Rating: 
When season 2 of Sherlock was announced last year the producers confirmed that they would be re-imagining the most famous Holmes case of all time - The Hound of the Baskervilles. The original story by Arthur Conan Doyle is well regarded by many to be one of the all time great entries in the world of crime fiction. Given the popularity of the original book and the success thus far of the current TV series, it is safe to assume that last nights episode was perhaps the most eagerly anticipated instalment of the show since it’s inception. Too bad then that it was so underwhelming.
Now don’t get me wrong, a sub par episode of ’Sherlock’ is ten times better than any other show on TV at the moment, but it is a shame to have to admit that last nights episode was more reminiscent of the first season entry ’The Blind Banker’ than it’s original source material. Like the Blind Banker it was slightly patchy, at times predictable, oddly cliché and really felt like it was struggling to meet it’s 90 minute duration. Of course credit is due to the producers for choosing to adapt such a famous story, it was certainly a bold move and one which in essence was a risk worth taking unfortunately it just didn’t pay off which is surprising seeing as how it was written by horror aficionado Mark Gatiss.
Gatiss clearly didn’t have enough material in his script to fill the required feature length of the episode, both he and director Paul McGuigan sacrificed the story for atmosphere which would have been slightly more forgivable had this been a 40 minute episode. The best episodes of Sherlock juggle multiple mysteries and move at break neck speed, this time however it was a one case mystery (let’s be honest, nobody cared about the glow in the dark rabbit) that plodded along with no real sense of urgency. The reasoning behind Sherlock taking the case was pretty weak as was the silly superfluous subplot with Watson investigating an unintelligible Morse code signalling. The scene with Mycroft and Moriarty at the end of the episode felt like an afterthought, I would like to call it a subplot but it really was just a single scene. A sting at the end to wake the audience up and remind them to come back next week. It would have been far more satisfying had that plot point been expanded upon it surely would have made for an engaging subplot and one which may have rescued this episode.
Another problem this week was Russell Tovey, who played Henry Knight. Tovey was absolutely horrifying to watch, he was totally unconvincing in the role and choose to over act every chance he got. His final scene should be screened at all acting schools from now on to remind the students of why ‘less is more’ when it comes to on-screen performances. The purpose of his character was to convince the audience that there may be some truth to the rumours of a gigantic beast with glowing red eyes stalking the moors, but Tovey’s poor acting really defeated that notion and as a result you were never really convinced for a second that there was really anything out there. The entire time you are simply left counting down the minutes until Holmes solves the mystery.
Making Baskerville a military research facility was an inspired choice on paper but unfortunately it just didn’t fit the tone of the series, writer Mark Gatiss knew this and spent too much time trying to ground the facility into the realism of the show that it just slowed down the story too much. The scenes spent inside there were boring to watch. With other episodes the exposition scenes are normally spun at a quicker pace with a visual flair, but this time it was tedious to watch with the actors just standing still and talking to each other in a horribly bland white room filled with cages. All the lens flairs, writing on the walls and rotating camera moves couldn’t elevate those scenes above pure mediocrity. Every character both in the research facility and in the town were poor clichés. The grumpy no nonsense General who has it in for our heroes but reluctantly agrees to help them out towards the end, the overly friendly publican who is most definitely hiding a dark secret and the painstakingly obvious villain of the piece unconvincingly disguised as a helpful do-gooder.
The script for this episode felt like it was written during the first season and forgotten about until now. I say this because it’s the only rational explanation I can think of as to why the trust and respect Holmes and Watson earned from one another over the course of the show so far has been forgotten about. This episode sacrificed the evolution of Holmes and Watson’s partnership in favour of cheap gags. Using Watson as a guinea pig for the fear toxin began as a humorous running gag with the sugar but ended up becoming a little sadistic when Holmes was clearly enjoying himself watching Watson on the CCTV hiding in a cage. I hated the way that their relationships was played for laughs during this episode as opposed to the equal footing they have had in the show up until this point. Also the joke about people mistaking the pair for a gay couple is getting really old now.
