Sherlock. “The Six Thatchers”: Review, Impression, and what is next…
We’ve waited, we’ve hoped and it al worthed it. Sherlock is finally back with the forth season composed of three episodes. The season opener is The Six Thatchers. If, by any chance, you’ve forgotten what happened previously, the first ten minutes will fill up the gaps in your memory. Since the intriguing “Miss me?” and the face of Sherlock’s number one enemy – Moriarty – two years have passed. (We don’t take into consoderation the special episode of last year “The Abominable bride”.) All this time fans of Sherlock have been kept in suspense. And what waas left for us was just to keep on guessing how the Napoleon of he criminal world could return to live and if he really did. And now with the new season we seem to find answers to our questions. But… let’s start from the beginning.
Story plot
The Six Thatchers opens with the scene where we find out how Sherlock is cleared from the charges after he shot dead Charles Augustus Magnussen ( – remember the wealthy businessman who used people’s “pressure points” against them and whom Sherlock called “Napoleon of blackmail”?). The British government made up a fake video which proved that before Sherlock had pressed the trigger someone else made a deathly shot at Magnussen. In return for clearance of all charges, the British government needs Sherlock to find out about Moriarty. However, the detective is sure that his enemy is dead and what was shown on all screens of the country was just a pothumous game prepared by Napoleon of crime world when he was alive.
Surprisingly, we never see Moriarty in person in the episode. And even the case Sherlock works on does not seemingly have any relation to Moriarty. Then what is The Six Thatchers about? The answer is not simple as the story involves several interwoven lines. One of them is ghosts from the past.
It is interesting how Sherlock finds the case of The Six Thatchers. While working on another case of a boy who died in a car, our detective notices that something is missing on the table where some attributes with Thatcher’s portrait stand. Sherlock relies on his sixth sense. Ultimatly he finds out that the missing bust was a part of a limited batch made in Tbilisi, Georgia. And someone searches for the six busts and breaks them in order to get something hidden inside them.
At first, the viewers might think that the new mystery of the six Thatchers has something to do with Moriarty. However, later Sherlock catches the thief. The man was a former member of the same super-agent team to which Mary Watson belonged in her “previous life”. This time she had no choice but to tell Sherlock and her husband all the truth about herself. Well… I prefer now not to disclose more in a case you have not seen the episode yet.
As The Six Thatchers deals with the ghosts from the past, the episode is rich in flash back scenes.
Sherlock
In best traditions of literature canons we can observe the development of Sherlock character. He now seems more human, a person who is not devoid of feelings and emotions. Here Sherlock is not more just a thinking machine (that we saw of him in the first episodes of season 1). He relies on his friends and trusts them. Our high-functioning sociopath demostrates (though maybe indirectly) how important his friends are for him.
He finds Mary in another part of the world when she decides to temporarily leave John and their newly born daughter Rosemund in order to protect them. Sherlock gives a vow to protect Mary and John in London. But Mrs. Watson makes a choice which ruins the vow. John also blames Sherlock and breaks the relation refusing help from him. Our detective realises that formally he hasn’t kept his word given to the best friend. His inner turmoil is all in his face and actions. He even visits a therapist (or psychologist) to learn how to regain John’s trust and friendship.
Best in The Six Thatchers
That unique sense of humor Sherlock possesses is just excellent. It is finely written and recreated by the film team. Just take a scene where Sherlock explains something to John and returns the rattle to his little daughter who drops it continuously on the floor.
Another funny scene is with Lestrade who, as usually, came to Sherlock to ask for help with another case. The detective forgets Lestrade’s name and call him by a different one. Realising that Sherlock turns his words in a joke and asks Lestrade’s name from John.
The scene in the swimming pool especially its beginning is unforgettable. Camera work is awesome. I just remember that dark blue light and Sherlock’s shadowed silhouette appears in the doorway.
Impression
In The Six Thatchers Sherlock appears to us more as a human with his feelings and emotions which are completely understandable to anyone. The game which he loves so much has opened to him from a different side. He’s realized that he actually cannot control each and every step of the game. Sherlock is now more grounded than he was before.
As for Moriarty… Remember in “The Reichenbach Fall” he made everything possible to turn Sherlock’s fame against him. Everyone who admired the great detective became against him. And only John was steadfast in his belief in Sherlock and trust to him. This time it seems Moriarty has inderectly succeeded to divide the two best friends – John and Sherlock. However, I hope that in next episodes their frienship will be re-established.
What is next?
Have you seen this scene in Episode 1 “The Six Thatchers”. It is actully a hint of what is next. Sherlock’s Episode 2 of Season 4 is The Lying Detective. We’ll meet the face from the poster in the next episode. The man is a monster as Sherlock referrs to him in the official trailer.
The good is that we see John again running with Sherlock.
What’s going to happen next? Is Moriarty dead? Who is the man on the poster? We’ll find the answers on January 8th.
