![sherlock season 2 episode 3 sherlock season 2 episode 3](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3d/3b/dc/3d3bdc0ee637cb90cfaefd2894a77454.jpg)
We're distracted by the text on the screen or the gun in the hand or whatnot, but it doesn't mean we aren't listening to the babbling. It was one of those moments reminiscent of where Sherlock has dragged in the past, when a character (be it Sherlock, Moriarty or even The Woman) starts spouting off an incredible stream of nonsense while something else is at play. If there has to be one hiccup mentioned though, it would be the second act of Sherlock's speech, when he's searching for the would-be victim of the crime. The way that the speech and the cases integrated with the wedding and its planning was practically breathtaking in its scope and attention to every detail, and the reflexivity with the number three throughout the episode was nearly worthy of applause. Hudson, and of course Sherlock's Best Man speech. The intro with Lestrade coming to Sherlock's rescue in "epic" proportion (and turning down the chance to catch - in the act - a trio he had been desperate to arrest for over a year and a half) was a great gag, as was the revelation of Mrs. Sherlock has always had strong characters and quippy interactions with great payoff for viewers, and "The Sign of Three" was an episode particularly devoted to that. It was as important for John and Sherlock to prove to one another that nothing would change after the marriage as it was for them to prove it to us. "The Sign of Three" was also a sign of the workability of the newly formed trio (soon to been quartet). They have a mutual respect for one another, tied in with their love of John. Watson's girlfriends have always been antagonists for Sherlock, and it's telling of course that he seems to have an actual friendship with Mary - at least, as much as he is capable. Sherlock has managed to keep a perfect balance, with the incorporation of the Mary Morstan plot, between mystery and the character development.