Can't wait to watch the premiere, I'm downloading it right now. I rewatched the first two seasons last month again and except for the middle parts in both, this series is fucking perfect.

The premiere was fun but I liked it instead of loving it. The main case wasn't terribly interesting and the pacing lagged. Closer to The Blind Banker than A Scandal in Belgravia.

The premiere was absolutely brilliant. Loved the hell out of it and it's the best episode yet, imo. And that's saying a lot. Just pure greatness. So many great moments, like the one above. Seeing those two sitting on the roof, laughing, almost kissing is something for the ages.

I really, really enjoyed The Sign of Three and thought it was a huge step up from last week. The SHERLOCK episode two slump is over (though they sadly had to sacrifice the 'episode one is phenomenal' trend first).

So is it only 3-4 episodes this season again?

Yes, only 3.

The Signs of Three was great too. Like Dark Shape said, the episode 2 slump is over. It wasn't as good as the premiere (how could it be? that one was fucking perfect) but I thought it was Cumberbatch's best performance as Sherlock so far. The case wasn't especially noteworthy but the way he solved it. Also, the last few moments were kinda heartbreaking.

It sucks so so much that it's over again next week.

I thought Sign of Three was much better than the premiere and that The Empty Hearse was one of the weakest episodes of the show. :-P

I got that. But I don't understand it.

Especially when you say how much better Signs of Three was. I mean, c'mon. I thought the episode had some starting problems (first 30-45 minutes, but it got really good after that though), whereas Empty Hearse was great from the first minute on.

The Empty Hearse is really scatter-shot and the mystery is so weak that when it pops up it takes away from the character stuff. Even scenes like Watson's abduction and near-burning were more perplexing than they were involving.

I sort SHERLOCK episodes by how much I want to watch them again. I've seen A Study in Pink, The Great Game, A Scandal in Belgravia, and The Reichenbach Fall numerous times each. I've only seen The Blind Banker and The Hounds of Baskerville once. The Empty Hearse seems likely to join those two as I have no desire to ever see it again.

Well, I actually didn't cared that much about the mystery in The Empty Hearse. For me, this was all about Sherlock returning and I thought they handled that really well (perfectly). Also, this was by far the most funny episode, which makes up for the lack of a compelling mystery too.

If I had to rank them:

1. The Empty Hearse (A+)
2. The Reichenbach Fall (A+)
3. A Scandal in Belgravia (A)
4. The Great Game (A)
5. A Study in Pink (A)
6. The Signs of Three (A)
7. The Hounds of Baskerville (B+)
8. The Blind Banker (B-)

#3-6 are almost interchangeable though.

A Scandal in Belgravia (A+)
A Study in Pink (A)
The Reichenbach Fall (A)
The Sign of Three (A-)
The Great Game (A-)
The Empty Hearse (C+)
The Blind Banker (C)
The Hounds of Baskerville (C-)

Of course I'm excited he seems to be back in the 4th season but how on earth are they going to explain that?

i'm guessing that someone else sent the message. moriarty sr.?

Or he planned everything in advance? I'm not familiar with the books, is moriarty sr. mentioned in there?

No matter what they come up with, I highly doubt it's going to be satisfying.

Moriarty only appears in one story (The Final Problem) and is very dead when it's over.

What did you think of the finale?

Need to see it again. I liked it a bunch but my first reaction is that it isn't one of the show's all-timers.

I have to agree with this.

I did like that it basically played out as Watson's version of A Scandal in Belgravia, with Watson in Sherlock's place and Mary in Irene's.

Which reminds me to mention Martin Freeman's performance, which was just perfect. Especially when he learned the "truth" about Mary.

Swap His Last Vow and The Sign of Three and I think this is my exact list.

I think Series 2 is pretty comfortably the best as A Scandal in Belgravia and The Reichenbach Fall are both flat-out excellent. 3 is closer to 1 for me; A Study in Pink is the best of the lot but The Sign of Three is easily better than The Blind Banker and His Last Vow is at least as good as The Great Game.