Television: Sherlock, "The Empty Hearse"

I do all of my Sherlock coverage over on Pepperwords. You can read my initial thoughts on the episode here. And I will just add that I do understand how difficult it is to go from having almost no expectations for a program—and they didn't for Sherlock when the first series ran—to it being a surprise hit, meaning it suddenly has a lot of pressure on it. Everyone watching. And wanting and expecting it to be as good or better than before. But when something is really good, there are going to be natural dips. Perfection is not sustainable. I mean, think of your favorite television program. I can promise you (assuming you're not one of those blind, mindless zombies of a fan who have the idea that their show can do no wrong) there is at least one episode of that program that you don't like. Maybe more than one if the show was on for any length of time. So while my critiques of things like Sherlock may sometimes seem harsh, I assure you that I do admire the work that goes in. It can't all be fantastic. But some things in the world are all the more beautiful for being flawed.