The most audacious and unwise thing the writers of Sherlock did in Series 3 was to put too much of an emphasis on the comedy angle of the show - something which has been clear from a lot of fan reactions. Prior to this series the show had been occasionally hilarious, but never had there been such an over-reliance on humour. The most prominent example of this is seen in the series' opener "The Empty Hearse." Not only was the explanation to Sherlock's fall very important to many, but his reveal to John in that episode was something to anticipate, too. John's immediate reaction was terrific and exactly the kind of dramatic scene I expected from a show of this caliber. Sadly, the writers reverting to comedy was not something I anticipated from the show, certainly not at such a crucial juncture. I don't know what everyone else was expecting, but I certainly wasn't expecting his reveal to be punctuated by a comedy reel. I still find it profoundly vexatious to comprehend why they would tarnish such a dramatic moment in that manner. Things only got worse though, with more GIF-able scenes being thrown in the series than you can point a stick at. Seriously, Tumblr must have been having a field day. The worst part about this was that the cases were shunned and more focus was put on unnecessary moments of humour and self-indulgence. Sherlock had always been first and foremost a crime drama with affable leads and occasional humour. Series 3 turned that around and made it into a comedy-drama with a hilarious ensemble cast and the crime aspect merely serving as a backdrop. "The Sign of Three" was the major example of this as it came across as an entire episode devoted to self-indulgence, with a cringe-worthy amount of in-jokes. I'm not going to pretend that some of it wasn't genuinely hilarious, but having such a hefty amount of time spent on gags is not the wisest thing to do when it comes to a crime show. And don't even get me started on how badly the case was thrust into the narrative. I think I may have been more lenient on it had it altogether done away with the detective aspect that the show brings along with it. The only episode in Series 3 that struck the correct balance was the excellent finale, which is why I found myself enjoying it so much. It's safe to say, I don't want series 4 to have such a great focus on humour. Sherlock is a crime-drama show and therefore the writers should never forget its primary audience in the midst of gags and fan-pleasing moments. Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
