'Sherlock: The Abominable Bride' Review Roundup: Would Have Worked Better As A Standalone

'Sherlock' may not have returned with its highly anticipated fourth season, but it did satiate viewers with a Christmas Special that set the characters of the BBC television show back to 19^th century London.

Titled "Abominable Bride," Sherlock and Watson set out to crack the case of a female apparition that plague the streets of London.

Here's the verdict on the special that aired on New Year's Day:

IGN

IGN thought the episode was expertly directed, but wasn't too much on board with how the special was tied into the present day timeline.

"This was a bold and brave way to mix up the Sherlock formula that might have been a little too ingenious for its own good. The period stuff was great, but when it started crossing over with present-day Sherlock the episode didn't really work."

Screen Rant

Screen Rant felt that the overcomplicated twist into the present day timeline tainted what could have been one of the best "Sherlock" episodes.

"The somewhat simplistic explanation of body-swapping and multiple murderers is nicely complimented by details like the mirror trick used to create a ghostly apparition, and some of the moments in which characters encounter the ghostly bride are genuinely scary. If it had focused entirely on the Victorian setting and its story, "The Abominable Bride" could easily have been one of the best Sherlock episodes so far. Unfortunately, it did not."

The Guardian

The Guardian felt that the 19^th century setting didn't take away from the reminiscent feel of the "Sherlock" special.

"All the traditional elements of the modern Sherlock were there. There was Watson's doomed attempts, as they sat waiting for the spectral bride to appear, to get Sherlock to talk about his feelings. The self-referential jokes about the problems of writing people in and out of stories. The beautiful simplicity of Sherlock's summations ("Poetry or truth?" "Many people would say they're the same thing." "Yes. Idiots.") The deerstalker as acknowledged prop."

Polygon

Polygon, along with many others, agreed that the special should have stood alone from the main plot.

"If this Sherlock special had just been the first and second act, the episode would have been more than fine; a ludicrous, but fun take on one of the detective's more popular cases. But unfortunately, Moffat and his team tried to find a way to get away with the Victorian-era setup when they didn't need to. Audiences understand this is a special. There was no need to justify why Sherlock had reverted back to his originally imagined self, and the episode would have fared far better if he and Watson were allowed to simply exist in 1887 without acknowledging their 2014 versions."