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THAT WAS FUCKING PHENOMENAL.
So apparently Blind Banker wasn't awful because Steve Thompson is an awful writer, but because he hadn't received the memo that it was time to ditch the 19th century-style racism and colonialism, and said problems ate his brain so he wasn't able to do Sherlock and John's relationship properly? And given the right story, he's golden? That, or Steve Thompson is a conspiracy penname and it's a completely different writer this time, because -- seriously, I have NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS here. Let's list them!
Starting with Moriarty, in fact! I suppose the fact that I liked Moriarty a lot better here to previous appearances may have something to do that every other ep featuring Moriarty was directed by someone name of Paul McGuigan, and this one was Toby Haynes; thank you, Mr. Haynes, for presumably having something to do with dialing Moriarty down! Seriously, previous to this I was not at all impressed with Moriarty, who was really shrieky and not at all compelling. This time, though, oh my goodness, he was properly mad and a lovely mirror to Sherlock and just totally desperate for someone like him and hit, like, way too fucking many of my supervillain kinks. (Including the one where he killed himself to win. SHUT UP I HAVE LASTING MASTER TRAUMA THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.) I also utterly adored his plan; of course there was no stupid unlocking code, just old-fashioned networking and bribes and assassins on every street corner and dskdkj CORRECT SORT OF BRILLIANCE THANK YOU.
In fact the whole plot was great! Everything connected up, things were logical, and the bits that haven't been explained, it's easy enough to fill in the gaps -- the kidnapper of the screaming child was wearing a Sherlock face mask or had a picture of him or something; when someone called to tell John that Mrs. Hudson had been shot, either Moriarty or Sherlock had arranged that phone call (my money's on Sherlock since he was horrified when Moriarty threatened to have her shot). It was just. So delightfully well-crafted. And seriously, massive kudos for the bit where Moriarty pretends to be Richard Brook, actor; throughout that scene I genuinely had to remind myself of the way Moriarty kept creepily turning up to write IOU on things, that Moriarty had to be real, because it was just. that. convincing.
Which brings us to Sherlock's friends! Sherlock's friiiiends, THESE PEOPLE HE WOULD (pretend to) OFF HIMSELF FOR, THE THREE PEOPLE WHO NEVER ONCE FELL FOR MORIARTY'S SMEAR CAMPAIGN. Even if Lestrade came close. (Aww, King Arthur, really?) I loved him so much this episode, with his terrible attempted justification of bringing Sherlock on cases, and his flat refusal to accept what everyone around him assumed was true. (Because, of course, he believes that Sherlock Holmes is a great man and may even one day be a good one, and OH GOD THAT'S WHAT THIS EPISODE WAS ABOUT, NOW I HAVE EVEN MORE FEELINGS.) Mrs. Hudson was pretty great too -- I mean, she didn't have any brilliant defining moments, but I loved how she was this constant presence, and there was none of that frustrating "Not your housekeeper" stuff, and -- well, I really loved her rant at Sherlock's grave, that was delightful. And John!
JOHN OKAY OH MY GOD. First of all Martin Freeman knocked it out of the fucking park, all the way through really but especially at the bookended bits where he thinks Sherlock's dead, WAY TO BREAK MY HEART. I loved, though, the way that John's not even for one fucking second taken in, that Sherlock calls him with the crying confession that it was all a lie and he flat-out refuses to believe it, because he's known Sherlock going on two years, known him. By the way, speaking of the crying confession on the rooftop, and also because it's kind of silly to talk about John without talking about Sherlock at the same time, Cumberbatch knocked it out of the park too. I felt for him, in a way I usually can't because I feel too annoyed with Sherlock for that. But everything with Moriarty was superb, and then, when he calls John crying -- that's Sherlock in tears not because he's about to die (I mean, presumably by this time he knows how he's getting out of it) and not because he's finishing the character assassination that Moriarty started, but because he's hurting John. HOW WONDERFUL. Plus there was the stuff like running in front of a bus holding hands and handcuffed together, and Sherlock's bewilderment over John's concern for him, and how Sherlock looks sad, but only when John's not looking.
Oh wait, I remember an objection I did have! Kitty Reilly the reporter, while trying to convince Sherlock to give her an exclusive, basically says, "Only I can save you from the HORRIBLE RUMOR of GAYNESS." And there's John's background consternation over the newspapers calling him a confirmed bachelor. I mean, this show often does more or less subtle versions of "Bring up the gay to deny it!" and Ms. Reilly basically lampshades the damn thing, but I'm a bit tired of it. (I HOPE THERE ARE IN-UNIVERSE FANSITES. I HOPE JOHN FINDS THEM AND READS THE RPS AND IS AWKWARDLY INTO IT AND HAS SEXUALITY PANIC, THE END.)
Meanwhile, back in the realm of stuff that happened in this episode and that I loved, I will give a passing mention to Mycroft, and to Mark Gatiss also being an excellent actor in this one. His FACE. I can hardly believe Mycroft would be so stupid as to tell Moriarty the truth about Sherlock, but we'll just assume Moriarty could tell the difference. And just -- Mycroft's quiet broken resignation to the whole thing. MY HEART.
I'm saving my personal favorite for last, though, and that is MOLLY. Molly Hooper, let me love you! I loved that they let her be something besides a doormat in this episode, something besides going for Sherlock and being hurt every time, something besides shamed to tears by the thoughtless things he says. But I don't mean that I was just grateful that they weren't horrible to her, because, while I was happy about that, treating a character with any decency doesn't actually earn points. What did, though, was -- in the short scenes she got with Sherlock I'm suddenly under the impression that I properly know her. Now, this is probably me filling in all sorts of gaps, because I freely admit that she's gone from doormat to cypher and plot device, but shh, let me have this. In my head Molly is a keen observer, of emotions and of people; that's of course her downfall with Sherlock, why she keeps allowing him in her life when he's awful, because she sees the flashes of vulnerability and she wants to help. She's bendable, she can weather things and knows when to defend herself and when to let it be because it won't even get through to him. Or maybe it's just that Molly's grown like Sherlock's grown -- the point at which he begins to apologize is also the point at which she learns to call him out, and so they arrive at the day of Sherlock's death, and he can say "I see you," and she can say "Let me help."
I don't know, it's all stuff I made up, maybe I will write fic about Molly because SUDDEN FEELINGS, but in the meantime it's pretty obvious that she's somehow behind Sherlock's ... ability to fall to OBVIOUSLY HIS BLOODY DEATH and then be FINE. I have not figured that one out! Handwave, medical whatsit, science, MAGIC.
I do like that he's not dead, in a conclusive way. I do like that fandom in the next hiatus can write all the Adventures of the Empty House. (Please, fandom, please write at least one where John faints dead away, I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE.) I like that there's a good reason for Sherlock to stay pretending to be dead; who knows if he'll try to clear his name post-mortem, but he'll definitely want to make sure no one's going to kill John and Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade if he turns up alive. I ... really loved this one, is what I'm saying here! Fabulous, satisfactory, non-rage-inducing, many-other-feelings-inducing, good Sherlock Holmes.
So apparently Blind Banker wasn't awful because Steve Thompson is an awful writer, but because he hadn't received the memo that it was time to ditch the 19th century-style racism and colonialism, and said problems ate his brain so he wasn't able to do Sherlock and John's relationship properly? And given the right story, he's golden? That, or Steve Thompson is a conspiracy penname and it's a completely different writer this time, because -- seriously, I have NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS here. Let's list them!
Starting with Moriarty, in fact! I suppose the fact that I liked Moriarty a lot better here to previous appearances may have something to do that every other ep featuring Moriarty was directed by someone name of Paul McGuigan, and this one was Toby Haynes; thank you, Mr. Haynes, for presumably having something to do with dialing Moriarty down! Seriously, previous to this I was not at all impressed with Moriarty, who was really shrieky and not at all compelling. This time, though, oh my goodness, he was properly mad and a lovely mirror to Sherlock and just totally desperate for someone like him and hit, like, way too fucking many of my supervillain kinks. (Including the one where he killed himself to win. SHUT UP I HAVE LASTING MASTER TRAUMA THESE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT.) I also utterly adored his plan; of course there was no stupid unlocking code, just old-fashioned networking and bribes and assassins on every street corner and dskdkj CORRECT SORT OF BRILLIANCE THANK YOU.
In fact the whole plot was great! Everything connected up, things were logical, and the bits that haven't been explained, it's easy enough to fill in the gaps -- the kidnapper of the screaming child was wearing a Sherlock face mask or had a picture of him or something; when someone called to tell John that Mrs. Hudson had been shot, either Moriarty or Sherlock had arranged that phone call (my money's on Sherlock since he was horrified when Moriarty threatened to have her shot). It was just. So delightfully well-crafted. And seriously, massive kudos for the bit where Moriarty pretends to be Richard Brook, actor; throughout that scene I genuinely had to remind myself of the way Moriarty kept creepily turning up to write IOU on things, that Moriarty had to be real, because it was just. that. convincing.
