TV REVIEW: Sherlock - His Last Vow

It's been one week since the swishy-coated detective and partner last graced our screens and we're all missing him already. In lieu of a full, in-depth review, we have decided to take you through our conversation following last week's finale, a glimpse at our thoughts if you will. As ever, there are spoilers (and if you have avoided any until now, please accept a generous round of applause).

Becky: If people were worried that Sherlock was becoming too light and fluffy, then surely they must have had their fears eased with this deliciously dark episode, as twisty turny as a twisty turny thing. There were plenty of things I sort of expected (Mary) and plenty of things I didn't (yes, Jim, I did miss you). But overall, what struck me most about this episode was how well the first two in the series built up to it. The time taken to really cement the relationship between John and Sherlock, as well as the addition of Mary, ensured that the second any one of them found themselves in jeopardy, I was a bit of a wreck. 

Jen: Personally I always enjoy a little bit of light and fluffy, but I do understand that this isn't necessarily what one would traditionally either expect or want from a modern re-imagining of a classic detective drama about a clever man incapable of normal social interaction, so in that sense this final episode did rather bring us back on track. Albeit at the eleventh hour. Totally agree about the development of Mary and John's relationship, although I have to admit I was just the teensiest bit disappointed that she didn't go totally rogue and become the villain of the series. But maybe I have just have a dark imagination? Speaking of both dark imaginations and villains, beyond delighted to see the return of Moriarty. He's my favourite, ever.

B: I'm fairly certain that it won't be Moriarty we see back though. Sherlock's resurrection (however it happened) was no mean feat and I'm not sure even Moffat and Gatiss could make lightening strike twice. Perhaps a mastermind using Moriarty to bring Sherlock back into the fold? Speaking of masterminds, how damn cool was Charles Augustus Magnusson? Talk about your skincrawlingly dastardly villain. I'm honestly not sure which was worse; the licking of the face or the flicking of the face? I would have loved to have seen more of him, he was wonderfully intimidating and seemed like such a good foil for Sherlock. I loved that they each had their own version of a mind palace but used them in ways befitting their status.

J: It will be Moriarty, Becky. It will. That is what I am telling and myself and will continue to do so. Agree that lightning doesn't usually strike twice, however I think now that they've brought Sherlock himself back to life, almost anything could happen. Didn't Moriarty keep popping back to life in the books or have I misremembered that? Magnusson was indeed creepy. He was just so rude! That was the main thing I took away from him. Also, that I would like a mind palace. I LOVED the parts when Sherlock was dead, and re-living all the useful bits of information from previous conversations and scenes. 

B: Moriarty dies at the Reichenbach Falls so there's no real precedent for bringing him back. 

Yes the mind palace with Sherlock was such a great piece of film-making, not only dramatically, but technically too; it worked just as well as the onscreen graphics for Sherlock's deducting. I also loved how he used people around him and it added another dimension to the character. He may not be able to show how much he admires them very well in reality, but they all occupy a special place in his head ready to save his life when he needs them. That being said, he also managed to re-assert his utter bastard status with poor Janine. I did that horrible nervous  laugh when he proposed through the camera with that terrifying grin.

J: Is the fact that I love him not enough of a reason? But yes fair enough.

I actually really liked Janine, I particularly enjoyed the way she got her own back on him with her kiss and tell stories to the press, and the way Sherlock reacted to it with something not unlike admiration. I much preferred her to The Woman, in fact I'd quite like to see her again, but I'm not too sure we will. Definitely a great character episode all in all, with a bit more in the way of a sleuth plot than we've seen recently. 

B: I did like that final scene with Janine, the pair had a really nice chemistry. And yes, the character beats worked very well along side the sleuthy aspect. Martin Freeman in particular has been just fantastic this series and broke my heart on more than one occasion. Cumberbatch does get the more demonstrative role, but Freeman puts in a hell of a lot of work as the more reserved half and their relationship felt so much deeper this series than it has I think before, primarily because we have spent so much time with them for the first couple of episodes.

Final verdicts then?

J: Final verdicts, hmm. I think a strong and satisfying end to a great series, one which really stretched the characters and took the show to new emotional levels. My prevailing thought however, is that yes, I did miss Jim, and I think Sherlock did, too. 

B: If it is him (and I'm still not so sure), then it's going to have to be one hell of an explanation to bring him back. But yes, I agree, it's been a different series to the previous too, no doubt, but it's moved everything in a very interesting direction and I can't wait to see what happens next.

- Jen and Becky

You can read Jen's review of The Sign of Three here and Becky's look at The Empty Hearse here.

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TV REVIEW: Sherlock - The Empty Hearse

It's been two years since The Reichenbach Fall, but Sherlock has finally returned with a suitably witty and emotional first episode.

