Seeing that the whole thing wasn't just self-flattery and banter like the previous 2 episodes, I found "His Last Vow" to be likable. But, like those 2 episodes, the plot is still..just awkward! if not plain bad, and is seriously disjointed with subplots moving way too fast for anyone to care about.
Seems like the writers, on paper, worship calculation & complexity, but trying to cram all their ideas together results in the opposite: very cartoonish one-dimensional ideas that really cheapen the show. e.g Marry's plot; one minute she's a pregnant women, next she is an enemy assassin, but wait two scenes and she's our friend again. All the while Sherlock is shot but no, he uses his mind palace to NOT DIE. How convenient. Convenient and unbelievable. All this is really too much to take, and with so many conflicts occurring simultaneously, the show has no time to give any of it a proper, satisfying resolve.
The exception, plot-wise, is the Magnussen character, who is the only thing holding this episode together, and he does gets a resolve.
But that piece of drama is also cheapened, if not turned into a joke, as sherlock does not pay for his action at all, his plane returning to england at the order of Mycroft. Regarding this guy & continuing my "cartoonish" argument, the character of Mycroft is basically a walking, talking pun by now and can actually be replaced by a cartoon in my opinion.
The unnecessary icing on the cake is of course the return of Moriarty. Someone needs to spell the obvious: The writers have used every cheap trick and idea they had on this episode ! If I seem harsh let me give you a more objective bottom line: This isn't at all "bad TV". It was a nice hour+ of entertainment, but the previous seasons have set the bar much higher and this season does not come close to reaching it.
Seems like the writers, on paper, worship calculation & complexity, but trying to cram all their ideas together results in the opposite: very cartoonish one-dimensional ideas that really cheapen the show. e.g Marry's plot; one minute she's a pregnant women, next she is an enemy assassin, but wait two scenes and she's our friend again. All the while Sherlock is shot but no, he uses his mind palace to NOT DIE. How convenient. Convenient and unbelievable. All this is really too much to take, and with so many conflicts occurring simultaneously, the show has no time to give any of it a proper, satisfying resolve.
The exception, plot-wise, is the Magnussen character, who is the only thing holding this episode together, and he does gets a resolve.
But that piece of drama is also cheapened, if not turned into a joke, as sherlock does not pay for his action at all, his plane returning to england at the order of Mycroft. Regarding this guy & continuing my "cartoonish" argument, the character of Mycroft is basically a walking, talking pun by now and can actually be replaced by a cartoon in my opinion.
The unnecessary icing on the cake is of course the return of Moriarty. Someone needs to spell the obvious: The writers have used every cheap trick and idea they had on this episode ! If I seem harsh let me give you a more objective bottom line: This isn't at all "bad TV". It was a nice hour+ of entertainment, but the previous seasons have set the bar much higher and this season does not come close to reaching it.