Jump to content

Best episodes (ranking)


Recommended Posts

Plot? There's a plot?   :P

 

 

Sorry, I should have said the attempted plot.  :D

 

I don't generally pay too much attention to plot details myself, so I enjoyed TBB just fine till I made the mistake of reading a parody.  Now every time I watch the episode, I noticed MORE plot holes.

 

It's possible that none of the other episodes have airtight plots either, but I've never had the nerve to dig into them too much.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh dear, now I have a feeling that the next time I watch it, I'll see nothing but plot holes. Just...focus...on...The....Coat...

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I watched TBB last night and I somehow managed to ignore the boring chinese so called plot and focused only on Sherlock and John. And I was quite enjoying it :)

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

1 The sign of three

2 A scandal in Belgravia

3 A study in pink

 

4 The empty hearse

5 His last vow

6 The Reichenbach Fall

7 The great game

8 The hounds of Baskerville

9  The blind banker

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

At this point, TBB sits better with me, and HLV less. Plus, I've rewatched A Study in Pink while introducting 'Sherlock' to more people (yay!), and I'm reminded of how magical it is. Currently, I'd rank the episodes like this (who knows how many times I'll change my mind):

 

1. The Reichenbach Fall

2. A Study in Pink

3. The Hounds of Baskerville

4. The Great Game

5. The Empty Hearse

6. The Sign of Three

7. The Blind Banker

8. A Scandal in Belgravia

9. His Last Vow

 

Mostly, I'm uncertain of how high to rank TEH and ASiB. Part of me wants to rank them higher than I have. TEH is emotionally captivating and tear-jerking, and has some of my favorite scenes. There's also a lot of great humor in it. On the other hand, parts of it are a bit cheesy and lack credibility. ASiB is really funny and has a strong emotional inner conflict, which is both interesting and sad. And it doesn't feel resolved at all by the end of the episode.

 

HLV makes me concerned for what's coming next. It's definitely too dark for my taste. I can't get comfortable with the idea of John being married to a woman who is okay with killing people, as long as it's the "right" people; nor with her shooting Sherlock to protect herself, and certainly not with Sherlock defending her. But to point out a few bright sides, it is very gripping to watch Sherlock fight his way back to life for John, as well as seeing him give up his own future.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mostly, I'm uncertain of how high to rank TEH and ASiB. Part of me wants to rank them higher than I have. TEH is emotionally captivating and tear-jerking, and has some of my favorite scenes. There's also a lot of great humor in it. On the other hand, parts of it are a bit cheesy and lack credibility. ASiB is really funny and has a strong emotional inner conflict, which is both interesting and sad. And it doesn't feel resolved at all by the end of the episode.

 

HLV makes me concerned for what's coming next. It's definitely too dark for my taste. I can't get comfortable with the idea of John being married to a woman who is okay with killing people, as long as it's the "right" people; nor with her shooting Sherlock to protect herself, and certainly not with Sherlock defending her.

 

... while the darkness is precisely what I love about His Last Vow. Stories about damaged people having F***ed up relationships and doing morally murky things will always manage to captivate me, especially if they have generous helpings of all that is good and beautiful strewn in and the endings are at least reasonably happy.

 

I agree with you on The Empty Hearse. What bothers me the most about it is that it seems more like a string of scenes than a complete story. I suppose they just had too much material to squeeze into too little time. But I still love to watch it and it sure beats anything I could ever get on TV in this country.

 

A Scandal in Belgravia is a bit too funny for me in parts, though the ending makes up for that.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine would be;

 

1. The Reichenbach Fall

2. The Great Game

3. A study in Pink

4. Hounds of Baskerville

5. The Sign of three

6. His Last Vow

7. The Blind Banker

8. The Empty Hearse

9. A Scandal in Belgravia

 

 

As it is, I think AsiB is masterfully directed, crafted and acted with some truly hilarious moments.

But I can't just shake off the disappointment for the way they played Irene Adler.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Mostly, I'm uncertain of how high to rank TEH and ASiB. Part of me wants to rank them higher than I have. TEH is emotionally captivating and tear-jerking, and has some of my favorite scenes. There's also a lot of great humor in it. On the other hand, parts of it are a bit cheesy and lack credibility. ASiB is really funny and has a strong emotional inner conflict, which is both interesting and sad. And it doesn't feel resolved at all by the end of the episode.

 

HLV makes me concerned for what's coming next. It's definitely too dark for my taste. I can't get comfortable with the idea of John being married to a woman who is okay with killing people, as long as it's the "right" people; nor with her shooting Sherlock to protect herself, and certainly not with Sherlock defending her.

