Katie: The way they’ve been able to develop this iconic friendship within just a few episodes is really amazing. By the time Sherlock is up on that roof, you know those two would do anything for each other. Some of this comes from the natural chemistry between the two characters (I re-watched the pilot last night for the umpteenth time), but so much of it is from the excellent writing. There is no doubt in my mind that these two men love each other very much. Even when Moriarty was doing his worst and I could barely stand to look at the screen, the bond between John and Sherlock was so beautiful.
Julia: The ultimate tragedy of this episode, for me, lives in the fact that Sherlock faked his own death because he loved John too much. I mean, maybe this is the fact that my gay goggles are pretty firmly glued in place, but it’s all I could see. He sees how much it upsets John when he has to defend Sherlock. He sees the lengths John is willing to go to and that he will ultimately give up anything for Sherlock, and so Sherlock ends it for John’s sake.
I keep coming back to this because as far as I can tell, Sherlock didn’t have to fake his own death. He had his phone with him. He could have called Lestrade or Mrs. Hudson and warned them to get away. He could have called Mycroft and had him do his secret agent black magic. But he didn’t. And he had a plan in place. He’d already consciously made the decision that if it came down to it, he was going to make the sacrifice for John, because John is the one person he will do anything to protect. The worst was when Moriarty said he knew Sherlock had a soft spot and his entire face changed and the first thing he breathed out was a heartbroken “John.” It’s like you can see the moment on his face where he realizes that no matter what, he has to leave, because him staying will always put John in danger, and that’s not something he can live with.
Oh, god. Is it normal to cry while writing a review?
Katie: The episode made me hate Moriarty. He was utterly, psychotically delightful, but he was hurting Sherlock. He was hurting John. He was taking all their good work and shoving it back in their faces. And I hated him for it. And I knew he wouldn’t do anything else. But I still hate him for it.
Julia: Andrew Scott was amazing as Moriarty. (I was going to say he blew my mind, but that seems a bit gauche, considering.) I can’t get over the skill he displayed — he played the role of someone who was playing the role of someone! And there was this one moment where he peeks through his hands while pretending to be Rich Brook, and he doesn’t say anything, but his entire face morphs and in that moment you know he’s not Rich Brook, he’s Moriarty. How many actors can do that with just their face? It’s ridiculous. In fact, this entire cast is ridiculous. I’ve attempted to figure out who I want to win what awards, but it’s kind of like the most painful game of Fuck, Marry, Kill ever invented.
Katie: Can we have an award show just to give out an award to Martin Freeman? “The Award for Most Eligible Bachelor,” “The Award for Bestest Best Friend Ever,” “The Award for the Most Heartbreakingly Emotional Opening Scene.”
Clacked by Julia Hass 
on Jan 19, 2012 @ 16:29 EST5EDT
Yeah it’s okay.
You know, I’ve been checking daily hoping for this. :)
For what is worth, I agree: not only tv writing, but dramatic writing doesn’t get much better than this, it’s a joy for the mind (“brainy is the new sexy”, indeed) and yet with so much heart at its core.
I knew what had to happen, but in the original story Sherlock “dies” a hero’s death, acknowledged by the world. Here? Here he dies in disgrace, outed as a fake, apparently taking his own life, and only John (who had to watch him die, and I still can’t wrap my mind around that – but of course he had to watch, he wouldn’t have believed it otherwise) still keeps faith in him.
It makes for an incredibly powerful story arc, because now we see the first series in 2010 as the Introduction, this second chapter as the Fall (no pun intended), and we know that the third series will be the (hopefully glorious) Restoration; It’s a brave take of the canon, and I admire Moffat and Gatiss as much as I despise them for ripping my heart out, thank you very much.
One thing I’d like to share: most people seem to believe that now John is a broken man, back to square one where he was before he met Sherlock. But watching the scene at the cemetery I just don’t see it. He’s heartbroken, but he marched out of there like a man with a purpose. This is life after Sherlock, and I think John is going to make the best he can with what he has left, he loved Sherlock too much (be it platonically or romantically) and is too much a man of honour not to do that.
So life goes on, and there is no doubt in my mind that next time we’ll see John, he’ll be married (though I suppose he could be a widower, like in the canon, but personally I go with married): first, because Moffat hinted at it, secondly and more important simply because it would lead to an interesting story arc, if you think about it: would John’s relationship survive Sherlock’s return? Mmmh…
Oh, I already miss this show so much!
Did either of you ever read the Sherlock Holmes stories? Just wondering. And yes, best show on TV.
I love your review because it really says all I was thinking. When the credits rolled I was too stunned to move for a few seconds – and then through all the wonder and awe and thinking it was fantastic I started getting that awful “and now it’s gone”. Well, at least there will be another series – already breathless with imagining how the Sherlock/John reunion will be written and acted – but will we have to wait another 18 months? Thank goodness the DVDs come out here (UK) next week.
And I can reread your reviews when I need to top up on the love! Ta!
Julia and Katie, now that you’ve both had time to recover from all the feelings – any theories about how Sherlock survived the fall? I’ve seen a lot of ideas floating around, but Moffat has suggested that we’re missing something big:
From Digital Spy:
“I’ve been online and looked at all the theories,” Moffat told the Radio Times. “And there’s one clue that everyone’s missed.” He added: “It’s something that Sherlock did that was very out of character, but which nobody has picked up on.”
This is going to drive me crazy.
On an unrelated note, here’s a personal connection to Sherlock I discovered today: the exterior of 221B Baker Street is actually 185 N. Gower Street, mere steps from my mom’s old flat (111 N. Gower Street). I told her, and she was just like, “Yeah I stopped by there last year.” Gah, if only she watched this show she would understand why I was going on about Sherlock Holmes being her neighbor.
@Ruby
It’s the bicyclist. The bicyclist hit John at the exact right moment so Sherlock could do *something* to make himself seem dead. Also, almost immediately after he fell, there were people swooping in and picking him up and carting him away. Who *were* those people? There was no ambulance. Nothing. Just people putting Sherlock onto a trolley and taking him back into the very building he jumped off of.
I’m rather astonished more people didn’t notice those two things.
That may be true, but if sherlock was going to pull off a fake death why would he call on so many people to make it happen? The character of Sherlock is very enclosed, with few people he actually relies on, I just feel that he wouldn’t put that much faith into people he hardly knew to keep the truth behind his death a secret.
Which is what makes it so plausible that it’s the clue people have missed. Sherlock doesn’t like people; he doesn’t get on with them. So it would be “very out of character” for Sherlock to enlist the help of so many people.
Good point, maybe the way they will introduce a new series is by having one of those people come up and confront watson about what really happened to sherlock