Sherlock (2010 — 2017)

Based on the detective stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock (2010–2017) is a British television series that follows the adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Developed by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the show stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson. Spanning thirteen episodes, it consists of four three-part series that aired from 2010 to 2017, along with a special episode on 1 January 2016. While the majority of the series takes place in present-day London, the special episode is a Victorian-era fantasy reminiscent of Doyle’s original stories.

1.1. A Study in Pink (2010). A string of deaths has been reported, all seemingly caused by individuals ingesting a lethal pill as a means of suicide. Seeking assistance, the police enlist Sherlock Holmes, who uses his keen intellect to uncover key details that suggest a serial killer is at work. As this unfolds, Holmes crosses paths with John Watson, a former soldier and now his new flatmate on Baker Street. Despite Sally Donovan’s warnings of Holmes’ psychopathic tendencies, Watson gradually forges a deep bond of trust with him. Meanwhile, Holmes’ own brother Mycroft asks Watson to spy on him for cash, but Watson declines. Eventually, the culprit behind the deaths is revealed to be a taxi driver who had convinced his victims to play Russian roulette with two pills – one fatal and one harmless. Just as Holmes is about to participate in this dangerous game himself, Watson intervenes and shoots the taxi driver from across the street. As the taxi driver breathes his last breaths, he discloses that ‘Moriarty’ was involved in orchestrating the deadly scheme.

1.2. The Blind Banker (2010). Upon being hired by a childhood acquaintance, Sherlock delves into the strange burglary at a downtown bank. Indications left on an office wall are in fact a hidden message meant for a bank employee, who is subsequently found deceased in his residence. The following day, a reporter falls victim to the same symbols nearby. Following a string of clues, Sherlock and John piece together a connection between the two fatalities and a Chinese smuggling operation, determined to reclaim a valuable item stolen by one of the victims. After some effort, Sherlock deciphers the coded message using Suzhou numerals and book cipher; however, not before John and his significant other, Sarah, are abducted by the smugglers under the assumption that John is actually Sherlock. Fortunately, he manages to liberate them both with help from John’s date, yet their leader evades capture. Later on, this leader communicates with her superior, identified only as ‘M’, before meeting her demise from an unknown sniper.

1.3. The Great Game (2010). Upon being approached by Mycroft to investigate the death of an employee working on a confidential project, Sherlock initially declines the case and passes it onto John. However, a dangerous criminal soon begins taunting Sherlock with explosive vests and seemingly unrelated cases, including a decades-old cold case, a businessman’s disappearance, a TV personality’s death, and the ‘Golem’ assassin. As Sherlock unravels the connections between these cases and resolves the original investigation, he attempts to force his adversary to reveal their identity. In a tense showdown near the end of the episode, Sherlock confronts ‘Jim Moriarty’, who admits to being behind the crimes. In a crucial moment, Sherlock points his gun at a bomb strapped to John.

2.1. A Scandal in Belgravia (2012). After Moriarty lets Sherlock and John go, Mycroft hires them to retrieve photos of a minor royal. These photos are on the camera phone of Irene Adler, a dominatrix who also deals in confidential information from her wealthy clients. Sherlock manages to obtain the phone, but encounters a code that must be disarmed. When Adler realizes she is being pursued by the CIA, she vanishes only to reappear and ask John to retrieve her phone from Sherlock. Later on, Adler tricks Sherlock into decoding a message on her phone that she received from another well-connected individual. She then sends this message to Moriarty, who uses it to undermine a British counter-terror operation. Although she almost succeeds in blackmailing Mycroft, Sherlock finally breaks through the password on the phone, putting Adler’s safety at risk. The story ends with Mycroft informing John that Adler has been killed by terrorists in Pakistan, when in reality she was secretly rescued by Sherlock.

2.2. The Hounds of Baskerville (2012). Henry Knight reaches out to Sherlock and John for help. His father was killed by a terrifying hound on Dartmoor years ago, leaving him traumatized. As they look into Dewer’s Hollow, the supposed location of the hound sighting, and the nearby Ministry of Defence testing site Baskerville, Sherlock and John uncover a plot involving Dr. Frankland. He is using H.O.U.N.D., a failed project to create a mind-altering gas for military purposes. They realize that the ‘hound’ responsible for Henry’s father’s death is simply an ordinary dog manipulated by the hallucinogenic gas to appear monstrous. The person behind this charade is Frankland himself, wearing a red-lensed gas mask and an H.O.U.N.D. t-shirt. When they confront him at Dewer’s Hollow, John and Lestrade shoot the dog while Frankland tries to escape but meets his demise in a minefield. In the final scene, Mycroft sets Jim Moriarty free from captivity.

