Big Picture Big Sound

"I don't know. I notice."

The Series

If you haven't seen Season One of the BBC's brilliant and modern take on Baker Street's most famous detective, you have some homework to do. Although each episode of this deliciously entertaining, made-for-television series stands capably on its own as a compelling mystery, there is a wonderful and much larger story arch at play here. In other words, do start from the beginning. If you need to catch up, go ahead. We'll wait.

Trading in his magnifying lens for a Macbook and substituting cigarettes for an unsavory cocaine habit, Benedict Cumberbatch (War Horse) dons his deerstalker - however unwillingly - as our present day Sherlock Holmes, London's leading private detective and special consultant to the police. At his side as the good Dr. Watson is the always-excellent Martin Freeman, soon to be known the world over as "Bilbo Baggins" in Peter Jackson's upcoming Hobbit adaptation.

As was the case with Season One, Season Two of Sherlock features just three new installments, which at first glance is disappointing. The good news is that each "episode" is in reality a 90-minute film. As such, don't look at it as a short TV season, but rather three movies for the price of two - and they're not done yet.

Updating three of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic stories for the modern age is no small feat, and as with Season One, the results are for the most part glorious. The one exception is the middle episode, the X-Filesish "Hounds of Baskerville." Although it does feature some exceptional dialogue here and there, this episode can't help but feel inferior in the wake of "A Scandal in Belgravia" - the scintillating, twist-filled season opener which introduces us to the lovely Irene Adler (Lara Pulver). Almost as good is the riveting season finale, "The Reichenbach Fall," which pits our hero against his nemesis, Moriarty (Andrew Scott). The word "cliffhanger" doesn't begin to describe this one.

The Picture

Sherlock's London and the police laboratory are fairly drab settings with little in the way of color, but as was the case with Season One, this intentionally muted landscape is faithfully reproduced on Blu-ray. Indoor shots fare nicely in comparison, with warm, natural hues and accurate skin tones - the latter being particularly evident when Sherlock finally comes face to face with the lovely Irene Adler in her, err, business uniform. Overall picture detail is quite good, with crisp facial closeups and solid retention in the shadows.

The Sound

Each of Season Two's three installments features a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Although it would have been nice to see a lossless option, this series is largely dialogue-driven and what we get is perfectly fine for the task at hand. Low end oomph is rarely needed with this series, but the occasional gunshot demonstrates sufficient bass while dialogue is clear and intelligible throughout. Apart from helping out during the theme music, the surround channels occasionally pitch in to round out the rear soundstage - particularly during the somewhat spooky "Hounds of Baskerville."

The Extras

Unfortunately, extras are minimal on this Blu-ray release from the folks at BBC. "Sherlock Uncovered" is an enjoyable 20-minute look behind the scenes and it's interesting to listen to series co-creators/writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (who also plays Sherlock's brother  "Mycroft") talk about the challenges inherent in updating these classic stories. Audio commentaries are available on the first two episodes, but I would have loved to hear one on the Moriarty-focused finale. Oh well.

Final Thoughts

As I said at the start, this new take on Sherlock is brilliant entertainment. Between its sharp and witty dialogue, twist-filled mysteries, and the superb acting on display from all involved, there is plenty to recommend here. Although the middle episode feels a bit out of place, the season opener and finale are not to be missed. Highly recommended.

• Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Mark Gatiss, Andrew Scott, Lara Pulver
• Co-Creators: Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss
• Audio/Languages: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French)
• Subtitles: English
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Rating: NR
• Studio: BBC
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: May 22, 2012
• Run Time: 270 minutes
• List Price: $39.98
• Extras:
  • Featurette: "Sherlock Uncovered"
  • Audio Commentaries