Christmas episode 2015 - the abominable bride

1895. Dr Watson comes back to London, wounded after the Afghanistan war. Thanks to an old acquaintance, Stamford, he meets a flatmate, Sherlock Holmes. Some times later, after a few novels, a certain notoriety, a marriage and the first domestics with Mrs Watson, comes an odd case :

Emelia Ricoletti kills herself very publicly for her anniversary of marriage. Trouble is, she kills her husband no less publicly a few hours later. 

Even Holmes cannot solve this mystery. Holmes being, in that case, neither the little one nor the clever one. But Mycroft has perceived a diffuse threat, an anonymous enemy, and asks Sherlock to enquire about another case, which could be related.

Doing so, Sherlock can't help but be puzzled by some strange memories, of another man having killed himself the same way, with a bullet in his head...

My favourite moments :

• Sherlock playing violin while the Watsons are arguing at Baker Street, because they hardly see themselves at their home
• "Dr Hooper", in charge of the morgue and Anderson's chief
• Watson understood that Hooper is a woman, when Sherlock didn't notice
• A silent dialogue at Diogene's club
• John tries to know if Sherlock is really incapable of love, or at least lust, and Sherlock seems to be on the verge of killing him
• Jim M. is back !! In the "past", but always as brilliant as a fascinating villain.

What do we learn ?

• Baker Street is located near St Regent's Park.
• Sherlock keeps a photograph of Irene Adler with him.
• He is haunted by Moriarty's death -no surprise.
• The Holmes brothers have a deal: in exchange for Mycroft's unfailing support, Sherlock must make a list of the drugs he is taking.

The show has been accused of machismo (a critic I personally agree with). Is this supposed to be an attempt of paying tribute to women ? Because if it is, please give it up! It's a very clumsy defence against such critics, at the least, if not a pathetic one.

At the end of the episode, we are served a supposedly grandiloquent speech, along with violins music (true): 

"One half of the human race at war against the other. Ignored, patronised, disregarded. An army ready to rise for the best of causes, an injustice as old as humanity itself... A league of furies (sic!)"

Seriously? Could that portrait of vengeful victims be the vision that our show runners have of women? Because basically, we are human like the others, you know.