© BBC Pictures Episode: 4.02 "The Lying Detective"
Directed by: Nick Hurran
Written by: Steven Moffat
Air dates: 8 January 2017
Now that was a brilliant episode, much better than the premiere. I'd probably enjoy it even more without the final twist, but I'm willing to ignore that for a moment and trust the writers. Other than that unexpected addition at the end of the episode, it was a great emotional hour with quite a villain, a few reveals about fan favorite characters and most importantly a plan to reunite Watson and Holmes. But before I get to the main duo, let me focus on the other good and bad guys of the story. Starting from the so-called villain of the week.
Just when I think we can't possibly have a more disturbing and creepy villain than Charles Augustus Magnussen, we are introduced to a sickening entrepreneur called Culverton Smith. Even though he's certainly not as intelligent as CAM, Smith managed to create himself a "Murder Castle" in a hospital which construction he controlled and paid for. Whenever he gets an urge to kill someone he uses one of the many secret passages in one of the hospital's wings and murders one of its patients, making it seem like an accident or a death by natural causes. He finds relief and joy in what he calls "making people into things" and it's incredibly hard to watch him, especially when he enters a morgue and treats the dead there like they're his playthings. It's absolutely abhorring and unfortunately quite memorable. There's one more thing that's also characteristic for him, his addiction to confessing his crimes regularly and then removing the memory of his actions from the people he forced to listen to him. I have to admit, to this moment, I can't quite believe all that people just agreed to be drugged with something that can inhibit their memory... Anyway, his need to kill and confess is something that Sherlock uses against him during a long and demanding plan. Even though the police is not able to secure enough evidence to imprison him, once he starts, apparently he "can't stop confessing".
Taking a closer look at the rest of the characters, let me start by saying just how great Mrs. Hudson truly is. One of the best things about the show is how it gives an opportunity for all its characters and actors to shine at times. It’s not necessarily a bigger story with a strong connection to the main plot, but sometimes all the little things make quite a difference, turning a good show into a great one and changing ordinary characters into fan favorites. Probably the best example of that when it comes to Sherlock is the character of Mrs. Hudson, a genuine friend, not-a-landlady and strong female with colorful past. This week, when things get really bad with Sherlock, she quickly takes initiative and reunites Holmes with Watson, leaving John no option but to get involved once more. I also love these little hints we get about “the secret life” of Mrs. Hudson. Her adventures alone would make for one entertaining miniseries. Shame we haven’t got to see too much of Lestrade, Molly or “You lower the IQ of the entire street” Anderson this season. Though Greg finally got to hear Sherlock using his actual name and found a possible girlfriend, so…
On the other hand, the person with quite a significant presence this season is certainly Mycroft. After meeting Holmes’ parents in season three, I still can’t believe how could they have ended up with all these children, especially considering the final reveal of the episode. We already knew that Mycroft's been hiding something, a truth about 'Sherringford' which was often theorised to be related to a third Holmes brother. Seems that the audience "almost" got it right. There's definitely another Holmes, it's just not a brother, but a sister. Quite a nice callback to the first deductions Sherlock made about John, back in series premiere. Personally, I wasn't a big fan of the twist when I watched it for the first time, but like I mentioned at the beginning of the review, I'm willing to reconsider. Sherlock's secret sister, Eurus' sudden appearance and all the references recently made by the brothers ("There’s an East Wind coming") certainly have me wondering just how much do they know about what their sister's been up to. So far we know that she's behind "did you miss me?" surprise (still miss Moriarty, to be honest) and she's also the one who contacted Sherlock, introducing herself as Culverton Smith's daughter and convincing him to take the case in the first place. But what's especially hurtful in the context of recent events, she's the person that Watson was flirting with before Mary's death as well as his new therapist.
