Best episodes (ranking)

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

For me the sadness was that things had changed for Sherlock. In some ways, he just couldn't go home again. London had changed and so didn't the people to a certain degree. Especially John. It was a bittersweet homecoming. But as you said, T.o.b.y, he still had that base of people who loved and supported him and that will count tremendously in the upcoming seasons.

[Arcadia]

 

S3 was supposed to make us sad, don't you think?

 

It certainly feels sad, which is strange, because actually, a ton of really good things happen: Sherlock is back from the dead and reunited with all who care for him and everybody loves him and forgives him, as always. John finally finds love and even gets married to the object of it, who turns out to be even more perfect for him than he thought when it is revealed that she's not quite the boredom-inducing suburbian "ordinary person" she appeared. Magnussen gets shot, Mary is finally safe, and Sherlock doesn't suffer any consequences for committing murder other than being in the air for 4 minutes before Mycroft decides that England needs him and his favorite enemy is back.

 

So everybody gets their wish, but it makes me feel melancholy. I wonder why.

Because it seems like an ending, somehow? End of an era, end of innocence, end of a special friendship, end of a close-knit fandom ... I've seen all those theories floated on here, so a lot of people are sensing ... something. For myself, I think it's some of the first two, and also because I feel like Sherlock lost at the end. CAM died, yes, but only because Sherlock reverted to brutish emotion instead of using his intellect. I find that sad ... but human.

[Carol the Dabbler]

So everybody gets their wish, but it makes me feel melancholy. I wonder why.

 

Maybe because the wish-fulfillment seems empty somehow, rather than satisfying? And maybe that's because some things feel kinda forced, they don't quite seem to click?  Or because it feels like our beloved characters have wandered into the wrong program (some random crossover)?

 

[Arcadia]

I see your point, but ... nope. Definitely not for me. I found the wish-fulfillment very satisfying, I just think HLV intentionally went into the dark and left us there .... (whimper)  ...  because it's an effective story-telling tactic. Third act, and all that. I'm happy to quibble about dopey/questionable plot points, but for me the "feel" of S3 is just ..... right. Sorry, this isn't a rational thing, but an aesthetic thing ... hard for me to explain!

[T.o.b.y]

I don't mind the sad feeling at all; Sherlock has never been a "happy" show and I wouldn't want it to be. I just think it's odd that a series of events that, in a rational light, sounds pretty positive, should leave me feeling melancholy. Maybe it's that "end of an era" thing.

 

It's not that I mind series 3 at all, or feel melancholy about the series "going downhill" or anything like that (that would make me angry, anyway, not fondly sad). Though my first response was "what the f..., did they let a bunch of fan fic writers loose on their script?", I really, really like the new episodes now. As in really like them.

 

And I am very grateful the ending was one that could be satisfactory (to me) as a final one. Just in case series 4 takes a turn I can't get used to. Or never happens at all.

[Arcadia]

Yeah, it's a neat trick, isn't it? The protagonist appears to have won, but it doesn't feel like he won. Nicely done.

 

And I agree; I'd hate to lose this show, but if something were to happen, at least the last thing I saw was Sherlock's plane turning around, bringing him home.

 

 

 

BTW, T.o.b.y. ... head over to the "Favorite Quotes" thread.... http://www.sherlockforum.com/forum/topic/1742-favorite-quotes-all-series/page-9?do=findComment&comment=29308 .... posts #167 and #168 ... maybe that's part of the answer to why we feel the way we do

.....

[Dragonslayer]

Well, it sort of helped that I know the Holmes stories. So when I saw the title "Empty hearse", I knew it was to be based on "The Empty House". (I was so wrong for the most part. ) but I had the idea that Sherlock would be back from dead in that one!

[Carol the Dabbler]

Ah!  So you were not, as it were, clueless.

 

Then again, I suppose that someone who was totally unfamiliar with Holmes (other than the usual vague knowledge) probably wouldn't have any problem with Series 3 either, because they would have no standard by which to judge it.  And considering how out-of-left-field some of S3 was, that might actually be an advantage.

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Oh, I don't know. There is still a lot of canon in Series Three. Sherlock hedging about what really happened during and after "TRF" has been talked about for the last hundred years or so.

 

  "TSoT" is Moffat's dream since he was 7 years old and was so disappointed that there was no wedding scene after "TSoF".  But a lot of Sherlock's "Best Man Speech" contains a lot of snippets of references from canon and Holmes quotes. 

