The Six Thatchers

The show's creators have repeatedly said that "Sherlock" is not a "detective show" - it's a show about a detective. This obviously rubs a lot of people who expect each episode to be mostly procedural in nature the wrong way. However, I found this episode to be very effective in its character work, setting up the season's Sherlock/John rift well by pushing both of them into new and challenging emotional territory. Most importantly, it made me excited for the rest of the season.

The first bad Sherlock episode: both too soapy, too scattershot and too reliant on the show's trademark visual gimmicks rather than proper suspense building.

"You made a vow" are not the first words that come out of your mouth after ... don't wanna spoil it. But that was horribly constructed and emotionally simplified.

A total mess of an episode. There are some developments I thought were okay but this was written horribly.

Wtf was that editing

The Six Thatchers is confusing and a little overwrought. Even so, the performances are still just as great and there are some sweet moments to be found. It's still high above average TV and serves as a decent start for Series 4.

This was a big letdown, most of the characters act out of character and the same could be said of the story. Felt like an episode that was written during a writer's strike.

Its a mess! The direction is sloppy and annoying and the story is a scattershot disaster trying to fill the time until the final relevant moment that sets up the character arc for the following episodes.

Not bad, but a step down from the previous episodes. There's a lack of smooth flow in the narrative, too many plot points seem like conveniences, and the stakes never feel as high as they're supposed to be. It's still fun because of the characters and style, but all the artifice is laid bare.

This is by far the worst episode of the series. The initial mystery is decent, but from the early reveal the plot is silly and messily put together.