History YMMV / SherlockS04E03TheFinalProblem

* HilariousInHindsight: The last time Sian Brooke, who plays [[spoiler:Eurus, the third Holmes sibling]], worked alongside Creator/BenedictCumberbatch, in a production of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', she was his love interest.

** We saw that previous season BigBad Charles Augustus Magnussen knows about Redbeard as a Sherlock pressure point. Who would have told him this but Eurus or Mycroft? Or Morizrty?

** We saw that previous season BigBad Charles Augustus Magnussen knows about Redbeard as a Sherlock pressure point. Who would have told him this but Eurus?

* MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler:[[PsychopathicWomanchild Eurus Holmes]]]] crosses it very early on when it's established that [[spoiler:[[EnfanteTerrible when she and Sherlock were children]], she murdered [[WouldHurtAChild his childhood friend]] Victor (AKA Redbeard) [[DisproportionateRetribution out of petty jealousy at their friendship]] by drowning him in a well, and then tried to murder Sherlock as well by burning down their house]]. And this is many, ''many'' years before the events of ''The Final Problem'', during which it's established that [[spoiler:she previously drove a psychiatrist to commit MurderSuicide and [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raped and killed a nurse]], forces a man to murder his own family, plays DeadlyGames with her brothers (inflicting horrific MindRape on them in the process), and [[HeadsIWinTailsYouLose nonchalantly executes several hostages even when her games were followed to the letter]], all with sadistic glee and a sickening smile on her face]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: The reveal that [[spoiler:Eurus Holmes just wanted to be loved by Sherlock]] falls a bit flat considering that [[spoiler:she killed his best friend when they were all children because she wanted Sherlock to play with her, has been acting like a psychopath for most of the episode, played DeadlyGames with her brothers, horribly murdered a nurse after either seducing him or raping him (her wording was unclear), forced a guy to kill his family and executed numerous hostages. Her redemption basically amounts to saving Watson from a trap that she herself put him into.]]

* IdiotPlot:
** Did Mycroft really think nothing bad would happen sticking two psychopaths like Eurus and Moriarty alone in a room together for five minutes unsupervised? (Why didn't he just lie to Eurus about being unsupervised? Even a super-brilliant mind can't tell if the light is off on a camera because it's not recording, or the light is just turned off.)
** Even putting aside that, why would [[ArchEnemy Moriarty]] help with a plan that ends in Sherlock hugging his sister, reconciling with her and helping her with her issues? Even if that part was Eurus' own doing and she didn't tell Moriarty about it, it still raises more questions.
** Did the warden really think nothing would go wrong having people regularly interact with a noted hypnotist like Eurus?
** Is Sherlock really incapable of seeing there's no glass in Eurus's cell even though he has these amazing skills of deduction?
** When Mycroft realized Sherrinford's security had been compromised, why did he decide the best way to deal with that would be for him, Sherlock, and John to visit Eurus personally, with no backup, instead of having Eurus moved to some other location where none of the security had been brainwashed by her?
** Why does everyone go along with Eurus's SadisticChoice mindgames, when she's clearly untrustworthy and unreliable (and so can't be bargained with)? (Particularly: why is everyone so convinced that killing one innocent person to (possibly) save another is a sane and reasonable response?)
** Why did no one look in the apparently fairly large well on the grounds of the Musgrave estate?
** How did Sherlock actually stage his "haunted house of clowns" event at Mycroft's house?

** One of the most consistent criticisms of the episode is that [[spoiler:the very existence of Eurus, not to mention her being [[UpToEleven even smarter than Mycroft]] ]], strains credibility to a truly ridiculous degree.

* UnfortunateImplications: [[https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/sherlock-final-problem-review-eurus-finale/ Gavia Baker-Whitelaw]] of ''The Daily Dot'' accused the episode of sexism based on its portrayal of Eurus.

* AssPull: One of the most consistent criticisms of the episode is that [[spoiler:the very existence of Eurus, not to mention her being [[UpToEleven even smarter than Mycroft]] ]], strains credibility to a truly ridiculous degree.
** Another criticism is [[spoiler:hinting at Moriarty's return in TheStinger after spending an ''entire season'' cementing the fact that he's really dead.]] Rather than a ShockingSwerve, some fans instead see it as just taking the piss.

** Did Sherlock mean his second "I love you" to Molly? If he did, was it romantic or {{platonic|DeclarationOfLove}}? Mark Gatiss has said it was written to be ambiguous. Benedict Cumberbatch has said in the moment Sherlock isn't even sure, but that Sherlock destroying a coffin over her is very telling.

** [[spoiler:Other than the argument of whether or not it was a good finale, the fact that John and Sherlock are not explicitly in a relationship did not go over silently. One half of the fandom is enraged that the creators queerbaited them for the entire series only to not go through with it at the end. The other half point out that the creators never said the relationship would happen[[note]]Moffat explicitly said Sherlock was straight in the original stories, which is strongly indicative[[/note]], and that a few people looked too deeply into John and Sherlock's relationship. The argument of whether the Johnlock ship is more appreciated than the show itself is a ''whole new war entirely''.]]

** Even putting aside that, why would [[ArchEnemy Moriarty]] help with a plan that ends in Sherlock hugging his sister, reconciling with her and helping her with her issues? Even if that part was Euros' own doing and she didn't tell Moriarty about it, it still raises more questions.

* MagnificentBastard: [[spoiler:Eurus]], considering being the ''smartest'' of the [[spoiler:Holmes siblings]] and being able to [[spoiler:MindRape '''everyone''' at Sherrinford to Sherlock, Mycroft, and John]], which is saying a lot.

* Eurus and Moriarty communicating through some sort of dance. They weren't being videotaped at the time, so it can't have been to mess with people's minds.

* {{Narm}}: [[spoiler:The way John and Sherlock burst out the windows of 221B Baker Street, John ''especially'' with his goofy expression]].

* {{HSQ}}: ''All'' of the episode, from [[spoiler:Eurus's MindRape of the brothers (and John) to the reveal of Redbeard]].

* BrokenBase: This is the most polarizing episode in the series as a whole, to the point of causing significant InternetBackdraft, with [[http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38635953 the episode's ratings hitting an all-time low]] for the series:

* BrokenBase: This is arguably the most polarizing episode, to the point of causing significant InternetBackdraft, with [[http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38635953 the episode's ratings hitting an all-time low]] for the series:

*** The lack of camera-trickery is undeniable, but it's possible that Eurus's insight into the world was worth the risk, in his mind. (How many prevented terror attacks, etc.)

*** It's possible she got him first; it's his voice on the tape after all.

*** He could have been too invested in the conversation to notice; it's possible for smart people to not notice the obvious sometimes. He could have also been tense and unable to focus on that, worried about how to approach Eurus.

*** Well, the Warden asked them to kill him to save his wife. If a person is willing to sacrifice their life to save a person they love, who are you to deny them? Of course, knowing Eurus, he likely would have killed his wife either way.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: The reveal that [[spoiler:Eurus Holmes just wanted to be loved by Sherlock]] falls a bit flat considering that [[spoiler:she killed his best friend when they were all children because she wanted Sherlock to play with her, has been acting like a psychopath for most of the episode, played DeadlyGames with her brothers, forced a guy to kill his family and executed numerous hostages. Her redemption basically amounts to saving Watson from a trap that she herself put him into.]]

** [[spoiler:Other than the argument of whether or not it was a good finale, the fact that John and Sherlock are not explicitly in a relationship did not go over silently. One half of the fandom is enraged that the creators queerbaited them for the entire series only to not go through with it at the end. The other half point out that the creators never said the relationship would happen, and that a few people looked too deeply into John and Sherlock's relationship. The argument of whether the Johnlock ship is more appreciated than the show itself is a ''whole new war entirely''.]]

* AssPull: One of the most consistent criticisms of the episode is that [[spoiler: the very existence of Eurus, not to mention her being [[UpToEleven even smarter than Mycroft]] ]], strains credibility to a truly ridiculous degree.

* CreepyAwesome: Considering the big surprises of Series 4, [[spoiler: Eurus]]. This fits considering [[spoiler: she's Sherlock's sister]].
* DracoInLeatherPants: [[spoiler: Eurus gets a mix of this or downright BaseBreakingCharacter due to her '''big''' MoralEventHorizon moments but with her tragic backstory]].
* HilariousInHindsight: The last time Sian Brooke, who plays [[spoiler: Eurus, the third Holmes sibling]], worked alongside Creator/BenedictCumberbatch, in a production of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', she was his love interest.
* {{HSQ}}: ''All'' of the episode, from [[spoiler: Eurus's MindRape of the brothers (and John) to the reveal of Redbeard]].

* JerkassWoobie: Bizarrely enough, [[spoiler: Eurus. It's obvious there was ''a lot'' wrong with her, but it's pretty obvious from her VillainousBreakdown ''and'' even reaching the DespairEventHorizon that within her sick and twisted mind, [[IJustWantToBeLoved she just wanted to be loved by Sherlock]]]].
* MagnificentBastard: [[spoiler: Eurus]], considering being the ''smartest'' of the [[spoiler: Holmes siblings]] and being able to [[spoiler: MindRape '''everyone''' at Sherrinford to Sherlock, Mycroft, and John]], which is saying a lot.

* {{Narm}}: [[spoiler: The way John and Sherlock burst out the windows of 221B Baker Street, John ''especially'' with his goofy expression]].

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: The reveal that [[spoiler:Eurus Holmes just wanted to be loved by Sherlock]] falls a bit flat considering that [[spoiler: she killed his best friend when they were all children because she wanted Sherlock to play with her, has been acting like a psychopath for most of the episode, played DeadlyGames with her brothers, forced a guy to kill his family and executed numerous hostages. Her redemption basically amounts to saving Watson from a trap that she herself put him into.]]