The third season of 'Sherlock' turned out to be the most eclectic one: it contains just a good episode, one of the best episodes and the worst episode of the whole show. Today I rewatched 'The Empty Hearse'. Despite of the fact that this episode stabs in the back 'The Reichenbach Fall', its predecessor, it is funny, touching and generally lovely. John Watson got a lot of criticism from some viewers, but this version of Sherlock Holmes' coming back is far better and ingenious than the Granada and the Soviet ones - both were too faithful to the original 'Empty House' and therefore a bit cartoonish and dull. On the personal level I really enjoyed Molly and Mycroft having more screen time (not together, but still), but, of course, Sherlock reigns in this episode, and it is really a great pleasure to follow him in his deductions and adventures. But I have to say that inviting Benedict Cumberbatch's parents to play Sherlock's parents was not a good idea after all. Season 3 displayed a lot of nepotism, and this concrete decision proved to be an unfortunate one. I believe that Wanda Ventham's and Timothy Carlton's presence in the show influenced the writers and directed them into the slightly controversial way, which ended up wih Holmes parents being stereotyped and for some viewers even unlikeable. But it doesn't spoil the impression, and 'The Empty Hearse' is without doubt a very good, and for some one of the best episodes of the show.
