#PBS WATCH SHERLOCK THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE SERIES#

It was shown the same day at 9/8c in the United States on the PBS show Masterpiece. 'The Abominable Bride' is a special episode of Sherlock which aired on New Year's Day 2016. Sherlock will return with its fourth season in 2017.' Dr John Watson, meet Mr Sherlock Holmes.' ―The Abominable Bride There’s no more time to dwell on the past. Sherlock then dove off the cliff himself, and back into the present. After Watson booted Moriarty off the cliff, he commented, “it was my turn.” As well it should be. As interesting as that relationship can be, it can't hold a candle to the one between Sherlock and Watson. They were ultimately let down, though, by the Special’s time-jumping structure, and its endless fascination with Moriarty. Still, there are some interesting portends for fans to pick apart leading up to the new season: Moriarty is dead, but his influence lingers (and Sherlock knows how), and a glimpse into Mycroft’s notebook divulged a few points of interest into what might be coming next (a reference to Sherlock's childhood dog Redbeard, as well as ”611174,” 'Vernet,” and 'Scarlet Roll”).īack to Bride - Cumberbatch, Freeman, and the entire cast were all as charming and lovable as ever, of course, and managed to elevate scenes that were otherwise miscalculations. Using it as a bridge between Seasons 3 and 4 didn’t work quite as well, though, even as tantalizing as some of the Moriarty twists first seemed.

(As it was, the Victorian setting was an opportunity to pack in almost every Sherlock Holmes reference possible - a nice set of easter eggs for fans). If the Christmas Special had just stuck to being a weird, unexplained alternative history of our cast, it would have been just fine. Sherlock is at its best when it’s snappy, clever, and fun, which its first act achieved in spades (the sign language scene was a particular highlight, as were the parlor scenes). The idea that Moriarty still haunts Sherlock’s mind is an interesting one, and Watson being the one to “save” Sherlock was a nice touch, but the theatrics in between felt overwrought (with the time perhaps better spent on other things). Knowing, ultimately, that he really is dead (that it’s not a trick on Sherlock) made his reappearance feel more like a trick on us, and one that won’t hold up well on rewatching. Moriarty is best used sparingly, be it as a mastermind or a spectre, and The Abominable Bride was much too indulgent with his presence.

#PBS WATCH SHERLOCK THE ABOMINABLE BRIDE SERIES#

By killing him off (which perhaps happened too soon), the series was left without its principal villain and foil. I will be the first to stand in praise of Andrew Scott’s weird and wonderful portrayal of Professor Moriarty, but the show has made him into something of an albatross. And part of it may have been because of its truncated timeline, due to the show’s other ghost. Still, the real sin of The Abominable Bride was that it just wasn’t a particularly good case. Though Mycroft and Sherlock both explain away the women’s killer intentions (and successes) as “progress,” one can’t help but be disappointed by the implications. As a mysterious, cloaked figure dressed in black, she was the dark shadow of the murderous Bride dressed in white, and the episode’s heavy-handed themes of gender inequality set the stage for … what exactly? A feminist death cult? The show also gave a few moments to some other memorable cast from the past, like Anderson ( Jonathan Aris) and Irene Adler ( Lara Pulver, in a locket photo), though only in passing.Īll of this was much more fun than the actual case, the solution of which was telegraphed fairly early through Mary’s ( Amanda Abbington) arrival at Sherlock’s flat. Hudson ( Una Stubbs), though, remained her timeless self, and Lestrade ( Rupert Graves) didn’t change much either. Mycroft (Gatiss), as some sort of suicidal balloon, was also a silly and fun changeup (and more like the original stories), as was the usually quiet and retiring Molly Hooper ( Louise Brealey) turning up as a curt and confident crossdresser. Back in the 1880s, with Watson as the storyteller and Sherlock Holmes sporting the iconic deerstalker, there were some fun twists on the Sherlock-Watson origin story from this iteration’s premiere (all the way to the mirrored, vintage title sequence). At the start, The Abominable Bride was absolutely delightful as an alt-history, meta-infused version of the Sherlock we know and love.

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