 

 "HLV" is very close to canon in many ways.

[sherlockandjohn]

So many interesting thoughts on why series 3 comes off as sad!

 

I can agree that lots of good stuff happen, but for my part it's the way those good things are portrayed that makes me feel melancholy. Getting Sherlock back from the dead is wonderful, but we already knew he was alive. In TEH, the focus isn't on how great it is that Sherlock survived, but on John's grief and anger, as well as Sherlock coming to terms with how he's hurt John. The wedding in itself was also a joyful event, but again, quite a lot of effort went into portraying Sherlock's sadness or loneliness, if you like, in losing one part of his relationship with John - or at least seeing it change. 'His Last Vow' doesn't offer a whole lot of joy for a long while, but it ends rather well (if you can live with the issues - or if you don't feel there is an issue), and as they say, 'all is well that ends well.' But the focus is definitely on the sadness!

 

Like in most stories, we are being taken along for a ride. Only months of analysing and reasoning seems to be helpful in evening out the ups and downs, at least for me. At first it's nearly all emotional reaction; then I start analysing, debating, and coming to terms.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Which is all very normal and how we human beings usually deal with emotions. In stages.

[sherlockandjohn]

S3 was supposed to make us sad, don't you think? As I see it, S3 is about change, and growing up. Both of which are good, because it means we're still alive, but sad, because if you've got it good, you want things to stay the same. And Sherlock had it pretty darn good, I'd say. But he can't stay a child forever. I suspect all my favorite stories have that kind of sadness in them.

 

Supposed to? Yes. Doesn't mean I prefer it that way He! Seriously, you make a good point about growing up, and I usually like sad stories. Still do, but for some reason 'Sherlock' appealed to me largely because of how much it made me laugh - and not just because of some ridiculous jokes, like most shows scatter about. 'Sherlock' mainly makes me laugh from pure joy because of its' brilliance in humor and dialogue. And while s3 is in no way less wonderful in those areas, they are losing territory to emotional characterisation (which is fine) and melodrama (not so fine).

[T.o.b.y]

Okay, because I have nothing better to do at this particular moment, I'll try to rank the episodes again after a weekend spent in a blissful haze before a huge TV screen and seeing my favorite TV series "properly" for the first time, courtesy of my wonderful hosts (I usually watch on a my tiny computer at home).

 

So:

 

1.) The Great Game (that'll never change)

2.) A Study in Pink

3.) The Sign of Three

4.) A Scandal in Belgravia

5.) The Hounds of Baskerville

6.) His Last Vow

7.) The Blind Banker

8.) The Reichenbach Fall

9.) The Empty Hearse

 

I was totally blown away by A Scandal in Belgravia on a big screen. I never noticed before how... cinematic that one is. Wow. And Irene... hmmm, Irene... I can't help but love her, I really can't.

 

The Reichenbach Fall is a great piece of television as well, but it's been kind of spoiled for me by The Empty Hearse. Which I by no means dislike. My least favorite episode is still among my favorite things to watch in the world.

[Carol the Dabbler]

You'd never seen the show on an actual television before?  Good heavens!  You must have missed an awful lot of background business, which I think is at least half the fun of rewatching.

 

[Arcadia]

Background business? There's background business? You mean you can actually tear your eyes off The Coat? How does one do that?

[T.o.b.y]

You'd never seen the show on an actual television before?  Good heavens!  You must have missed an awful lot of background business, which I think is at least half the fun of rewatching.

 

I was more surprised to find that I had missed bits of actual acting. Like at the pool: Before John tackles Moriarty, there is a look and a nod between him and Sherlock just like before Sherlock points the gun at the explosive at the end. I never noticed that before. They really are an amazing team if they have to...

 

[Arcadia]

Evidently watching it on a TV doesn't help me much, I never noticed that either. Okay then, that DVD is around here somewhere.........

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Oh yeah.....John is all for Sherlock taking this nut job out....even if he has to go with him.

[Carol the Dabbler]

... at the pool: Before John tackles Moriarty, there is a look and a nod between him and Sherlock just like before Sherlock points the gun at the explosive at the end. I never noticed that before. They really are an amazing team if they have to...

 

Really?  I had of course noticed the unspoken communication just before Sherlock aims at the explosives.  Rewinding my memory -- well, I remember a bit where Sherlock asks are you OK, and Moriarty tells John he's allowed to talk, but John just nods to say he's OK.  But I don't think that was just before he jumps Jim. Is there another nod?

