Best episodes (ranking)

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

It was a deep puncture wound...and if he didn't bleed out like he did..then it would have been internal which may have been even more serious and deadly.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Right.  And he was already in such bad shape that it took John a while to realize he wasn't dead.

 

Rant rerun warning:  Why did John take the sergeant's (?) word for it that the guardsman was dead?  Why didn't the sergeant immediately phone for an ambulance?  But it's not just Sherlock.  Why does everybody on television assume that a fallen person is dead?  Why don't they ever phone the paramedics?  (Actually, Sherlock has a far better track record than most shows in this regard -- and in many other regards as well.)

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

I think it was all that "blood". Most of it water but it does make things look a lot worse then they really are.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yes, it does, and John should know that!

[jesskayding]

Well @ Least the man survived. And what a beautiful man indeed.

[Schlauer Fuchs]

I didn't realize anyone died at all in the Bloody Guardsman. He was bleeding heavily but mix blood with water and it looks like you've bled a ton when you really haven't. And Sherlock did say that John saved the man's life.

 

Yeah, you're right, the man survived, but only just... I just think it unlikely not to notice a wound that would definitely have proven fatal had John not been there. But you're right, I wasn't precise there.

 

 

 

 But that's no reflection on your thoughts and feelings, Schlauer Fuchs. You're entitled as any one here in voicing your opinions and to be respected for it.

Don't you worry, I don't take anything personally. Actually, since I'd love to love the episode I'm delighted about every argument counter my position, they offer a chance for my to change my mind and enjoy this one episode more than I currently do

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

The thing is, commanding officers are not trained in medical procedures and may not have a clue what's up in a situation like that. That amount of "blood" looked deadly.

 

Plus if they are home guard and have never been in a real combat situation then something like that might be stunning. Even seasoned warriors can seize up even only for a second or two......

 

We had quite a dust up in this country a couple years ago over the competence....or the lack there of.....in having big brass in charge of a military hospital. It turned out that if they couldn't see a medical condition then it didn't exist....literally. Cases of PTSD and head trauma were going untreated because these people couldn't see what was wrong so denied that there was a real problem and that these soldiers were actually in serious trouble.

 

Doctors and nurses finally started to complain. The military political machine finally got itself in gear and conducted an investigation and found that yeah, the officers were part of a very large problem and were pulled off the hospital administration board.

[Carol the Dabbler]

That's exactly why John should have checked for vital signs before he started going all forensic.  He's a doctor!
 

... since I'd love to love the episode I'm delighted about every argument counter my position, they offer a chance for my to change my mind and enjoy this one episode more than I currently do

... and while y'all are at it, maybe you could point out some mitigating circumstances in "Last Vow"! The acting is so beautiful that I'm tempted to love the episode, but -- well, you know, Mary shot Sherlock!!!    Quite a bit not good!

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

True, he is. But he did check for vital signs. i mean in canon Watson could be a bit dim in that area as has been commented on by more then one reader. After all the years of association with Holmes, Watson could still be taken in by him....and all to easily it seems.

[Bendydoodle Cantaloupe]

That's exactly why John should have checked for vital signs before he started going all forensic.  He's a doctor!

 

... since I'd love to love the episode I'm delighted about every argument counter my position, they offer a chance for my to change my mind and enjoy this one episode more than I currently do

... and while y'all are at it, maybe you could point out some mitigating circumstances in "Last Vow"! The acting is so beautiful that I'm tempted to love the episode, but -- well, you know, Mary shot Sherlock!!!    Quite a bit not good!

 

I thought the part where Mary shot Sherlock and Sherlock falls backward was really extraordinary. I loved how they made the room tilt and the plants and stuff slide. Gave it a strong feeling of doom.

[Schlauer Fuchs]

... and while y'all are at it, maybe you could point out some mitigating circumstances in "Last Vow"! The acting is so beautiful that I'm tempted to love the episode, but -- well, you know, Mary shot Sherlock!!!    Quite a bit not good!

 

ah, I love that part, it's brilliantly done both as regards camera technique and what they showed - to look so deep into Sherlock's mind was fascinating, with Moriarty buried deep down at its bottom; great images!

