![]() ![]() And of course we can’t forget Toby Jones, who has on several occasions before terrorised us with his villainous portrayals. She was such an exceptional addition to the cast with her sassy wit that it’s such a shame to lose her. This scene was beautiful in so many ways because of the chemistry between these two actors.Īnd in between the two of them, Amanda Abbington shines brilliantly, playing both the character of Mary, and John’s internal deductive monologue. ![]() We need to be able to operate in a world where men can openly show their emotion without being ridiculed or emasculated for it. Whether you want to ship these two characters or not, it’s a touching scene that only these two actors could make work and feel truthful. And the most heartbreaking and heartwarming moment we see, is Freeman breaking down into ugly crying and Cumberbatch embracing him after the two finally reconcile. Cumberbatch, the wild and untamed addict, at a point where he can almost no longer trust his greatest weapon, his mind. ![]() Freeman encapsulating something we too often see in men, a stubborn refusal to accept help, the stiff upper lip and a man in denial. If you hadn’t already guessed it by now courtesy of Cumberbatch and Freeman’s Hollywood A-listing, it’s pretty damn obvious that those two are magnificent, and here we see exactly why. So tonally it feels similar to what we’ve seen before with BBC Sherlock. Something that has worked to great effect with this series as a whole. There are short bursts of comedy interspersed between the drama, tension and emotion. Where last week’s episode felt a bit of a mish-mash of elements thrown together, this one has the attention and story fall square on our key characters, Sherlock, John and Culverton. There’s less visual background and background noise to distract us. Then there’s the subtle hints dropped by Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss) about Sherrinford, another Holmes sibling perhaps? Visually there are long close ups and focus shots on our characters. We get to see Sherlock in full maniac flight as his drug taking begins to addle his mind and paranoia sets in. John’s PTSD comes to the forefront as he hallucinates Mary and is trying to come to grips with her death. ‘The Lying Detective’ straight out of the gates is a deeply intimate episode, directed by Nick Hurran and written by Steven Moffat. But has Sherlock gone too far with his drug-fuelled accusations this time? This might be a game that he can’t afford to play. There’s something fishy about Culverton though, and despite John’s attempts to avoid getting dragged into the mess, Sherlock is desperate and alone. ![]() And then there’s Culverton, a famous, wealthy, entrepreneur and philanthropist and the man very publicly accused by Sherlock as being a serial killer. Then there’s Sherlock, getting high on drugs, shouting Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry V’ speech and ranting about Culverton Smith ( Toby Jones) being a serial killer. We’re immediately thrust into Watson’s PTSD, hallucinating his now dead wife and seeing a new psychiatrist, as well as avoiding Sherlock. Where last week’s episode felt like a look into the life of Mary Watson ( Amanda Abbington) and her mercenary assassin past, this week delves deeply into both John Watson ( Martin Freeman) and Sherlock Holmes’ ( Benedict Cumberbatch) lives. Tread carefully, for ahead there be spoilers. This week’s episode ‘The Lying Detective’ has us entering into much darker territory, particularly with Mary’s ominous posthumous message “Go to Hell, Sherlock”. The biggest shockwave, the death of Mary Watson, will now result in tidal wave ripples that affect not just the characters but also where the story goes. The episode for most felt like a step away from the format we’ve been used to seeing, whether this was deliberate or accidental, in the end it doesn’t matter as what’s done is done. The Guardian’s review even resulted in co-creator and the episode’s writer Mark Gatiss rebutting their critique in verse. Some were praising, others were less positive. Last week’s episode ‘The Six Thatchers’ (Series 4 Episode 1) received some mixed reviews in the media. ![]()
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