The long-awaited opener of Season 4 of “Sherlock” aired on New Year’s Day, and the episode, “The Six Thatchers” — not lacking in dramatic events — elicited strong responses from fans and critics. Not all were pleased, notably The Guardian’s Ralph Jones, who accused the creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat of taking “ill-advised liberties” with Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories by making Sherlock Holmes (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) into a James Bond-like action figure.

In the spirit of Conan Doyle, who once responded in verse to a poem criticizing his detective, Mr. Gatiss replied.

Here’s our take on it: