Showing posts with label Sherlock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sherlock. Show all posts

Sunday, 19 January 2014

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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Monday, 6 January 2014

TV REVIEW: Sherlock - The Sign of Three

Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Bad, right. Well the bad news is that, currently resting on the far side of episode 2 as we are, we only have one episode in the current series of Sherlock left. I know, I can’t believe it either. The good news though, is that if episode 3 is even half as good as episode 2, it’ll be an absolute corker.

The Sign of Three saw Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) face a case he never thought possible- the curious case of the unwritten best man’s speech. Having sort of proposed to Mary (Amanda Abbington) in the previous episode, albeit dramatically diverted at the time by the re-appearance of his supposedly dead best friend, John Watson (Martin Freeman)’s wedding day has now arrived. This has left a desperate Sherlock in the tricky situation of having to not only write an entire speech in which he must emotionally connect with a room full of tissue ready wedding guests, but, crucially, this is a situation in which he must act normal, and not like a ‘high functioning sociopath’ for an entire day. Premise established, the episode proceeds to use said speech as a vehicle for well -timed flashbacks on the adventures of groom and best man, from the stag do to an invisible man to a womanising ghost. As the speech trundles on, taking us from laughter to tears in minutes, so too do the stories of the different cases, until Sherlock’s dramatic and somewhat inevitable conclusion that a crime, a murder no less, has been planned for this very day, in this very room.

For now, however, back to the speech. Despite the fact that the speech itself transpired to be nothing short of a masterpiece, touchingly delivered and utterly true to the relationship of the three characters involved, Sherlock’s speech making skills are met with, at best, concern. Perhaps well founded given his previous behaviour towards any member of the opposite sex John has shown an interest in. Mrs Hudson Sherlock’s long suffering landlady, played with a splendid warmth and simplicity, as ever, by Una Stubbs, finds the concept of Sherlock talking about a subject other than grisly homicide in front of so many rapt, normal people so hilarious that she can’t get passed the idea of him reading out the telegrams without breaking down in fits of laughter so over the top she sounds like a woodland bird being poked with something hot and pointy, to paraphrase. Sherlock himself isn’t entirely thrilled with the situation either, with even Watson failing to notice how ‘terrified’ the detective clearly is.

Happily, it falls to the tremendously likeable Mary to save the day, as she cunningly plays the boys off against each other in order for them both to be re-assured that the wedding, and indeed life after it will all end happily, with both feeling all the while feeling comfortably superior that they are doing the other one a favour. A woman who can outsmart Sherlock and Watson to boot without having to take her dressing gown off? Nice. Very nice. In fact nice is exactly what Mary is. As I said a moment ago she really is very likeable. Not so much fortuitous as utterly crucial to the longevity of the series, the success of her character has clearly been meticulously discussed and planned to the nth degree. The requirements were probably something along the lines of, firstly, a character strong enough to hold her own when talking to the infamous sociopath as well as being a person in her own right, and finally not to mention somebody John Watson would want to marry. That’s a lot to achieve in the form of just one fiancĂ©e. Fortunately, the writing team, and indeed Amanda Abbington herself, more than achieve this.

I think it’s fair to say that her real life marriage to Martin Freeman goes some way towards making their on screen relationship work, too. The two have a warmth, ease and sense of fun about them on screen through which they manage to create that rare thing in TV partnerships – actual genuine seeming chemistry. Given how hand and glove-like Cumberbatch and Freeman’s performances fit each other, the latter’s relationship with his now wife really had to be absolutely spot on in order to have a chance at working. A fantastic performance here, too from Benedict Cumberbatch, who, whilst allowing us to see a more fragile, silly and ultimately more human side of the socially awkward sleuth remained 100% true to the man himself, even in this most uncharacteristic of situations.