 

Don't tell me I'm gonna have to watch one of my favorite episodes again! 

[Arcadia]

 

Don't tell me I'm gonna have to watch one of my favorite episodes again! 

 

Yah, me too. Life is just SO hard sometimes, isn't it Carol?

[sherlockandjohn]

I think I've finally processed the series 3 episodes enough to decide on the following ranking:

1. TRF

2. ASiP

3.Tie between TGG, HoB, TEH and TSoT. Cannot pick one over the other. I love Sherlock as he used to be, but also as he is now, and these four episodes are all amazing in character arc and/or friendship development. While the series 3 episodes are beautiful and really tug at my heart-strings, the other two have a strong relationship-build during a time that was, in some ways, much simpler. You might call it the "childhood" of John and Sherlock's friendship. It's adventurous and magical.

7. HLV

8. ASiB

9. TBB

 

When it comes to HoB, I guess in some ways it's not as strong as most of the other episodes. What I mean is that it is fairly simple, both in plot and in character development. It doesn't move the overall story forward very much, much like TBB. However, I could not help but fall in love with it. I thought the case was mysterious, perhaps not in the most intelligent way, but I was really drawn in by Henry's story, the lovely setting, and the Baskerville mystery.

 

HLV, on the other hand, is mostly a very strong episode, in which our characters' interrelations are put to the test. However, I also see some clear weaknesses in the portrayal of John's character, regardless from which perspective I see it.

 

ASiB is powerful in its' portrayal of Sherlock's character and his inner conflict. But this is just not an episode that appeals entirely to my psyche.

[Arcadia]

I think my ranking would be different (no, I'm not going to try, too crazy-making! ) but I really like your analysis of the episodes. I think in many ways ASiB is the most well-made episode, but like you, something about it puts me off.

I've mentioned before that I kind of missed John in S3. It's not that I think he's changed so much, as that he's somehow ... under-represented? Having just finished watching S1 again, what I noticed was that John was in many ways the main character. Not only do we see through his eyes, but he's also taking independent action; finding clues, making connections. In TBB he's actually ahead of Sherlock a few times. Sherlock is aloof, mysterious; John's our path into the story.

But in S3, the main character is clearly the title character. I love it; but I still miss John a little.

[sherlockandjohn]

I think my ranking would be different (no, I'm not going to try, too crazy-making! )

 

Yeah, I know. I started this thread, and I can't even make up my own mind about the ranking!

 

HLV somehow keeps growing on me. Last I watched it I even wondered if that one might be my favorite of s3! Weird. It used to be my least favorite of all.

 

On the other hand, TSoT might be my favorite of s3. It is just so, so heartwarming.

 

And then there's TEH, which I have officially stated as my favorite s3 episode. The whole Reichenbach drama, including post-return, is emotionally the most appealing, but also close to the most off-putting, part of the show for me. I love the drama, but not everything about how it's dealt with.

 

Truth is, I really couldn't decide on a favorite or a least favorite s3 episode at this point. The other series are so simple:

 

S1, starting with the best: ASiP, TGG, and TBB.

S2: TRF, HoB, and ASiB.

 

However, I do love attempting the ranking. Currently, I'd probably say:

 

1. TRF

2. ASiP

Those two first never seem to change.

3. TSoT

4. TEH

5. HLV

6. TGG

7. HoB

8. ASiB

9. TBB

The two last never change, either.

[sherlockandjohn]

You would think it got easier to rank the episodes, but it really doesn't for me. Can't decide if I love TEH or TSoT the best, because I adore them both. And ASiB may need a higher ranking than I've previously given it. HLV... I just can't decide about that one. It's so well done, but there's no accounting for taste, and I just don't love it as much as I feel it deserves.

 

This could be my ranking:

 

1. The Reichenbach Fall

2. A Study in Pink

3. The Sign of Three

4. The Empty Hearse (I actually LOVE this, but I'm not entirely sure it deserves such a high ranking. On the other hand, maybe I love it better than TSoT. I cannot decide! My heart is completely in it, but my brain occasionally protests. Shut up, brain! No, seriously. I'd rather listen to my heart in this.)

5. The Great Game

6. Hounds of Baskerville

7. A Scandal in Belgravia

8. His Last Vow (It really deserves a 5th place.)

9. The Blind Banker

[Arcadia]

Yup, I'd go with the heart, the brain's too much of a critic!