Of course it wasn't particularly "nice" of Mary to shoot at Sherlock, but - assuming that she really loves John wholeheartedly - I can understand her. Sherlock didn't threaten to kill her, but he was a threat to her life at that moment, because had she accepted his offer to help her, John was bound to find out about her identity and she thought she'd lose him in that case. And if she hadn't accepted his offer, then John was also bound to find out about her. So she did the only thing she could think of in that one second and tried to buy time. Of course, she still risked killing Sherlock which is quite a bit not good (nicely put ), but she didn't mean to kill him.

 

[SherlockedCAMPer]

... and while y'all are at it, maybe you could point out some mitigating circumstances in "Last Vow"! The acting is so beautiful that I'm tempted to love the episode, but -- well, you know, Mary shot Sherlock!!!    Quite a bit not good!

 

It was explained at Leinster Gardens or at Baker St afterward why Mary shot Sherlock.

[T.o.b.y]

Don't you worry, I don't take anything personally. Actually, since I'd love to love the episode I'm delighted about every argument counter my position, they offer a chance for my to change my mind and enjoy this one episode more than I currently do

 

Mmmm, I'm afraid I'll have a hard time helping you there, because my brain doesn't really like the episode either, but my gut and my heart love it, and they generally have the last say, when it comes to entertainment at least. The Sign of Three just makes me feel good. The ending especially is absolutely perfect in my opinion (even my brain likes the ending).

 

My brain, by the way, likes A Study in Pink best. But The Great Game is the one my brain and my heart can appreciate on a nearly equal level, so I generally think of that as my favorite.

 

 

[jesskayding]

 

 

 

... and while y'all are at it, maybe you could point out some mitigating circumstances in "Last Vow"! The acting is so beautiful that I'm tempted to love the episode, but -- well, you know, Mary shot Sherlock!!! Quite a bit not good!

ah, I love that part, it's brilliantly done both as regards camera technique and what they showed - to look so deep into Sherlock's mind was fascinating, with Moriarty buried deep down at its bottom; great images!

Of course it wasn't particularly "nice" of Mary to shoot at Sherlock, but - assuming that she really loves John wholeheartedly - I can understand her. Sherlock didn't threaten to kill her, but he was a threat to her life at that moment, because had she accepted his offer to help her, John was bound to find out about her identity and she thought she'd lose him in that case. And if she hadn't accepted his offer, then John was also bound to find out about her. So she did the only thing she could think of in that one second and tried to buy time. Of course, she still risked killing Sherlock which is quite a bit not good (nicely put ), but she didn't mean to kill him.

 

 

 

Somebody was bound to shoot Sherlock eventually. Ehh he seems to have adjusted ok. Look how handsome he is. Even while being exiled.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Somebody was bound to shoot Sherlock eventually.

True. That's what comes of being such an annoying dick all the time.

[jesskayding]

[sherlockandjohn]

 

Somebody was bound to shoot Sherlock eventually.

True. That's what comes of being such an annoying dick all the time.

 

 

Love those comments!

 

Actually, I think my main reason for not loving His Last Vow is that it's dark, dark, and darker still. I missed the sharp and clever humor that's often connected with Sherlock's cruelty. With each episode of series 3 I feel they moved farther away from the "original" character of Sherlock (I mean original for BBC Sherlock, as I haven't seen earlier versions). In His Last Vow, he was too humanised. In all of series 3, he wasn't painted as quite the genius from the earlier episodes.

 

On that note, I'm now thinking that my ranking of the episodes could be a little different. I might just rank The Great Game and Hounds of Baskerville higher than The Empty Hearse and The Sign of Three. Maybe! Depends on which mood I'm in

[Schlauer Fuchs]

I have to redo my list:

 

1. A Scandal in Belgravia

2. The Reichenbach Fall

3. His Last Vow

4. The Great Game

5. A Study in Pink

6. The Empty Hearse

7/8. The Hounds of Baskerville/ The Sign of Three

9. The Blind Banker

 

Most important changes: Scandal tops Reichenbach and The Sign of Three is not the one episode I dislike anymore, I finally managed to concentrate on the good aspects of the episode. Still not even close to the top episodes, but at least I don't ignore it completely (which I used to).

[sittything]

This will probably change over time but:

 

1.  The Great Game

2.  The Empty Hearse

3.  The Reichenbach Fall

4.  A Scandal in Belgravia

5.  The Hounds of Baskerville

6.  A Study in Pink

7.  His Last Vow

8.  The Sign of Three

9.  The Blind Banker

[Arcadia]

You brave souls. I haven't attempted to rank them, it would take me weeks to decide and it would still come out something like "In first place, all nine episodes except for parts of TBB."

