Recap: Sherlock, Season 4

Disclaimer: If you have NOT watched Sherlock yet, please leave and do so. Preferably not in school. Or without parental permission. Or without legal permission. The point is, watch it while being good.

Hey, friends! Marcus and Dev here, and we’re gonna spoil everything about the new season of Sherlock!

Sherlock is a BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) original series. It’s a spinoff of the original Sherlock Holmes series, including key characters like Mycroft Holmes and the great Moriarity. They cover almost all the original Sherlock Holmes stories, but normally each one comes with a little twist. For instance, “A Study in Scarlet” becomes “A Study in Pink”. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” becomes “The Hounds of Baskerville,” and more. If you’re looking for something new, don’t worry. As I said before, each story follows certain Arthur Doyle guidelines, but with a refreshing twist of story and plot, the latter new and completely from scratch. Here are the key characters from Sherlock:

Sherlock: Benedict Cumberbatch

Sherlock Holmes is… at best, anti-social. At worst, a high functioning sociopath. (Nailed it!)

Dr. John Watson: Martin Freeman

John Watson Sherlock’s best (and only) friend. He was a doctor in the war in Afghanistan and experienced minor PTSD.

Inspector LeStrade: Rupert Graves

LeStrade is a police inspector and often works with Sherlock.

Molly Hooper*: Louise Brealey

A lab/morgue worker. Potential love interest for Sherlock.

Mary Watson: Amanda Abbington

John’s fiancée. Has martial arts skills, mothering skills, and an interesting backstory.

Mrs. Hudson: Una Stubbs

The owner of the flat Sherlock lives in. She is an old lady that brings a lot of humor to the show.

Mycroft: Mark Gatiss

Sherlock’s older brother is just as smart but much more social.

*indicates new character. Not from the original stories.

But, while that’s all nice and well, I’m here to talk about Season 4 of Sherlock. As seen from the big bad letters in the beginning, those of you that haven’t watched the season should be gone. Those of you that have, welcome! And finally, those of you that just decided to ignore the disclaimer, GET OUT.

So! Season 4 starts off where the Abominable Bride left off. Named The Six Thatchers, the story includes key elements of the original Napoleon story, but with a different achievement. SOMEONE is breaking all the Margaret Thatcher statues they can find, and Sherlock Holmes decides to put a stop to it. The episode ends with a shocking death and an interesting will.

The return of the series was refreshing with this first suspenseful episode. New characters, new plots, and new conflicts. Sherlock returns as the lovable, unsociable detective that we all know and love, and Watson, everyone’s favorite sidekick. The plot was captivating, and each character as funny and witty as ever. The only thing that bothered me was the surprise plot twist, which I felt was maybe a little bit TOO extreme.

For those of you that ignored the disclaimer (I know you are still here. I know all.), I’m not going to spoil any more.

 

The second episode, titled The Lying Detective, has Sherlock meet with entrepreneur Culverton Smith. The cereal killer (pun intended) is more than a little suspicious, and it all gets better when his… daughter arrives in Sherlock’s flat. She comes to him with a case, and then they have chips.

The second episode focuses more on mind games, not to mention willpower. Our main detective now had a drug problem, sending the already insane plot down the chute and into chaos. Culverton Smith is almost like a second Moriarity, constantly hunting Sherlock. The ending was absolutely amazing, with one of the biggest plot twists and our deceased character making one last appearance. While the second episode was amazing, the plot, if you narrowed it down, was actually rather small and weak compared to the other episodes.

The third and final episode (The Final Problem) has Sherlock up against time, running through a sick, sadistic labyrinth in order to save his loved ones. This final episode reveals Sherlock’s entire past, solving the mystery about Sherlock’s beloved… dog, Redbeard. From beginning to end, it was perfectly destructive, fitting for a Sherlock finale.

The last installment in season four was absolutely insane. There was almost no stop in the action, and the actors took “extreme” to its limits. This may be the one episode that I can’t criticize.

Thank you for reading our Sherlock Season 4 review. If you enjoyed, please leave a comment below letting us know that you want more of this type of article.

Marcus and Dev, signing off!

About the Author

mchiang
I am a 6th grader with interesting hobbies. I like reading, writing, video games, and mild cheeses. Is fluent in English, Pig Latin, Canadian, British, and Australian.
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