Sherlock (the character) has always swaggered about, confident in his own abilities and with a trademark, if often unintentional, biting wit. They are qualities that Sherlock the show has exhibited from its first episode; even A Study in Pink had an inbuilt confidence in its concept and execution thanks to Paul McGuigan's direction. The Empty Hearse was the most self-assured episode to date with Mark Gatiss' script revelling the impact of Sherlock's return and those around him, uniting them all into the big reveal one at a time.

In terms of the wider plot, Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) has almost singlehandedly dismantled Moriarty's criminal network whilst being 'dead' only to find himself faced with his brother Mycroft (Mark Gatiss) in a jail cell. It turns out that there is a terror cell planning an imminent attack on London and Sherlock is required to help foil it. Returning to London, Sherlock is surprised to discover that not only has John Watson (Martin Freeman) moved on, but he is about to get engaged and has, shock horror, moved out of 221B. They are soon forced back together in the name of Mycroft's case, a seasonal plot to blow up Parliament, and the gang are once again reunited.

That confidence that I mentioned earlier permeated every aspect of The Empty Hearse, a fine return for everyone involved. Mark Gatiss' script was one of the wittiest yet, granted Cumberbatch and Freeman some truly brilliant lines. The editing was also nothing short of spectacular, particularly in the cross-cutting for Sherlock and Watson's respective scenes with clients and patients. It gave the episode a quick pace and a knowing air that never fell into arrogance, played with enough humour to keep it light whilst also allowing the more emotional moments to rise to the surface.

The restaurant scene was so beautifully played from the very beginning, not only allowing Benedict Cumberbatch to wheel out his comedy French accent, previously utilised to great effect in the radio series Cabin Pressure (and thus my customary plug for that show is worked in), but also for Martin Freeman to follow up that graveside speech with some of the best reactionary acting in the business. The balance between the comedy and the drama of the situation was perfectly pitched, allowing for the emotional resonance of John's reaction to hit the spot whilst the violent reactions, the changing locations and moustache-related running jokes to re-establish their relationship and the chemistry between the two actors.

It wasn't all about Watson though as Sherlock goes round, alerting his colleagues to his return. A particular favourite was his reunion with Lestrade which featured the best reaction, second only to Watson's. Rupert Graves is one of the unsung heroes of this series, absolutely sublime as the put-upon inspector who always finds himself a little sidelined. Elsewhere, Molly (Louise Brealey) as Sherlock's new sidekick allowed for some of the quieter moments of the episode as Gatiss rattled through seemingly as many textual references as he could. However, it was the expanded relationship with Mycroft that resonated most from the great visual joke of them playing Operation to the clear affection/antagonisation that they share.

These reunions also served to show how the two years on his own have taken their toll on Sherlock himself, as well as those around him. Throughout the series, he has displayed the lack of understanding when it comes to human relationships and does so here, incredulous when he discovers that John is no longer waiting for him to return. However, the fake Jack the Ripper scene has Sherlock hearing John's reactions to his comments and actions; there's a realisation here that he actually needs John by his side. Molly serves as a decent foil for a day, but that relationship isn't one based on challenging Sherlock, but adoring him (despite Molly's insistence that she has moved on). Likewise, in the final confrontation between Sherlock and John, he demonstrated his true reliance on John, but this being Sherlock, it couldn't be said in a genuine fashion, it had to be performed whilst he had the upper hand in knowing the bomb wouldn't go off.

The episode was easily the funniest it has been and acted almost as a love letter to the fans who had been kept waiting by the various delays in production. Anderson acted as the audience within the episode, the Sherlock fan with endless theories as to how he did it, pouring over angles of descent, Derren Brown and acts of derring do like flying through windows and kissing Molly. It was an affectionate nod to the endless, obsessive theorising that we've all gone through since The Reichenbach Fall (yours truly included) and, whilst it could have easily been a snarky swipe at all of us, it was clearly done with the greatest of appreciation. Fan fiction references even snuck in there with the scene with Moriarty on the roof which nodded towards the Moriarty-Sherlock shippers and allowed the brilliant Andrew Scott to return to the role, if only briefly.

Not having a definitive method of escape proved to be a masterstroke, allowing each and every member of the audience to cling on to their own personal theory or see it referenced in Anderson's group. It was probably the only way of dealing with the hype surrounding Sherlock's demise in a satisfying way and somehow, not actually knowing how he did it doesn't seem so awful, it just seems fitting for the character. If anything, the focus on Sherlock's return left the sub-plot about the terrorist attack a little underdone when compared to the rest of the episode, but The Empty Hearse was always going to be about re-establishing the central relationship, rather than having a complicated mystery to solve.

