Since it aired in the US and the UK on January 1, criticism against the episode, and perhaps the entire season, has been rife. British commentators have termed the increasing violence in the series and its obsession with spies, terrorists and all things geopolitical Sherlock Holmes’s morphing into James Bond, always on Her Majesty’s service. The criticism was so sharp that it prompted Gatiss to write a cutting, witty poem in response to his critics. “There’s no need to invoke in yarns that still thrill, Her Majesty’s Secret Servant with licence to kill. From Rathbone through Brett to Cumberbatch dandy, with his fists Mr Holmes has always been handy”, he wrote in his letter to The Guardian.
To be fair, not all critics of Sherlock’s character and Gatiss’s script were off the mark. The episode does seem to dwell too much on international affairs and terrorism, with Britain smack in the middle of it all, effecting change like no other country could. Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft, has a ridiculous amount of power to undertake secret missions involving diplomats, using “freelance” groups such as the AGRA to neutralise hostage situations. A dedicated “team” decides the future of the world, all the while securing the future of Britain. Post-Brexit, all this seems rather strange, though one can understand the impulse to assert a truly British worldview and way of life.
But in the diplomacy and geopolitics of it all, Sherlock misses out on its biggest strengths — the witty repartee between Sherlock and John Watson, the strange, bizarre cases that come their way and the quirks that make the detective at 221 B , Baker Street the cult figure he is. Basically, everything that has made the series popular is only available in limited, small doses. For instance, the series of quirky cases for Sherlock and Watson to solve are limited to, at most, 10 out of the 90 minutes of the episode. Watson and his wife Mary’s domesticity, too, lacks a certain personal touch. Though Mary takes on a larger role in the episode, the climax is both disappointing and heartbreaking.
What the writers cannot be faulted for is the crisp, well-thought-out plot. While one may not find what is expected, the new series promises enough nail-biting drama. One is almost thankful that Jim Morairty, Sherlock’s nemesis, is only a shadow in the first episode. While the third season ended on a cliff-hanger — Moriarty “rising” from the dead and hacking all forms of media to send out a message to Sherlock — the prospect of him causing any real harm is relegated to the realm of “wait and watch”. These tenterhooks are enough to keep you waiting for the remaining episodes in the season. In that respect, this new season succeeds.
Sherlock’s fourth season promises to be darker, more grim and perhaps more depressing than any other season . Sherlock’s “death” at the end of the second season did not leave as bitter an aftertaste, simply because the season had ended and one was almost certain that he was still alive. There are no possibilities of any reversal considering the events of this first episode. Gone are those jolly days when an exasperated Watson would gallivant with Sherlock across the familiar streets of London. The world of Sherlock may have changed, forever.
Sherlock, Season 4, airs on January 7 at 8 pm on AXN 
 "Sherlock Homes")