Sherlock: The Final Problem

Sherlock: 'Five minutes! It took five minutes to do all of this to us.'

If I had to pick one highlight from tonight's episode, it'd either be Moriarty's rock star posturing to Queen's 'I Want to Break Free' or Mrs Hudson vacuuming to Iron Maiden's 'The Number of the Beast'. It's good to know that during this suspense-laden, at times hopelessly improbable finale, they could still offer up some levity. It was sorely needed at times, especially with Eurus being such a rotter.

Sherlock: The Lying Detective

Sherlock: 'Cup of tea!'

Episodes which take place inside a character's mind are usually a pain in the arse to watch, as you never know what's real and what's not. So to have an episode which mostly took place inside the minds of two characters, should have been a complete mindfuck. Let's face it, we barely know what's going on in this show when people aren't off their tits on drugs or hallucinating with grief, so what chance do we stand when such colossal weirdness abounds?

Sherlock: The Six Thatchers

Sherlock: 'Death waits for us all in Samarra, but can Samarra be avoided?'

Well, it appears that Sherlock's suicidal assignment overseas was disappointingly short-lived. One imaginary adventure later and Sherlock's back on British soil, his murderous activities brushed under the carpet, only to be replaced by ginger nuts, a horrific Tory bust, and a baby crapping itself onscreen.

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride.

Moriarty: 'It doesn't make sense, Sherlock, because it's not real. None of it.'

I suspect we're going to have to start viewing Sherlock specials in the same way we view Doctor Who Christmas specials. Despite being cut from the same cloth as a regular season, there's just so much more space to muck about in. Half of tonight's episode played like a Victorian chiller, the other half was like watching panto. Still, with the festive season still in full swing, that was probably the effect they were hoping for—and it kind of worked.

Sherlock: His Last Vow

Sherlock: 'The east wind takes us all in the end.'

Whereas episode one rattled along at breakneck speed, with episode two applying the brakes and focusing more on character development, tonight's offering was a patchwork of twists, traumas, fake-outs and surprises. How many of these surprises represent reality, I'm not yet certain. With the gap between series approximating the lifespan of a geriatric spider, I dare say we'll have ample time to wonder.

Sherlock: The Sign of Three

Watson: 'He's cluing for looks.'

For a show renown for its middle episode slump, tonight's instalment skewered the trend through the belt, and set a new bar for hilarity. It may have taken the collective might of Gatiss, Moffat and Thompson to pull off this minor miracle, but after two years away, what better way of reacquainting us with our favourite high-functioning sociopath than with a wedding, some wacky character interplay, and a cameo from Lara Pulver?

Sherlock: The Empty Hearse

Lestrade: 'Bollocks!'

I think I agree with Greg. To say that I was peeved at tonight's cold open would be something of an understatement. I was apoplectic. My dander was, as they say, well and truly up. Two full years waiting for that explanation? And then the truth dawned that we were being hoodwinked, and my umbrage turned to relief. Well played Mssrs Moffat and Gatiss. I hate you both, but you got me. You got me good.

Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall

Moriarty: “Every fairytale needs a good old fashioned villain.”

After 'The Blind Banker' and 'The Curse of the Black Spot', I was less than optimistic about Steve Thompson's chances of scripting a gripping finale. Yet as soon as I saw Watson struggling to cope with his grief in that psychiatrist's chair, I knew that I was going to love this episode. Not only did Thompson create an intriguing and ultimately compelling season conclusion, he also managed to achieve the impossible—he made me love Moriarty. Which is some achievement considering the frosty reception I gave him last season.

Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville

Henry: “Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound.”

Mark Gatiss and 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' should have made perfect bedfellows. His childhood passion for Holmes, his extensive writing experience, and his love of classic horror, should have produced a script beyond compare. Sadly, he was cursed with the misfortune of following Stephen Moffat. Compared to 'A Scandal in Belgravia', 'The Hounds of Baskerville' was less complex, less exciting, and ultimately less rewarding. Conversely, it was beautifully filmed, contained some great dialogue, and perfectly captured the spirit of the original story. And it most definitely had chills.

Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

Sherlock: “Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side.”

Tonight’s episode was without doubt the most enjoyable ninety minutes of television I’ve seen in years. It took everything that worked about season one, turned the humour up to eleven, added some extra sauce (which caused ructions in the morning press), and chucked in a plot so complex, it would have left even Einstein scratching his head. Seeing the two greatest (albeit fictional) minds of the Western world jousting for intellectual superiority, was like watching Odysseus and Athena do battle. Who won? It’s hard to say—especially when the game may still be afoot.

Holiday Gift Guide: Doctor Who, Misfits and Sherlock

In the spirit of Dickens' A Christmas Carol, I'm including gift ideas for all three of my shows in one post. Sherlock represents the Spirit of Christmas Past (because of its Victorian origins), Misfits the Spirit of Christmas Present (because it's presently airing on E4), and Doctor Who the Spirit of Christmas Yet To Come (because the Christmas episode is yet to air).

