BBC's Sherlock

...is brilliant. Watch it. Now.

Brutal cliffhanger aside, Bennedict Cumberbatch is an amazing Sherlock, the dialogue is fantastic, the contemporary setting makes the story seem very fresh, and the whole thing is just crazy awesome.

I also watched the Episode 1 pilot, and it's interesting how much the show changed. The acting was more or less just as brilliant, but in the aired episode, for some reason, the quality was better, the cinematography was way better, and there were a couple of intriguing plot changes.

I like how in the aired version, they took out the part about Sherlock getting drugged. That whole bit in the pilot made Sherlock look a bit too weak and reckless almost to the point of idiocy, while the aired episode illuminated both Sherlock's double-edged intellect and the brilliance of the killer, who was able to manipulate Sherlock into doing what he wanted. I also liked the introduction of Mycroft in the aired episode (yay for brotherly rivalries) and the deepening of the killer's motives, making him somewhat more empathetic.

Oddly, though, I don't know why they changed the way Sherlock deduces the killer's identity from the pilot to the aired episode. In the aired version, it takes him far longer to realize who the killer is--but worse, I think the audience can guess before Sherlock, which is kind of...not so good.

But otherwise, "Sherlock" was amazing. I really want the soundtrack, and I can't wait for Season 2!