The more detective-like elements of the episode were down played in favour of Sherlock’s old enemy, ‘sentiment’, which may well have angered some die-hard puzzle-solving fans, but for me there was just the right amount of background mystery and intrigue. It was as fascinating and mind-boggling as ever, but didn’t get in the way of either the hilarity of the stag-do flashbacks, in which we were treated to the rare and totally brilliant sight of a drunken Sherlock, nor the poignancy of the day itself and Sherlock’s heart felt congratulations and tributes to the happy couple.

It was the perfect, perfect mix of jokes, tears, laughter and excitement.  Just any wedding speech should be – although most don’t wind up with an attempted murder.

But then, that’s what you get when you pick Sherlock Holmes as your best man.



Jen

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Friday, 3 January 2014

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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Thursday, 27 December 2012

TV REVIEW: Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Snowmen




For those of us not overly enamoured with the idea of The Snowman and the Snowdog, there were other snow creatures afoot (adrift?) this Christmas. ‘The Snowmen’, this year’s festive Doctor Who episode, had it all. Scary Christmas monsters, fantastic guest stars, at least half of a sensible plot and it was set in the heart of all things considered by TV land to be appropriately festive – Victorian London.

After an unusual introductory sequence involving a small boy talking to some snow, The Doctor descends on the snowy streets of London, moping about on his own and generally being very Scrooge like, barely showing a cursory interest in Richard E Grant's Dr Simeon and his Great Intelligence institute. Naturally, of all the gin joints in all the world, he happens to walk past the tavern worked in by Jenna Louise Coleman’s Clara, who would have ‘new companion material’ written all over her frock even if we hadn’t already seen her in ‘Asylum of the Daleks’. The two deduce that a nearby snowman has somehow managed to build itself, and must consequently have some sort of intelligent mind. Utterly disinterested in all matters timey-wimey as The Doctor is at this point, he attempts to run away, pursued back to the cloud on which he’s parked the TARDIS by the feisty Clara, who then runs away herself after knocking on his door.

Eventually, and all in the nick of time as usual, The Doctor realises that the Earth is in grave danger from the evil snowmen, and arrives at the house Clara works in as a governess just in time to save the family from a huge, walking ice-cube in the shape of a woman emerging from the garden pond. Battle then ensues, with Clara injured and the Doctor fighting for her, the planet, and above all – Christmas.

Speaking of Clara, I cannot heap enough praise onto Jenna Louise Coleman, and believe me I’ve been trying to for the last couple of days. She’s every bit as fiery as Amy, although without a Rory equivalent in tow, she’s a lot freer to be her own person, a character in her own right rather than a part of a whole. Mind you, the whole itself is worth a mention. The return of Madame Vestra and her wife Jenny not only provides us with some gloriously, hilariously simple Moffat-ian lines such as “Good evening. I am a lizard woman from the dawn of time and this is my wife”, but gives a modern, relevant angle to the story. In fact the theme of old and new ran throughout, with new companion Clara innocently quoting ‘Pond’ as the reason The Doctor should get down from his cloud and save the world, as well as a re-vamped looking Tardis and theme tune managing to look cheerfully retro.

Sad as I am that the flirty Clara doesn’t seem likely to star alongside the equally sexually charged Captain Jack Harkness anytime soon, the chemistry between her and Matt Smith’s Doctor is plenty enough to be going along with. Not since the days of Rose has there been such an obvious attraction between the two characters, and it’s a lot of fun to watch. Now on to his second lot of companions, Smith seems to be more at home in the role than before. Having gone through the rite of passage that all Doctors must, the loss of a companion, the part is now truly his.

That said, The Doctor’s moping at the start of the episode did begin to feel a little too routine. We’ve seen it all before with David Tennant’s Doctor. We know the format. It certainly makes for a good ‘will he step in or won’t he’ plotline, but in terms of character, might it be nice if he coped with things slightly differently for a change? Perhaps The Doctor on the rebound could work? He jumps straight into the TARDIS with another companion and then has a hissy fit and breaks down a few episodes later? Unlikely to catch on as a plot but I thought it worth suggesting.