Of course, the real reason I'm grouping them together, is that I didn't quite grasp the concept of 'one show at a time'. Which makes the above explanation nothing more than a ruse designed to hide my shame. I made a mistake, okay? I just hope nobody noticed.

Doctor Who:

—For those who don't already own it, Russell T. Davies' 'The Writers Tale: The Final Chapter' is a must have for any discerning Doctor Who fan. It's a collection of emails between Davies and journalist Benjamin Cook, documenting the writing process, script development, and ups and downs of being Showrunner. Davies is surprisingly candid about his achievements. He's sometimes immodest, occasionally self-deprecating, but you can always count on him to be honest.

—Not a fan of Matt Smith? Whilst you sit there, wallowing in your own disgustingness, you could always kick it old school and bust out one of Big Finish's audio adventures. Is your favourite Doctor still Colin Baker? Did you stop watching when Peter Davison hung up his cricketing box for good? Fear not, because both Doctors are still out there having adventures. New stories. Old companions. It's like they never went away. Let's hope they all team up for a 50th anniversary special, eh? It'll likely be dire, but imagine the fun we'll have.

—For those of us hit hard by the recession (i.e. the known universe), how about making some Doctor Who gifts yourself? You've heard the axiom about home-made gifts showing the most love, right? Well, it's not true—it means you're cheap. But since cheap is the new charitable, you might fancy taking a gander at the numerous Doctor Who craft ideas out there. There are patterns galore on the internet for crocheted Cybermen, macramé Daleks, and cloth Adipose. Yes, a few are embarrassing, but some you could conceivably give as a gift without it seeming like a slap in the face. You may even have fun—which let's face it, is what it's all about.

Misfits:

—Yes, I know I've only just started reviewing it, but the series boxed sets are so cheap at the moment, you'd have to be a right Scrooge to deprive your nearest and dearest of E4's latest foul mouthed sci-fi offering. Beware you don't accidentally buy The Misfits, starring Clark Gable. It's a good film, but nobody has superpowers, and nobody craps in anyone's bed.

Sherlock:

—Sherlock was the unexpected hit of 2009. The concept seemed dreadful, but it was so brilliantly realised and acted, that it totally worked. For those of you only recently acquainted with Holmes, there's a massive back catalogue of previous adaptations to choose from. The Ronald Howard (no, not the ginger one from Happy Days) boxed set is as rough as a roofer's glove, and should be avoided at all costs, but the Jeremy Brett boxed set is as cheap as chips and as good as any adaptation you're likely to see.

—The original Conan Doyle Stories are also bafflingly cheap. In fact, if you have a eReader, 'The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' is completely free. Even hard copies (that's books to you and me) of the full canon are just a few quid. A small price to pay for classic story telling.

—The BBC's audio adaptations (featuring Clive Merrison), are also worth a look (and listen). Merrison and Co. managed to record every story in the canon (and some that aren't). Ideal fodder for those cold winter evenings—when the powers of evil are exalted.

That's me done. Have a good one, folks!

Sherlock: The Great Game

Moriarty: “Twelve hours to solve my puzzle, Sherlock. Or I'm going to be so naughty.”

If last week's episode had a weakness, it was the puzzling absence of some of the show's major characters. Lestrade was inexplicably AWOL, Moriarty was reduced to a faceless cameo, and even Mycroft was conspicuous by his absence. So it was only fitting that tonight's episode attempt to redress the balance by bringing them all together in one story. Well, in reality it was five stories—but tonight saw Holmes' unique talents stretched to the limit. And, finally, we got to see Moriarty step out of the shadows and face his arch-nemesis.

Sherlock: The Blind Banker

Watson: “Me, Sherlock. In court. On Tuesday. They're giving me an ASBO.”

Tonight's episode was a loose adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'The Dancing Men'—and when I say 'loose' I mean pants falling down, baring your arse loose. If Steven Moffat hadn't mentioned it on Twitter, I probably wouldn't have noticed. The only similarity I picked up on was that both stories have a secret code as their central theme. In 'The Dancing Men' it was a code based upon a system of hand-drawn stick men, in 'The Blind Banker' it was a system of graffiti style Hangzhou numerals. Apart from that, and a couple of possible references to 'The Sign of Four' and 'The Valley of Fear,' I caught nothing.

Sherlock: A Study in Pink

Sherlock: 'The game, Mrs Hudson, is on!'

Sherlock is a reboot of the Sherlock Holmes franchise and is the brain child of Doctor Who head-writer Steven Moffat and The League of Gentlemen's Mark Gatiss. It's also set in modern day London. Sounds awful? That's what I thought. In fact, I was completely prepared to hate this programme. How can anything good come of moving an iconic 19th century detective to the 21st century? Is the character of Sherlock Holmes even relevant these days? More importantly, can his unique brand of deductive reasoning cut the mustard in this modern age of GPS, computers and forensics?