[sherlockandjohn]

You brave souls. I haven't attempted to rank them, it would take me weeks to decide and it would still come out something like "In first place, all nine episodes except for parts of TBB."

 

Yeah, I started this whole (ridiculous) thread and I can't even make up my own mind.

 

The Reichenbach Fall and A Study in Pink always top the list. The Blind Banker (which I still really, really like) is at the bottom. Everything else in between I just can't rank.

[sherlockandjohn]

This will probably change over time but:

 

1.  The Great Game

2.  The Empty Hearse

3.  The Reichenbach Fall

4.  A Scandal in Belgravia

5.  The Hounds of Baskerville

6.  A Study in Pink

7.  His Last Vow

8.  The Sign of Three

9.  The Blind Banker

 

For some reason, I really love that The Empty Hearse is no. 2 on your list. I think it's because I really love it, but I feel like I shouldn't... mainly because Sherlock's explanation of 'The Fall' doesn't quite fit with The Reichenbach Fall events... Or, rather, it leaves me with more doubts than ever as to what's real. But there's just something so riveting about the drama of The Empty Hearse. Plus, it's actually really funny. Can't help but love it, even though it drives me a bit crazy

[sittything]

 

 

 

 

For some reason, I really love that The Empty Hearse is no. 2 on your list. I think it's because I really love it, but I feel like I shouldn't... mainly because Sherlock's explanation of 'The Fall' doesn't quite fit with The Reichenbach Fall events... Or, rather, it leaves me with more doubts than ever as to what's real. But there's just something so riveting about the drama of The Empty Hearse. Plus, it's actually really funny. Can't help but love it, even though it drives me a bit crazy

 

 

The Empty Hearse is GREAT!  Well, clearly I think so.     I think I sorta ranked my episodes in mostly likely to watch again order.   Like His Last Vow is good, but it's too heavy for me to watch on the regular.   I'm also just going to come out and be honest that this and Reichenbach probably rank as high as they do because of the Molly Sherlock interactions.  I don't want to call myself a Sherlolly person because I hate that term (probably thanks to all of the nonsense I've seen on Tumblr), but I'm slowly coming to accept that there is an irrational portion of my brain that REALLY wants Molly to be happy, even though the rational side of my brain says she shouldn't/couldn't have what she really wants (Sherlock).  *sigh*

[sherlockandjohn]

One of the problems for me with ranking the episodes is that I feel I'm not doing justice to the episodes at the bottom of the list. So, instead I've decided to write down how I feel about each episode. Keep in mind that this is after I've watched them all numerous times, so this is not my initial impression.

 

In no particular order:

 

The Great Game - Too many cases make it feel less dramatic than the episodes with one big case. However, it has a riveting theme of antiheroism, a clash of ideals, and some powerful friendship scenes.

 

His Last Vow - Probably the most dramatic episode, or at least the most shocking. Lots of poignant moments. However, Mary shooting Sherlock is just... so painful and hard to accept.

 

The Empty Hearse - Love how it focuses on Sherlock and John's reunion, and the restaurant scene is probably my favorite of all. A deeply moving episode, and, amazingly, very funny at the same time. However, there are several more aspects of the reunion I wish it could have dealt with. There's not enough casework. Also, it makes me doubt some stuff in The Reichenbach Fall.

 

A Study in Pink - So, so brilliant that I don't know where to begin! Very sharp dialogue and witty one-liners. The introduction to each character works beautifully. The beginning of the friendship between Sherlock and John feels like pure magic. Great case, too. Everything works in this episode!

 

Hounds of Baskerville - An enchanting episode with a mysterious and adventurous feel to it. Love the casework, the humor, the friendship scenes, John and Sherlock's argument, and how Sherlock saves Henry. But it's fairly simple in plot and in character arc compared to several other episodes.

 

A Scandal in Belgravia - Brilliant and multi-layered portrayal of Sherlock's character. Don't particularly like Irene Adler's personality, but she serves a good purpose in challenging Sherlock and bringing out his humanity. Excellent portrayal of Sherlock and Mycroft's relationship. Many poignant scenes, and some of the funniest moments. A very clever episode.

 

The Blind Banker - I pretty much like everything; the dramatic case, the friendship, the humor. Sarah. I love how she doesn't get all "girly" and runs off, when John and Sherlock take on the Chinese smugglers' ring, but instead joins in the fight. There's little character development, though, and for that it feels slightly weak.

