Sherlock Season 3 (2014)

After Sherlock Holmes fell from the building rooftop at the end of Season 2, fans waited two years. Season 3 responds to that wait — but rather than the cold mystery atmosphere of its predecessors, it concentrates far more on character relationships. For some fans this shift was welcome; for others it was disappointing. Both reactions are valid.

What it’s about — The return of a Sherlock who faked his death

A BBC drama reinterpreting Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series in a contemporary London setting. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sherlock Holmes, Martin Freeman plays John Watson. Season 3 aired in early 2014 and consists of three episodes, each around 90 minutes — the format of a mini-film. It addresses the mystery of Season 2’s ending — how Sherlock survived — while foregrounding Watson’s wedding as character drama. The season’s three episodes are: one dealing with Sherlock’s return, one centered on Watson’s wedding, and one featuring a new villain confrontation.

Direction — Expressionism that visualizes the inner life

Season 3’s direction expends a great deal of energy on visualizing the characters’ interior states. The Mind Palace scenes appear more frequently, and in psychological moments the camera and editing move in a more expressionistic manner. Episode 2’s wedding episode is the most emotionally resonant episode in the series, and the direction captures with interest how Sherlock processes emotion. Episode 3 transitions to a conventional villain-confrontation structure, but the character drama built up before it adds emotional weight.

Performance & characters — Portraying a vulnerable Sherlock

Benedict Cumberbatch handles naturally the moments in this season when Sherlock becomes emotionally vulnerable. What changed during the two years without Watson is subtly apparent in his performance. Martin Freeman shines most in the opening scene, expressing Watson’s anger and joy at the reunion simultaneously. Amanda Abbington, newly appearing in Season 3 as Mary Watson, brings a complex role — the presence that complicates the dynamic between John and Sherlock — with quiet conviction. Lars Mikkelsen’s Charles Augustus Magnussen is a cold, repellent but highly memorable villain.

What the work says — The relational wounds a genius leaves behind

Season 3 directly addresses how much of an impact the character of Sherlock Holmes has on those around him. What kind of wound his pretending to be dead for two years has left on Watson, and how Sherlock recognizes and processes that wound, is the season’s central theme. The tension inherent in the Sherlock character — that a highly intelligent person is not necessarily emotionally sophisticated — emerges most clearly onto the surface in this season. The best man speech scene at the wedding episode is one of the most moving scenes across the entire series.

Ratings & reception

TMDB score is 8.5. IMDb series score is 9.0, but Season 3 receives more divided assessments compared to Seasons 1 and 2. It splits between viewers who are receptive to the shift from mystery to character drama and those who are not. Both Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have received BAFTA and Emmy nominations.

What doesn’t quite work

The absence of a villain as intense as Moriarty from Season 2 is keenly felt. Magnussen is a respectable villain in his own right, but the impression Moriarty left in Season 2 is hard to match. Also, Episode 2’s heavy lean toward emotional drama over mystery may disappoint viewers who came for the detective genre pleasures. Episode 3’s ending feels somewhat rushed.

Verdict

Rating: ★4.0. Season 3 is a different season from its predecessors. It chose relationships over detection, emotion over tension. Whether that choice was right is different for each viewer — but no other season has looked this closely at these two characters of Sherlock and Watson. If you’re a fan of the series, this is essential viewing.

Recommended for

• Viewers who have watched Sherlock Seasons 1 and 2
• Those who are more interested in character drama than detective mystery
• People who love the duo chemistry between Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman