Sherlock Season 4

[sheridan]

I watched these with my wife. I cringed all the way through the last one thinking "she is going to say that was utter drivel" afterwards or words to that effect. And you know what I can't blame her. I can't understand what they were thinking.

Why do so many of these type of shows have to deviate from the core premise? What is wrong with just having Sherlock and Watson just solve a case?

It was the same with 24. Why did Jack Bauer have to seemingly always go rogue instead of just tackling the baddies?

Because film and TV-land (and perhaps publishing-land too) operates on two principles:

   
• it's bad if you continue to do the same thing you've done before, because the viewing public don't want stagnation
• change is bad as well, because once you've found a winning formula, stick with it

[sheridan]

Elementary started off a bit dodgy* before becoming compelling

*Holmes was a be-tattooed edgy, recovering junkie in early episodes

Not having seen Elementary, but to be fair Holmes is a bit of a junkie in the source material as well!

[Satanist]

I wasn't keen on the idea of Elementary - Americanised pap, modern day New York, Watsons a woman so obviously it's gonna be the whole will they/wont they drivel but you know what, its alright. There's no sense that Sherlock and Watson have any feelings except mutual admiration and I actually preferred how they handled Moriarty (don't get me started on Sherlocks smug chav version). I wish they would bring Vinnie Jones back, seriously.

Thinking more about this "season" the only one I can say I enjoyed was the Jimmy Savile ep but I feel that was more down to Toby Jones sleazy performance than the actual story itself.

[sheldipez]

I had no interest in this season after I lost the will after that terrible xmas special where he had an alternative version running in his drugged mind (why couldn't they keep it a fun one-off where it was a Victorian Sherlock with the same cast?!). So haven't seen any of this apart from the last 20 mins of the finale when the wife had it on the TV, I thought I was watching a made for TV version of Saw or something. She paused it and gave me a run down of the events of the season and I still don't know if she made some of it up or not as it sounded like some awful fan fiction crossed with Saw (Jigsaw who always had multiple apprentices, recorded messages for seemingly every event, set up things in advance knowing exactly how people would react, the next twist more unfeasible than the next). The first two seasons were brill, sad to see a massive drop in quality. Felt the same about the X Files revival, so much potential ruined by writing that hadn't been reigned in by decent edit or two.

Thinking more about this "season" the only one I can say I enjoyed was the Jimmy Savile ep but I feel that was more down to Toby Jones sleazy performance than the actual story itself.

Oh I do love Toby Jones, kind of wish I saw that episode now.

[Satanist]

Yeah I think I'm developing a bit of a man crush on Toby Jones as he's great in everything I've seen him in. Watch it on I-player as its not as whacky as the rest.