(applause)
- Someone call Molly Hooper because Sherlock might be DOA?
Welcome to Nerdist News.
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When Sherlock premiered all the way
back in 2010, it was almost an instant hit.
The combination of Steven Moffat's crackling dialogues,
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic plotting,
and Benedict Cumberbatch's dangerously perfect cheekbones,
Ooooooooh,
made for a show that appealed to Sherlockians,
old and new, alike.
But after seven years and a whopping 13 episodes,
or more like movies, the public's admiration
for the show has definitely waned.
Starting with the second season, Sherlock was
under criticism for over-the-top storylines,
ridiculous plot holes, and character motivations
that not even the world's greatest detective could decipher.
And these complaints only seemed to get worse
with each passing season.
But now that Season Four has come to a close
with the The Final Problem, an episode
that most people seem to think
also serves as the series finale,
the question on all of our minds is,
did Sherlock stick the landing?
Did Steven Moffat manage to overcome the series'
stumbling blocks and deliver a swan song
that hit all the right notes?
According to the critics, the elementary answer,
my dear Watson, is a big, fat, nah.
Or as Holmes himself might put it,
"This finale was so bad, it lowered the IQ
of the whole street.
Reviews were not kind for the episode to say the least.
Vox called it a "huge disappointment."
The Guardian said that the show has transformed into
quote "an annoying self parody."
And even Nerdist's very own Sherlock fanatic
Kyle Anderson commented that quote,
"The Final Problem might be the most apt title of all."
The general consensus seems to be that in its final hour,
Sherlock took a hard turn away from everything
that made the show work, opting to abandon
any of Conan Doyle's storylines, in favor of a plot
that seemed like it was borrowed from one of the
lesser Saw sequels.
But even if Sherlock had managed to rise to the occasion,
would fans have cared?
The Final Problem was the lowest rated episode
of the entire series, suggesting
that the show's mounting frustrations, managed
to drive away a serious chunk of its viewership.
However, ratings may have also been affected
by Russian hackers, Russian hackers,
who leaked the episode earlier in the week.
Uh, come on Russian hackers! If you want to ruin someone
with a leaked video, we all know
you have some golden footage, everyone is dying to see.
Leave Cumberbatch alone!
- Offensive.
- So there you have it.
It looks like Sherlock is dead and buried
and it's hard to imagine it ever making a comeback,
especially now that Cumberbatch is the MCU's
resident Doctor on Call.
But, as every good Sherlockian knows,
Holmes has evaded certain doom on numerous occasions,
so even with all the odds stacked against it,
could Sherlock the show come back to life
more sprightly and wickedly condescending than ever?
Of course!
For one thing, Sherlock's home is the BBC,
and they're not handcuffed to the
restricting series structures
that we American viewers have to
sometimes suffer through.
Outside of Victorian Special, there was a 3-year gap
between Series Three and Series Four,
and we could definitely see the show's regulars
deciding they were ready for a reunion
after a similarly long stretch.
Maybe not as a full series, but certainly
as a Christmas Special or a one-off TV Movie.
What's more, ultimately the show's problems
are pretty easy solves.
Sherlock shines when it's focusing
on its characters and their crime solving skills,
and with a huge well of classic Sherlock stories
still left to draw on, there are more than enough mysteries,
for Holmes and Watson to solve.
But what do you think?
Are you hoping The Final Problem
isn't Sherlock's final problem?
And were you as disappointed by the Finale
as the rest of the Internet?
Let's discuss.
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