Sherlock Season 4 Review

Showrunners: Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Mark Gatiss

After waiting three years for it, Sherlock Season 4 is already over after only three weeks. But is it worth the watch? Check out our spoiler-free thoughts below.

The Sherlock Season 4 finale has been and gone, and with it the series has potentially come to an end. The closing montage of the finale certainly seemed to wrap things up in a neat bow and suggest that the adventures would go on off-screen, and with Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch’s involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get the show made. But the future of Sherlock aside, what did we think of Season 4?

Uncle Sherlock?

Get over yourself. You’re not my first smack-head, Sherlock Holmes.

I thoroughly enjoyed Sherlock’s fourth season, but it doesn’t quite reach the lofty heights of the first two seasons. Like the season before it, Season 4 wasn’t really about the cases and instead opted to focus more on the personal growth of Sherlock, Mary and John. This is perfectly fine and there were some lovely character moments, but if you tune in to watch the master detective solve impossible cases, then you might be left feeling a little disappointed.

That’s not to say that Season 4 is devoid of Sherlock and John solving cases though, as Steven Moffat gave us one of the most brilliant episodes we’ve seen with “The Lying Detective.” Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective’s vices are explored very creatively here, and we haven’t had this much fun with Holmes since Sherlock and John got drunk on a stag-do in Season 3. Season 4: Episode 2 is a visual delight jam-packed with memorable moments, and will be fondly remembered as one of Sherlock’s finest hours.

Martin Freeman as Watson

When Sherlock Holmes wants to get in touch, it’s not something you can fail to notice.

The first episode has attracted a lot of stick because of its focus on the personal journeys of the central trio rather than the case, and while these criticisms are valid, I think it was necessary to focus on these dramatic developments in order to bring Sherlock back to the story of a detective solving complex cases. Aside from a sub-plot involving John that didn’t really appear to amount to anything, “The Six Thatchers” was an enjoyable romp that took Holmes and Watson off in an exciting new direction. It sets up “The Lying Detective” rather nicely, and the themes explored in the season premiere come back around full circle in the season finale, giving the two book-ends of Season 4 some interesting points of comparison.

As for the season finale, “The Final Problem” was a strong episode but one that wasn’t without its issues. It had a great premise and some truly heartbreaking plot twists, but the villain was a little irritating. Sherlock has always flirted with going beyond the realms of the possible with Holmes’ genius level intellect, but the show takes it a bit too far with the villain in the Season 4 finale, which borders on the supernatural. Regardless, Sherlock finishes its fourth run with three solid, enjoyable episodes, and if you’ve been a fan of the last three then I’d recommend giving this one a watch. What did you think of Sherlock’s fourth season?