Umm...

I'm still trying to figure out whether I actually liked "The Lying Detective". I'm finding myself starting to side with the viewers who feel that the plots from Sherlock have become too convoluted, over-dramatic and self-congratulatory. Well, that last adjective seems a bit harsh, but I think "convoluted" and "over-dramatic" are definitely accurate. I wanted to like "The Lying Detective". I really did. Of course, I really wanted to like "The Abominable Bride" too, and I think most of you know how that turned out. Maybe I should have seen it last week with "The Six Thatchers," but the creators of Sherlock seem to have forgotten the purpose of their own show or what Sherlock Holmes is supposed to be about. They think that if they throw in enough clever deductions, madly cackling villains and spectacular standoffs, it will still be Sherlock Holmes, but I think they're seriously close to jumping the shark. I'm sure there are several viewers who feel that Sherlock jumped the shark already. A long time ago. Saying all that, there are things that I like about the episode. ( Beware of spoilers. )