 

... while the darkness is precisely what I love about His Last Vow.

...

A Scandal in Belgravia is a bit too funny for me in parts, though the ending makes up for that.

I suppose this is a great example of why the show is so popular with us all. It has something for every personality. The dark parts are not my favorites, but the funny bits often are :) Mostly, though, the warm friendship parts are my favorites. And perhaps most of us can even agree on that?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine would be;

 

1. The Reichenbach Fall

2. The Great Game

3. A study in Pink

4. Hounds of Baskerville

5. The Sign of three

6. His Last Vow

7. The Blind Banker

8. The Empty Hearse

9. A Scandal in Belgravia

 

 

As it is, I think AsiB is masterfully directed, crafted and acted with some truly hilarious moments.

But I can't just shake off the disappointment for the way they played Irene Adler.

 

Interesting. How were you disappointed with it, if you don't mind expanding on that? I haven't read the story, but maybe you have?

 

Reichenbach is just perfect, isn't it? I still sometimes get chills when I think of the first time I watched it and saw Sherlock in the very last few seconds. Mind you, I had heard that he survived (I only watched it a year ago), but it still gave me chills. And throughout the entire episode, the dramatic tension just builds up to the point of Sherlock's fall. Ugh, it's gorgeous.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose this is a great example of why the show is so popular with us all. It has something for every personality. The dark parts are not my favorites, but the funny bits often are :) Mostly, though, the warm friendship parts are my favorites. And perhaps most of us can even agree on that?

 

 

I suppose so... at least I've never heard of anybody who is a fan of the series but does not enjoy watching Sherlock and John interact. The supporting cast is really good, but sometimes I think that it would be enough to just watch those two solve crimes and squabble.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mhm, the show has a really wonderful cast; I could not be more happy with the characters, or the actors and actresses. I'd say we could go a long way with just watching Sherlock and John interact, but luckily I love all the others as well.

 

Okay, if I have to be honest, I don't love Mary (I do love Amanda Abbington, though), but I'd rather not focus on that ;) I liked her well enough in TEH and TSoT. Honestly, though, she never really did sit entirely well with me. I actually prefer Sarah. I always liked her a lot.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Sarah had wit and courage and yet she felt human (going into panic mode when kidnapped and such). It's sad that they didn't make more of her and that John and her split up off-screen.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, too bad it ended so abruptly. But maybe anything else would have been too sad. She appealed to me, so I would not have liked to see a sad, tear-jerking break-up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now that you mention it... I would have liked to see them break up. She seemed spirited enough and something tells me that it was her who ended it. I'd also like to see Sherlock's take on that event. Did he even notice? Did he notice and pretend not to? Did he just continue to call John's following two or three girl-friends "Sarah"?

 

Now, if John and Mary should ever separate (I can't really imagine they will, but if they did), I hope it will be on screen.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well the entry in John's blog,
 

Sorry I haven't posted much recently. We've had a few cases which I'll write up when I get chance. Think I needed a break from it all really. That whole business in the swimming pool... I just needed to get away from guns and bombs and maniacs. Went to see an old mate in New Zealand for a couple of weeks. Sarah came too but we broke up shortly afterwards. Not sure my life with Sherlock is compatible with long-term relationships.

More news soon.


makes it sound like a shock- or PTSD- induced breakup. As for Sherlock, there's that exchange:
 

You never told me about Sarah.

Sherlock Holmes 02 May 15:17

You never even noticed I'd been to New Zealand.

John Watson 02 May 14:46

I went shopping earlier. There's some cans of beer in the fridge. Next to the feet.

Sherlock Holmes 02 May 16:50


which is one of my favourites from the blog. Note the timestamps - Sherlock realized that he'd goofed up, so he went out and bought beer as an excuse ;).

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't read the blog much... it doesn't seem to fit with the show too well. But some bits are funny and that little detail about the beer is one of them. That's exactly how I'd expect Sherlock to deal with things like this.

 

Now, by series 3, Sherlock has learned quite a lot. I don't think that he'd stop at a can of beer and assumed indifference it anything went wrong with John's marriage. We've already seen him go to considerable lengths for it. I am surprised at how well I like the change in him. If anybody had told me beforehand "in the second episode of series 3, you'll see Sherlock take his duties as a wedding planner so seriously he'll be reluctant to go on a case because of them" and "Sherlock fails to realize John's fiancée is a killer because he likes her and John as a couple so much", I'd have probably refused to give the new episodes any chance at all. But as they are, The Sign of Three is one of my favorites now.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Mine would be;

 

1. The Reichenbach Fall

2. The Great Game

3. A study in Pink

4. Hounds of Baskerville

5. The Sign of three

6. His Last Vow

7. The Blind Banker

8. The Empty Hearse

9. A Scandal in Belgravia

 

 

As it is, I think AsiB is masterfully directed, crafted and acted with some truly hilarious moments.

