The Reichenbach Fall

BluntReview says: Brains are indeed the new sexy…and Sherlock Series Two delivers multiple, err, pleasures…In fact it's a trifecta for the brain endorphin-wise. You get a heaping helping of raw sexy, mystery and intrigue complete with scary bits, and the finale serves up a gut-wrenching thrill. And Sherlock Series Two's three new films dare to step forward into the Doyle Classics; Scandal in Bohemia, Hound of the Baskervilles and Reichenbach Falls.

Oh, yes, they went there, and the reworks work. Hell, they've even neatly managed to work in the infamous deerstalker! It's hard to top the phenom the whole production crew brought us in the first myth-shifting series. I mean they had to approach concisely the bromance, the modernization and of course nod to all us Holmesians – with our self-righteous eyes looking for any flaw; complete with the "Why I oughttas" awaiting. But, worldwide we were quietly awed then thunderously applauding.

We are brought back in with, 'A Scandal in Belgravia.' Of course the title is obvious. And the "plot" is about royalty and scandalous pictures. Normally a yawn, ah, but not here there Johnny. Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) run around in glorious subplot land as the real focus is on one woman - The Woman - Irene Adler (Lara Pulver). All the series of films thus far has attempted to knock you upside the head with how not gay Watson is, but, have left Sherlock up to one's imagination. Is this man an Elder Virgin or perhaps… But as we shall all discover all the lad needed was an equally brilliant brain-force and some good old-fashioned gorgeous-to-boot looks thrown in and he too can be befuddled by the opposite sex. Purr. Snap. (<- if you know what I'm typing here...and I think that you do) The acting in these sexually-fueled frames is particularly brilliant from the trio; S, J and I. Watch the eys and tells.

Next up is The Hounds of Baskerville. Now how on Earth are they going to manage this work you may harrumph aloud as the film starts. Fear not, they have and quite (as we are coming to expect) brilliantly. Clever is too mundane a word. Brilliant too used. Let's just go ahead and say it. But, here, the word is neither over used or quaint. The film is genius.

Oh there's something going on out there on the moors alright Joe, and you'll have eyes fixed upon the television wondering just what this hound thing is anyway! There are some clues: Baskerville is now a military testing area, and strange people do strange things, the townsfolk don't mind having a dog beast for fiscal intake purposes, and one young man has a long history with the hound….which would have to be either on a third generation, or twenty odd years old and still running about tearing poor moor wanderers apart like an old chewie toy. And, thankfully, there's plenty of foggy atmospheric additions to help your psyche go along for the hunt.

Finally they've attempted, and succeeded, in The Reichenbach Fall re-imagining. This film is so completely thrilling, I forewarn you not to eat prior to viewing or your tummy is sure to burp and bother at you in protest through out.

Moriaty (Andrew Scott) is back and he's even more twisted and riddled up in a conundrum then when we first met him temper-tantruming about at the pool. Moriaty is the Yin to Sherlock's Yang. He almost steals the show – both actor and character. Seething evil and diction the actor is given some of the smarter bits ever caught by a lens. This Scott fellow can act. Yes he can.

The premise, or plot, starts to shape up to be about how once an idea is planted in one's mind there's no uprooting. Kind of like you can not un-hear something. That's really all I can say without slipping the game up.

Be aware R Falls' end is sure to leave you utterly breathless and perhaps stunned with a tear or two rolling down your face….I'm just saying. I can say no more.

Except to say, the characters you've immediately come to know and enjoy are all back and in the crispest of form from Series One; Mycroft (Mark Gatiss), Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), suffering Molly (Loo Brealey) and Lestrade (Rupert Graves).

DVD kit bonuses include a short on behind the scenes where cast and crew share the warmth of reception and show you how they shot a few really swell scenes and audio commentary.

Once again I bow to all in and around the production for a tremendously entertaining few evenings.

Snack recommendations: Pack of cigarettes for Scandal - or a few nicotine patches...frankly, what ever you enjoy post coitus;)

A great episode and one of the best episodes I watched on the divorce, James Moriarty is one of the best villains in the series, actor Andrew Scott played James Moriarty perfectly and the episode story was the best in the series Sherlock.

Absolutely riveting television, fantastic acting, excellent script and some stunning cinematography. This version of Sherlock may be confined to the small screen, but by God is it good. I think this episode fully deserves a 10. Both series 1 and 2 have been extremely strong in their own rights, and stand head and shoulders above most dramas on TV.

This episode was a fantastically dramatic, riveting ending to the series, just as the last episode of Series 1 was. I thought there were so many great scenes - my personal favorite being Sherlock's taxi ride with Moriarty telling the "fairytale". That was a masterclass in sinister monologues.

oh my word!This is indeed the one of the most beautiful adaptations i have seen for a long time.It was fast paced,juicy but then very much intriguing.