The only other thing potentially throwing snowy spanners into the works of this Christmas special were the references to Moffat’s other TV franchise, Sherlock. I for one enjoyed The Doctor’s useless attempts at deduction, as well as the suggestion that Vestra and Jenny were the true inspiration for Conan Doyle’s Holmes and Watson, but both references felt a little shoe-horned in. Not necessarily an issue, but when you find yourself wondering whether or not Moffat has linked Sherlock to strong female leads in another show in order to dispel the vicious whisperings that he in fact can’t write strong female leads at all – you realise that you’ve been taken out of the immediacy of the story in front of you. You’ve escaped the escapism. And funny as the references were- that’s not good.

All concerns aside though, this was a fantastically funny and pleasantly scary episode- perfectly placed in the schedules for post-lunch sofa collapse. There’s fun to be had guessing which high profile actor played the part of the snow itself, which took me far longer than it should have to figure out, and Richard E Grant is as much of a joy as ever, especially when he’s being evil. The episode continued the tradition of festive themed monsters, the beasts behind the baubles, as well as setting up the next series’ on going mystery arc, namely, who on Earth or otherwise is Clara/Oswin?

Several critics have pointed out that this episode was unlikely to appeal to the casual Who viewer. Fair point, but I think it more important that it managed to satisfy the dedicated fans whilst still leaving them hungry for more.

Which is not bad going really, considering the majority of the audience were still stuffed full of turkey and roast potatoes at the time.

- Jen

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Sunday, 22 January 2012

FEATURE: The Great Sherlock Conundrum


This time last week, everyone was preparing themselves for the finale of the BBC's Sherlock in which we eagerly awaited the showdown of the century, an epic battle of minds that we all knew would result in a fall of momentous proportions between Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty. It did not disappoint. But was anyone really prepared for what happened at the end? For those of you who haven't seen it yet (if not, why not?!), you may want to look away now as this post contains spoilers of both the literal and theoretical nature.

Fans of the stories will know, of course, that the confrontation at the Reichenbach Falls ends with Sherlock and Moriarty falling to their deaths. Updated to the modern setting, the ending was nothing short of genius. But how did Sherlock fake his own death? Well we, like the rest of the show's audience, have our own ideas, which we present to you for your perusal. Please feel free to comment with your own theories or to continue with some of ours.

BECKY: 
           Having rewatched the end of The Reichenbach Fall, I now present to you my theory. Going from the point at which Sherlock calls John on his mobile as he gets out of the taxi, Sherlock places a huge amount of emphasis on where John is to stand, even stating at one point "Keep your eyes fixed on me". John is so emotionally wrapped up on Sherlock's 'suicide note' that plenty of other things could have happened in front of him without him noticing.
First of all, Sherlock's previous conversation with Molly is essential; as a pathologist she has access to both dead bodies and medical staff to aid her and Sherlock in convincing both John and the assassins waiting to kill his friends that Sherlock has actually fallen to his death. 
For the eagle-eyed among you, the first shot of Sherlock's 'body' on the floor also features a rubbish truck that is filled with bags and neatly parked in front of the landing. Sherlock actually jumps into the rubbish truck whilst Molly has placed a dead body, daubed in blood and in Sherlock's clothes on the pavement. When the rubbish truck drives away, as it does once pedestrians and John start to surround the body, it takes the very much alive Sherlock with it. Molly has organised the paramedics to take the body away and the people around aren't necessarily the wiser for what has happened (Another interesting theory that I have seen is that the people surrounding the body are members of Sherlock's Homeless Network, mentioned throughout the episode as having helped the investigation).
Meanwhile, in John's trip from where he was standing to where the body is on the floor, he is crashed into, rather conveniently by a cyclist. The point of the cyclist is that he administers John with the fear-inducing hallucinogenic drug from the previous Baskerville episode. In the moments leading up to this event, John is told that his best friend is about to commit suicide right in front of him. Therefore, when John makes it over to the body, his worst fear will be seeing Sherlock dead on the pavement. So that is what he sees.
"But!" I hear you cry, "we see Sherlock's body for ourselves!" But do we?
The shots of Sherlock's body are mostly obscured; we see the back or side of his head. Before the facial shot we do see, the camera focuses on John looking at Sherlock's body, perhaps hinting that we are seeing things from his point of view. If he has been injected with the Baskerville drug, then the audience is seeing his hallucination, not the reality of the dead body.
Also, to keep the rumour alive that Sherlock is a fake, Moriarty is buried in Sherlock's coffin, thus destroying any evidence that he existed in the first place and proving that Sherlock made him up.