It certainly wasn't the strongest Sherlock episode in terms of driving the plot forward; the parliamentary explosion narrative seemed a little superfluous until the climactic scene in the underground train car. It served its purpose in getting John and Sherlock to be honest with each other in an extreme situation, but just felt a little underdone. The aspect I did like about it though was that it had Sherlock reaching for the most complicated answers when faced with the disappearing passenger or the underground network, only for it to be a ridiculously simple answer that he'd missed. Perhaps we might get slightly simpler mysteries in future, or at least ones whose explanations are a little more understandable.

Bringing Sherlock and Watson back after two years was always going to be a tough ask, but Gatiss managed it with aplomb, a fitting reunion for everyone and one which clearly has a huge amount of love for its audience. It's so good to have them back and with a new antagonist on the horizon too.

- Becky

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TV REVIEW: Dates - Week 3: Episodes 6 & 7

Moving on to Episodes 6 and 7 of Channel 4’s latest Brian Elsley creation, Dates, and we’re beginning to see some elements of character development and dramatic justice. This will presumably bring us rather nicely up to the final shows. I mean dates.

Episode 6 took us off once again for dinner with Erica (Gemma Chan).  This time, however, having admitted her sexuality to her brother, she has been packed off on a date with a man by the name of Callum (Greg McHugh). Loutish, arrogant, opinionated and seemingly not the sharpest knife in the cutlery drawer, their Chinese restaurant meeting gets off to a bad start. His constant referrals to the Chinese restaurant staff as ‘these people’ doesn’t exactly help matters, and that’s before you even consider the fact that Erica doesn’t actually fancy men. As we’ve by now come to expect from the series, though, a bad start to a date does not necessarily mean a bad end. And, sure enough, surprisingly understanding about Erica’s situation as he is, Callum teaches her how to stand up for herself a little more. Thus, as with Episode 5’s date with David and Ellie, an odd sort of friendship emerges.

Episode 7 was a little more unusual, not quite following the format of previous storylines. Stephen (Ben Chaplin) took centre stage once more, as he waited for Mia (Oona Chaplin) to join him at a swanky hotel penthouse for what the Buffery team can only assume to be a jolly good game of Scrabble. It soon becomes clear, however, that Mia has changed her mind, and won’t be turning up after all. This throws the slightly controlling Stephen off guard, causing him to gatecrash the hotel’s conference in search of ‘an adventure’. He finds precisely that adventure with an attractive stranger, getting up to all sorts of hijinks in an attempt to forget about the beautiful Mia. Smarmy and selfish character that he is, though, he doesn’t entirely get his own way. In fact, she gives him rather a run for his money.

These were two sharply contrasting episodes, with the first showing a stronger side to one recurring character, whilst the second showed the weaker, sleazier side of another. The developing friendship between the stereotypically meek Chinese girl and loud Scot in Episode 6 was heartwarming and touching to watch, as it was clear both were gaining genuine life lessons from the other’s company. Episode 7 mainly served to re-cast would be lothario Stephen in a less favourable light than before, perhaps giving us a useful insight into the reasons behind Mia’s decision.

Both episodes, however, reflected the fact that by now we’ve come to like the show’s recurring characters, and are emotionally invested in their stories and futures.

Tonight’s episode sees Jenny (Sheridan Smith) give dating one more try as she meets Christian (Andrew Scott). 

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dates

Jen                                                                     

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TV REVIEW: Dates - Week 1, Episodes 1-3

 Dates, the new drama series on Channel 4 which is essentially what it says on the tin, is a neat little concept. Created by Brian Elsley, the man behind E4 teen powerhouse Skins, the show consists of a series of two-handers, depicting the different ways people behave when on a first date.

The first episode, or ‘date’ of the week saw David (Will Mellor), a kind-hearted Northerner new to London and Mia (Oona Chaplin) a sophisticated woman about town, meet for an initially frosty dinner in what transpires to be David’s first venture in the world of internet dating. Far more of an old hand at it, Mia bluntly tells him how it is, growing rather fond of the Yorkshire-man in the process, despite herself. Through this, we also learn about different attitudes to dating and relationships on either side of the North-South divide, as David believes Southern women are a ‘nightmare’, never knowing what they want, and Mia just sees David as a naïve country bumpkin who hasn’t yet grasped the art of conversation.

Date two, was that of Jenny (Sheridan Smith) a sweet Shepherd’s Bush primary school teacher originally from Rotherham, and Nick (Neil Maskell), a ruthless city trader with more than a few secrets to hide. Bubbly Jenny is recovering from the breakdown of her engagement, whilst trying to settle in London at the same time, whilst Nick knows the city well, likes to throw his cash around and generally show-off. Having made ‘a few mistakes’ in his life, he is recently divorced. This sounded like a match made in Hell, and it largely was, although it was apparent that good-natured Jenny endeavoured to see the best in him, whilst Nick found her relatively pretty and adorable. Without spoiling it for anyone, however, the reasonably pleasant date takes an unexpected turn for the worse towards the end, and true colours are shown on both sides.

