Beyond the TARDIS Sherlock: The Abominable Bride by Jeffrey Zyra

By Steven Moffat

and Mark Gatiss

“Rest assured there are no ghosts in this world. Save those we make for ourselves”

After a long wait and a lot of speculation on what the New Year’s Day special would be about for the critically acclaimed Sherlock series by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss has finally been shown on our TV Screens.   We now know the answers to all our speculations and was it worth the long wait since 2014 when the show was last on?  Most fans would say yes and for me the lure was seeing the main cast set in Victorian times and yes this special was pretty good if not a tad confusing at times.

What I mean by confusing at times if you are not a diehard fan who have watched all three series and have been devoted to the show since it’s been on, well, you may be a bit lost watching this special especially towards the end.  While watching The Abominable Bride my thought towards the end and when modern day started to seep into the narrative that the casual fan or casual viewer tuning in to watch a Sherlock Holmes adventure might be lost and yes they most likely were as The Abominable Bride pretty cleverly fit into the regular continuity of the ongoing series and ties in with the Series three’s finale cliffhanger.   That was pretty clever how they worked all that in but for me I would have preferred if the story was a standalone story and stayed firmly in the Victorian times.

Don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed The Abominable Bride as it was with the main part of the story being in Sherlock’s mind palace but I would have really liked if this story was just a standalone story set in the 1880’s.  It would have been pretty cool if Moffat and Gatiss went in that direction as they could have paid homage to past Holmes series like the Jeremy Brett era Holmes show which did get some nods in The Abominable Bride.  It would have been a pretty cool story just being set in Victorian Times and they could have done it again and again as a series of specials throughout the time they are doing Sherlock as a way to keep the fans happy.  I for one would love that and it would be a different type of pace from what they have given us before.  Oh well an opportunity lost but I still enjoyed what we got on January First.

With that said I did enjoy The Abominable Bride and how Moffat and Gatiss were able to spin modern day Sherlock into this story.  Apparently this entire story took place in Sherlock’s drug induced mind.  We get an idea of what Sherlock does in his mind palace and what he really thinks about his brother.  In the books Mycroft is chubbier than he is portrayed by Mark Gatiss but wow they really went overboard on that makeup.  In fact, I still don’t know why that was in story with them having a bet on when he would eat himself to death but considering that it was a drug induced dream it makes sense on the second viewing.  I did like the way they kept going back and forth from the present and then back to Sherlock’s dream even though at points it got hard to decipher when he was back in the present.

What was really the basis of the story was the Moriarty factor.  Yes he appeared in the dream but in fact Moriarty was the ghost for Sherlock to conquer.  Take the quote at the top of this review.  That is in reference to Sherlock struggling with the fact that Moriarty is his chief rival who is dead.  Sherlock is struggling with the fact that he might be alive and the whole case of Emilia Ricoletti faking her death to kill her husband was really Sherlock trying to work out how Moriarty was alive.  In fact, he does come up with the solution when he confronts all the women who helped Emilia Ricoletti with her plan and kept it going after she eventually killed herself.  That same deduction is what he needed and alluded to at the end when he told Watson that Moriarty was dead.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone else is taking up the Moriarty mantle whenever the series returns.

The Abominable Bride was a pretty good special and it will definitely get the fans speculating about what will happen next in Series.  I really loved the whole Victorian setting and I was really engrossed in the overall story and wasn’t put off with the “I’m cleverer than you” moments that Gatiss and Moffat throw into the story and those moments really did work and made the story a lot more interesting.  It was also pretty good having the women rights movement incorporated into this story as it is an important part of our history and you can see how things have changed especially with the way Watson was towards the females in the story and it made you think how far we have come. 

The Abominable Bride was a fun story to watch filled with a lot of things to make you think about Sherlock Series 4 but I just wished it was a standalone story in Victorian Times but who knows maybe next time.  Hopefully we won’t have to wait as long as we had to for this New Year’s Day Special.

