Sherlock Season 3 on PBS (2014)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Vidiot, Nov 23, 2013.

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  1. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    I haven't seen the wedding episode yet, but I thought that the 3rd season premiere was uncharacteristically comical. It doesn't surprise me though because Moffatt was also the writer of one of my favorite UK comedy series. However, since watching that episode, my wife and I have started to re-watch the whole Moriarty arc, and I've noticed a lot more comic relief than registered the first time.
     
  2. DesertChaos

    DesertChaos Forum Resident

    Yeah, I've always noticed the humor in the show but it has been for the most part quite subtle and generally not what people are watching the show for. Often it's just a quick look on Sherlock's face (Cumberbatch has gotten so good at that!) combined with the Watson reaction and it's easy to miss when trying to keep up with the plot and his extremely fast talking (a problem for me sometimes as I can have trouble with the brit accent). Glad they just let loose for an episode like this one...serious fun.
     
  3. tonyc

    tonyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I'm behind on the series. For some reason, I really have to be in the right mood to watch. And I just got in that mood. Anyway, just watched Season 3 Episode 1. The perfect mix of comedy, drama and an intelligent mystery. By far my favorite episode probably until the next one.
     
  4. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Holy moley! This final episode is not only the best damned episode of the series, I think it might be in the Top 5 Best TV Shows I've seen in the last decade. F'in' phenomenal. Great, great show. There's more twists and turns in this one show than in an average year of most American detective shows. Just stunning.

    It's gonna kill me having to wait a year for more episodes... :realmad:
     
  5. sbeck201

    sbeck201 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wreay, Cumbria, UK
    I've just bought the 3 series box set, so I'm going to have a Sherlock session (when I've finished my current Battlestar Galactica box set). I've never re-watched any Sherlock episodes so it'll be fun trying to spot things I missed the first time round.
     
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  6. Jack White

    Jack White Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    As a Sherlock Holmes fan since my youth, I don't mind if the stories, either for 'Sherlock' or CBS' 'Elementary' are updated and set in contemporary times. I get that the producers of both shows are playing with the Holmes legend and paradigms and having some fun. And I enjoy much of that - I find both series very entertaining; however I think both series have gotten some things very wrong. I do mind if the rudimentary basics of the characters are changed, and the more I think about 'Sherlock' the more I find I disagree [although not always dislike] the fundamentals of this series. First of all, Sherlock Holmes is not a "high functioning sociopath"; anyone who has read the stories and understands them knows that he isn't even a misanthrope. That character in 'Sherlock' really isn't Holmes, not even a 'Holmes' retooled for 21th century sensibilities. And Watson doesn't have a subconscious and unhealthy obsession/ attraction towards the darker, violent side of life. And neither is a co-dependent/ enabler of the other's mental health deficiencies. Another aspect both 'Sherlock' and 'Elementary' get wrong is the character of Mycroft and his relationship to his brother.
     
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  7. PNeski@aol.com

    [email protected] Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Not sure if that's true ,but it was fine, the villain was great I just figure we won't know what's really happening till next season
     
  8. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Just buy it as a new version of the old character.

    Next thing, you'll be telling me that the new guy playing Superman isn't like the 1940s comic books. It's clear to me that the writers and producers of Sherlock have a lot of love and affection for the characters and original stories, and all they're doing is putting a new spin on old classics. I have no problem believing that this is how the great detective would behave in modern times.

    Hey, at least Watson isn't a dunce, like Nigel Bruce. (I know -- he wasn't a dunce in the Conan-Doyle stories, either.) I've read all the Conan-Doyle stories about 50 times each, and I must have at least 20 different Holmes volumes on my shelves. I know these stories backwards and forwards, and I usually wind up laughing out loud when I see a subtle reference in one of the BBC TV shows, like somebody mentioning "the blue carbuncle" in the background, or "the engineer's thumb."
     
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  9. Batigol

    Batigol Active Member

    Location:
    New Haven CT. USA

    Really no need to be so dismissive of his opinion and he is entitled to it. I see his point and have felt similarly at times but to a lesser extent. You can eventually get to the point where the only thing they share are the names. Personally I really don't think the alterations were necessary.

