I have been an extremely loyal fan of the show since its debut. Series one and two of Sherlock convinced me of its 10-star quality. It was intelligent, witty, well-paced, subtle, and with the best spots of black humor and humanity. Series three has been beyond disappointing. As each episode premiered, I was praying that it would get better. That the show could somehow revert back into the quality themes and writing of the first two series. This never happened. The writers seem to be over-indulgent, sloppy, and hectic during the third season. Devoting time to slapstick comedy, dead-end plots, endless plot holes, erratic case scenarios, and irrelevancies. Most disappointing of all was the lack of any case akin to series one and two, lending the focus on to the main characters. If this had been done with elegance, it could have been delightful, but the completely solipsistic studies turn the charm of the subtle emotional reveals of series one and two into constant barrages of overdramatic declarations, and a light treatment of grief, death, torment, separation - the emotional aspects that actually needed to be handled. I feel as if I am watching an entirely new show, and it is one that I am disinclined to keep up with.