Sherlock: The Sign of Three
by Stephen Thompson, Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss; dir. Colm McCarthy (BBC, 2014)
Possibly the funniest of all Sherlock episodes, albeit skewed beyond the pale towards character development and adapting little of its plot from Conan Doyle’s stories. While Benedict Cumberbatch brings Sherlock’s misanthropy painfully centre-stage, Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington are more humanly sublime.
Sherlock: His Last Vow
by Steven Moffat; dir. Nick Hurran (BBC, 2014)
Another inspired reworking of the source material. Lars Mikkelsen turns Magnussen into one of television’s more memorable one-off villains. Amanda Abbington employs consummate restraint in selling Mary’s character development, her inner turmoil matched only by Martin Freeman’s at his subtle, expressive best.
Sherlock: The Empty Hearse
by Mark Gatiss; dir. Jeremy Lovering (BBC, 2014)
A fun, clever episode but one mostly devoted to reintegrating Sherlock after the Series Two cliffhanger. (The titular mystery takes barely any screen time.) Sherlock’s scenes with Mycroft are a highlight. Amanda Abbington, playing Mary, proves a welcome addition to the cast.