ThunderPeel2001 Posted January 16, 2012 So, er, I found the time... (I actually like it! Sorry.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thyroid Posted January 17, 2012 Same here. I'm sure it had its problems. I'm sure if I'd paused it and walked away I would have seen major issues with it, but while it was on, it totally worked for me. I liked how it called back to the first episode, too. It was all very clever. I had some problems: - The show needs to treat Molly Hooper better. For two series', they have yet to show her real compassion. To me, she's the unexpected hit of the show; I love that character. She seems really sweet. I was half-hoping she'd knock out Sherlock in the lab. - Why did the little girl scream at Sherlock? And how do you convince a pair of children to eat so much chocolate after you kidnap them? - The occasional "Huh?" moment. It was strange how that one assassin just fessed up (though they explained it), got shot, and...nothing. You'd expect sniper bullets to bring-in something heavier than just the police . As you said, though, they did a great job of updating the story. I loved most of it. Steve Thompson's previous work never impressed me much (he managed to write such a bland Doctor Who episode), but he did a good job here. I partially credit that to Toby Haynes's typically-confident and stylish directing, as well as excellent performances for all. Have we seen the last of Moriarty? I wonder... Me too, though I'd be interested in seeing them change-up the game a bit. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Moosferatu Posted January 17, 2012 I was relieved when that key turned out to be fake. Still doesn't make sense that anyone would actually buy that... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted January 17, 2012 Hey, it was the MacGuffin in Sneakers, and I love that movie! But yeah, very true. (I hope people aren't tempted to reveal spoilers if they haven't seen it, yet. I do that here sometimes, and usually they're minor -- This is one case where they'll genuinely spoil enjoyment!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
subbes Posted January 17, 2012 I hate S Thompson's stuff - he wrote the Blind Banker ep in S1, which was a huge let-down after Ep1 and made Ep3 have to work so much harder to recapture my interest - and yet I liked S2 ep3 more than I liked Baskerville. (Those of you who follow me on Twitter will have already seen me moaning on about Moffat & Gattis' "rubbish mate" and will be chortling that I must admit that this ep was good. Not great, because I can definitely find problems with it, but good.) I think part of this is because it had a lot more action and felt better paced than Baskerville. We had things happening, rather than spooky fog chemicals , CGI mind palaces ("we spent all that effects money on his Minority Report Aspergers process, so let's spend minutes with it"), a guy given away by his use of the phrase "cell phone" (though surely the ref to Abbot and Costello rather than Laurel and Hardy would have been a better giveaway), and a victim with an inexplicable posh accent that sounded just "off" enough that I expected it would be a plot point later but it turned out not to be. (COUGHS POLITELY.) I am a harsh critic. I like Sherlock more than I liked Jekyll, and I'm hungry for season 3 . IN OTHER NEWS: Finally watched Community, caught up on Parks and Recreation, and apparently Netflix now has all of X-Files available for streaming so I know what I'll be doing for the rest of the week. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elmuerte Posted January 17, 2012 So, er, I found the time... (I actually like it! Sorry.) Alba gu bràth! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted January 17, 2012 - Why did the little girl scream at Sherlock? This may be a clue to Holmes' survival. If anyone's interested, we think we've unravelled most of it over at the S5 forums: http://www.sizefivegames.com/forum/index.php?topic=2949.msg60167#msg60167 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted January 17, 2012 That was an ace episode. I've never read the original stories or seen any adaptations of them. At the very end, I thought "OH MY GOD THAT IS THE WORST FAKE OUT ENDING". It seemed really lame to turn such a prolonged and altruistically motivated tragedy into a wind up. I then went and read about The Final Problem on Wikipedia. I really like that they're essentially riffing off public demand from over a century ago, and it allows them to do something that would otherwise be a bit lame . Heh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thyroid Posted January 17, 2012 Ben: good theory. I'd hypothesized about Moriarty wearing a mask, but hadn't made the connection between that and the ending . "OH MY GOD THAT IS THE WORST FAKE OUT ENDING". It seemed really lame to turn such a prolonged and altruistically motivated tragedy into a wind up. I then went and read about The Final Problem on Wikipedia. I really like that they're essentially riffing off public demand from over a century ago, and it allows them to do something that would otherwise be a bit lame . Heh Conan Doyle caved-in as well. The result was the fun "The Empty House" . This adaptation of it wasn't . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted January 17, 2012 Yeah, I discussed it with a friend this lunchtime and found out it took him ten years and his own mother pestering him before caving though She (my friend, not Conan Doyle's mother) summed it up as "potentially a huge flaw, however one with such balls that I have to admire it" Good theories Ben, I think you all definitely have it with the truck . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gwardinen Posted January 17, 2012 I watched 13 Assassins, though (perhaps sadly) it was an English dubbed version. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would from the first 10 minutes - I very nearly switched it off as I got this exposition dump about things that weren't yet in any way meaningful and traded heavily on customs of a Japanese era that I remain on the knife edge of oversaturated with. The story gets better, but is always very, very blatant and totally suffused with clichés. It's really a film that benefits much more from how it's done than what it's actually about, in my opinion. There were a lot of little touches that made it feel right, and it definitely gives the impression of a classic samurai tale throughout. Everything from the wardrobe to the sets to the cinematography and choreography totally sold it to me as a traditional Japanese heroic samurai film. So I guess it comes down to whether that interests you or not. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted January 17, 2012 Yeah, I discussed it with a friend this lunchtime and found out it took him ten years and his own mother pestering him before caving though She summed it up as "potentially a huge flaw, however one with such balls that I have to admire it" Conan Doyle's mother sounds wicked Edit: Damn. You just edited your post as I typed mine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted January 17, 2012 I should really use that preview button sometime. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted January 17, 2012 the result was "The Empty House". Plus about thirty more short stories and a couple of novels (which I'm sure you knew, but am clarifying it for others). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Roderick Posted January 17, 2012 Dis just see the Sherlock episode and man it was great! After two meh-ish episodes whose only purpose in the larger continuity was to establish that Holmes was garnering fame (which could've been fully handled by the first five minutes of Reichenbach showing exactly that), this one brought the goods. Fun layering of plots within plots, a real sense of danger and grandeur and a killer ending reminiscent of The Dark Knight . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nappi Posted January 17, 2012 The season finale of Sherlock was good. I wouldn't want all the episodes to be as bleak and serious as this, but it was OK. The final standoff was very well executed, and the conclusion ( at least from Moriarty's part ) excellent. Have we seen the last of Moriarty? I wonder... I really hope so. It was somewhat interesting, but they should not milk it. Plus, bringing them both back to life would be pretty lazy and take a lot of explaining. - The show needs to treat Molly Hooper better. For two series', they have yet to show her real compassion. To me, she's the unexpected hit of the show; I love that character. She seems really sweet. I was half-hoping she'd knock out Sherlock in the lab. I completely agree. This kind of stuff has started to bother me more and more lately. It is sad that I was so incredibly surprised by the way Rory was treated in Doctor Who. Moffat (or whoever) could have extended some of his goodwill to Molly, as well. The landlady was a lovely character and glad she was treated more or less with respect, throughout. At least, as far as I can remember and as far as respect is something that can be associated with this dysfunctional Sherlock. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
subbes Posted January 17, 2012 Jekyll and Sherlock both had problems with female characters but I don't know how much can be blamed on the original stories. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted January 18, 2012 Holmes has problems with every character, though! To paraphrase Watson, he's pretty much constantly a dick to everyone. I thought she got more likeable and active in this one - instead of continuing the whole fragile wallflower bit, she shows insight into Holmes and straight out offers him support. I think it's her first step in a Ginny Weasley arc (without the romance). Sure, she's still a bit weak, but they can't all be Amy Ponds or Rose Tylers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted January 18, 2012 i fucking hate rose tyler I'm sorry. I just had to say that. I thought I liked her at one point, but as it turns out, nope, I hate her and if she ever shows up in Doctor Who again I will be............. upset I take it back I'm not sorry. I hate herrrrrrrr. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thyroid Posted January 18, 2012 I'm fairly sure Ben was being sarcastic, but I'll chime-in too: I think Rose Tyler is an a terrible character. I do like Amy quite a bit. That whole girl who waited/boy who waited angle is great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted January 18, 2012 I wasn't really responding to anything he said. I just saw the name Rose Tyler, looked at the title of the thread I was reading, and felt I was safe in expressing my utter distaste for the character. The Amy/Rory combo is fantastic. I love those two so much. (I think I might be done with them, though. I look forward to new companions.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nachimir Posted January 18, 2012 I tried watching A Game of Shadows last night and got about halfway through it. GOOD GOD, I've never seen Robert Downey Junior perform so awfully. It's excruciating. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Murdoc Posted January 19, 2012 I tried watching A Game of Shadows last night and got about halfway through it. GOOD GOD, I've never seen Robert Downey Junior perform so awfully. It's excruciating. Aw that sucks to hear. I liked the first and figured a sequel would preform better because they could work out the kinks. Then I saw the trailer and was wary. Will wait for the dvd. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderPeel2001 Posted January 19, 2012 Aw that sucks to hear. I liked the first and figured a sequel would preform better because they could work out the kinks. Then I saw the trailer and was wary.Will wait for the dvd. It's probably worth mentioning that Nachimir is in the minority here. Just about every review (on here, and professional critics) seems to agree: This is an improvement over the original. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ben X Posted January 19, 2012 Well, he is only talking about Downey's performance, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites