Loveable Freak Reviews Sherlock (BBC): The Great Game

  *phew* I apologize for my ranting last review. It's just, last episode was dull and some of the things were stupid when I thought about them... But okay, I'm good now.

  Anyway, with "The Blind Banker" failing to match the wonder of "A Study in Pink", we move on the the first season/series finale of Sherlock: "The Great Game" by written by co-creator and actor on the show, Mark Gatiss!

  Sherlock, after being in a state of boredom from lack of work, receives a phone resembling the one from "A Study in Pink". IT soon turns out Moriarty was the one who sent the phone, and the villainous scoundrel sends a series of puzzling crimes his way. Our beloved sleuth must solve in the time allotted by the criminal, otherwise innocent people strapped to bomb jackets go boom! These cases include: A cold case from Sherlock's past, a man's disappearance, the host of a daytime TV show's death, and a forged painting. Also, Mycroft seeks Sherlock's assistance with a murder case/theft as well, so Sherlock sends John out for the task. The answer to the question "who is Moriarty?", brilliance from the two leads, what TV Tropes calls "Foe Yay", and a cliffhanger ensues.

  ...Do I even have to say it at this point? There are some...

  Alright, first of all, it was fantastic to have some familiar faces (Lestrade and & Mycroft) again this episode. Oh, Lestrade! I missed you! Last episode was awful! The other DI was so dull! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE US AGAIN, YOUNG MAN! >:( And of course, Mycroft's always great to have. (Minor note, I smiled at Mycroft's reason he wasn't investigating the murder/theft himself being that it "requires legwork". Oh, Mycroft, you lazy man...)

  There's a lot to say about John, here. We get to see more of the "John as Cumberlock's conscience" thing I mentioned in "Pink". He points out when Sherlock is going a bit too far when pointing something out to Molly (I'll get to that later...),and calls out Sherlock for lacking concern for the people Moriarty's endangered; only seeming to care that the cases get solved. And, I noticed that John got to shine a little bit here, too. Like I said, Sherlock sends John to handle Mycroft's problem, and John actually seems to get close to the solution before Sherlock jumps in at the end. Heck, he even gets to make a few deductions himself. Granted, they weren't all right, but you could see his logic behind them, they were sound ideas, and he tried, darn it! And that's all that mattered and I liked it!

  Sherlock, as always, was brilliant. And, while he is rather unsympathetic to people at times, he still gets some good moments. Like at the end, after the first confrontation with Moriarty, when the first thing he does is get John out of the bomb jacket. It reminds us, "hey, our tin-man detective does have a heart!" Trust me, he gets better next season.

  The cases were good, too. I enjoyed the Carl Powers murder and the Connie Prince murder cases. The Janis Cars disappearance was kind of eh. The painting one was alright, and the Bruce-Partington plans was worth it to see John be clever.

 

  Okay, now the BIG thing this episode, Jim Moriarty! I know Andrew Scott's portrayal Moriarty is kind of "love him or hate him". Personally, I like him. I'll explain why.

  At first, I'll admit, when he first comes in, I was thinking: "This is Moriarty?" But he kinda grew on me. Yes, his voice was weird this first episode with him. He kept going form high-pitched, to shouting, to normal. It was funny, but at the same time a tad annoying. I think Andrew Scott was having a little too much fun with Moriarty this episode. But I think he at least reigns it in more by the second season/series finale.

  And, when I started turning on my analytical portion of my brain. He kind of works as Cumberlock's villainous foil. Jim Moriarty is kind of an unpredictable psychopath. Sherlock, while still a bit crazy himself, is at least a bit more contained (at least in comparison). This Moriarty's rather flirtatious, and Sherlock made it clear in episode one that that sort of thing wasn't "his area". Plus, with Moriarty being a "consulting criminal" here, it sets him up as the sort of dark counterpart to Sherlock I view the character as in general. But, I dunno, maybe I'm reading too much into it.

  I also kind of think he's a fun villain. Kinda camp, but fun. And, considering I also like John Simm's version of The Master on Doctor Who, who's quite similar to this Moriarty, maybe I just like that type of villain. The point is, I like him. I'm not saying everyone has to like him, it's all opinion. Heck, there are characters people like that I really don't care much for. And I can see where the people that dislike this version are coming from. That's all.

  Though, there is one thing I need to address about Mr. Moriarty; two words: "Hello. Sexy." Oh, sweet lord, this line. I swear this was my reaction when I first saw this episode and heard this:

I kid you not, I did this...

 

  I then proceeded to laugh.  Anyway, logic tells me: "He's trying to mess with Sherlock's head." But then a louder voice says, "That's no fun! We can't get joke fodder for humor comics from that! THINK OF THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LULZ!" (Yes, I am mildly insane. What was your first clue?") Either way, it's gonna stick with me and I will never let this version live it down. Ever. >:D 

  Anyway, last minute thoughts:

• The nods to canon this episode include: Sherlock shooting the wall in boredom, The Bruce-Partington plans being reinterpreted, maybe Mycroft not willing to do legwork, John chronicling the duo's adventures, "I'd be lost without my blogger" ("Boswell, in canon), "five pips" ("Five Orange Pips"), a mention of "Bohemia", and Sherlock saying Molly's gained weight since she started dating "Jim from IT" (*cough*Moriarty*cough*) (Sherlock says the same thing about Watson after marrying Mary in "A Scandal in Bohemia (I think).). Oh, and a modified version of Sherlock's "Attic" monologue from A Study in Scarlet appears. And Sherlock having a network of homeless people to be his eyes and ears in the city is probably based on the Irregulars from canon, too.
• My favorite scenes are the opening one, the wall-shooting scene, the scene where Sherlock's disguised as a museum guard, and the end scene. The planetarium scene was rather clever, too. Plus, when Sherlock starts watching "crap telly".

I also like the "You scratch their backs..." "...And then I disinfect..." exchange. And this possible subtle joke I just noticed, where the news says Connie Prince (the TV host) died at 48, but when Lestrade shows the dynamic duo her body, he says she was 54.
• Sadly, I haven't seen the commentary on this episode yet. It's Gatiss, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Martin Freeman, so I'm sure it's entertaining. And it has the infamous "Rupert Graves is good at football and has five children" quote...
• The Golem is creepy as heck! DX

  Anyway, this was a decent episode and a decent finale. Was it "A Study in Pink" calibre? No. But it was waaaaay better than "The Blind Banker".

   It ends on a cliffhanger, like I said, and left me eager for the next season. Especially since the first episode of the new season was written by Moffat! And it was a version of "A Scandal in Bohemia"! What could go wrong?

  ...We'll see when I review "A Scandal in Belgravia"...