Grade A

The Whoniverse Round-Up May 2015

May 2015

Hi Folks, 

Our Whovian Elections are hotting up, with Captain Jack Harkness tipped to take the governing chair of High Protector of the Earth, unless Ianto ‘Coffee Boy’ Jones sneaks up and steal it from him.  There are only a few votes in it.  There is still plenty of time to vote, with the Election ending two days before the UK’s General Election.

Check out how to Vote in our – The Election So Far article on the Articles Page. 

Cast and crew of Doctor Who were out in the sunshine this month, filming for Series 9, and special thanks to Richard Ashton, for the superb photo of the 12^th and a wardrobe change for the Doctor!  I want those boots!

If anyone has any photos they want to share of their meetings with cast and crew of the Whoniverse, we’d love to hear from you!

There are many programmes we look forward to a return of, especially Sherlock, and with the filming almost finished by director Douglas Mackinnon, on the Special, we really can’t wait to see the end result.  We’ve missed those two elementary detectives of Baker Street, London.  

May

It’s the start of the Cymraeg Machfest 1^st – 3^rd Mai. (May) 

Jams Thomas (Hospital Porter – Everything Changes) will be appearing with Daniel Glyn on Saturday 1pm, at Canolfan Owain Glyndwr – Dinas, tickets £7, see poster for more details:-

In less than 10 days the Miracle Day 2 event will be held in London, where fans of Torchwood will see a host of their favourite stars all under one roof.  To everyone who is going to this event, have a fantastic time, say hi to all the stars from everyone at Project Torchwood.  We sadly can’t make it to the event but we are sure that you guys will report back with photos that we can share on the site. 

If you have any events you would like us to post to the site, please email us at: projecttorchwood@ymail.com, or find us on Twitter and Facebook – links to those on our Contact Page

Beyond The TARDIS Sherlock: His Last Vow by Jeffrey Zyra

Written by Steven Moffat

Charles Augustus Magnussen is a blackmailer. A blackmailer who owns a news corporation and he uses what he knows to get what he wants.  Right now it is to get an inquiry off his back.  Sherlock Holmes has been asked to get some letters back from him by Lady Smallwood who he has complete power over.  Holmes and Watson look into stopping Magnussen by going as far as fabricating a love affair with his personal assistant to gain entry.  This works all too well and unfortunately for Holmes he gets shot by someone who wants Magnussen dead.  The thing is Sherlock knows who shoots him and it is someone dear to him and Watson.

I really liked “His Last Vow”.  It was like the Sherlock of old for the most part back to the mystery and all the twists and turns that the show is known for.  There were quite a few twists that really surprised me as I did not see those coming especially the one about Mary.  It turns out Mary used to be an operative that has killed lots of people for her country or some other country.  This was quite a surprise and an excellent development going on in the show.  What was surprising was that the clues about her were all there from the beginning and I obviously missed them.  I really enjoyed how Sherlock got Mary to reveal who she really was. That was pretty clever even though you knew John would be the one sitting in the chair.  It was pretty clever using elements from “The Empty House” to bring this about.

Charles Augustus Magnussen was one of the creepiest, repulsive and downright nasty characters that Steven Moffat has created for Sherlock based on a Conan Doyle character.   Charles Augustus Magnussen is a nasty piece of work and was a good adversary for Sherlock.  Lars Mikkelsen played him pretty well and one of the best performances in the show’s three series.  When he met his end I had a feeling of good he deserved what he got. Sort of the feeling when I watched The Master Blackmailer in the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series.

“His Last Vow” was written perfectly by Steven Moffat and it was definitely the best of the three stories from Series Three.   It had everything we expect and the twists were really surprising. The fact they had Mary shoot Sherlock really surprised me.  In fact that whole sequence when he deduces how to save him from the gunshot until Watson shows up was really good.  I’m really liking the scenes in the mind palace as it adds a new element to the show instead of him just standing there thinking.  It is a strange sequence but I enjoyed it.  But tying Magnussen and Mary together made the story that more intriguing as Magnussen had info on Mary and was going to use it against her.  I also liked how Steven Moffat used elements from the original story with Sherlock going out with Janine and then proposing to her.  That happened in the original story as Holmes tricked a maid that he loved her to get close to the Master Blackmailer same as he did with Janine so it was good to see Steven Moffat using that part of the original story. 

