Where oh where have you been Sherlock?! It is always entirely too long between Sherlock seasons, even if Benedict Cumberbatch has been pretty busy.
For all of those who have been eagerly awaiting the world’s most complex and witty detective, the season four premiere of Sherlock did not disappoint. It picked up exactly where we left our favorite crime solving duo, but instead of focusing on a possible fake death of Moriarty, as was teased in the season three finale, Sherlock asserts that Moriarty is definitely dead and is focused on figuring out whatever “game” Moriarty has left for him to play.
The beginning of the episode spends most of its time watching Sherlock over-extend himself on dozens of cases non-stop, looking for the next challenge while his friends go about their lives. Watson and Mary give birth to a baby girl, christen her, and get thrown into the world of parenthood, and all the while Sherlock pours himself into work and continues to look for a challenging case. Finally, as he solves the death of a young man who is the son of a wealthy senator, he notices an oddity in the home of the young man’s parents. Upon further inspection he learns that they were recently robbed and the only thing destroyed is the marble dais of Margaret Thatcher. He finds this very curious and thinks that somehow it must be linked to Moriarty. He traces five more broken statues in hopes of figuring out what is going on, but instead of being lead to Moriarty, instead the chain leads him to a secret from Mary’s past.
Sherlock swears that he will protect Mary no matter what, even when her life is threatened by a teammate from her past. And although Mary tries to flee and get as far away as possible from Watson and their baby, Rosamund, Sherlock and Watson still track her down and find her. They are not going to let her go that easily. The chemistry between the three of them; Sherlock, Watson, and Mary, is one of my favorite things about this show. Not very many people challenge Sherlock. None really. Watson is an amazing friend, and loyal to a fault, but he doesn’t challenge him. While Sherlock values John and his input, he doesn’t challenge him in my opinion. Mary on the other hand, she challenges Sherlock. Always has. She isn’t intimidated by him. She is smart. She is funny. She is an amazing buffer for Sherlock and Watson and has always respected their friendship and seen it for its uniqueness. She even encourages their friendship and helps them get through times when they are both being stubborn.
However, she has a past life as a spy and assassin that we all knew would come back to haunt her at some point. And although I am not surprised that Mary’s past came back to haunt them all, I have to say I was a little shocked **spoiler alert** at their decision to kill Mary off so early in the fourth season. Of course as a fan of Mary’s, and as a mother, seeing a new mom killed and leaving behind her infant child did not sit well with me. At the same time, with Moriarty gone, the show did need some new kind of hook or angle to make this season interesting. When Sherlock faked his death, Watson lost him and mourned for a long time. Now, with Mary’s death, and Sherlock failing to live up to his promise that he would protect her, he has lost Watson. Of course Watson blames him for his wife’s death and his hubris.
One of the most telling moments in this episode for me, happens towards the end when Sherlock is talking to Mrs. H, and Sherlock tells her that if she ever sees him getting too cocky or full of himself (even more so than usual), to simply say the word Norberry to him. Norberry being the name of the secretary that betrayed them all and ultimately caused Mary’s death as she jumped in front of Sherlock when Norberry went to shoot him. Mary’s sacrifice in this moment poignantly showed that she didn’t think of Sherlock as John’s friend, but rather as a dear friend of hers, one whom she was willing to give her life for. A far cry from when Sherlock first discovered Mary’s true identity and she shot him.
Despite the seemingly shocking twist and the death of Mrs. Watson, the season premiere was still jam-packed with everything we love about Sherlock. Witty banter, bizarre cases, Sherlock’s indifference and condescending attitude to nearly everyone and everything around him, and of course his small and loyal group of friends and comrades. Although, I was saddened by Mary’s death, I still thought it was an excellent premiere and am looking forward to another amazing season where Sherlock will seek to “save John Watson” and reclaim their friendship as is Mary’s final plea from the grave.