Which brings us to Sherlock's friends! Sherlock's friiiiends, THESE PEOPLE HE WOULD (pretend to) OFF HIMSELF FOR, THE THREE PEOPLE WHO NEVER ONCE FELL FOR MORIARTY'S SMEAR CAMPAIGN. Even if Lestrade came close. (Aww, King Arthur, really?) I loved him so much this episode, with his terrible attempted justification of bringing Sherlock on cases, and his flat refusal to accept what everyone around him assumed was true. (Because, of course, he believes that Sherlock Holmes is a great man and may even one day be a good one, and OH GOD THAT'S WHAT THIS EPISODE WAS ABOUT, NOW I HAVE EVEN MORE FEELINGS.) Mrs. Hudson was pretty great too -- I mean, she didn't have any brilliant defining moments, but I loved how she was this constant presence, and there was none of that frustrating "Not your housekeeper" stuff, and -- well, I really loved her rant at Sherlock's grave, that was delightful. And John!
JOHN OKAY OH MY GOD. First of all Martin Freeman knocked it out of the fucking park, all the way through really but especially at the bookended bits where he thinks Sherlock's dead, WAY TO BREAK MY HEART. I loved, though, the way that John's not even for one fucking second taken in, that Sherlock calls him with the crying confession that it was all a lie and he flat-out refuses to believe it, because he's known Sherlock going on two years, known him. By the way, speaking of the crying confession on the rooftop, and also because it's kind of silly to talk about John without talking about Sherlock at the same time, Cumberbatch knocked it out of the park too. I felt for him, in a way I usually can't because I feel too annoyed with Sherlock for that. But everything with Moriarty was superb, and then, when he calls John crying -- that's Sherlock in tears not because he's about to die (I mean, presumably by this time he knows how he's getting out of it) and not because he's finishing the character assassination that Moriarty started, but because he's hurting John. HOW WONDERFUL. Plus there was the stuff like running in front of a bus holding hands and handcuffed together, and Sherlock's bewilderment over John's concern for him, and how Sherlock looks sad, but only when John's not looking.
Oh wait, I remember an objection I did have! Kitty Reilly the reporter, while trying to convince Sherlock to give her an exclusive, basically says, "Only I can save you from the HORRIBLE RUMOR of GAYNESS." And there's John's background consternation over the newspapers calling him a confirmed bachelor. I mean, this show often does more or less subtle versions of "Bring up the gay to deny it!" and Ms. Reilly basically lampshades the damn thing, but I'm a bit tired of it. (I HOPE THERE ARE IN-UNIVERSE FANSITES. I HOPE JOHN FINDS THEM AND READS THE RPS AND IS AWKWARDLY INTO IT AND HAS SEXUALITY PANIC, THE END.)
Meanwhile, back in the realm of stuff that happened in this episode and that I loved, I will give a passing mention to Mycroft, and to Mark Gatiss also being an excellent actor in this one. His FACE. I can hardly believe Mycroft would be so stupid as to tell Moriarty the truth about Sherlock, but we'll just assume Moriarty could tell the difference. And just -- Mycroft's quiet broken resignation to the whole thing. MY HEART.
I'm saving my personal favorite for last, though, and that is MOLLY. Molly Hooper, let me love you! I loved that they let her be something besides a doormat in this episode, something besides going for Sherlock and being hurt every time, something besides shamed to tears by the thoughtless things he says. But I don't mean that I was just grateful that they weren't horrible to her, because, while I was happy about that, treating a character with any decency doesn't actually earn points. What did, though, was -- in the short scenes she got with Sherlock I'm suddenly under the impression that I properly know her. Now, this is probably me filling in all sorts of gaps, because I freely admit that she's gone from doormat to cypher and plot device, but shh, let me have this. In my head Molly is a keen observer, of emotions and of people; that's of course her downfall with Sherlock, why she keeps allowing him in her life when he's awful, because she sees the flashes of vulnerability and she wants to help. She's bendable, she can weather things and knows when to defend herself and when to let it be because it won't even get through to him. Or maybe it's just that Molly's grown like Sherlock's grown -- the point at which he begins to apologize is also the point at which she learns to call him out, and so they arrive at the day of Sherlock's death, and he can say "I see you," and she can say "Let me help."
I don't know, it's all stuff I made up, maybe I will write fic about Molly because SUDDEN FEELINGS, but in the meantime it's pretty obvious that she's somehow behind Sherlock's ... ability to fall to OBVIOUSLY HIS BLOODY DEATH and then be FINE. I have not figured that one out! Handwave, medical whatsit, science, MAGIC.
I do like that he's not dead, in a conclusive way. I do like that fandom in the next hiatus can write all the Adventures of the Empty House. (Please, fandom, please write at least one where John faints dead away, I NEED THIS IN MY LIFE.) I like that there's a good reason for Sherlock to stay pretending to be dead; who knows if he'll try to clear his name post-mortem, but he'll definitely want to make sure no one's going to kill John and Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade if he turns up alive. I ... really loved this one, is what I'm saying here! Fabulous, satisfactory, non-rage-inducing, many-other-feelings-inducing, good Sherlock Holmes.