Sherlock Ranking

Sherlock Episode Ranking
Since the last episode of Sherlock Season 4 has aired recently, I decided to list my favourite episodes of Sherlock in accordance to my own Opinions. This is the list of my favourite episodes at the moment, so the list will change as I watch the episodes more. I will also justify my positioning for why I have placed each episode where I have. The only ones not included are "Many Happy Returns" and the Unaired Pilot. Oh and Spoilers will be in this post.

13 Blind Banker
The only Sherlock episode I actually hate. I don't like this episode because the actual plot is weak and the acting seemed very dull. There was no real villain in this episode and there was very little content that was actually enjoyable in this episode. That's not to say there wasn't anything good in this episode as the whole cypher with the London A-Z book was pretty good and there were some humorous aspects in this episode. This episode also was limited because of the lack of D.I. Lestrade in favour of the other Detective Inspector, who I didn't really enjoy and always think, this would have been better if it had Rupert Graves instead.

12 A Study in Pink
The first episode of Sherlock, I don't think is a very good one. I like it, I just don't think its matured very well with me compared to some of my favourite episodes. The plot is very similar to that of the original story, A Study in Scarlet but has a good upgrade to the 21st Century. The villain has a good motive that was explained by the fact he had a terminal illness and would get money for every person he killed from Moriarty. The deduction in the cab was also great showing Sherlock's powers and setting it up for the series. This episode also had a good introduction to John and Sherlock during this episode at the Morgue, harking back to the original Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Stories. The main thing this episode falls down on is the acting. It is quite substantial but often falls, like during the restaurant scene and also the first encounter of Mycroft. Overall, its a good introduction but is very limited.

11 His Last Vow
The final episode of Season 3 is an alright episode for me. It has some very good scenes such as the moment when Sherlock gets shot and also the moment when Sherlock shoots Magnussen which are acted perfectly. The concept of the villain is a great idea and his overall plot is good. The biggest drawback is the focus on Mary. I like Amanda Abington's portrayal of Mary but I feel like the twist she was a secret agent and the whole plot was just weak and gave me no care for the rest of the episode. It dragged on and didn't seem strong. Another part that wasn't great was the whole Sherlock gets shot part. Firstly, I didn't like the fact Sherlock was shot by Mary and secondly, it dragged on far too long. The acting managed to make it bearable but the overall editing and lines were just Meh. The acting saved this from being the worst episode along with the final Cliff-hanger of Moriarty's apparent return.

10 The Empty Hearse
The first episode of the Third Season is also an alright one amongst my own opinions. My first opinions when watching this episode were positive as the solution to Sherlock's "Final Problem" during the Reichenbach Fall was perfect. The first five minutes explaining the decoy got me and I remember the shock I experienced when they revealed it was "Bollocks". The actual plot was quite quirky and had a good set up for the reunion between Sherlock and John during this episode. The introduction to Mary at the Marylebone restaurant was great and the reveal of Sherlock being alive was amazing. The acting was on point and every line was done perfectly. The few issues I have with this episode are to do with the Villain. Firstly, he never spoke which meant I couldn't relate to him and secondly, he had no motivation (other than he was a "terrorist") to blow up Parliament. Also some of the other bits just felt dragged out to make the episode fill 1.5 hours e.g. Sherlock and Molly solving crimes.

9   The Final Problem
The most recent episode. Surprised? I actually really enjoyed this episode. I thought it was a good episode that showed how much of a psychopath Eurus was, by parodying the Saw franchise with it's Social Experiments seeing how far a person can be pushed. I enjoyed the reference to Sherrinford as the Insane Asylum and how creepy Eurus is. It tied up a lot of loose ends with characters such as Redbeard and was a great ending to the Season. However, I didn't think this was a good episode of Sherlock. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the actual content, acting, Moriarty etc. but I didn't like the plots relationship to the entire series. It broke several parts of the series e.g. When Redbeard was revealed to be a person it broke a scene from Sherlocks Mind Palace in His Last Vow where he says "I know Redbeard, they're going to put me down as well". However, the main bit I didn't like was the cheesiness of the episode. If it wasn't Sherlock it would have been amazing, but the fact it was Sherlock was as though someone just vomited on the Series. Why isn't it at the very bottom then? It is enjoyable. If I watch a James Bond film, I won't hate an episode like Die Another Day for deciding to rip apart a franchise, I will just enjoy it as a stand alone film. The same applies here. I know the episode is good and judging by my next choice I will probably be shot as I have placed episodes that people generally consider worse than this above "The Final Problem". Another issue with this episode is that the Title of the episode was already done in the form of The Reichenbach Fall but, like the writers did with His Last Vow, they hijacked the name to make more people watch it. This is why I don't like this episode. That and the stupid plane idea.

8   The Six Thatchers
Oh God, people are going to hate this. Yes, I think that the Six Thatchers is better than The Final Problem. Many people disliked this episode, and to be honest I think in certain aspects it is weaker than many of the previous episodes. I'll quickly glance over the bits I don't like: Mary and the entirety of the Second Half. Mary is an amazing character in her first two episodes but after the big reveal in His Last Vow she has lost interest for me. I stated before that I hated the idea of her being a secret agent, but in this episode I kind of forgave it because it was unexpected and was a great update from the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle story of The Six Napoleons but I just felt like it was an excuse to extend the episode to one and a half hours. However, the things it got right, it did well. The entire deduction of the explosion in the car and the dead body was a great part that was shot really well. The baby was a great addition and the scene with Sherlock interacting with it was great. Also, the entire mystery of who was smashing the statues of Thatcher was a great concept, until the big reveal. I would also like to criticise the whole part with Mary getting shot, because Sherlock had the time to move out of the way and has survived being shot once before. The reason I placed this above The Final Problem was because I just felt like this one stuck to the original plot of the story better than the later.

7   The Abominable Bride
The Sherlock 2016 Special is right in the middle of my list. I really enjoyed the Victorian Setting of this episode. It was a great one-off to see the characters in a Victorian Setting. They tackled several stories in one episode and had some amazing pieces of acting by Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott. I loved the recreation of The Final Problem in this which was beautifully extracted from the stories. The entire editing of the episode is some of the best in the entire series. The plot of the Victorian section was perfect. However, I really don't like the scenes in the Modern Universe during this episode as they feel crowbarred in to make it fit in with the storyline. Personally, I would have liked to have this just as a standalone special. The ties seem very forced and the overall ending of the episode was just let down by following up any review by saying the words "And it was all a dream" which really lowers the strength of the writing.

6   The Lying Detective
The best episode of Season 4, which as I am writing this list isn't a very good series. However, this episode is brilliant. All of the attention has to go onto Toby Jones' portrayal of Culverton Smith, who was so perfect as this villain, especially after the Jimmy Saville issues that have recently arisen. The idea of him being a serial killer hiding in plain sight was genius. There were some of the best deductions in this episode including the deduction of 'Faiths' kitchen size from just a note. The actual plot was brilliant. The acting was on point. The Story was followed the original very well but updated it perfectly. The surprises were amazing - especially the Aston Martin chase and reveal of Eurus being the third Holmes sibling. This episode has so much potential to be higher up on the list over time, but it needs time to sink in. There are some issues I have with this episode I have. One small issue (Which I'm not taking offence to as Benedict's acting is superb in this part) is the Henry V speech. They cut out bits of that which I found a little disappointing but as an editing choice, I agree with them. However, I didn't like Mary's constant return in this episode as I was fed up with her after The Six Thatchers. Also, I felt like some bits were too long such as the bit in the Morgue. Overall, this was a great episode and will probably get better over time, like a nice piece of Cheddar, but for the moment, as with all the other new episodes, it remains right in the middle of the list.

5   The Hounds of Baskerville
We're now entering the episodes I like to think of as my favourite episodes starting with the First Episode I ever watched (as well as the first Sherlock Holmes Story I have read), and the point where Season 2 joins this list - The Hounds of Baskerville. This may be nostalgia or favouritism but I love the story of The Hounds of Baskerville. This was the time when I caught the Sherlock bug and was hooked onto the story. I love this episode. It has a great plot and cast. The acting is brilliant and the pacing is generally good to create a thrilling and tense story. The plot is lifted straight from the books as it is very well known but what the writers did to update the story to the 21st Century I thought was terrific. I liked the changed from the London Setting to Dartmoor which provided a fresh look to the detective. I love how all the characters were incorporated into the story and all the twists the episode did were brilliant. Its a great episode to actually play along as a detective and its great how the Sherlock writers managed to recreate the supernatural in an episode (Without summing the episode up with the words "and it was all a dream"). The main problem with this episode for me has to be the pacing of the episode during the scenes inside Baskerville as the dragged on for a bit and lacked interest for me. I think that is the reason people put this towards the bottom of the list, but for me I enjoy it that I will often watch this episode if I just want to watch an episode of Sherlock as it is completely against the main plot but is still enjoyable.

