Sherlock - The Empty Hearse
Jan. 26th, 2014 02:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
daibhidcYes, finally. I bought the DVD on Thursday. And then I couldn't get the DVD player to work properly...
I'd had it spoilered that the opening scene wasn't the real answer, which is a shame because I could have spent it being infuriated that it didn't make sense, and then "Aaahh..."
(And getting this out of the way at the start, what did I think of the real explanation? I'll let you know once I'm convinced I've seen it. Did we get a flashforward to Sherlock giving the real answer to Philip, who then went a bit mad; did we get a flashforward to Sherlock giving an answer to Phillip, who then went a bit mad; or did we just get Phillip going a bit mad?)
I did like the Empty Hearse as a concept - L.I.N.D.A. for Sherlock! - especially the slashficcer, although the name seems like a desperate attempt to have a title that sounds like "The Empty House". "The Empty Car" would have more to do with the actual story, although it lacks the play on words. "The Empty Coach" almost works, but Howard wouldn't approve. Anyway, back to the story.
The establishment of where everyone was post-death was nicely done,
Mycroft going undercover to extract Holmes was cool, and I liked the throwaway mention of Baron Maupertuis (from an untold case mentioned in "The Reigate Squires") as a member of Moriarty's organisation.
I laughed out loud at Sherlock's conviction that the best way to tell John he was alive was to turn up in disguise and surprise him, just like in the book. I think John's reaction here is much more believable. And I'm glad Mary likes Sherlock from the start and there's not some tiresome jealousy storyline.
Another neat touch; when he announces himself to Mrs Hudson (now there's someone he might have given a heart attack), he's silloutetted against the window - a significant part of "The Empty House".
A nice juxtaposition of John running his medical practice and Sherlock running his detective agency. I think one of the cases was "A Case of Identity" and the others were original?
Moffatt said in an interview that Sherlock had regressed in his two years away, but I didn't see it; he's nice to Molly, and doesn't even seem to be working hard at doing so, and he has a fascinating conversation with Mycroft about their relative isolations. This is a Sherlock who may not always "get" people, but at least he knows they're important.
The dodgy DVD seller who is virtually identical to the wizened old bookseller in "The Empty House" but isn't Sherlock had me in hysterics - I could see where it was going from the start, but that just made it funnier.
I love how normal Sherlock's parents are! I hope we see more of them. Kind of disappointed Sherlock's father isn't called Siger, but that would have telegraphed it a bit.
The actual plot didn't have much to do with "The Empty House", except inasmuch as the villain was called Moran. "Sumatra Road" is a reference both to the Giant Rat of Sumatra, for which the world is not yet prepared, and the Sumatra Company that Baron M was involved with.
John's kidnapping was unexpected. I like that Mary worked out the cypher heself. (And "John or James"? Well that's got to be the geekiest Canon reference yet.)
I'd worked out the Underground Network before Sherlock, but I had the advantage of knowing that the tube train was significant, because it had been given more time than the other cases except Phillip's fake one, and was the only one he hadn't solved.
The scene in the train was great, except that it featured the most cinematic bomb I've ever seen. A big metal sphere, covered in tubes, that is activated by remote but still has a large friendly digital timer?
And the case is solved, but what's actually going on isn't. On to the next one...
I'd had it spoilered that the opening scene wasn't the real answer, which is a shame because I could have spent it being infuriated that it didn't make sense, and then "Aaahh..."
(And getting this out of the way at the start, what did I think of the real explanation? I'll let you know once I'm convinced I've seen it. Did we get a flashforward to Sherlock giving the real answer to Philip, who then went a bit mad; did we get a flashforward to Sherlock giving an answer to Phillip, who then went a bit mad; or did we just get Phillip going a bit mad?)
I did like the Empty Hearse as a concept - L.I.N.D.A. for Sherlock! - especially the slashficcer, although the name seems like a desperate attempt to have a title that sounds like "The Empty House". "The Empty Car" would have more to do with the actual story, although it lacks the play on words. "The Empty Coach" almost works, but Howard wouldn't approve. Anyway, back to the story.
The establishment of where everyone was post-death was nicely done,
Mycroft going undercover to extract Holmes was cool, and I liked the throwaway mention of Baron Maupertuis (from an untold case mentioned in "The Reigate Squires") as a member of Moriarty's organisation.
I laughed out loud at Sherlock's conviction that the best way to tell John he was alive was to turn up in disguise and surprise him, just like in the book. I think John's reaction here is much more believable. And I'm glad Mary likes Sherlock from the start and there's not some tiresome jealousy storyline.
Another neat touch; when he announces himself to Mrs Hudson (now there's someone he might have given a heart attack), he's silloutetted against the window - a significant part of "The Empty House".
A nice juxtaposition of John running his medical practice and Sherlock running his detective agency. I think one of the cases was "A Case of Identity" and the others were original?
Moffatt said in an interview that Sherlock had regressed in his two years away, but I didn't see it; he's nice to Molly, and doesn't even seem to be working hard at doing so, and he has a fascinating conversation with Mycroft about their relative isolations. This is a Sherlock who may not always "get" people, but at least he knows they're important.
The dodgy DVD seller who is virtually identical to the wizened old bookseller in "The Empty House" but isn't Sherlock had me in hysterics - I could see where it was going from the start, but that just made it funnier.
I love how normal Sherlock's parents are! I hope we see more of them. Kind of disappointed Sherlock's father isn't called Siger, but that would have telegraphed it a bit.
The actual plot didn't have much to do with "The Empty House", except inasmuch as the villain was called Moran. "Sumatra Road" is a reference both to the Giant Rat of Sumatra, for which the world is not yet prepared, and the Sumatra Company that Baron M was involved with.
John's kidnapping was unexpected. I like that Mary worked out the cypher heself. (And "John or James"? Well that's got to be the geekiest Canon reference yet.)
I'd worked out the Underground Network before Sherlock, but I had the advantage of knowing that the tube train was significant, because it had been given more time than the other cases except Phillip's fake one, and was the only one he hadn't solved.
The scene in the train was great, except that it featured the most cinematic bomb I've ever seen. A big metal sphere, covered in tubes, that is activated by remote but still has a large friendly digital timer?
And the case is solved, but what's actually going on isn't. On to the next one...
