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Sherlock Rewatch: First Impressions
Feb. 1st, 2024 07:08 am I have now finished rewatching all the Sherlock episodes and I wanted to note a few impressions.
1. Series 2 is still my favorite and Scandal in Belgravia is my favorite, favorite.
2. The Sign of Three is a little long-winded but so fun.
3. The function of Mrs. Hudson REALLY changed from series 1-4. I recall Threepatch conversations regarding the 180 taken on how her sexuality was treated across the show. But it was a lot more than that. She went from Landlady to Resident Sage - particularly in Series 4.
4. The Special is hard to follow - part of that is the lighting but also the fact that is is a drug trip. I had so little memory of this that I had completely forgotten the mystery, but the mystery wasn't really important here. Unfortunately, to capture the drug trip and Sherlock's mental state is to also leave me in a state of confusion and misremembering.
5. I don't even think the Special was necessary for the rest of the series to hold together. MAYBE the nod toward how women were treated in the 1800s was meant to bridge the introduction of a sister being treated in a historically unfair and gendered way (institutionalized and kept away from the rest of society her whole life?) It's a stretch, but that is the only link I can make other than we get to see Sherlock have a drug problem which he then indulges in during his attempt to Save John after Mary's death.
6. Watching these back to back really illuminates just how violent this show got. "Punch me in the face" was funny as a one-off - John beating up and headbutting Sherlock after his Not Dead highjinks was also uncomfortable though it was played for laughs. But the degree of abuse Sherlock's body receives from John later on is not funny. All this on top of being shot, tortured, and then nearly strangled to death. It wasn't funny and it made me really angry with John that he transfered his grief to Sherlock in this way. I don't think I was this upset when I saw series 4 back in the day.
7. I had completely forgotten Mycroft in a fat suit. The Special feels like it was a self-indulgent mess.
8. Ghost Mary calling John out on his shit was a nice use of Mary.
9. Moriarty was one of the few things I DID remember from the final episode. I love him!
10. I had forgotten that The Woman texted Sherlock on his birthday.
11. I don't like being reminded of John's sexism and attitude toward women. I don't like cheating John, but I really REALLY don't like his handwaving about men being a certain way.
11. I remembered so little about Series 4. I could not for the life of me remember the cases or even what the episodes had been called. I remembered that Eurus was a big part and that we learned about Redbeard. I thought my forgetfulness about the series (and the Special) was because I had not watched them enough or had been too focused on Johnlock to appreciate them, but I don't think this anymore.
12. Both the Special and Series 4 break away from a formula that was more present for the others and that included the cases as a frame for the episode. (I had just finished rewatching ALL the Grenada Sherlock Holmes episodes, so the presence and absence of cases was particularly salient in Sherlock). I think that the Sixth Thatchers was the most case-like of these last 4 episode, but it ended with the death of Mary to set off the other episodes which were not about cases. They included case elements, but they did not frame the episode. John's grief framed The Lying Detective and Sherlock's need to remember his past and connect with his sister framed The Final Problem.
13. I am comfortable in saying that my inability to remember the Special and Series 4 is not due to my Johnlock filter. I was able to watch all episodes with the Johnlock filter far in my past and I am still left feeling out of touch with these last two installments of the series. I will think more about why this is, but I think I appreciate formulaic TV to guide my processing of the story other narrative elements. I believe I enjoyed that about Sherlock. It is also something I enjoy about most Murder, She Wrote episodes too (which I regularly watch at night). And I think the disruption of this formula was so notable in the Special and Series 4, the latter of which foregrounded relationships (friend, sister, self) that it cut into my ability to process and enjoy the show on the same level I had before.
I would love for Sherlock to come back as a special someday, but for me to really enjoy it, I would love to see it framed by an ADC case.
1. Series 2 is still my favorite and Scandal in Belgravia is my favorite, favorite.
2. The Sign of Three is a little long-winded but so fun.
3. The function of Mrs. Hudson REALLY changed from series 1-4. I recall Threepatch conversations regarding the 180 taken on how her sexuality was treated across the show. But it was a lot more than that. She went from Landlady to Resident Sage - particularly in Series 4.
4. The Special is hard to follow - part of that is the lighting but also the fact that is is a drug trip. I had so little memory of this that I had completely forgotten the mystery, but the mystery wasn't really important here. Unfortunately, to capture the drug trip and Sherlock's mental state is to also leave me in a state of confusion and misremembering.
5. I don't even think the Special was necessary for the rest of the series to hold together. MAYBE the nod toward how women were treated in the 1800s was meant to bridge the introduction of a sister being treated in a historically unfair and gendered way (institutionalized and kept away from the rest of society her whole life?) It's a stretch, but that is the only link I can make other than we get to see Sherlock have a drug problem which he then indulges in during his attempt to Save John after Mary's death.
6. Watching these back to back really illuminates just how violent this show got. "Punch me in the face" was funny as a one-off - John beating up and headbutting Sherlock after his Not Dead highjinks was also uncomfortable though it was played for laughs. But the degree of abuse Sherlock's body receives from John later on is not funny. All this on top of being shot, tortured, and then nearly strangled to death. It wasn't funny and it made me really angry with John that he transfered his grief to Sherlock in this way. I don't think I was this upset when I saw series 4 back in the day.
7. I had completely forgotten Mycroft in a fat suit. The Special feels like it was a self-indulgent mess.
8. Ghost Mary calling John out on his shit was a nice use of Mary.
9. Moriarty was one of the few things I DID remember from the final episode. I love him!
10. I had forgotten that The Woman texted Sherlock on his birthday.
11. I don't like being reminded of John's sexism and attitude toward women. I don't like cheating John, but I really REALLY don't like his handwaving about men being a certain way.
11. I remembered so little about Series 4. I could not for the life of me remember the cases or even what the episodes had been called. I remembered that Eurus was a big part and that we learned about Redbeard. I thought my forgetfulness about the series (and the Special) was because I had not watched them enough or had been too focused on Johnlock to appreciate them, but I don't think this anymore.
12. Both the Special and Series 4 break away from a formula that was more present for the others and that included the cases as a frame for the episode. (I had just finished rewatching ALL the Grenada Sherlock Holmes episodes, so the presence and absence of cases was particularly salient in Sherlock). I think that the Sixth Thatchers was the most case-like of these last 4 episode, but it ended with the death of Mary to set off the other episodes which were not about cases. They included case elements, but they did not frame the episode. John's grief framed The Lying Detective and Sherlock's need to remember his past and connect with his sister framed The Final Problem.
13. I am comfortable in saying that my inability to remember the Special and Series 4 is not due to my Johnlock filter. I was able to watch all episodes with the Johnlock filter far in my past and I am still left feeling out of touch with these last two installments of the series. I will think more about why this is, but I think I appreciate formulaic TV to guide my processing of the story other narrative elements. I believe I enjoyed that about Sherlock. It is also something I enjoy about most Murder, She Wrote episodes too (which I regularly watch at night). And I think the disruption of this formula was so notable in the Special and Series 4, the latter of which foregrounded relationships (friend, sister, self) that it cut into my ability to process and enjoy the show on the same level I had before.
I would love for Sherlock to come back as a special someday, but for me to really enjoy it, I would love to see it framed by an ADC case.
