Originally published by L.S. Media. January 16th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating *****
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Andrew Scott, Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs, Mark Gatiss, Jonathon Aris, Loo Brealey, Amber Elizabeth, Pano Masti, Katherine Parkinson, Vinette Robinson.
Save the best till last, always keep the audience wanting more and keep them guessing…even if it means the clamour and noise from the enormous fan base that’s been the envy of many other prime time television programmes gets louder and louder until the B.B.C. and the Moffat/Gatiss writing team confirm that there will be a, hopefully, third series.
The third and final episode of Sherlock saw the eponymous consulting detective take on his nemesis, his own private hellion in a battle of wits that would see each other destroyed. Titled the Reichenbach Fall, the plot was more engaging, more in keeping with the idea of 21st century celebrity and how the establishment and public will build you up and then willingly kick you, beat you and finally destroy you when the time comes. Unless you can keep the private side, very private and step back into the shadows when the noise becomes too much, celebrity will ultimately kill you.
The clues were there, everywhere the viewer looked; this was to be Holmes’ finest and most destructive hour. From the wonderful musical score which included Rossini’s La Gazza Ladra, (The Thieving Magpie) and bizarrely a snapshot of The Bee Gee’s hit Stayin’ Alive. This last song being played out as Holmes and Moriarty played the final moves in a chess match that saw both of them regarding themselves as kings on opposing sides but ultimately as disposable pawns. Moriarty stated that he hated the song as it reminded him of the ordinary, just staying alive. If there is anything about this complex and utterly riveting series of stories is that they are beyond ordinary, they are tales of our time and deserve a bow!
If this was the television hit that it deserves to be then the three main actors portraying Holmes, Watson and Moriarty had to be on top form. In Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman and Andrew Scott the viewers had three strong and absorbing actors who captured every detail, every singular facet that makes the characters so interesting and demanding, perfectly and without any deference to previous actors who played the parts. The mental tussle between Mr. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Andrew Scott’s utterly mesmerising and compelling Moriarty made this encounter between the two men one that stands out above all!
The depiction of criminal insanity and the need to destroy your supposed equal is nothing more than a game to Moriarty and the biggest piece, the most prized asset of them all is to see the British public and in particular John Watson turn against Holmes by showing evidence that Holmes orchestrated it all. Where the public, in the face of Lestrade and his team faltered and accused, John Watson stayed loyal. The pain and agony on Martin Freeman’s face during the final few scenes was television at its highest quality.
The series has been charming, mesmerizing and riveting. With only a few moments of unrealistic demands, for example the ease in which it was deduced the name of the killer in episode two, this has been nothing short of the B.B.C. doing what it does best. High quality drama, excellent character based story lines and a perfect homage to the memory of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the greatest fictional detective ever created. There can only be one Holmes, there can only be one Sherlock.
Ian D. Hall