But I can't just shake off the disappointment for the way they played Irene Adler.

 

Interesting. How were you disappointed with it, if you don't mind expanding on that? I haven't read the story, but maybe you have?

 

In the original book, Sherlock is fascinated by Adler and admires her because she is the only person who outsmarted him. That was the one case where Sherlock lost. Watson makes it clear that Sherlock had no romantic affection towards Adler - which just fits perfectly with both canon Holmes as well as BC's Sherlock. As both have clearly stated that they are cold towards love and think of it nothing other than a weakness. (Sherlock says this in Aso3 I think)

 

So I think it would have been infinitely better had Irene had the last laugh in AsiB and truly beaten Sherlock atleast in one way or other. (they can't have him losing the entire terrorist case of course)

It remains an inconsistency for me, that Sherlock falls for Irene more or less for her beauty and seduction than her wits.

The difference being, ACD's Adler feels more modern with her sharp brains than the BBC Adler whose main weapon seems to be seduction and her sexuality.

 

//vent over

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aha. Thanks for explaining. I'm not sure what Sherlock mostly falls for in Irene, but it is obvious that he's not immune to her charms. I kind of like that he's not so superhuman as to avoid love and sentiment entirely. His brain may say one thing, but he also later admits the advantages of love (though not romantically).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn't really have mind Sherlock having feelings for Irene if they also showed Sherlock admiring her intellect equally. But minus the case of the hiker, that is completely absent. :(

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've come to really like her character. But I would have preferred that her profession be ... oh, I don't know, a CEO or something. But no, she has to be in the sex trade, cuz as usual that's the only place women can dominate men ...... :(

 

By the way, can I say how much I admire the little I've seen of Lady Smallwood?

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

By the way, can I say how much I admire the little I've seen of Lady Smallwood?

 

   Oh I think that you can. I do as well. She was the only one who had the brains and the courage to stand up to him, even though she probably knew it was going to cost her big time. Obviously, she couldn't have known how high the cost would be to Sherlock once she decided to involve him.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've come to really like her character. But I would have preferred that her profession be ... oh, I don't know, a CEO or something. But no, she has to be in the sex trade, cuz as usual that's the only place women can dominate men ...... :(

 

Well, Irene had to be sexually scandalous so they'd be able to use at least part of the original plot. And it's pretty hard to think of something that would cause a public stir in that area in this day and age, so of course they had to do something quite extreme with her.

 

No wonder they chose a completely different angle for Magnussen (the original Milverton mostly concerned himself with sex scandals as well).

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now that you mention it... I would have liked to see them break up. She seemed spirited enough and something tells me that it was her who ended it. I'd also like to see Sherlock's take on that event. Did he even notice? Did he notice and pretend not to? Did he just continue to call John's following two or three girl-friends "Sarah"?

 

Well the entry in John's blog,

 

Sorry I haven't posted much recently. We've had a few cases which I'll write up when I get chance. Think I needed a break from it all really. That whole business in the swimming pool... I just needed to get away from guns and bombs and maniacs. Went to see an old mate in New Zealand for a couple of weeks. Sarah came too but we broke up shortly afterwards. Not sure my life with Sherlock is compatible with long-term relationships.

makes it sound like a shock- or PTSD- induced breakup.

 

 

I don't think so.  Note that John says "we broke up" -- translation: she dumped him.  John's presumably right about life with Sherlock vs. long-term relationships.

 

P.S.:  I liked Sarah too.  But I also think (hope?) that Mary has possibilities.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

I've come to really like her character. But I would have preferred that her profession be ... oh, I don't know, a CEO or something. But no, she has to be in the sex trade, cuz as usual that's the only place women can dominate men ...... :(

Well, Irene had to be sexually scandalous so they'd be able to use at least part of the original plot. And it's pretty hard to think of something that would cause a public stir in that area in this day and age, so of course they had to do something quite extreme with her.

A sex worker would not be the only place for someone to be sexually scandalous.sex scandals occur from all sorts of classes. They could simply have given ACD a nod and made her a celebrity of some sort.

 

In the original, Adler too was scandalous despite her profession being an opera singer.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 11 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of UseWe have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.Privacy PolicyGuidelines.