Taking that all into consideration, I can't help but feel really sorry for John. His world quite clearly fell apart and she's made things so much worse and painful for him. There's nothing "normal" or "fine" about the new life of John Watson. Losing Mary became quite a turning point for him, enough that he can't even find strength in himself to focus on raising his daughter. He feels like he's letting her down, like he let down Mary before... There's a struggle happening between his mind and heart. At two different moments of the episode he once blames Sherlock for Mary's death and then admits he understands it was Mary's choice to save Holmes' life and she's the only one who made it. I do wonder how much of Sherlock's speech he heard before he got to Mary right before her death. I don't think it's something we will be returning to, though, so let's focus on the rest. The one thing we know about Watson is that he's not one to ask or really accept help. He has a history of going to therapy but he has a trouble with opening up and it hasn't truly been working for him. When Sherlock "died", Mary's the one who brought him back from the edge and now it was up to Sherlock to save his best friend. And through all the craziness that took place during the episode, he did quite a lot to help in his own way. There were several significant scenes during the hour that I wanted to highlight in SOTW article and the review, especially the confrontation in the morgue, Watson finding Mary's recording and running to save Sherlock's life, and finally the breakdown near the end. This has to be one of Martin Freeman's best performances on the show and he already had so many of the great ones. John's entire speech, admitting to the emotional cheating and not being the man that Mary believed him to be, but wanting so much to become just that, the whole part where he speaks to her, even though we all know she's no longer there, is such an emotional and heartbreaking one. Beautifully done, truly.
And finally, Sherlock. The fact that his deteriorating condition would be a part of his plan wasn't that surprising. The only moment when I had doubts was the confrontation in the morgue, a powerful performance by all involved, when the real daughter showed up and Holmes is no longer sure whether he truly met her or not. Even though his behavior was expected, the execution was really well done. There comes a point when you're not certain how far he's willing to go and if his life is actually on the line. Benedict Cumberbatch does an incredible job at portraying this unhinged, intoxicated and lost Sherlock Holmes. In case there were any doubts, Sherlock deeply cares about John Watson, and even though his ploy is important part of exposing Smith, it's also fulfilling Mary's last wish, to "Save John" by letting him save Holmes from a danger of death. It doesn't work entirely as planned, though Sherlock's predictions at the beginning (with Molly's arrival and the car) were impressively spot-on. The entire sequence with Holmes in the hospital bed, talking to a serial killer and waiting for John, while we see Mary's complete recording, was, once again, an excellent part. Intense, powerful, even scary but wonderfully acted. But it's the final reunion between Sherlock and John, back on Baker Street, that steals the hour for me. I already talked about Watson's part in that scene, but I loved how honest and supportive Sherlock turned out to be in that moment. Simply hugging his friend and telling him they're all just human who make mistakes. And that's exactly what John needed at this point. Good to have these two back!
1. Mycroft and Lady Smallwood - who would have thought? Seems that Sherlock is not the only Holmes who's changing his perspective of the world.
2. Mrs. Hudson really doesn't think much of Mycroft. The way she kicked everyone out of the apartment made quite an impression! So many brilliant moments with her in the episode!
3. Looks like there was a reason behind the flirting plot. Still not happy about the idea, but I see where the writers were going with it. Also, of course the only woman who could come between John and Mary would be a Holmes.
4. Didn't expect to hear about Irene Adler, but now that we know she and Sherlock are still in contact, I'd be happy to find out more about her current whereabouts.
5. And last: Happy Birthday, Sherlock! That was a lovely surprise and a great deduction by Watson.
Memorable quotes:
1. Mary: "The only way to save John is to make him save you."
2. Mrs. Hudson: "Get out of my house, you reptile."
3. John: Whose car is that?
Mrs. Hudson: That's my car.
John: How can that be your car?
Mrs: Hudson: Oh for God's sake. I was married to a drug dealer, I own property in Central London, and for the last bloody time John Watson, I'm not your housekeeper!
4. John: "Why does everything have to be understandable? Why can't some things be unacceptable, and we just say that?"
5. Watson: "When Sherlock Holmes wants to get in touch, it's not something you can fail to notice."
6. Sherlock: “It's not a pleasant thought, John, but I have this terrible feeling from time to time that we might all just be human."
John: "Even you?"
Sherlock: "No. Even you."
What did you think about "The Lying Detective"? Any favorite scenes and/or quotes? Don't miss all new Sherlock airing tonight at 9pm on BBC One and at 7/6c on PBS. Thanks for reading!