    What really bothers me the most is how Holmes is portrayed as some kind of superhuman with over the top mental capabilities. It's a great show and I very much enjoy it but its stretches in character portrayal like that which makes me feel like I am not really watching Sherlock Holmes. But, that is just me and I tend to lean more to the traditional side of things lol
     
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  10. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR! Thread Starter

    Location:
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    If you listen to the commentaries between producers/co-creators Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat, you'd see that they're extremely knowledgeable about the long history and tradition of Holmes, and they also have a good grasp of what it takes to make a compelling modern TV series. [I believe the current series was the biggest dramatic hit in England in the last decade.] It's clear to me they love the books as much as any fans and managed to put a modern spin on the character while not making him unrecognizable as Conan-Doyle's creation.

    If anything, I object more to the Robert Downey, Jr. movies, because this is the Victorian era Holmes, yet done in a very fast-paced style, far more prickly and weird than even the Sherlock series. Not my thing. I'll go watch them, but I grit my teeth the entire time. (I also hate the way they look, but that's just me.)

    I don't have a problem at all with them modernizing the character for the BBC series, and I actually think Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Holmes is unique and very interesting. I think it takes a lot of courage to create a character that's so self-obsessed, arrogant, yet intelligent, while also balancing him with the very-human and sympathetic character of Martin Freeman's Watson.

    I was blown away by the reveals on Mary Morstan, and I thought the level of acting in the show was astonishingly good. This episode was one of the rare TV experiences I had where I felt like they crammed about 4 hours' worth of plot into the show. Very, very dense, interesting story.

    If you want the original Sherlock, go back to the Conan-Doyle books and stop watching TV. (I'm a huge fan of the William S. Baring-Gould Annotated Sherlock Holmes, which I think I have in about four or five different editions. A fantastic book that adds a lot of depth on how and why Conan-Doyle picked certain names and locations for the stories, and also a reference on how the characters relate to each other in different adventures.)
     
  11. eddiel

    eddiel Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Good point. I'm sure they could've written another TV show to deal with the story and still keep us entertained.
     
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  12. Jack White

    Jack White Senior Member

    Location:
    Canada
    I don't mind if film and television productions play around with the Holmes paradigms, a new spin on old classics. I have no doubt that the show runners are well intentioned and even well versed in the Holmes stories. And as I wrote, I understand what they're doing and why they're doing it. I also wrote that "I enjoy much of that - I find both series very entertaining" and even though I think the series has gotten some things wrong "and the more I think about 'Sherlock' the more I find I disagree [although not always dislike] the fundamentals of this series". I do think the show runners are misguided in some of their interpretations and adaptations. I really don't need Sherlock thunderously declaring [at least two or three times in 'The Last Vow' episode, alone], "I'm a high functioning sociopath!" I don't think the show is staying true to the essence of the character. Especially in this third series/ season, the character has been tweaked with in a playful manner more than previously in the show, which for me has crossed the line in several aspects. Sherlock in this last series and episode constantly reminded me more of 'House' than Holmes [which is ironic, considering 'House' was a sociopathic variation of the Holmes character]. And not just with Holmes. I did laugh out loud at the dark humoured revelation that Mrs. Hudson ran a drug ring with her husband - nice comic relief in that scene - but, afterwards I thought, "Is that right for that character?". And I'm not certain it is.


    Like when the pseudo girlfriend tells Holmes that she earned lots of money selling her story to the tabloids, enough to have bought a cottage on Sussex Downs. The only problem being all of the bee hives on the property, which she'll get rid of quickly.
     
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  13. Tobylab

    Tobylab Active Member

    Location:
    Upstate New York
    I found the series entertaining. I get that the creators wanted to update the characters and settings. I think they could have done this in a way that didn't distort the main players in a manner that veers so far from the originals. It almost seems like they have gone way out of the way to intentionally push the boundaries. A decision I think to attract a new, younger audience. Holmes and Watson's expanded personalities aside. How about Mrs Hudson married to a drug cartel leader? Mycroft and Sherlock apparently despise each other? A new reading for a new generation. As long as Sherlock and lab girl don't start twerking Ill keep watching.
     
