Previously on Sherlock: Sherlock and Watson investigate the case of a vengeful bride … in the late 1800s. Then Sherlock “wakes up,” in the present, and reveals that the whole historical adventure took place in his mind palace where he’s been trying to figure out if it’s possible that Moriarty actually survived.
The Game Is On
A group of Mycroft’s secret government cronies fix the video of Charles Magnussen’s murder to clear Sherlock’s name. Afterward, he immediately jumps back into the crime solving, and seems almost manic in his efforts. He’s preoccupied when Mary has a baby … in a car … and continues to solve cases by text throughout Rosamund Mary Watson’s christening.
It’s not until Lestrade shows up with a particularly interesting case that Sherlock takes a breath. A boy is found in his car, dead, when he was last known to be in Tibet; the body was dead more than a week before a drunk driver smashed into it and it exploded. Sherlock solves the case quickly—the boy was home to surprise his father, but passed from a seizure of some sort while disguised as the front seat—but while at the boy’s home, he stumbles upon an even more curious situation: Someone’s breaking into people’s homes to destroy plaster busts of Margaret Thatcher.
Thinking it has something to do with Moriarty, Sherlock tracks the last bust and lies in wait. When a man comes to steal it, they tussle, and Sherlock breaks the bust. Inside, instead of a message from Moriarty, he finds a copy of the flash drive that Mary gave John when she came clean about her past. The man threatens to kill Mary, then runs. In flashbacks, we see the man working with Mary as a mercenary, then being tortured for information.
Sherlock confronts Mary about the man and her past, and she drugs him to escape. She hops around the world, changing disguises and aliases as she goes, but arrives in the middle east to find that Sherlock and Watson have beaten her there. The man, AJ, also followed them there, and reveals as he’s threatening her life that he’s been planning his vengeance against Mary for her “betrayal.” A policeman kills him before he can reveal more, but Sherlock realizes that the whole situation might be connected to Lady Smallwood, one of Mycroft’s cronies.
Turns out, it was Lady Smallwood’s secretary, Mrs. Vivian Norbury. Mrs. Norbury attempts to shoot Sherlock, but Mary jumps in the way and takes the bullet. She dies, just after telling Watson that being Mary Watson was “the only life worth living.” John blames Sherlock, and cuts off ties. Soon after, Sherlock receives a CD with a video message from Mary, on which she asks Sherlock to save John.
Everybody Shut Up!
Mary jumping in the way of the bullet for Sherlock was quite a surprise. I didn’t think she liked him all that much.
High-Functioning Sociopaths and Good-Old Fashioned Villains
Winner: Mycroft. He was probably the only person who benefited from the events of the case of the Six Thatchers. Plus, he now no longer owes his brother any favors, which I’m sure makes a guy like him feel powerful.
Loser: John. Regardless of the issues he and Mary were having, it’s NEVER OK TO CHEAT ON YOUR WIFE. I’m not sure if anything physical ever happened between “E” and him, but still. The fact that he was having ay sort of relationship with another woman completely changes my opinion of John, and that makes me sad.
He also lost his wife, right after finding out that she’d been lying to him. Definite loser in more ways than one.
From the Mind Palace
Mycroft: “Will you take this matter seriously, Sherlock?”
Sherlock: “I am! What makes you think I’m not taking it seriously?”
Mycroft: “‘#OhWhatABeautifulMorning.’”
John: “A jellyfish?”
Sherlock: “I know.”
John: “You can’t arrest a jellyfish.”
Sherlock: “You could try.”
John: “We did try.”
Sherlock: “I can’t stand it, never can. There’s a loose thread in the world.”
John: “It doesn’t mean you have to pull on it.”
Sherlock: “What kind of a life would that be?”
Did You Miss Me?
- So what was all that Moriarty business about, then?
- Why was John being such a douche?
- Is Mary really dead?
- How will Watson and Sherlock bounce back from this?
- What’s with the “13th” note on Mycroft’s fridge?
So … I’m not quite sure what to think about this episode. Not only was the plot all over the place, but the characters I’ve come to know and love felt very off, and made decisions that seemed wholly contrary to their personalities. I’m a little disappointed, to be honest.
What did you think of “The Six Thatchers?” Let’s discuss below.
