Geek Syndicate
eccentric charm that made us love him in the first place. The quirky visual touches are still there; text messages are displayed on screen and a mystery is solved through Sherlock and Adler’s collective imagination. There is also the addition of slow motion, which may or may not be a concession to Guy Ritchie’s version of the character. Whatever the case, it is used well – and only once – which gives the scene the right kind of action and leg work. This is the episode of Sherlock that the audience – and the character – deserves. While the first series’ cliff hanger comes to a soft end, the story that follows ramps up the tension and mystery and wraps this new version of the character in his creator’s words. No mean feat. Sherlock continues to surprise and captivate in this excellent follow up to a greatly surprising first season. Last episode, Sherlock examined the idea of the title character being able to give and receive love. This week, we learn even more about the enigmatic consulting detective, and the cracks made in his cool veneer by Irene Adler grow a little bit wider. Sherlock is thrown into turmoil for one all too brief scene and we see a little deeper into the man himself. The Hound of the Baskervilles slightly renamed by writer Gatiss – is arguably the most famous story in the Sherlock Holmes canon, but it is also one that does not have Sherlock at the centre of it, and this could be why this episode is slightly less brilliant than the season premiere. Before you get all up in arms, I didn’t say it was bad, just slightly less brilliant. fact that he is allowed to operate heavy machinery is weird. Sherlock steps back and allows Watson to do some investigating on his own and to pull rank at the Ministry of Defence station that they investigate. This may be a logical step in the relationship between Watson and Sherlock – Watson even makes some clever deductions when the doorbell is rung – but when it comes down to it, Sherlock is still the one who solves the mystery. We get a deeper glimpse into the character of Sherlock this week. When he sees something that he could not possibly have seen, but cannot doubt the reliability of his eyes, Sherlock is entirely thrown, shaken and afraid. This is the first time that the detective has seen the mystery he is solving as anything other than a game, and it serves to allow the audience to understand him a little more and for him to open up and finally tell Watson that he considers him a friend. As with episode one, we have another huge development with the character whohas always been something of a one-man wolf pack in the past. Speaking of wolves, Being Human’s Russell Tovey turns up this week as the man who is being terrorised by the hound on the moor. Tovey is on fine form as Henry Knight, but this may not have been the best role for him. This is nothing to do with his performance – he is great as always – but the fact that he has just finished up on Being Human, a show in which he played a werewolf, and now he is turning up again in an episode of a BBC drama