Moriarty gets a mention but is dead and stays dead - a miracle!
I also wasn't sure whether to tick homoerotic tension or not, for reasons that'll become clear in the rest of my write-up! Lots of jokes are made about Holmes and Watson's biographer/detective relationship being similar to being a couple, but I didn't feel there was any chemistry between Holmes and Watson. At all. Uh. Of any kind.
SPOILERS BELOW! I won't spoil specific plot details or the mystery, but I will give details of some specific scenes.
Positive things which I feel this show adds to The Fandom:
Andrew Lloyd Webber lament sung by Watson about how now Holmes has died, Baker Street is no longer home. It's played entirely straight (the actor had tears in his eyes...) and if it ever comes out on a soundtrack album I need a bunch of fan videos, stat.
The finale is basically the end of the Wrath of Khan but Holmes is Kirk and Watson is Spock. And Holmes is dressed as a Christmas pudding. And Watson is in his combinations. It's weird but like, I've never seen that before I guess. It'll probably inspire someone to write a really good fanfic, I have faith.
The reason Holmes survives falling from a high place is that he's built an immunity to falling from high places because he's done it so much which is chef's kiss. Perfect joke, no notes.
There's a bit where Watson finds out that he's left Holmes alone in mortal danger at a theatre show of the Neibelingung. Cut to Holmes dressed in an opera costume infront of a giant vertical painted stage backdrop of a waterfall. I thought that was kind of neat.
Mrs Hudson was cool and there was a female detective character who I liked
Cons of the show as a fan:
I'm not sure I've ever come across any other Holmesania which is quite so relentlessly cruel to Watson, which is really saying something. Holmes remains mean to him basically right up until the last five minutes. He ignores him, insults him, deliberately uses his grief for his own ends, lets him think he's in a death trap when he's not, doesn't get him a Christmas present…
I think that even the normies in the rest of the audience ended up not finding that aspect funny, as some moments with Watson that I think were supposed to be laugh lines fell flat. If the tone had been more farcical throughout, perhaps it would have worked for people who don't have a prior investment in the characters, but that was undermined by also trying to pull off moments of actual pathos. I don't think you can do Watson crying on his knees singing about his heartbreak when all we've seen Holmes do to him is berate and ignore him and try to bring that around to a laugh-out-loud moment.
Soooo... yeah. A fun grown-up pantomime, the mystery plot itself had lots of fun moments and twists and turns that were enjoyable and a bit clever, but I think that I can't really recommend it with my fandom hat on. Not My Blorbo, basically.
