series, as I'm reviewing the show as a whole rather than season-by-season. Also, I've had about four hours of sleep, so I have this sinking feeling that half way through this I'm going to start checking out completely so there's that.


Ladies and Gentlemen, I present...

Sherlock-

I have to admit, even as a long-time Whovian [Fan of Doctor Who, for those who don't know] and fan of Sherlock Holmes, I was a bit nervous to check out Sherlock. The BBC hadn't had a great track-record of keeping my interest with the exception of Doctor Who, and even though he is doing an amazing job running THAT show, I wasn't sure how Steven Moffat would do here.

I have to say though, I was pleasantly surprised.

The show is honestly one you have to watch a great majority of the first episode for it to peak your interest properly, but when it does, get ready for something you'll undoubtedly be drawn to time and time again.

As for the acting.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson...

Season 3, episode 2

Just amazing. You can feel the chemistry between the two. You can see that friendship that borders on addiction that was ever-present in the stories and the movies. These two men have created the dynamic duo of British television, and believe me, I haven't a single complaint.

"Honey, you should see me in a crown."

But it's not just them. I even grew to love, or more accurately, love to hate, James Moriarty. [A.K.A Jim] Played by someone I have honestly never heard of before, Andrew Scott, and I have to say, he completely blew this out of the water. It was a version of Moriarty that I had never seen before, and now sort of wish I had. He's amazingly clever, infinitely cunning, and insanely [and hilariously] evil.

Honestly just look at this guy.

Even Mycroft [as big a douche as he is] is a character I have come to love in some... Strange way. He seems to be the only person other than Moriarty who can get under Sherlocks skin. The only person who can outsmart Sherlock [well, match Sherlock on some level], and their banter throughout the series is so annoyingly brilliant.

And last I have to bring up my personal favorite incarnation of an iconic character, Irene Adler [A.K.A "The Woman"] played by the ever-lovely Lara Pulver. Just the way we are introduced to her is beautiful in itself. Fully nude [Albeit not showing anything to the viewers. I mean this is television people] and sporting the biggest "deduce me, Sherlock" grin you could imagine. And even though Watson is caught of guard by her appearance, Sherlock remains brilliantly unphased.

Now, I'm moving on to reviewing the show itself and I'm going to try something new that I feel will help me avoid the "I'm just summarizing" thing I've been doing so bear with me here.

As for the show itself, I've never seen such brilliant writing and acting in all of television. I mean honestly, Benedict Cumberbatch is typically a great person who actually cares about people. So seeing him as Sherlock Holmes, a "high-functioning sociopath" [Do your research] with little-to-no skills in human interaction and a complete disregard for people and their emotions.

The way things happen, and how we're kept on our toes through the episodes pleases me to no end. As a modern adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, an idea that seems like a "crash-and-burn" scenario, I must admit that this show has been successful in sticking to the source material, as well as providing a new spin on classic literary characters.

We're kept wanting more, from the entertainment of watching Sherlock deduce what happened to a murder victim by studying the most minor of details in their appearance and the environment around them, even managing to tear apart their entire life story in an instant and effectively performing the autopsy and providing a list of suspects in seconds...

I mean, how can he tell this guy is a reader?

To figuring out everything about someone he's just met, just by small details in their clothing and overall appearance. Hell, just by looking at you, he could tell if your wife was cheating on you by a speck of dust on your left boot. That's just how the guy works.



Honestly though, I have to say that one of my favorite parts of this show is how we can become so invested in background characters and faces we'll never see again. How their story can catch our interest, and even after their issue has been resolved, even after the episode is over, and even though we know we'll never see them again... We still want to know what happens to them after the show. That, to me, is a very important aspect in a TV show. I don't want just nameless faces, I want someone who brings something to the program and progresses the story, while not being the focus of the show. Sherlock has accomplished this more times than I can count.

Spoiler alert!

I have nothing but good things to say about this show. It's perfection in television and I have no shame in saying this. The twists and turns the show takes, and the surprises you'll never see coming...[But I have to say, I hate this "3 episodes per season" formula]

And the season finales that leave you begging for more, leaving you to make your own guesses at what happens, talk amongst your fellow fans as you try to figure it out, and then be blown away when the next season comes along and tells you that everything you know [or think you know] is wrong.

As much as I hate to say how much I adore another creation of the monster of a man that is Steven Moffat... I have to give Sherlock a completely solid, and well-deserved 10/10, for solid writing, impressive casting, and leaving me begging for more as I finish season 3.

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So hopefully I haven't kept to the summary format I've been using in my past reviews. And I hope this gives people who've never watched the show a reason to at least add it to their Netflix list without spoiling anything.

Let me know in the comments below,
on Twitter [@JeffSanchezVA],
Instagram [@jeffsanchez.va],
or Facebook [If you're already my friend there] what I should review next.
At the moment, I'm thinking Guardians of the Galaxy. I saw it last night and it was fantastic.

Seriously though... Steven Moffat... He'll take every character you've ever loved, stab them directly in the face, and make you watch with your eyes taped open and your body strapped to a chair... And you'll keep coming back for more...