SHERLOCK | “The Six Thatchers” Review: A Case of Haphazard Identity

RATING: 2.5/4

The fourth season of BBC’s Sherlock starts off with a promising bang and dies with a whimper. It is a smoking gun, the most visually-arresting episode of the series that manages to rise above the haphazard undercooked plot baking underneath.

WARNING: Spoilers abound.

It’s a shame because by all counts, “The Six Thatchers” should have been great. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are at the top of their game, and this time are matched by the incredible talent of Amanda Abbington. The production value is excellent. If there’s one thing to be counted on in a BBC show, it’s the exquisitely-detailed production design. It’s just a problem of a not-so-interesting script.

The episode opens with a top secret intelligence briefing that makes Sherlock feel more like a James Bond film than Sherlock until a large dollop of humour is dropped into remind us that yes, you are watching Sherlock. There’s jokes, Sherlock being dramatic (a “posthumous game”, he calls the late Moriarty’s sudden appearance at the end of season three) and of course, more crime solving.

The Six Thatchers is adapted from the short story, The Six Napoleons. The original story revolved around a missing pearl hidden in a plaster bust. Right up till the 30^th minute, it seems that The Six Thatchers is leading up to that conclusion, too.

But instead of a pearl, there’s a pen drive with the word “A.G.R.A.” written on the case. The man breaking the busts (a bust breaker, if you will) has a connection to Mary Watson’s past, hinted at in the season three finale. And after an excellent half-an-hour, that’s when the train starts to go off the tracks.

By diving into Mary’s past, the episode suddenly experiences a jarring tonal shift, as if you’re watching a different show. The espionage-esque vibe channels more of James Bond and The Night Manager than Sherlock and doesn’t completely gel with the rest of “The Six Thatchers”. That would have been fine, right up to the part where the show opts for the death of Mary in order to create drama and a rift between Holmes and Watson. Not only does it feel like a betrayal to the fans, it’s a pretty lazy plot device that for some inexplicable reason oozed with maudlin sentimentality.

Hard to accept that Sherlock may have stumbled for once, especially considering how Rachel Talalay’s directorial duties have resulted in a fantastic visually-crafted episode in a series that had already been visually-driven from day one. In addition, Martin Freeman has lesser time in “The Six Thatchers” than he did before, and still manages to steal every scene he is in- including that death scene. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget what a splendid actor Martin Freeman is when he’s standing next to Cumberbatch’s cheekbones.

Perhaps it is time for Sherlock to wrap up his game, or at least remove itself from the Moriarty Problem where the narrative is haunted by the ever-looming invisible spectre that is Andrew Scott. The show simply cannot shake off Moriarty’s shadow even after six years. And whether that will affect the next two episodes remains to be seen. Literally. But yes, Moriarty, the show does miss you.