4   A Scandal in Belgravia
The next episode on my list is A Scandal in Belgravia. This is one of the most critical episodes to the series and has several major plot points. The most important being Irene Adler. Season 2 was great because it did the most famous stories of Sherlock Holmes and it did them well. The entire episode focused on Sherlock's emotions towards women in the series (Go away people who think John and Sherlock will have gay adventures running through fields of daisies). This did the emotions of the character well by the acting, writing, pacing and focus on their character arcs. The whole situation with Irene being as smart as Sherlock and Mycroft was brilliant. The twist at the end was a glory send. The use of Moriarty in this episode was brilliant. The humour was on point all the way through the episode. The scene with Sherlock throwing the American out of the window and the subsequent discussion with D.I. Lestrade is my favourite joke during the entire series. The scenes with Molly in this episode also improve the idea of love in the episode. This has allowed it to become a brilliant plot point in the rest of the show. Naked Benedict Cumberbatch. The answer to the Cliff-hanger of Season 1 was absolutely comical with Moriarty's ring tone. The only reason this doesn't place higher is because there are parts I don't really enjoy towards the end because of pacing. This is just a tiny detail but I love other episodes more which is how it is.

3   The Sign of Three
The last of the Season 3 episodes to make this list is The Sign of Three. This was just a brilliant episode based on Sherlock's best man speech. This has Sherlock out of his comfort zone facing his toughest challenge. During this the humour rises above everything else. The apparently unconnected cases that Sherlock mentions during his speech are so beautifully interwoven in his deduction at the end of the episode. The twists were on point. The score and soundtrack are the very best in the entire series outcompeting A Scandal in Belgravia. The final shot to the tune of December 1963 is just brilliantly edited and acted. The episode is the best of Mary's and shows a different side to Sherlock. It is also the first to mention certain crucial points for the later episodes such as his "Last Vow" and Redbeard and are introduced into the series brilliantly. It is a brilliant change of pace for the show and very light hearted until it links the cases which is what the overall intention was. However, it was beaten by what are my favourite episode and the episode I would consider "Perfect"...

2   The Great Game
The final episode of the first season is my favourite episodes, which is Ironic because the episode I utterly despise is the one that precedes this episode. I love this episode because of the cases that appear in this episode. It features five cases that are part of Moriarty's "Great Game". The overall game is perfect and shows the two genii of Sherlock and Moriarty going against each other. The relationship between Sherlock, John and Moriarty is perfect during this episode. The humour is perfectly timed during this episode. The persona of Sherlock as a living computer that only focuses on the work is perfect here as he even describes his mind as a hard drive. It was done absolutely brilliantly. The introduction to Moriarty at the Swimming Pool was a brilliant scene done perfectly with Andrew Scott at his best here. The tension is high and the pacing amazing. However, The Great Game was let down by the acting by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. The first season didn't have the best acting because they were not fully in the role and they needed time to adjust to the role, which is why I prefer the second season and why I also consider the next one as the "Perfect Episode"...

1   Reichenbach Fall
And this is the "Perfect Episode". Everyone loves this episode because this is the True Final Problem which is the best Modern Adaptation of all of the Sherlock Holmes Stories. The acting is at its best here, especially during the fall from the Top of St Barts Hospital. Every decision made in this episode, the subtle Easter Eggs that were hidden in the episode (the many messages of IOU) and the pacing were all spectacular. The relationship between Sherlock and Moriarty, even though it is slightly worse than The Great Game is still perfect here. The acting by Benedict, Martin and Andrew are brilliant. The sequence with Moriarty stealing the Crown Jewells was choreographed, edited and scored perfectly (to the Thieving Magpie). The Rooftop confrontation is amazingly acted and edited to a brilliant standard. The case of the kidnapping is perfect and well acted. The reaction the episode got when it first came out was all shock. This was the second episode I ever saw and I absolutely loved it. I can't criticise anything that the episode did as it was completely paced perfectly; acted perfectly; the editing was perfect; the plot was perfect; the characters were perfect; Everything was perfect.

So that's what I think but please tell me why it Should have been The Final Problem.

Ryan

Twitter: @RyanCSawyer