Is Mycroft able to be trusted? Who staged the Guy Fawkes attack? What's Mary Morstan's deal? Can she be trusted? And when will poor Molly realize her new boyfriend is a merely a poor man's version of Sherlock? The set-up for the next two episodes was delicious, to say the least. The Questions: Like any good episode of television, "The Empty Hearse" added just as many questions as the ones it answered, leaving us wondering heaps heading into episode two. Even maniacal geniuses have emotional growth spurts! Or, well, in this case: character development, as it seems being away from John and Molly made him realize just how much he cares and, yes, even loves the two, in his own Sherlockian way. The Progression: It seems as though the isolation has done Sherlock a bit of good, and - shockingly enough - brought about a bit of a change in the detective. In a show that could very easily take itself entirely too seriously, the comedic breaks were some of our favorite bits. From the Empty Hearse fan group (featuring Sharon Rooney of the oh-so-incredibly E4 series, My Mad Fat Diary, which needs to jump stateside ASAP), to Sherlock’s turn as a waiter, to the presentation of the fantasy fall-explanations, the comedy of the series was particularly on-point. The Funnies: Especially wonderful was the comedy that punctuated an episode largely dedicated to dealing with poor Watson’s emotional turmoil. Everything was heightened, which made every emotion, action, and reaction feel that much more satisfying. It felt honest, and Freeman’s vulnerability was engaging and carried just enough anger throughout. From the hilarious restaurant gag wherein he did not recognize Sherlock for far to long, to Watson’s emotional admission when facing his perceived certain death, the tête-à-tête between them as they reestablished their friendship was equal parts funny, emotional, and - best of all - engaging. Watson wasn’t so quick or keen to accept the reality of Sherlock’s existence, and it was incredibly satisfying to watch. The Emotional Pay-Off: Martin Freeman’s Dr. And, perhaps smartly, the end revealed that none of the scenarios were actually the truth because the truth never lives up to people’s wants and expectation. Throughout the episode, we were served several plausible (and one hat-tipping fan fiction Moriarty/Sherlock kiss realized - oh, the Tumblr GIFrenzy we can only imagine it) and entertaining scenarios that would’ve explained how and why Sherlock was able to fake his own death in the name of dismantling Moriarty’s crime organization over the course of his two-year disappearance. Had Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss pulled it back a bit more - eschewing all-out fanboy indulgence for a bit more of the tension-building nuance, the whole thing would’ve been a positively bombastic return. Unfortunately that anticipation and build-up ultimately became the burden that broke the episode’s back. It’s all anyone could and would talk about - without actually saying anything. It has been speculated on to death: from Comic-Con to Tumblr to reputable entertainment outlets and beyond. The build-up to the explanation of Sherlock’s survival of that brutal fall from so long ago now has been the touch point of all publicity for the series up to this point.
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