Previously on Sherlock: Sherlock jumps back into detective work with a fervor, and thinks he’s stumbled upon Moriarty’s plot—only to find that the mystery actually involves Mary and her previous life as a mercenary for hire.
The Game Is On
John’s attempting to get therapy, partly because he’s talking to Mary (who isn’t there). While his therapist is trying to get him to open up about how he’s feeling, an Aston Martin squeals to a stop in front of the house, followed by police cars and a helicopter.
Cut to Culverton Smith—entrepreneur, philanthropist, he of terrible teeth—drugs a group of his friends and his daughter to block their memories of a confession: his need to kill someone. Three years later, his daughter Faith shows up at a scruffy Sherlock Holmes’ flat and asks Sherlock for help. He’s not doing so hot, and looks to be back using drugs. He realizes, nearly too late, that she’s going to commit suicide if he doesn’t help. So he spends the night with her discussing the case.
When she disappears, Sherlock’s drug-aided trip takes a wacky turn, and he comes to a somewhat sketchy conclusion that Smith is likely a serial killer. As his drug use gets worse, so does the obsession with Smith. Mrs. Hudson finally decides that she’s had enough, and takes Sherlock—by force—to meet John at his therapy session. (See: the initial car chase.) Sherlock has planned the whole thing, however, and takes John to a meeting with Smith.
Smith takes the duo on a visit to a children’s hospital. There, Smith makes a lot of creepy nods at Sherlock’s suspicions and takes them to the morgue, his “favorite room” in the hospital. Faith arrives, and Sherlock realizes that she isn’t the woman who came to him for help, that maybe Faith was never there at all. In his distress, he grabs a scalpel and nearly hurts Smith, but John disarms him (then throttles him), and Sherlock’s taken away to detox.
Mycroft calls and pulls John away from Sherlock’s hospital room. Back at 221 B, John confronts Mycroft about the third Holmes brother and Mrs. Hudson shows that she knows Sherlock better than anyone. They discover Mary’s last message about saving John, and John begins to piece everything together.
Meanwhile, Smith creeps into Sherlock’s room wearing surgical gloves and divulges to Sherlock that he is actually a serial killer. Sherlock asks Smith to kill him, but it’s all part of Mary’s plan to help Sherlock save John. Smith attempts to take Sherlock out, but John arrives just in time.
Atter Sherlock’s released from the hospital, John visits with him at Baker Street. When Irene Adler texts, John berates Sherlock for not taking a chance on love, and confesses that he cheated emotionally (but wanted more) on Mary. He breaks down and Sherlock comforts him.
John heads back to therapy a bit healed, but his therapist slips up. She reveals that she was the woman on the bus, and the mysterious fake Faith … and Sherlock and Mycroft’s secret sibling. She whips out a gun and shoots in John’s direction.
Everybody Shut Up!
- Mrs. Hudson opening the boot of her car to reveal a handcuffed Sherlock was laugh-out-loud hilarious. She’s such a badass.
- HOLY CRAP, I did NOT see Euros’ reveal coming.
High-Functioning Sociopaths and Good-Old Fashioned Villains
Winner: Mrs. Hudson. Not only is she the wealthy widow of a drug addict with an Aston Martin and properties all over London, but also she isn’t John and Sherlock’s housekeeper—she’s their truest friend and protector.
Honorable mention: John. Simply because he gets to drive Mrs. Hudson’s car.
Loser: Mycroft. Dude got TOLD.
From the Mind Palace
Sherlock: “Yes, well, I’m very busy at the moment, I have to drink a cup of tea.”
Faith: “Oh, Big Brother is watching you!”
Sherlock: “Literally.”
John: “Christ. Sherlock on Twitter? He really has lost it.”
Mrs. Hudson: “Oh, Sherlock told me. He’s not so difficult when you have a gun on him.”
Sherlock: “It’s not a pleasant thought, John, but I have this terrible feeling from time to time that we might all just be human.”
Did You Miss Me?
- Where did Euros come from, and where has she been? (Is Sherringford a mental hospital of some sort?)
- What’s Euros’ connection to Moriarty?
- What happened to her to drive her as crazy as she seems?
- I doubt that she actually shot John in the face, but then what did she shoot?
Now that was a proper episode of Sherlock. So many twists and turns and a reveal I certainly never saw coming. I still dislike that John wasn’t loyal—even “only” emotionally—to Mary, but am super intrigued by pretty much everything about Euros.
What did you think of “The Lying Detective?” Let’s discuss below.