Seeing Holmes doubt himself was a pleasure to watch and it was wonderfully played by Benedict Cumberbatch but overall his character did take a huge step back from ’A Scandal in Belgravia’ which saw grappling with emotions and becoming slightly more sympathetic towards those around him. Holmes who had previously defended Mrs Hudson from US agents and Mycroft’s short temper was back to square one this week by making a fool of his landlady in front of Watson by proudly deducing that her current love interest has two wives. While we all know that Holmes is very cocky with his deductions it was rather unfair of him not to broach the subject more delicately.
I hope that next week’s season finale is a return to form and that when the show is inevitably renewed for a third round that it’s second episode does not suffer from the ‘middle child’ syndrome that haunts seasons 1 and 2.
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9 Comments
Couldn’t agree more.
“Now don’t get me wrong, a sub par episode of ’Sherlock’ is ten times better than any other show on TV at the moment”
Yeah, it is. So stop moaning……….
I feel this review is over-critical, personally I enjoyed the episode.
I am a big fan of the original Conan Doyle stories and I like all the little touches where Mark Gatiss updates references from the book. For example, “Mr Seldon” being a swinger and Holmes making a disgusting cup of coffee for Watson.
For this reason I think the criticism in the review regarding perceived inequality in the relationship between Holmes and Watson is misplaced. One of the key scenes in the original story if Watson’s feeling of betrayal at having been “used” by Holmes and not taken into his confidence in the “Man On The Tor” chapter, and Gatiss could not have omitted this tension whilst staying faithful to the original.
Paradoxically, perhaps this modern interpretation of Sherlock does appeal more to those who are fully familiar with and appreciate the original stories than to those who view it as just another TV crime series.
You know, I actually liked this episode…and granted I’m not super familiar with the original source material, I have anxiously anticipated this followup season- and while it’s not my favorite episode yet, I feel it was a good change of pace to get the pair out of London to explore new aspects of their relationship…especially the sudden remark from Sherlock regarding their friendship, and then the seemingly endearing apology with the offer of coffee-
Did anyone else think it was bold and clever how they just marched right into a security compound?
I must say that I really enjoyed the episode too, although I would agree that the military base didn’t really fit in to the story very well.
I particularly enjoyed the reference to “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” where Holmes spotted the Racing Post in the tour guide’s pocket and used a bet to get what he wanted to know out of the man.
This is the genius I think in the show, the way that the subtle references from other stories get used and how each little part of Holmes’ and Watson’s character is getting updated into a modern twist. A real pleasure to watch.
Loving the performances of the main characters and the show. I think the BBC were saving some filming costs because the sunrise and sunset were the same view; the shot of one was obviously run in reverse! Something that Sherlock obviously missed!
Agree that the plot was not complicated enough for a 90-min feature film and Russell Tovey didn’t own enough gravitas as Lara Pulver had in the first episode. Also, as flawless as Martin Freeman is, the character Dr. Watson simply can’t hold long enough attention of audiences; it’s, same as the book, the great detective’s journey that draws people in.
I, along with the reviewer, thought this was a poor adaptation.
Too much humour, Tovey miscast, Holmes coming across as cruel rather than calculating etc.
The use of the famous phrase from the novel “Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound” to somehow hook Holmes interest in the case I found totally ludicrous. The scene at the end with Moriarty was not relevant.
Where was the horror?
The only horror was seeing our rock crumble when he showed fear, and that was this drama’s main redeeming feature.
Although I overall enjoyed this episode, I sadly have to agree that the heart seems to be missing out of this week’s Holmes. In particular, the story of Sherlock evolving into a more caring person through his friendship with John gets a serious set-back in this episode. We expect Sherlock to be careless about John’s feelings and safety (in part because John can basically take care of himself, thank you very much!) but it is a different matter to see Sherlock deliberately cruel as he was in this episode. Hope this is remedied in the next installment, because as many have observed the friendship between Sherlock and John, no matter how you parse it, is at the heart of the story.