"John!"
This is a very interesting way to begin a new season, to say the least. I suppose this episode is known for two things. One, of course, is the glorious Cornish location filming, which truly sells the austere, ship-wrecking beauty of the peninsula which is not quite, really, a part of England. The other is the unexpected trippy sequence where Holmes and Watson get high on some bad acid, man.
The thing is, though, it works. It has a plot-related reason and, indeed, is part of the original Conan Doyle short story- this is yet another faithful adaptation. Yet we see some rather well done trippy direction as well as flashbacks including the Reichenbach Falls and, rather randomly and interestingly, some William Blake woodcuts. Jeremy Brett is extraordinary here, as he is always. He is also good at presenting us with hins of the psyche of a Holmes who is close to breakdown and recuperating for the good of his mental health. There are some excellent scenes, in particular, of Holmes alternately taking cocaine and trying to get rid of it, and Watson's reaction. None of this, in a nice subtle touch, is referred to at all either in the dialogue or Watson's narration, which is thus given the air of euphemism.
As for the mystery itself, it is executed very well indeed, with a strong cast. But this episode lingers in the mind for the ancient wildness of the land beyond the Tamar, as well as the land behind the doors of perception.
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