Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've seen a lot of people bashing this season as not fitting the Sherlock Holmes we know and love but it truly is better than you might initially think. (Also beware spoilers, though I will try to keep them minimal). I have currently seen each new episode at least twice, and each time I watch them, I appreciate them a bit more. The biggest complaint is the change, but just like the awkwardness we see in The Blind Banker, episode 1 of this season shows us John and Sherlock trying to find a new balance after 2 years apart. John spent those two years trying to cope with the loss of his best friend and in some ways reason for living (remember the bedsit?), while Sherlock was deep undercover eliminating the threat to the only person/people he truly cares about. This has left Sherlock far more human than we remember him, and John more detached in some ways. The Empty Hearse is full of tension that is lightened with a fair amount of humor. In fact, overall until episode two, it was the most lighthearted episode we've seen. To be honest, it took a few viewings for me to fully appreciate the episode, because there is so much going on, and it's done at a rather fast pace, but overall I thought it was a solid episode. The Sign of Three is and probably will be for a long time my favorite episode of BBC Sherlock. We see a very different Sherlock again, who is much more human, to the point of setting aside cases to help plan all of the minutia of his best friend's wedding. The play between Mary, John, and Sherlock is absolutely brilliant, and as a viewer I was torn between laughing at the sheer silliness of Sherlock (see the napkin scene), and warm feelings like during Sherlock's best man speech (one of the most touching moments I have ever seen in a show, bar none). Once again the biggest complaint I've seen is a shift of focus away from the cases (which are still there but very much in the background). But this is John's wedding, and Sherlock puts the focus he uses on mysteries to work at making John's wedding perfect. This episode also brings Sherlock's love of John into the forefront. I'm not going to argue which type of love, either best friends or possibly more, because it's beside the point. This episode was all about showing us how much John means to Sherlock, which is very important for leading into episode three. His Last Vow brings a very well known ACD villain to life, and the actor playing CAM does a great job making you hate him right off the bat. Surprisingly the writers follow the canon more closely than normal, but I don't think that detracts from the episode. There are quite a few unexpected twists, and on the first play through I was left feeling unsatisfied at the end. So I watched it again, and realized how much was going unsaid, left for us to read between the lines. For the first time we really see Sherlock out of his depth, and I think as viewers we don't like that. Sherlock is supposed to be a genius, better than the criminals. And this time a criminal is his equal, not to mention at least one other person manages to trick him. But I think we as viewers forget that Sherlock is human. He even says "There's always something," acknowledging that he isn't always right. This episode also shows us how serious Sherlock was about keeping his vow to John. So after watching it a second time and paying closer attention to the nonverbal cues, I really think the episode, while not as good as TSoT, is still a solid episode in its own right.