Totally agree with you, i think its a direct response to the fact that they got so many complaints about a lack of strong female characters last season.It wasn't that open and shut there was still the last scene of mcadams in the hotel room handing over the evidence to a cop or reporter signalling there was still a chance for justice
Ps anyone find the last scene a little forced (no more than most of the season) just felt real feminist(y) which is overplayed these days. Those characters didn't really need to meet though I found it neat having being both actors never shared a scene in Sherlock holmes either
They took a lot of the critisim from last year a little too literal.