Sherlock, John and Magnussen the supercreep in “His Last Vow”. (Photo: (Photo: Courtesy of (C)Robert Viglasky/Hartswood Films 2013 for MASTERPIECE)
9. His Last Vow (Season 3, Episode 3)
The first half of this His Last Vow is actually a great episode. The second half is…not. Or maybe it would be, if it were the conclusion to a different episode. But as it is, it never quite feels like a coherent whole. The episode features a dark, messy tale of blackmail and revenge. That Sherlock tackles a story that ultimately deconstructs its own status quo is ambitious. Even admirable. That it doesn’t stick the landing is frustrating.
The twists come fast and furious initially. There’s the revelation of Mary’s secret past, her shooting of Sherlock, and John’s discovery of her many lies. Sherlock must also face off with villain Magnussen, who is finally revealed in all his vile, face-licking glory. But the payoff is less than satisfactory. The plot becomes overly convoluted the further into the episode we go. Eventually, we’re left with twists that exist simply to shock the audience, rather than to serve the characters we’ve watched all season. From Mary’s shooting of Sherlock and its aftermath, to Sherlock’s outright murder of Magnussen, very little feels organic.
His Last Vow does feature some incredible individual moments – the introduction of Shezza, Sherlock’s frightening mind palace confrontation with Moriarty, the set up that leads Mary to Leinster Gardens, and the final confrontation with Magnussen. The series-long through line that Sherlock always wants to see the most complicated explanation for something resurfaces here, with devastating results. (Even if you might – rightly – be shocked he’d ever believe villainous Google Glass was actually a thing.) There’s a lot here that’s worth watching. And perhaps, the continuation of events in Season 4 will cast this episode in a different light. As it is, it’s just disappointing.