Sherlock Series 2

The Sherlock Series 2 finale screened last night here in America and it’s probably not an exaggeration to say that the photo below is an accurate representation of the reactions of almost everyone who watched it. (Plus probably some crying. I don’t know how to find a cat video where it’s simultaneously shocked and sobbing, but someone let me know if that exists.)

Just to put this out there: “The Reichenbach Fall” is the single best episode of television I’ve seen this year. Hands down, bar none, it’s that good. Funny, clever, tense, exciting, surprising and sob-your-guts-out emotional, I don’t think that there’s been an episode of TV in recent memory – for any show – that’s put me through the wringer like this one. I laughed, I cheered, I yelled at my TV screen, I sobbed. It was amazing.

So, let’s dish about it! Click through for a few of my thoughts on the Series 2 finale, loads of general emotional flailing, and a bit of speculation about where we go from here. Do come chat with me in the comments – would love to know what people thought about this episode, as well as your theories about what happens next.

Hope everyone is suitably emotionally prepared excited for the Series 2 finale of Sherlock tonight at 9pm. It is – and I promise I’m not exaggerating on this point – the single best hour and a half of television you will see all year. It’s that good.

And trust me, you will never in your life lament the fact that this show only has three episodes per series more than in this episode’s final two minutes. Protip: Be ready for anything, and maybe have a lot of some Kleenex nearby.

But, first – get in the mood by watching a sneak peek at a scene from tonight’s ep, as well as a fabulous new interview with creator Steven Moffat and star Benedict Cumberbatch about the finale. It’s all under the cut!

And make sure you come back by Telly Visions after the episode airs, because I am going to need people to help me with all my emotions talk about this episode with.

The second series of Sherlock merrily rolled on last night with an adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, re-imagined as The Hounds of Baskerville, complete with beautiful shots of the moors, a dodgy government research facility, lots of nods to the original stories, and some seriously fantastic performances all around.

To be fair, Hounds is not technically the best episode of Series 2 – that honor belongs to series finale The Reichenbach Fall and the subsequent intense emotional devastation it causes – but it is, hands down, my favorite, precisely because it manages to do so many things at once: terrify you, impress you, and make you really feel for the characters. It’s frightening, it’s clever, it’s a believable modern update of the Conan Doyle story that general audiences are most familiar with, it’s funny, and it’s full of really wonderful character development too. (I adore it so much!) Reichenbach is a better episode, probably the best the show's ever done, but Hounds is the one I can come back to over and over without the need for therapy or loads of Kleenex.

Why? Click through and find out!

The recent Masterpiece Sherlock premiere event in New York was certainly one of the coolest events I’ve ever attended – and I think pretty much everyone in the crowd that night would probably agree with me. The event in and of itself was beyond fun, but the great fans and the palpable sense of excitement in the air just made it a hundred times better. So, while you’re waiting for Series 2 to continue tonight, why not pretend like you were there? (Speaking of tonight – “The Hounds of Baskerville” is my favorite episode this season, by the way. Not “best” – that’s “Reichenbach” – but the one I enjoy the most that doesn’t cause me extensive emotional devastation. More on that later!)

Over 10,000 people entered to be one of the lucky couple hundred that won a chance to attend this event. The Q&A panel following the episode screening was livestreamed all over the world, and the event was also recorded so that it could be made available online.

Click through for the full panel in all its glory – the 47 minute Q&A session with Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton, Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat, producer Sue Vertue and star Benedict Cumberbatch. It would be impossible to really capture the energy and excitement that was virtually vibrating all through that room, but this does give you a pretty good idea. And of course, our lovely panel is charming and thoughtful and wonderful throughout.

Some great questions were asked, so if you’re a Sherlock fan and you’ve not seen this yet, do yourself a favor and block off some time to sit down and give it a go. It’s fascinating and funny and really awesome.

Sherlock is finally back in America! (To say that I am so excited about this is probably the understatement of my year.) Series 2 premiered last night with the episode “A Scandal in Belgravia,” which is based on the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story A Scandal in Bohemia and introduces us to one of Holmes’ most famous adversaries, Irene Adler. (Fun fact: This is actually the only Conan Doyle story that Adler ever appears in – and the story itself is much, much shorter than this episode, actually. Yet, she is one of the most enduring figures in the Holmes canon.)

Series 2 really is probably the best TV you will watch all year. No, really. No matter what sorts of problems anyone might have with this episode (and, to be fair, I have a few), it’s really remarkable television and it’s just such a shame that we only get three episodes of this brilliance a season. It’s that good.

Anyway, if you’re itching to dish “A Scandal in Begravia,” click right on through for a wide variety of ramblings from me on the subject. And, as always, leave thoughts, comments, favorite lines, general likes, disagreements and other sundry items in the comments below.

This past Wednesday night in New York City, PBS and Masterpiece held a fabulous Sherlock Series 2 preview screening for several hundred lucky fans, with special guests Benedict Cumberbatch, Steven Moffat and Sue Vertue all on hand to participate in a Q&A session and discuss the new season.

Now, originally, I meant to tweet most of this during the event as it was happening, but unfortunately, my dodgy internet/cell phone reception totally defeated got the best of me. (And then my phone battery died entirely at the very end of the event. I really did try, you guys, I did!). So, you’ll have to settle for my best attempt to write up everything that happened after the fact.

So, if you’re curious about everything that was said during the Q&A, or wondering if Mr. Cumberbatch really is as lovely in real life as you’ve always imagined, click on through for a full report. And, yes, there are lots of photos – though you’ll probably be able to tell pretty quickly why I’m a writer and not a photographer. But I’ll also make sure you link you through to some people who’ve clearly got much nicer cameras than my point-and-shoot.