It's different.

It's hard to stay character driven when they've done so much at this point to establish the personalities of the characters. So they're trying to make it more story driven.

I haven't seen the second episode but that was definitely the feeling I got from the first one.

Episode 1 was so up and down for me. Never liked Mary, so the ending was good in one aspect, but annoying to get there. And the whiny Watson at the end was annoying as well. Will see what episode 2 holds, but I'm guessing more whine.

I found it incredibly pointless to introduce Mary. Why introduce a character and then kill her off so quickly in a lame death.

I actually really enjoyed the second episode. Good villain, good 'sherlock stuff', enough humor to keep it from getting dragged down and less action hero shit. Awesome ending.

That's one of their better episodes in a long while, IMO.

Going to watch it tonight on the DVR. Been waiting for a quiet couple of hours---no talking allowed during Sherlock time :D

I like the first episode....it was not one of the one best, but it was good. Seems that the mystery portion of it was a little weak....hopefully the next episode has some more twists and turns.

Loved the second episode and although I didn't like Mary either, I still enjoyed watching the first episode if just for the feeling of getting back in the groove of the entire show.

I don't want to speculate baselessly, but I will anyway.

The actors who play[ed] Mary and John dated for 15 years, then broke up during the filming of this run of episodes.

More to the plot, I see a lot of people are downplaying the first episode, but I wonder if they're missing the exploration of the Appointment in Samarra and Mary's death. The entire episode is about the nature of fate and the inevitability of death. Someone had to die in a seemingly random way thematically.

And Mary died due to her past activity despite the fact that she ran away from it precisely to avoid such a fate.

I don't think there's any question of the theme there; of course it made sense. But like most, I just have no particular affinity for Mary. Hell, I like her more as a ghost.

No, the problem with episode 1 for me was the fact that a member of one of the best assassination squads in the world got the jump on Holmes in initiating hand to hand combat and somehow Holmes fought him to a draw.

Oh come the **** on.

Yeah, but that's Moffit/Gatsiss for you. I'm well aware that Britain is all aflutter about Sherlock morphing into Bond.

I made the mistake of searching 'sherlock' on Twitter after the episode because I was curious if I'd missed any prior references to his sister (or any literary analogue).

I learned something....evidently there's a significant number of people that would very much like to see the show end with Sherlock and Watson ****ing. I believe its hashtag is 'johnlock'.

And it's once again convinced me that I pretty much loathe humanity. I mean for ****'s sake, people.

Not sure your specific reference, but Mycroft's telephone call in E2 may hint at the impending appearance of a 3rd Sherlock brother.

Mycroft's TC spoke directly to the surfacing of Eurus, the 3rd Holmes sibling. John's shrink.

Sherrinford, previously alluded to in Last Vow [Mycroft referencing not being fond of brotherly compassion, given what transpired with 'the other one'] then Mycroft placed a call to a Sherrinford [Doyle's originally contemplated name for Sherlock] in Lying Detective.

Slight current episode spoilers.

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Oh ferchrissakes, go solve a crime together already. Make him wear the hat.