So yesterday, the tenth anniversary episode of the crime series Sherlock aired on Czech TV. It was also a Christmas and New Year's special and so everyone was looking forward to seeing the main character Sherlock, with his partner (just a work partner), solve another tough case.
A year ago, we left the modern-day Sherlock on the plane that he used to emigrate from the UK, because he behaved like a proper sociopath, pursuing his goal without any conscience.
But yesterday's episode doesn't continue the story in modern times, but returns to the origins of its author's character in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It deals with a case that is, both mysterious and very complex and, of course, it looks at his greatest adversary, Professor Moriarty.
But as is often the case in modern Sherlock works, it's not as simple as it might seem, everything is connected, and everything is interwoven with dark interconnected threads so that by the end of the episode, fans will be left watching TV to their death wondering how it will actually end.
But I won't give spoilers for fans. Half a million people in the country saw this episode the day after its UK premiere. I was among them. I really enjoyed the very successful transport of the modern detective to the time of his creation. All sorts of transformations of the main characters into their historical alternatives. And of course the story, which was well placed in the right time period, which at the time had a lot of negatives, from incurable diseases to the status of women.
Not forgetting the clever change from the digital age to the paper age, so no electricity is needed, just the technology that was most available in the late 19th century is used. Like paper, candles, optical tricks...
The main characters are also dressed in their distinctive suits (as per the books) and all the other characters are wearing only what they should be at the right time.
Like every Sherlock episode, this one is very hilarious. Lead actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are already stars. Martin Freeman is already famous in his own right. The new star actor Benedict Cumberbatch already has a big future ahead of him as Doctor Strange in the Marvel movie world.
The rest of the British cast, one of the writers himself Mark Gatiss, Martin Freeman's girlfriend Amanda Abbington and other actors from the previous nine episodes of the series, are well placed in historical context. The entire episode is dark, but there are occasional respite passages where fans can take a break from the dark corners of history and have a good time as well.
Don't compare The Phantom Bride to the other nine episodes, it's a standalone work that ties together previous and continuing events. You don't need to see the New Year's episode to keep watching, which we'll probably see in a year or two. It's just an entertaining episode in which the creators and cast have played with the theme of what might have happened if modern Sherlock had been set in its proper historical time.
Although people are used to British series being set in the early part of the second decade of the 21st century, this historical detour is very hilarious. I commend the writers for pulling this off well.
It is a great shame, though, that Sherlock was acquired by Czech TV and the other Time Lord gem forgotten. There was another hilarious Christmas episode in the UK late last year, and it certainly wouldn't have hurt to bring it to the Czech Republic, along with two series never shown here in Central Europe featuring the new "old" Doctor.
Original article 3 January 2016 – Kritiky.cz