Actually i was left disappointed by the third episode of first season-'the great game',so obviously i was expecting something similar till i saw this and the hell i do rather i wish the story never ends.It has all the ingredients of a perfect sherlock story plus the emotional quotient that we don't often see in Holmes narratives and this for me was the best part of it.

One of the interesting thing in this episode was that it used the humane part of Holmes-he did crumble or appear to crumble under pressure from his age old nemesis Moriarty .And my review won't be complete without acknowledging the contribution of freeman as Watson-he donned the role with such command that i can't imagine sherlock without the assistance of him.

As with everybody else am waiting for the next series to unfold........

»Every fairy tale needs a good old-fashioned villain«, Andrew Scott's Jim Moriarty informs Sherlock Holmes early on in "The Reichenbach Fall". It's an intriguing quote, but doesn't reflect their situation. No beautiful princess needs to be rescued, and no dragons are blocking the way. Neither is Moriarty a witch, nor an evil stepmother. This story is the psychological showdown of two geniuses and it's as good as television gets.

The reason for that is clear: Andrew Scott. Of the six episodes of Sherlock, the three in which he was provided with dialogue were outstanding, while of the other three, only one was. You could ascribe that to chance, but there is no denying that the confrontations between him and Benedict Cumberbatch are the very best thing this programme has to offer. In "The Reichenbach Fall", the consulting criminal and the consulting detective meet on several occasions, each of those scenes trumping the precedent with regard to its entertainment value. At the Old Bailey, the two share subtle grins, as Sherlock lectures the prosecuting barrister in properly questioning witnesses; during teatime in 221B Baker Street, they chat about Johann Sebastian Bach, how adorable ordinary people are, and how Moriarty could potentially throw the entire world into disarray; and on a taxi TV screen, 'Jimbo' Moriarty addresses 'Boffin' Holmes in his most certifiable appearance yet, cheerfully telling the story of Sir Boast-a-lot.

But then, there's the rooftop scene. Nearly ten minutes long and without a deus ex machina intervening, it's one of the cleverest and most engrossing head-to-heads between hero and villain in the history of moving pictures. For a long while, the two parties just talk – although 'talk' is quite an understatement in that sentence, seeing as Scott is equipped with right about the best dialogue an actor could ever wish for (»I read it in the paper, so it must be true. I love newspapers.«, »There is no key, DOOFUS!«, »Oh, just kill yourself, it's a lot less effort.«) and that Cumberbatch is truly sensational when leading his nemesis into believing to have the upper hand. Though once Moriarty suddenly shoots himself in a twist more shocking than all the hounds of Baskerville combined, it's more than words flowing on the top of St Barts. Now, Sherlock's got his go at kicking the bucket, something he elegantly does by plummeting off the building and confirming what Moriarty had previously said about him: he's on the side of the angels.

As a result of that fatal hop, Sherlock shows its dramatic side, and especially Martin Freeman plays a pivotal part in that turning out well, giving one of the best acting performances of his career when experiencing Sherlock's suicide, talking to his psychiatrist, and addressing his deceased friend via tombstone. Of course, the programme's protagonist isn't actually dead – the outcome of Arthur Conan Doyle's source material and the fact that the BBC has renewed their biggest accomplishment in years for a third series strongly suggest that. However, it still feels like a bizarre decision by screenwriter Stephen Thompson to prematurely solve the 'mystery' by showing the consulting detective alive and well at the end of this episode already. Someone should mail this man the link to the Wikipedia entry on cliffhangers.

I'm not driven up the wall by that, however, and Thompson has done an otherwise exquisitely fine job at devising "The Reichenbach Fall", combining humour and suspense and giving a specific purpose to every single scene. In my opinion, this is the best Sherlock instalment up to that point, and even if the third series unexpectedly made a muck of delineating its eponym's faked suicide, my stance on this wouldn't change a bit.

My detective scribblings: • »In a twist worthy of a Conan Doyle novella, Mr Sherlock Holmes was yesterday revealed to be an expert witness at the trial of 'Jim' Moriarty.« - The fictional newspaper articles couldn't possibly get any better than that. • Sherlock claiming to never have liked riddles is in a bit of a contrast to his profession, isn't it? Unsolved cases are a sort of riddles, if you ask me. • Some excellent soundtrack choices at the beginning of this episode: firstly, the classical music playing while Moriarty stages his break-ins and then, a wonderful jazz song by Nina Simone in the moments before the trial. • In this episode more than ever, Mycroft shows a lot of disagreeable character traits – indirectly contributing to his brother's supposed death, for example. But the final straw is really him reading The Sun. Also: there just has to be some way in which he is connected to Sherlock surviving that jump, since he is on the good side of characters after all. • Sherlock having to kill himself in this episode obviously sets him thinking. For an easy way out, he should have just listened to the useful advice Inspector Lestrade gave to those worrying about the cabbie/suicide assistant getting to them in the pilot: »Don't commit suicide.« • Best quote: any random sentence uttered by Moriarty.