Sherlock Episodes Ranked

[shadowfireflame]

I like this Digital Spy article ranking the Sherlock episodes from the author's least favorite to favorite. While I slightly disagree with her rankings of the middle episodes, her explanations are right on for what worked and what didn't in each one.

Recognizing that all the episodes have some fantastic moments and that ranking them is ultimately futile (as I feel that each builds on the previous), it's still pretty fun. Here's my list and, briefly, what I loved and didn't:

• #9: "The Blind Banker" (episode #2, written by Steve Thompson)—I liked the relationship parts, but the China element just does not work.


• #8: "The Hounds of Baskerville" (episode #5, written by Mark Gatiss)—I still am not sure how to successfully do a modern adaptation of a giant dog with fluorescent paint on it. But I loved the idea of Sherlock, John, and Lestrade taking a little vacation on the moor!


• #7: "The Great Game" (episode #3, written by Mark Gatiss)—too much frenetic running around. Improves drastically with Moriarty's entrance, though.


• #6: "His Last Vow" (episode #9, written by Steven Moffat)—Magnussen is fantastic, but damn, this was unnecessarily complicated. I hope our questions about Mary will eventually be answered!


• #5: "A Scandal in Belgravia" (episode #4, written by Steven Moffat)—I adore the character moments, but something about the solution still doesn't quite sit right.


• #4: "The Empty Hearse" (episode #7, written by Mark Gatiss)—hysterical, unexpected, and so rewatchable. Made me love Mary so much. I still don't like the tube carriage scene, though.


• #3: "The Sign of Three" (episode #8, written by all three writers)—I think this episode may actually be perfect. And two words: stag night.


• #2: "A Study in Pink" (episode #1, written by Steven Moffat)—Could there be a better way to introduce a character than looking up at him, upside down, from the inside of a body bag? This episode sold me forever on this show and everyone involved with it.


• #1: "The Reichenbach Fall" (episode #6, written by Steve Thompson)—this brilliant, twisty episode riveted me instantly and then kept me speculating over hundreds of re-watches for two years, guys. Watching Sherlock deal with the noose slowly tightening around his neck as everything he has worked for crumbles is so heartbreaking.

How would you rank them? :)

Comments

Episode rankings part two (the problematic ones)

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

#5 - Hounds of Baskerville. It's rather silly, but good fun all around. And I find the sequence where John is locked in the lab genuinely creepy. The mystery really doesn't hold together very well in this one, and also I guessed about the mist = fear gas about half an hour before Sherlock got there (I thought they must be trying to fool us by sneaking in The Devil's Foot when we'd been led to expect Baskerville, but in the commentary they don't mention a word about it. Maybe they just accidentally stumbled into a plot about a drug which is introduced into the atmosphere to cause uncontrollable fear and then named the spot where it's used The Devil's Place (Dewer's Hollow). But that's quite a coincidence). Anyhow, it's fun and I enjoy it.

#6 - Scandal in Belgravia. It's elegant, and has some nicely written scenes. But I really didn't like what they did with Irene. In canon she wins Holmes's respect for her cleverness and audacity, her blackmail is genuinely for protection rather than profit and it points to the disturbing and unjust power disparity between what a male monarch can get away with in society as opposed to his mistress, and Holmes tells the King of Bohemia to his face that in terms of character Irene is far superior to him. In the BBC version she blackmails people for profit and goes so far as to ally herself with Moriarty and help terrorists to bomb planes; also, just like Magnussen, she uses Sherlock to get blackmail leverage on Mycroft. I did not share either Sherlock's fascination or his attraction to her.

#7 - The Blind Banker. This one is probably the most objectionable episode objectively speaking because of its problematic portrayal of Asian characters. But it's not my personal least favorite episode because I care most about the main characters and it doesn't do them any damage.

#8 - The Empty Hearse. I thought it was a terrible mistake to play John's grief so seriously and then to have Sherlock mock it and make light of it at every turn, and then to resolve their conflict by having Sherlock manipulate John into believing he was about to die. Putting a person through a mock execution in order to emotionally crack them is simply never, ever acceptable. I wouldn't have believed that they could write a conclusion to the Reichenbach story in which I would not feel happy watching these characters back together, but I did not feel happy during any John-Sherlock scene in this episode. In fairness, I should add that the Sherlock-Mycroft and Sherlock-Molly scenes were very lovely.

#9 - His Last Vow. I find Mary's actions and the excuses which the script provides for them so disturbing that I can't rewatch the episode. I'm genuinely scared that my inability to invest in future John/Mary may seriously damage my future enjoyment of the series. I'm incredibly bummed about this, because I came into Series 3 expecting to love Mary, and I do in fact find Amanda wonderfully charismatic. I just cannot get past the character as written, and am hoping to forget, forget, forget this episode. But hey, it just won 7 Emmy awards, so what do I know? :)

That's just my totally idiosyncratic and regrettably grumpy take on things, but it's fantastic to see all the love expressed in people's lists and it's awesome that even episodes that don't work for me do work so well for others! And my problems with particular episodes have not at all soured me on the actual writers/actors/producers etc, who all seem very talented and thoroughly lovely people.

Re: Episode rankings part two (the problematic ones)

[shadowfireflame.livejournal.com]

"You're not haunted by the war, Doctor Watson. You miss it."

This! The first, like, 10 times I heard this line, I always gasped, "Ohhhh!" Because then everything falls into place and you see how perfectly he and Sherlock fit together. Delightful chills is right!

But it's not my personal least favorite episode because I care most about the main characters and it doesn't do them any damage.

And that Sebastian Wilkes moment of Sherlock looking sad about being hated at school--that is legitimately one of my favorites. And Sherlock continues to help Sebastian and calls him "Seb" in the bathroom, and he just wants to be loved and appreciated and--oh, it's so good.

After Empty Hearse and Sign of Three, I loved Mary and really could have watched an OT3 series of them just solving crimes together. After she shot Sherlock, though, I can't feel the same way about her. Nor do I think we're supposed to still like her...? So in a sense "What will happen with Mary (and possibly Moriarty)" is the cliffhanger of this series, I guess. But it kills me to have to wait so long to find out, lol!!!

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I can't get enough of talking about this show! :)

Re: Episode rankings part two (the problematic ones)

[rachelindeed.livejournal.com]

Nor do I think we're supposed to still like her...? So in a sense "What will happen with Mary (and possibly Moriarty)" is the cliffhanger of this series, I guess.

See, I think we are supposed to like her and that the explanations of her behavior and motives given in HLV are the only ones we will ever get. I'd be happy to be wrong, though! Only time will tell :)

I always enjoy hearing your speculation and reactions and your wonderful enthusiasm and love for the show! Thanks for being so welcoming and for your always interesting thoughts!

Re: Episode rankings part two (the problematic ones)

[shadowfireflame.livejournal.com]

See, I think we are supposed to like her and that the explanations of her behavior and motives given in HLV are the only ones we will ever get.

Oh no, I do hope that's not right--no matter how good of a shot you are, shooting someone in the chest is always a risky proposition!! But as you say, only time will tell! :)