  14. gedsmit

    gedsmit Fair Weather Member

    I avoided watching Sherlock - just wasn't drawn in by the idea of it. However, watching this third series at Christmas, especially that 'finale,' was absolutely top drawer!

    So now I'm in the lucky position of having series one and two to look forward to - only a tenner at HMV!
     
  15. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I'm gonna do something I almost never do and go back and watch all 9 episodes over again.

    One thing I noted: the most recent season had very little of Inspector Lestrade in it, and I also missed the "texting" visuals they had from the first two seasons. Both were interesting elements.

    In this final episode, the thing with the ultra-slow motion of the gunshot (on which I won't elaborate) was incredibly well-done. I won't reveal anything except to say that was the highlight of the show to me.
     
  16. Bewaremylove

    Bewaremylove Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    I have really enjoyed all three seasons of this show, and look forward to going back and re-watching them again. There is so much that you miss the first time around. Faithful to the books or not, this is the best show on TV. If anything, this show will help draw interest in the classic stories. You can tell that Cumberbatch and Freeman are having a ball filming this together, and they are a perfect team. I hope there are many more seasons to come.
     
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  17. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR! Thread Starter

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    Hollywood, USA
    If anybody ever doubts at the importance of chemistry in a TV show, watch Sherlock. The give-and-take with both of the lead characters is extraordinarily good, and they work very well together. You feel like they really are friends and that there's a whole world beyond what we see in each episode. That's a very, very rare thing to see in a TV series these days. Chemistry between actors and between characters is a ephemeral quality, one you can't predict until you're right there on the set. The fact that Cumberbatch and Freeman pull this off so well is amazing to watch, and is also a testament to the quality of the scripts and direction. Really, really well-done.
     
  18. DesertChaos

    DesertChaos Forum Resident

    Just watched it this evening (it's a Saturday night thing for us) and once again I'm so impressed by the series. sometimes it's the little things - that false ending where the theme music came in for a few seconds before cutting to the final scene...brilliant.
     
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  19. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR! Thread Starter

    Location:
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    I fell outta my chair laughing at that. I agree, that was very funny.
     
  20. gedsmit

    gedsmit Fair Weather Member

    I liked the Christmas Day scenes at Sherlock and 'Mike's' parents' house! Some great little touches.
     
  21. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I was doubly-shocked to find out that Sherlock's parents were played by Benedict Cumberbatch's actual parents, who are also actors in real life!
     
  22. Solaris

    Solaris a bullet in flight

    Location:
    New Orleans, LA
    Just finished the third series this week (last episode tonight actually) and while I thought the wedding episode was a bit weak, the first and third were outstanding. I did kind of see where the last 20 minutes of the finale were going, but the rest really kept me guessing. Just like the first two series, it seems like three hours of plot in ninety minutes of show, in the most satisfying way.
     
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  23. tonyc

    tonyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I'm finally caught up. Agree totally with vidiot on the quality of the third season finale. Sherlock thinking his way through surviving the bullet was my favorite scene of the series so far. About the only ridiculous thing was Sherlock walking around with a hole in his chest yet having time to get a picture of Mary and a spotlight. But, just so well done transitioning back and forth from laugh out loud comedy to high drama.
     
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  24. HiredGoon

    HiredGoon Forum Resident

    I dunno ... there were plot twists but less mystery in this season. The one real puzzle was in the second episode about who was gunna cark it and how ... well the who was very easy to figure out, at least the how was unusual ... but even then the mystery to be solved was a sub plot, as the episode was basically setup for the plot twist in the third episode.

    And the third episode ... hello, I am the super-villian who is shown in every scene with armed guards following me everywhere ... but Mr Sherlock and Dr Holmes, won't you please come to my house where I will not have any guards about and will not even frisk you for weapons before I reveal my strategic weak spot completely unprotected? Pfffft.

    --Geoff
     
  25. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Ya got me there! I would kinda shrug and say, "this shows why the villain was very, very smug and arrogant," but that's all I can come up with. The twist with the "memory palace" was very clever -- something that I'd only seen used once before, in one of the Hannibal Lector books.
     
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