Sherlock's ''The Empty Hearse'' Review (Series 3, Episode 1)

*ATTENTION: there are spoilers for Sherlock (2010). You have been warned.*

Hey guys!

Sorry for not posting these days, there was this horrible power outage that happened in my apartment and it lasted for nearly two days. I had to stay at my cousins' place and now I have my Internet back! I managed to survive woohoo!

So while staying at my temporary place, I watched The Empty Hearse, the anticipated first episode of Sherlock's third series. Sherlock is a TV show where the infamous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes is involved in solving many tedious crimes with Dr. John Watson in a modern London. It began to air in 2010 and it is a yearly Holiday show where each series only has three episodes. The cliffhanger of Sherlock's survival from his assumed death left many fans such as I striving for the continuation of the events and now that we have it, let me tell you the reasons why this satisfied my needs to know the aftermath.

I started to watch Sherlock in October 2013 despite my college studies and exams. It is an amazingly written show that caught my attention and I just wanted more and more of it. I mean, Steven Moffat, the writer of the show, is a master of intrigue and frustrating cliffhangers and he knew the way to many fans' attention.

The debut episode drawn ''OMGs'', laughs and a couple of ''awws'' from me. Sherlock and John's reunion was something I expected in The Empty Hearse and the scene brought all of the reactions I mentioned. It is funny yet touching. I mean, a Sherlock Holmes with a French accent? YES PLEASE. I liked how he wanted to make a surprising and unique approach to John, yet he got the opposite reaction that he wanted from his old companion. John wasn't happy; he was distraught, mad, and upset for being the only close friend of Sherlock that did not know of Sherlock's fake death for two years. Although for some reason I wanted a happy reunion, I always knew that John will be angry at Sherlock.

John's mustache though... thank god he shaves it off! I really did not like it on him nor did Sherlock. Interestingly enough, he shaves it off after his fiancée (!) tells him that Sherlock remarked that they do not like the mustache on him, hmm...  (I am definitely not a Johnlock shipper). Throughout the episode, John forgives Sherlock especially after the latter saves him from a deadly kidnapping. This particular scene struck me; it showed how Sherlock deeply cares for John despite his love to go on dangerous pursuits. Which reminds me... this episode seemed for a me a little bit too epic: Sherlock on a motorcycle, him saving John, a bomb in a metro train; it is a perfect equation to a spy-esque movie. Nonetheless, I liked this aspect!

Another thing I expected from The Empty Hearse was the explanation of Sherlock's fake death. We know it was due to Moriarty's death threats, but how did Sherlock executed it? Unfortunately, we do not know yet despite the many theories of Anderson and his fan club. Sherlock explains it near the end of the episode, but it appears to be Anderson's illusion and I am not sure if it is true. By the way, don't you guys think Anderson is fishy?

The only thing I did not expect in the episode was the fact that John will be married. Mary Morstan is John's fiancée and I must say, I do not hate her! I like how John attempted to get over Sherlock's death and continued not to mourn over his death. He knew it will not bring him anything good from waiting someone that he presumed will never come back. I don't know why, but I feel she IS a little bit suspicious... only a little bit.

Fun fact: Sherlock's parents in this episode are actually Benedict Cumberbatch's (the actor who plays Sherlock) parents! Amazing, right?

Okay, so this pretty much sums up my main thoughts for the thrilling first episode of Sherlock's season three. The episode was excellent, exciting, and epic. The return of Sherlock brought many characters in happiness and hatred and a new plot has been created: Sherlock must find the terrorists who plan on bombing London. If you have not seen The Empty Hearse or Sherlock, I highly recommend it if you like crime solving and mystery with a touch of humor and deep character relationships. If you did, what do you guys think aboit it? I would really like to know!

Thank you Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (a.k.a Mycroft Holmes) for an amazing episode to kick of the third season and remember, the game is on!

- SH (Sami)