Nice. Season 2 has always been underappreciated

"I know it’s in service of a plot/pacing continuum, but Sherlock threatening the cartel guy in prison is still jarring; in a case about women being victimized by predatory men, his move is to threaten somebody’s wife?"

Perhaps Myles owns the rights to that one

What you said. Myles, your reviews have enhanced my appreciation of this great show on a weekly basis. Thank you!

That whole pancreatic cancer thing really sped proceedings along though, as it is wont to do.

CTRL-F "dennis"……

Yeah, I thought what she did in this episode was the "dark path" part that we saw in "M". I think that's part of what Sherlock was alluding to when he was trying to talk her down at the end of the episode, although given the way she brushed it off, I guess vengeance is still on her mind. Myles is betting on her going…

My thoughts exactly. The guy hired Joan as a freelance then offered her a full time job. Joan is close to Kitty. Not at all a coincidence.

That probably says more about the shows being reviewed than the writers themselves I think. "On the nose" a very useful idiom, although I also like "beat us over the head with….."

I thought it was a big improvement on Dildo Girl's scream in A Landmark Story

Thanks!

Pretty sure it was brought up in Dead Man's Switch - the Milverton episode back in S1

Offhand no, but it goes back to the original stories, where Sherlock explains that in some ways, he sees blackmailers as lower than murderers. To be fair the blackmail he normally comes across generally has far less noble motivations than what he is aiming for here.

"just ride it out if he starts hitting things use the fire extinguisher on him"

Speaking of which, Sherlock really, really doesn't like blackmailers. An obvious bluff at the end by Sherlock, which Pike rightly calls.

yeah, I though Mycroft was going to (rightfully) smack him across the face for that. Hugging him and telling him that he loves him is a beautiful way of showing that Mycroft gets what Sherlock is and why. And he loves him all the same, because he is his brother.

"Careful Callan, your class-consciousness is showing". For some reason Sherrington's little rant reminded me of that. Very obscure reference, hoping that you get it.

Which is why Mycroft found a better way out of it. As he said, the thought of being killed and remembered as a traitor didn't really appeal to him at all. Better to ride out the clock on some Carribean island surrounded by sun, sand and lots of beautiful women.

exactly!

Best. Scene. Ever.