And why not, I was so looking forward to this sumptuous treat of watching Benedict play Sherlock in the true Victorian era. And everything looked delicious for the first half an hour. But after that, this victorian mystery turned out to be a horror (for its fans)!
Now, I had seen Sherlock even before it became the rage and was amazed with the way Moffat had created this contemporary Sherlock ( unlike the rather average American take - Elementary). Its first season was stellar, and I really looked forward to the second, which didn't disappoint me either. But much like this special episode, Sherlock has been hurtling downwards season by season, episode by episode.
Very little attention is paid to the mystery itself, while Moffat focusses on either convoluted storytelling or Sherlock's idiosyncrasies or Sherlock and Watson's bromance. Loads of bickering happens and we are supposed to admire Benedict's wizadry as an actor rather than the ingenuity of the plot. And that's the general problem in this 2016 Special Episode aswell.
What starts off as a one-off, tries to merge with the main contemporary plot line and plays to-fro, to-fro just too many times in the second half to be digestible. Also, the main mystery which is given a nice build up crashes to an anti-climax as Sherlock goes deeper and deeper into his dreams - Inception style!
Now we know this is not the real deal, this is just some fun before the serious stuff begins all over again in 2017, but even then it really scares me. Because truth be said, the 3rd season of Sherlock was a real let down. With Moriarity back in business, 4th season was again promising to exciting. But if Moffat continues to just use gas instead of substance, then all our hopes would be flushed down the Lavatory my dear Watson.
Rating: 4/10 - For a decent first half and brilliant performances.