 

The Reichenbach Fall - Such a dramatic build-up of an incredible hero vs. villain story. John and Sherlock's friendship is tested. It really affects me to see Sherlock get cornered, and then to have John stand by Sherlock's side. Very moving. Finally, an amazing cliffhanger. Love everything about this episode.

 

The Sign of Three - I see this as a tribute to John and Sherlock's friendship. It's very heartwarming, funny, and a bit sad, too. I would have liked not to have all of the episode revolve around the wedding, but that's a minor detail.

[T.o.b.y]

Lovely idea! I find it hard to rank the episodes as well - I like them all the best, I think.

 

So:

 

A Study in Pink: Magical. It's the best written of the lot, I think, and it has one of the two best endings. If I wanted to introduce someone to this series, this is the episode I'd show them, and not because it's the first, but because it's just so damn good. It could also totally be a film on it's own.

 

The Blind Banker: Sherlock the sociopath at his best, also Sherlock and John's friendship / working relationship at it's (dysfunctional) best. Feels the closest to the old Dyole stories. Absence of Mycroft is a big bonus, and presence of beautiful Soo Lin also (for me). It's also cool to see Sherlock as the under-appreciated genius freelancer, which is emphasized by Lestrade's replacement with the unfriendly and skeptical Dimmock. Great humor, but also great darkness.

 

The Great Game: The episode that's closest to being a thriller. I almost know it by heart, and I still think it's pretty suspenseful. I love how it's packed with great casework, I love how Sherlock is fascinated with Moriarty, I love Sherlock's characterization in this episode even more than in all the others, and I still think that the pool scene is absolutely breathtaking and that it's the turning point and most crucial moment for Sherlock in the entire series so far.

 

A Scandal in Belgravia: Most cinematic episode. Also probably the funniest. Manages the impossible, i.e. writing a love story for Sherlock Holmes that actually works. Irene Adler is superbly cast and written. Another great case, and a surprisingly dark and beautiful twist at the end, with some of the most memorable lines on the show. Very romantic episode, I must say.

 

The Hounds of Baskerville: Scary. Very scary, just like the novel it is based on. Extremely clever adaptation of said novel. Continues the gradual humanization of Sherlock as begun in the episode before this, only to, as always, pull the rug out from under our feet and prove that he's a complete psychopath after all and always will be ("I only have one friend - so I'll use said person for an extremely cruel experiment without his knowledge or consent, involving an unknown and potentially deadly drug as well as possibly triggering traumatic wartime memories")

 

The Reichenbach Fall: Most intense episode, and most fiendishly difficult to figure out. You can watch it time and time again and still no be sure what exactly you saw. Moriarty's heist at the beginning is hilarious, one of the best comic film sequences I know, and The Fall is just simply epic. In between these two scenes, there is more drama and tension and evil foreboding than most series manage within an entire season. No wonder Sherlock really kicked off after this. It's the episode the show has been building up to since it began, and the aftermath still isn't over.

 

The Empty Hearse: It's impossible to pick up where The Reichenbach Fall left off, especially after a two year hiatus. Feels like a new beginning in a lot of ways. The Reunion actually manages to live up to the entirely overblown expectations I had, while the explanation for The Fall doesn't. Feels kind of disjointed and rushed, and is definitely the episode that makes the least sense on its own. Still, it is just so good to have Sherlock back, and the boys finally together again and eventually on speaking terms, too.

 

The Sign of Three: I have no idea what this episode actually is. A Drama / comedy / mystery / romcom / sad love story / something else, it is unique in my viewing experience, and it is also the first bit of television that got a physical reaction out me (other than crying, which I generally do a lot, but didn't do here). I love how the episode is mostly just Sherlock's speech, with the various flashback scenes woven neatly into that. And it has the other best ending. The series could end here, it really could.

 

His Last Vow: Probably the most controversial of all Sherlock episodes, and just for that, I've got to love it. Incredible how 90 minutes of entertainment can fuel such debate and reflection. Has so many items of my wish list in it that I had to mentally rewrite said list after viewing, because it was almost empty: Sherlock on drugs, the fake engagement, the Milverton case... Shocking plot twist, and shocking ending - best use of the expression "Merry Christmas" ever. Most epic episode, all about bigger larger more, but has some great quiet moments as well.