The Hounds of Baskerville

In the first series (season) of the BBC's Sherlock, the middle installment of the three, while entertaining, was the weakest. They appear to have repeated that pattern in the second batch of episodes. "The Hounds of Baskerville" involves Holmes and Watson traveling outside of London to investigate reports of an enormous mutant hound prowling an area around a mysterious government research facility. An escaped test subject? An intentional "field test?" Something else? You can bet Holmes and Watson will get to the bottom of it.

The trouble is, so will you -- and a good deal ahead of our brilliant heroes. This installment of Sherlock is by far the most predictable. Once Holmes himself sees the object of their investigation, you know exactly what's going on. Further, you know how it all works too, even though that's something Holmes himself doesn't conclude until minutes from the end. More awkwardly, Holmes' big breakthrough doesn't really come through any research, investigation, deduction, or discovery -- he instead sits quietly in place and sifts through random pieces of knowledge already stored deep in his brain, and happens to pull out basically "this really obscure story he read one time with a really minor mention of this detail" that turns out to unravel the whole case. The audience out-Holmeses Holmes in this case, essentially.

But while the plot is lackluster, everything else about this marvelous series is still intact. The rapport between Holmes and Watson has never been better than it is here. The two goad, help, and needle each other throughout the episode; a scene after Holmes' encounter with the hound, in which he confides in (and berates) Watson is especially strong. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are, as always, excellent.

Guest star Russell Tovey (known for Being Human) is also strong here. His character is a tormented soul, perhaps borderline psychotic. As an actor, he's called upon to portray impossibly amped-up fear multiple times throughout the episode, and he rises to the challenge ably.

The production values of the episode are also remarkable. As I mentioned, this episode takes the duo outside of London, and the gnarled, spooky ravine in which the most important action takes place is a wonderfully creepy environment. The vast and sterile inside of the government facility, the quaintness of the nearby village -- all rendered wonderfully through set design and location filming.

All told, I'd give this episode a B+. Still excellent work, though not reaching the incredibly high bar set by the rest of the series.