 Tagline: A new sleuth for the 21st Century Disc 1: The Empty Hearse (86 minutes [1:26]) Disc 1: The Sign of Three (90 minutes [1:30]) Disc 2: His Last Vow (89 minutes [1:29]) Storyline: In this modernized version of the Conan Doyle characters, using his detective plots, Sherlock Holmes lives in early 21st century London and acts more cocky towards Scotland Yard's detective inspector Lestrade because he's actually less confident. Doctor Watson is now a fairly young veteran of the Afghan war, less adoring and more active. Written by KGF Vissers 3.01 The Empty Hearse – Two years after his reported Reichenbach Fall demise, Sherlock, who has been cleared of all fraud charges against him, returns with Mycroft's help to a London under threat of terrorist attack. John has moved on and has a girlfriend, Mary Morstan. Sherlock enlists Molly to assist him, but when John is kidnapped by unknown assailants and is rescued by Sherlock and Mary, John returns to help find the terrorists and an underground plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament during an all night sitting on Guy Fawkes Night. (Based on the short story The Adventure of the Empty House.) 3.02 The Sign of Three – It is John and Mary's wedding day and Sherlock is daunted by the task of delivering a Best Man’s speech. As part of the speech, he recounts cases they have worked on including a soldier being stalked and somehow stabbed in a locked shower, a ghost dating women he dubs "The Mayfly Man", the last being part of John's disastrous stag night, among others. Before his speech ends, he realises that a murderer is present among the guests intent on killing a fellow guest. Sherlock informs John and Mary of the meaning of the sign of three; namely that Mary is pregnant. (The title is based on the Holmes novel The Sign of the Four.) 3.03 His Last Vow – Stolen letters lead Sherlock into conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen, "the Napoleon of blackmail" who knows the personal weakness of every person of importance in the Western world. During the investigation Sherlock is shot and nearly killed by Mary, who is being blackmailed by Magnussen. After waking up from near-death, Sherlock escapes the hospital and lures Mary to an abandoned building, where he tricks her into revealing her false identity and attempted murder while John is listening nearby. Months later, Sherlock drugs everyone at the Holmes family Christmas party, steals Mycroft's laptop full of state secrets, and he and John take the laptop to Magnussen to trade for all of the files on 'Mary Morstan'. It's revealed that Magnussen keeps no files; it's all in his near-perfect photographic memory. To protect John, Mary, and their forthcoming child, Holmes kills Magnussen in front of Mycroft and several other witnesses, and as a result is sent off on a suicidal assignment overseas. However, he is brought back almost immediately because of a video being broadcast all over London with Jim Moriarty's face asking "Did you miss me?" (The title is based on Doyle's short story His Last Bow, whereas the plot contains elements of two other short stories, The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton and The Man with the Twisted Lip.) Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on February 16, 2014 -- Gatiss and Moffat have done it, by jove! After two addicting, fiendishly clever but slightly flawed seasons of Sherlock, the executive producing duo have churned out the very best the hit series has to offer. Not with just one episode either. All three episodes. Sherlock's return in "The Empty Hearse" is a hilarious opening gambit, a playful ruse in and of itself, and an unexpectedly revealing dual character study, further challenging and deepening the relationship between the world-famous detective (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his friend and assistant, the ever reliable, rightfully temperamental Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman). Newcomer Amanda Abbington could have gummed up the gears as Watson's fiancé; instead she energizes Cumberbatch and Freeman, breathes fresh life into the show's dynamics and has a few cards stashed up her sleeve. "The Sign of Three," meanwhile, is a dizzying but delightful labyrinth of interconnected elements with an unforgettable string of big laughs, sharp payouts and smartly penned payoffs. Previously, each season's second episode has been its weakest. Here it's arguably the strongest, and certainly the one that remains the most enjoyable over multiple viewings. And, of course, there's "His Last Vow," which brings the all-too-quickly exhausted third season to a close with an eerie, unnerving villain (Lars Mikkelsen) every bit as memorable as the series' Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Even more diabolical than Mikkelsen's baddie? The twists and turns that await. I'm still reeling. Not to overshadow the cast's terrific, instantly iconic performances, the show's razor-wire wit and scripting, or its masterfully executed sleight of hand, but the real genius of Sherlock is in its balance, and Season Three is its most balanced to date. If Gatiss and Moffat somehow top themselves again next go-round, series fans might just lose their minds. The 2-disc Blu-ray release of Sherlock: Season Three divides the season's mysteries across two BD-50 discs; "The Empty Hearse" and "The Sign of Three" are housed on Disc One, while "His Last Vow" and a trio of featurettes are found on Disc Two. Episodes synopses are as follows:
If Sherlock wasn't already one of the best shows on television, it certainly is now. Season Three serves up the series' finest mysteries and episodes to date, without a weak link in the bunch. From start to finish, the third season gets better and better, ending with another fantastic cliffhanger that makes the fourth season seem unbearably far away. Cumberbatch and Freeman are outstanding as well, with a wonderfully assembled supporting cast making their jobs that much easier. This is about as good as it gets... unless Gatiss and Moffat are sitting on a trio of mysteries more expertly crafted and wholly infectious as these. So what of the Blu-ray release of Season Three? With a first class video presentation and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, the 2-disc set's relative lack of extras is hardly even a factor. Add this one to your collection now. Haven't seen the first two seasons? Add all three to your cart. You'll thank me later. [CSW] -4.5- I saw the three episodes on TV on 01/19/2014, 01/26/2014, and 02/02/2014. I enjoyed His Last Vow (3.03) much more than the first two episodes, but they were all pretty good. IMDb Rating (12/04/16): 9.2/10 from 527,046 users IMDb Rating (06/08/16): 8.2/10 from 19,022 users
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