H.O.U.N.D. Dog?
Season two of Sherlock continues to get better with The Hounds of
Baskerville, which turns out to be Holmes and Watson's most thrilling,
friendship straining adventure yet. With a mystery promising mutated dog creatures and
troubled souls, only the two of them can solve the case...if they can survive
their way through it first, that is.
While "A Scandal in Belgravia"
was a complex, slow paced episode like the original stories, The Hounds of
Baskerville is a more fast-paced, single focus story this time around. Based on
the popular “The Hound of the Baskervilles” tale, Russell Tovey (of Being Human fame) plays Henry Knight, a guy who comes to Holmes and
Watson for help, as he wants closure to the death of his father who was brutally
murdered by some sort of hound-like creature twenty years ago in a forest area
near Baskerville. As Sherlock is about to go literally crazy due to the lack of
any cases worth his time and intellect, he accepts Henry's case on the suspicion
that something more is behind it. Little does Holmes know that this case will
prove to be his most terrifying yet, as it begins to rattle him while also
placing a huge strain on his friendship with Watson.
As usual, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are on top of their game as
Holmes and Watson, and many of the trials here puts their friendship to the
test. I always knew it had to happen sooner or later, and the two really pull it
off well here. To see Holmes rattled and on edge while snapping at Watson is
truly a sight to behold. Russell Tovey (who can’t catch a break being around
wolves since his werewolf role on Being Human) does a fantastic job as the
troubled Henry, and fits into his character perfectly who continues to be
plagued by headaches, flashbacks, and mental troubles throughout the case.
I also liked how Baskerville was portrayed as an mysterious underground
military / science facility that is experimenting with genetic engineering,
remaking it into a British Area-51 of sorts. I
thought this was one of the more interesting updates and helped give the episode a
strange Doctor Who / Torchwood
feel, which is probably something fans wouldn’t mind seeing more often in the
series.
Fans of Holmes and the show are bound to enjoy this episode very much, as it
gives the series just the superbly crafted, fast-paced adventure that it needed. With
such an amazing story as this, it really makes me sad that the next episode, The Reichenbach
Fall, will be the season finale. But considering it’s based off the famous “The Final
Problem” story, it should prove to be a finale we’ll never forget.