On the final date of the week we were once again with socialite Mia (Oona Chaplin), who this time has dinner with charming but jaded surgeon Stephen (Ben Chaplin*). He’s thinking of quitting the profession, and wants to charm the pants off a beautiful girl, quite literally, for a bit of a distraction from his ennui. It transpires, however, that Mia won’t be so easily manipulated- at least not until she’s had another couple of glasses of wine. We learn that she is an e-escort, and that Stephen once, er, used her services shall we say. This doesn’t exactly set things off on the right foot, but one this bombshell has been side-stepped, the two have a startling amount of chemistry on what becomes rather an unconventional date, and there is the suggestion that they might perhaps see each other again.

Each and every story so far has been compelling, engaging and written extremely competently. They’re paced rather unlike typical TV shows, with more of a slow, stagey feel to them. Which can only ever be a good thing in our world of fast edits and quick fix, adrenaline fuelled cuts. Each character is fully fleshed out by the actor in their shoes, with Will Mellor sweet as ever, and Stephen Chaplin sleazy and misunderstood in equal measure. It’s the girls, however, that have really shone so far. Oona Chaplin nails it as the sexy, all-knowing girl about town who, underneath all her sass and bravado, really just wants to be swept off her feet and fall in love. Sheridan Smith is equally perfect as primary school teacher Jenny, suitably awkward as well as totally adorable, despite some of her more unusual tendencies.

Next week sees a lesbian date, an appearance by the extraordinary talented Andrew Scott, and hopefully just more of the same. 

Jen

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SERIES REVIEW: Blackout

 So Blackout, the BBC’s latest mini-series ended this week. Brought to us by the same production team as last year’s infinitely cheerier Single Father, starring a veritable dream team of David Tennant and Suranne Jones, Blackout starred fellow ex Doctor Christopher Eccleston. Although he’d doubtless despise that link. 

 Christopher ‘oh so very serious’ Eccleston , as we like to call him here at the Buffery, plays alcoholic council worker Daniel Demoys, a gruff sort of chap prone to bouts of violent behaviour when under the influence, none of which he can remember the morning after. Set in a rainy undisclosed city clearly modelled on Manchester, episode one charts  Demoys’ slow realisation that he has killed a fellow council worker. Having coming to his senses after saving the life of a young witness in a drug trafficking trial, he must atone for that, whilst simultaneously comforting the deceased’s distraught daughter, played with appropriate distress by Rebecca Callard, as well as saving his collapsing marriage with wife Alex (Dervla Kirwan). Oh and he also had an affair with a rather over idealistic blonde woman by the name of Sylvie, (MyAnna Buring) although that didn’t seem to consist of much more than the odd bit of action in a club stairwell.

Got all that?

In Episode 2, we see Daniel’s decision to become mayor, which allows him to set the world to rights whilst enjoying the professional success that goes along with it, earning him brownie points with wife Alex. It will come as no surprise however, that darker forces are at work here, protecting Daniel’s secret and burying any traces of the past for their own evil ends. These not so subtly sinister undertones bubble precariously close to the surface as the episode progresses, helped in no small way by Andrew Scott’s scene stealing Detective Bevan, and all set to the show’s murky film noir style backdrop.

This paved the way for the third and final episode, details of which I will not reveal here in case any of you haven’t quite caught it on 'the Iplayer' yet.

There's a lot to like, here. Eccleston gives his usual dependably intense performance, with atmospheric lighting and make-up allowing him to look extra stare-y. Dervla Kirwan is an equally reliable actress, although I’d have liked to have seen more of her.The dialogue is true to the unnamed gritty metropolis (Manchester) it is written to represent, the production values are excellent, and the storyline skilfully instils a sense of growing unease and anxiety. Which obviously again ties in with all the shots of chlaustrophobic skyscrapers, endless drizzle and murky grey-green street lighting of the city (Manchester).

It is very stylish.

If I have a problem with it though, it’s that it’s too stylish. Call it personal taste but I think it could have used just a touch more realism in places and a little less glossing over the details. This is particularly apparent in any scenes which even remotely consider alcoholism as a concept, as sufferers are labelled simply ‘drunks’, with that being the end of it. ‘I’m a drunk’, they say. ‘But why, how?’ we shout, unheeded at our screens. For a programme centred on the idea of alcoholic blackouts, the alcoholic side of it is barely touched upon. We see Demoys’ attempts to avoid the booze, but we have no idea how we developed the relationship with ‘the sauce’ that he did.

The same can be said of the ending. Again, I won’t give away too much, but it just doesn't come across as having been well thought out. It’s hurried over and unsatisfying- which is a shame when so much of the production is entirely the opposite.

Worth a watch, but possibly another sad case of style over substance.

Blackout is available on BBC Iplayer until this Monday 23^rd July.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01klvq6/Blackout_Episode_1/

-Jen

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