I was a bit surprised at the ending as I never expected Sherlock to shoot Magnussen dead with a shot to the head.  That really surprised me just as much as the fact that all the info was stored in Magnussen’s head.  But what really was a surprise was the true ending the apparent return of James Moriarty from the dead.  Or is he?  Steven Moffat is good at the cliffhangers to get everyone talking and this one is another good one.  Seeing Moriarty’s face on the video screens in Piccadilly Circus saying “Did you miss me” was pretty good and surely one I wasn’t expecting. Well we will have a long wait to find out and the speculation is going to be good and asinine. “The Last Vow” was a great story to finish up a good series three.

Grade A

Beyond The TARDIS Sherlock: The Sign of Three by Jeffrey Zyra

By Stephen Thompson

It’s John and Mary’s wedding day and Sherlock is prepping for his speech as the best man.  Not an easy thing to do the best man speech especially for a high functioning sociopath like Sherlock Holmes.  What Sherlock does is actually tell a tale about one of the cases they were on and unfortunately did not solve as a point in how good of a person Watson is as he was able to save the murder victim.  All during the speech he goes over another case which has been occupying his mind as it ties in with a funny story on how Sherlock and Watson got drunk during the stag night and then proceeded to take on the case in their inebriated state.  As Holmes recalls the case he has an epiphany and realizes that The Mayfly Man is actually targeting someone at John and Mary’s wedding and that the first case he talked about and the Mayfly man case are actually connected.  So the game is afoot at the wedding of John Watson and who thought this cherished occasion would be a normal one.

After episode one it was good to see Sherlock getting back to being normal somewhat.  By that I mean there is a mystery to solve and unfortunately it ties in to Watson’s wedding.  This part I really liked was seeing the two cases come together and be part of an attempted murder of Watson’s friend Major James Sholto who was Watson’s commanding officer in Afghanistan.  I really liked how Sherlock came to the conclusion of this problem using all the women who had dated a ghost as it seemed and used process of elimination and especially when the answer was staring him in the face when the nurse used Watson’s middle name.  I found this sequence to be really clever and also the way the murderer tried to kill his victims.  This is where the show really gels and keeps on our toes and we try to guess the unexpected and the reveal for the most part is pretty satisfying and has us going “Wow I never would have guessed that.” That is what I like about the show and I am glad this story had that aspect which was missing from The Empty Hearse.

I prefer Sherlock to be the way it was the first two series keeping to the cases and not being soap opera-ish.  When I saw it was going to be the wedding episode I kind of cringed and was expecting it to be well stupid and way over the top with Sherlock over analyzing the guests and stuff like that.  I do like it when shows take a chance and try something different as long as it is not all the time.  So The Sign of Three was just that a story that was out of the norm and for the most part I was pretty much entertained.  I really liked the comedy element in this story.  It was pretty funny and it was not in your face funny.  Just the reaction Sherlock gives John when asked about being the best man and the way he tells it in his best man speech is pretty hilarious along with the beginning of the speech. 

What was also pretty amusing was seeing Holmes and Watson drunk.  Seeing them playing the deduction game and Holmes had his name on his forehead trying to guess who the rude person is in itself was pretty funny but not as funny as seeing them trying to solve a case drunk.  Like I said the funny bits were not over the top and were not jammed down your throat at all and in a sense it was good to see this side of the two friends.  I just hope we don’t have to see much more of this and that we can get back to basics with solving crimes.  But for this one episode it was good to see something different.

Benedict Cumberbatch was excellent in this story.  In fact this might have been one of his best performances.  You just have to watch the scene when Watson asks him to be the best man.  Just standing there and being in a trance was just priceless and well the whole best man speech was a good performance also.  I was really impressed with his whole performance at the wedding and how he went all Matt Smith acting with the arms flaying all over the place and twirling around.  That was like the Holmes of old and Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman were both superb being drunk and playing the deduction game.  If anything else The Sign of Three will be remembered for being funny.  I really like Amanda Abbington as Mary. She brings a different angle to the show that is in a way refreshing and seems to be meshing in nicely until she is disposed of. Well it is no big secret what will happen to Mary if you read the Doyle stories of Sherlock Holmes which is a shame as I think she is working out well and even sadder when Sherlock deduces she is pregnant hence the three in the title refers to the three Watsons. 

