Sherlock Season Four Finale Review

After a tumultuous three episodes, the TV series Sherlock has come to a conclusion– as it currently stands.

I started watching Sherlock only last month when my sister strongly recommended it to me. As someone who loves to read mystery novels, every episode was a brilliant 90-minute experience comprised of Sherlock’s wit, unique characters and the producers’ masterful usage of film techniques. Since the first three seasons had been released when I started watching, I didn’t have to experience the long two years following The Reichenbach Falls— whenever the characters were in a perilous situation, I knew that there would be a solution because the series had to carry on. Season Four was different; there was no sense of reassurance that everything could be worked out and every episode was a big unknown.

While I felt like The Six Thatchers episode lacked the show’s usual intricate, awe-inspiring plotline and The Lying Detective was one of my favorite episodes since The Reichenbach Falls (I was so impressed by the handling of the interaction between Sherlock and John, as well as the acting, particularly Culverton Smith and Sherlock while high), the only word I can describe The Final Problem is overwhelming.

The episode starts with an issue up in the air regarding the sudden appearance of Eurus Holmes, and the plot progresses as Sherlock discovers that his little sister has been confined to a highly-isolated prison-psychiatric hospital since early childhood and he–along with John and Mycroft– walks right into the clutches of his sister, who has already taken control of the whole facility. The three of them are led through a series of puzzles by Eurus, while trying to stop a plane crash and listening to occasional pre-recordings of Moriarty for comical effect and to induce “an atmosphere of urgency.”

I appreciated Eurus’ video game-like sequence of puzzles for applying “emotional pressure” so Sherlock’s character development was made more evident; it was more of Sherlock’s emotional fortitude than keen senses and logic that pulled him through those tense situations. The scene with Molly was well-done– it took a lot for Sherlock to sincerely say “I love you” and it was gut-wrenching for Molly to make this forced love confession since what she was saying “is true.” What makes the scene even more brilliant is Sherlock’s distraught reaction after Eurus reveals that Sherlock did not beat her puzzle, instead bringing emotional pain to a close friend–who wasn’t in any real danger to begin with. Sherlock has grown a long way since all those moments when he wouldn’t bat an eye at humiliating someone through his deductions.

And this development culminated when Sherlock brought Eurus back to the ground (following the usage of the metaphor on the plane) by accepting her, despite what she put him through. For the aftermath, Sherlock seems to communicate to Eurus through playing violin duets. As much as I love the cold and calculating side of Sherlock in the previous seasons, it was so heart-warming that Sherlock has these softer sentimental traits. Being a stickler for detail, although this season had its technical inconsistencies, I loved the brief moments in the episode that reinforced the overarching message. For instance, the writers juxtaposes this episode with the very first episode as Lestrade says, “No, he’s better than that. He’s a good [man].”.

However, I do think there were some loose ends left unanswered by the end of the episode– the big one for me being the aftermath of Molly’s confession. She is seen for a fleeting moment at the end, appearing as if the phone call ended up not having any significant impact. And in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Steven Moffat claims that Molly simply gets over the fact after Sherlock tells her about the dire situation she was in. I found this episode overwhelming because of the sheer amount of content, and the fact that this point in the plot (among others) became of little importance makes me feel that the writers had to cram it within 90 minutes.  

Furthermore, much of the plot in this episode was influenced by the actions of Mycroft, who was the only family member to know of Eurus’ existence and whereabouts. Over the past few seasons, I have come to truly respect Mycroft’s capabilities, but he ended up being incapable of keeping his sister confined and set the stage for the interaction between Moriarty and Eurus. It seems like a characteristic inconsistency, but perhaps it is Mycroft showing some sentimentality to his family– one of the most powerful moments in this episode was when Mycroft verbally bashed John in order to make it easier for Sherlock to kill him. It’s another indicator that this season has mounted to the closeness of family.

Is this the end of Sherlock?

Based on my previous mentioning of how the writers tied this episode back to A Study in Pink, it seems like the show has come full circle. However, Mary’s [rather cheesy] monologue at the end of the episode left the conclusion of the show open, as John and Sherlock go back to solving crimes on 221B Baker Street. A new villain and story arc could always appear once again, but this is the first season finale in which the series can feel complete (following the huge cliffhangers in The Great Game, The Reichenbach Fall and His Last Vow). By tackling the relationship between the three Holmes children, this episode had a different feel than the previous episodes; however, it was clear that for John and Sherlock, the game would always be afoot.

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