'Sherlock' season 4 episode 3 review: 'The Final Problem' is all about the puzzle that is Holmes

One thing is certain when it comes to the last episode of season four of Sherlock—  that it has ended. Three exciting weeks at the beginning of the year were all a fan could ask for. The season started with the timid 'The Six Thatchers,' it reached a peak with 'The Lying Detective,' and it gave an insight into why Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss' Sherlock is the way he is with 'The Final Problem'.

This episode is all about Sherlock Holmes. From the days of his childhood, playing pretend pirate with his dog Redbeard, to the ominous day he has to choose between his brother Mycroft and his friend John Watson. It is crammed with a lot of information a casual viewer may find hard to process as the episode goes on. Ghosts of Sherlock's past show up. Characters he had deleted from his memories (and ones viewers never knew about) turn up. And then comes an East Wind. Sherlock's sister, who we all come to know of only in episode two of this season.

Sian Brooke plays the role of Eurus. She is the same actress we saw in episode one with whom John Watson cheats on his wife. She also pretends to be his therapist in episode two while manipulating Sherlock to go after Culverton Smith. Brooke does a good job of here's-what-will-happen-if-one-of-the-Holmeses-spirals-out-of-control, reminding you of the Weeping Angels Moffat created for Doctor Who. Blink and Eurus will come after the Holmes brothers. Mycroft makes the mistake of blinking for five whole minutes and the ensuing chaos gives us 'The Final Problem.'

The episode is all about giving emotional context to everything Sherlock Holmes does. Be it solving one puzzle after another, reading between the lines of what Mycroft has to say, or connecting with his sister and reuniting the family one violin session at a time. And, finally, saving John Watson.

I am not going to deny I need a second viewing of the episode to make more sense of what I saw in the episode and to understand what the showrunners want to tell me, if this is indeed the last ever episode of the BBC series. The spiderweb of the story leads to one thing only. 221B Baker Street will always be about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. But that web has just been adorned with brand new threads. The presence of Eurus, Victor Trevor and Jim Moriarty, all make it an episode that's packed to the brim, threatening to overflow. But if delivering shock value was the aim, then Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have succeeded in creating that environment. However, it takes a little more time to solve the puzzle that is Sherlock Holmes.

The episode has good pace. You are hooked from the beginning, especially during the puzzle solving. Benedict Cumberbatch looked dashing and drool-worthy in every single frame. One needs to keep an eye out for his change of expressions in two scenes. One, when he is talking to Molly Hooper and second, when he gets ready to shoot Mycroft. He delivers a masterclass in acting. If 'The Lying Detective' was about Martin Freeman, the season finale is all about Cumberbatch.

A special shout-out to Andrew Scott for exhibiting the diva-like characteristics of Jim Moriarty. If  Bee Gees' 'Staying Alive' became a trend after season one, Scott's performance in the episode shall do the same for Queen's 'I Want to Break Free.' For this devil-better-care-for-I-am-a-flawless-villain performance, I say keep bringing him back in every season (please, let there be more seasons).

For once, there is no cliffhanger (I remember the anguish after 'The Reichenbach Fall'). The montage at the end of the episode says a lot about John Watson and Sherlock Holmes being content with who they are. This is possibly Moffat and Gatiss ushering the iconic characters into that time of their lives when Arthur Conan Doyle started writing about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. A time when the reckless energy of youth transformed into the wisdom of an experienced consulting detective and his blogger. Do freeze the frames to count the number of props referencing all those ACD stories Moffat and Gatiss didn't write an episode about. The last frame shall make the fans of Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes very happy.

So from one fangirl to you all, here's to a good season and hoping for more, cheers!