So The Sign of Three sort of based but not really on the Sign of Four, even though the little person with the blow dart has a cameo, was a pretty entertaining story but I think it is time to go back to basics and feature more of the mystery and solving crime and all that.

Grade B +

Beyond The TARDIS Sherlock: The Empty Hearse by Jeffrey Zyra

Written by Mark Gatiss

Well it has been two years since Sherlock jumped off that building and has been thought to be dead by the person he associates with and that includes his best friend John Watson.  Now that he has returned from the dead and being away from London for two years to shut down Moriarty’s network Sherlock has returned.  In two years things have changed and people have gotten on with their lives and how will they react to Sherlock returning to their lives.  Well it has indeed been a long time since Sherlock has been on television and The Empty Hearse has been one of the most anticipated stories for a long time.  Did the resolution to how Sherlock faked his death satisfactory and what about the story itself which fans have waited two years for did it stand up to all the hoopla surrounding it?

Well yes and no. The Empty Hearse didn’t have the feel of a typical Sherlock episode.  It just didn’t seem like the mystery was all there.  Sherlock comes back to stop a terrorist attack and he just seems to stumble into finding it out.  After he reconciles with John the pair seem to hunt for a subway car that is missing and could be a bomb.  What they discover is that it is a bomb and that Sherlock does not know how to disarm it.  But what this scenario really does is get Watson to admit he isn’t really mad at Sherlock any more.  What seemed to be a letdown is that the bomb was disabled by an off switch.   This part of the story just wasn’t as good as the previous six stories.  It just seemed to be anticlimactic and was pretty much a throw away sequence which only accomplished the reconciliation of the two friends and hopefully things will be more like Sherlock of old in the mystery department.

What I did like was seeing all the theories of how Sherlock could have faked his death.  My favorite one was with the mask of Sherlock on Moriarty and Sherlock bungee cord diving into the window and kissing Molly goodbye.  What has me wondering is did we actually see how he did it?  It did seem to be hinted at that we would not know even when he told Anderson.  Even still this was a pretty clever way that they did it and it keeps you guessing.  I’m sure the way it happened was how he told it to Anderson and how many spotted the Doctor Who reference when Sherlock activated the plan.  The code word was Lazarus the same character Mark Gatiss played in The Lazarus Experiment.  I wonder how many of the fans deduced how he did it and got it correct.

I did like how Sherlock revealed to Watson he was back and not dead.  It was pretty clever seeing him disguise himself as a waiter and then making the reveal.  But you did have to feel for Watson because it was at the point that he was going to propose to Mary.  What was funny was how long Watson kept it together before he started punching Sherlock. I think I would have punched him the minute he revealed himself.  Also like the two other attacks Watson did to Sherlock at two different restaurants with my favorite being the head butt. This part of the story was good seeing how the two friends were getting along without each other.  We see Sherlock spending the day with Molly investigating crimes and we see Watson being incredibly bored at his practice.  I liked this part of the story and would not mind if the story took on this for the most part of the story with the conclusion being Sherlock and Mary saving Watson at the bonfire.  Then they could be wondering who did it and that could have been a good set up for the rest of the series.

After being away for two years it was really good to see Sherlock again.  The Empty Hearse gave us a glimpse of Sherlock that we have not seen before actually showing emotion and being pleasant to those he works with.  The fact he gave Molly a kiss is something and the fact he realized he missed his chance with her is something we have not seen and we see more of this when he is talking with Mycroft later on while playing deductions.  We see a resolution to what happened two years ago and now the gang is back together again.  The Empty Hearse was entertaining if somewhat not up to standards in the mystery department but that does not really detract from what was the main focal point of the episode which was the reconciliation of the old friends and how much they need each other more than they are willing to let on.  The Empty Hearse was a triumphant return for Sherlock and hopefully the mystery will be more prominent in the next two stories.

Grade B +