In Review: Sherlock – The Lying Detective

Synopsis: Sherlock comes face to face with the most evil man he has ever met.

Review: This episode pretty much matches the awesomeness of last years Victorian adventure and then manages to better it by providing so many twist and turns that you actually feel like you have been taking the same class A drugs that Sherlock has.

It’s definitely an episode that you will find yourself having to re-watch at some point in order to pick up on some of the subtlety’s that you may have missed the first time round.

The story sees Watson pretty much in a slump and in therapy, but still having visions of his dead wife because of his own guilt. Yet strangely Sherlock is pulled into a mystery because of a mission that Mary provides him with, which is primarily to pull Watson out of his slump, but somehow winds up with Holmes capturing a serial killer, which would likely have been overlooked had a lesser mind been on the case.

Toby Jones portrayal of millionaire murderer Culverton Smith is absolutely chilling and far more nuanced and smart than any villain we have seen on the show to date. But the way in which he is caught by Sherlock proves to be a little disappointing given that it basically involves getting Smith to confess his crimes as apposed to there being any investigation that actually turns up any proof. But Smith owning the very morgue where he deposits his victims is pretty much the perfect cover for any murderer. 

The episode is a literal puzzle box with twist, counter twist, reveal and more twists. Holmes being pretty much on an ultra high thanks to smack makes proceedings that bit more twisted, but add to that the fact that Watson is not in his right mind. Well you have an episode that would be worthy of pretty much have the viewers committed and sectioned under the mental health act.

The whole episode leads up to the reveal that there is another Holmes, and she is not a very nice person.

The episode provides powerhouse performances from both Toby Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch. The verbal sparring is nothing short of awesome.

I can’t wait to see how mad she is able to drive Mycroft and Sherlock.