There you go, my nerdiness and attention to detail knows no bounds. Over to Jen.


JEN: 
        I don't think there can possibly be anything you've missed here...or can there? 
According to an interview with Steven Moffat in the Guardian (which I admittedly haven't actually read, just heard about), there is one crucial detail that all the online theorists are missing. Thanks a million Steven, like we weren't all going out of our minds enough. I would love to say that I am now able to reveal that detail to you, but that would be a cruel lie. The only thing I can think of which is not in this (lengthy) theory, is Sherlock's face. I'm totally with you that John being crashed into by the cyclist is very important, but I don't think that he only sees Sherlock as the dead body because of fear, drug induced or otherwise. Earlier in the episode, the little girl Moriarty kidnapped screams when Sherlock walks into the room. Why? Because, as Sherlock himself poins out, she has been conditioned to fear this face. This could have been done with photographs and video footage of Sherlock, yes, but to produce that kind of reaction it's likely that Moriarty would have needed far more than a photograph. He would have needed to make the little girl believe that Sherlock was in the room with her. And to do that, I think he had a mask. It is this mask that is the 'something of mine' Sherlock tells Moriarty he has, i.e he has his face, and it is this mask that we see on the dead body- the dead body of Moriarty.
I do agree with you that Sherlock jumped into some sort of truck and escaped. I seem to vaguely remember there being a market stall, although I could be getting it confused with the truck. Again, I agree that this obscured viewpoint has definitely got to be the reason John has to stand exactly where he is told.

Thoughts? Personally I think we should just kidnap the entire production team until they tell us the truth and be done with it!


BECKY: 
           Whilst kidnapping is both tempting and a perfectly good solution to our conundrum, let us continue to speculate. 



As you very correctly pointed out, I did not refer to the girl screaming at Sherlock and yes, this is a gap in the theory I have proposed. The mask is a pretty convincing idea actually but, there is a slight flaw in that the dead body is wearing Sherlock's clothes. We see him before he jumps, and indeed when he is in the air wearing the iconic coat that John so affectionately took the mickey out of in the previous episode. Ah yes, the previous episode... So how about this for an explanation?
In The Hounds of Baskerville, Dr Stapleton specifically mentions that cloning is something that is going on within the world of science. Moriarty has connections pretty much everywhere. SO (and stick with me on this), he not only has Sherlock's face, but his entire identity and the girl screams at Sherlock because his clone had kidnapped them. Sherlock realises this, tracks down the clone, kills him, throws the clone body off the roof and convinces everyone, including John, that he is dead.

Who ever said these theories needed to be realistic?


JEN: 
       Argh I didn't even think about the clothes! NOT a sentence I ever thought I would say/write.
But yes, now that you so eloquently mention it, we did most definitely see said iconic coat flapping most gloriously about as Sherlock jumped. It is plausible that he could have put the coat on Moriarty. However it is less plausible that he would have wanted to be parted from it. So it does cause us a problem.

Go with the clone theory?


BECKY: 
           Let's go with the clone. Or Moffat could do something entirely wacky; the whole death is never explained because just as it's all about to kick off with fancy graphics and mind-bending twists, someone's phone starts playing 'Stayin' Alive'. Oh wait...


JEN:
       I still say we kidnap him.


BECKY: 
          Agreed.