2.3. The Reichenbach Fall (2012). Moriarty orchestrates a simultaneous heist on the Tower of London, Bank of England, and Pentonville Prison. Despite being captured and put on trial for these crimes, he manages to secure a not-guilty verdict by intimidating the jury. After his release, Moriarty pays Sherlock a visit, mocking him with plans of a ‘final problem’ to solve and vowing to continue his vendetta against him. He also attempts to tarnish Sherlock’s reputation. The two adversaries come face to face on the hospital roof, where Moriarty reveals that assassins will target John, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade if Sherlock refuses to take his own life as proof of Moriarty’s fabricated ‘god code’.

3.1. The Empty Hearse (2014). Two years after faking his own death at Reichenbach Falls, Sherlock emerges from hiding with support from his brother Mycroft to protect London from a terrorist threat. Despite having been cleared of all fraud charges, Sherlock must convince John to aid in the mission. However, John is upset that Sherlock never informed him of his survival and has moved on with a new girlfriend, Mary Morstan. In the absence of John’s help, Sherlock turns to Molly for assistance. But when John is taken captive by unidentified attackers and is later rescued by Sherlock and Mary, he joins forces with them to uncover an underground conspiracy to bomb the Houses of Parliament on Guy Fawkes Night.

3.2. The Sign of Three (2014). On John and Mary’s special day of marriage, Sherlock feels overwhelmed by the responsibility of delivering a speech as the Best Man. In his address, he recalls various cases they have tackled together, including a soldier being stalked and stabbed while in a locked shower, a ghost who dates women referred to as ‘The Mayfly Man’, and the disastrous events of John’s stag night. However, as his speech nears its end, Sherlock comes to the realization that among the wedding guests is a murderer with plans to harm John’s old acquaintance, Major Sholto. Acting quickly, Sherlock foils the attack and then reveals to John and Mary the true meaning behind the sign of three: that Mary is expecting a child.

3.3. His Last Vow (2014). Sherlock’s pursuit of stolen letters leads him into conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen, known as “the Napoleon of blackmail.” Magnussen holds personal information on every important figure in the Western world. During the investigation, Sherlock is shot by Mary, who is being blackmailed by Magnussen. After a near-death experience, Sherlock escapes the hospital and deceives Mary into revealing her true identity and attempted murder while John listens nearby. Months later, at the Holmes family Christmas party, Sherlock drugs everyone and steals Mycroft’s laptop containing government secrets. Together with John, they offer to trade the laptop for information on ‘Mary Morstan’ from Magnussen. But to their surprise, there are no files; Magnussen stores everything in his seemingly perfect ‘mind palace’.

Special. The Abominable Bride (2016). Under the influence of drugs, Sherlock retreats to his mind palace to crack a Victorian-era case involving a bride who fatally shot herself and then reanimated to seek revenge on her husband. If he can solve this murder, it could provide insight into Moriarty’s own return from the dead after shooting himself. After successfully solving the case, Sherlock affirms Moriarty’s death but confidently states, ‘I know what he’ll do next’.

4.1. The Six Thatchers (2017). Upon being tasked with investigating the perplexing demise of a young man, Sherlock swiftly unravels the case. However, he soon finds himself entangled in yet another enigma – the smashing of a bust of Margaret Thatcher belonging to the deceased’s father. As more busts are destroyed, Sherlock unravels the connection between this mystery and Mary’s past as a government agent. It becomes apparent that someone from her previous life is seeking vengeance, believing Mary to be a traitor. Yet, upon further investigation, it is revealed that the true betrayer was actually the secretary of a British Parliamentary member. Tragically, Mary loses her life when she heroically takes a bullet meant for Sherlock. John pins blame on Sherlock for his wife’s death, leading to a rift in their relationship.

4.1. The Lying Detective (2017). Sherlock is reached by entrepreneur Culverton Smith’s daughter, who claims her father confessed to a murder. However, due to a drug that inhibits memory, she does not know the identity of the victim. Sherlock deduces that Smith is a serial killer and sets out to reveal his true nature. Unfortunately, after Mary’s passing, Sherlock has relapsed into using drugs and is struggling to distinguish reality from his thoughts. He confronts Smith and in a fit of rage attacks him, which forces John to intervene. While recovering in the hospital, Smith appears in Sherlock’s room and confesses before attempting to kill him. Luckily, John arrives just in time to save Sherlock. It becomes clear that his previous actions were not only part of an elaborate plan to expose Smith but also fulfilling Mary’s last wish for him to protect John.

4.3. The Final Problem (2017). After being tranquilized by Eurus, Sherlock and Watson manipulate Mycroft into acknowledging her existence. Eurus escalates her attacks on Sherlock, eventually bombing his apartment. The three of them travel to Sherrinford, a high-security psychiatric facility where Eurus is housed. Despite Mycroft’s doubts about her escape, they soon discover that she controls the entire asylum through manipulation of the staff. Eurus then subjects them to a series of moral tests, forcing them to choose between life and death for her victims. This leads to a confrontation with ‘Redbeard’, a childhood friend whose death ultimately led to Eurus’ imprisonment. Realizing that she will continue testing him until someone he cares for dies, Sherlock tries to connect with her emotionally by offering the love and relationship of a brother that she never had. As a result, Eurus backs down from her attacks.