This felt like a callback to the earliest episodes of the series, when the stories were more blatantly inspired by classic fairy tales. The "Cinderella" vibe was palpable from the very start, especially once the gorgeous Lucinda stepped into the room. Immediately the stakes were established: why wouldn't Arnold do anything to keep a lovely and frisky young woman like that happy?
First off, a little introduction for those that haven't read my reviews for the previous season of "Sherlock". I'll get no points for originality for saying this, but I consider myself to be a pretty big fan of Sherlock Holmes. In particularly, I have a deep appreciation for the original stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself, as well as some of the later adaptations. I greatly enjoyed the first Guy Ritchie film for what it was (sadly, I have yet to see the sequel, which I hope to remedy soon), though many fans thought it took too many liberties with the source material.
As the first part of a massive season finale, it's a bit difficult to evaluate this in isolation. There are plenty of items that will likely see resolution in the finale proper, and might even spill over into the beginning of the fifth and final season. Even so, I think it's possible to look at this episode alone and still come away with a number of highlights.