Sherlock - Season 4

     The fourth and final season of Sherlock wraps up with one very intense theme. Family. When we first meet Sherlock and John, they were both alone. John had no close relatives and Sherlock...was well Sherlock. He didn't get attached to people, showed no sentiment and allowed reason and deduction to take the place of generosity and kindness. Then John appears and he brings together a small family made up of him and Sherlock, Mrs. Hudson, Molly Hooper, Greg Lestrade and eventually John's wife, Mary and their daughter. 

     Over the course of the series, Sherlock begins to shift in his opinions of the world and the people in it. The fall from St. Barts showed his absolute love for his friends, meeting Mary showed his ability to accept change and he is slowly coming around to accepting his growing celebrity status in London. However, Sherlock has many addictions and demons. And his addiction to 'the game' will become his greatest demon. It's how he controls that demon by still remaining a good man that will alter and ultimately save the lives of the family he has grown to love. 

Episode 1 - The Six Thatchers

     As punishment for the murder of Charles Magnussen, Sherlock was going to be sent out of the country to work on a case in Eastern Europe. However, the most unexpected happens. Moriarty shows up...all over London and Sherlock's Eastern plans are cancelled. As usual, Mycroft and the government are all scrambling as to how Moriarty is still alive and what his plans for Sherlock and John might be. Sherlock takes a slightly more calm approach to the situation and believes the best thing he can do is wait and continue his work. Dead or alive, Sherlock knows Moriarty and his terrorist group better than anyone. 

     Meanwhile, John and Mary welcome the birth of their daughter, Rosamund. Although, hesitant at first, Sherlock becomes attached to his new goddaughter, which only reinforces his love for the growing Watson family and his vow to always protect them. During his waiting game, Lestrade presents Sherlock to the most bizarre case. After a car is hit and explodes, officers find a one week old corpse inside. 

     While interviewing the family, Sherlock comes across something infinitely more strange. The family has a special dedication table to former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Yet, something is out of the ordinary about this table that is covered with pictures and memorabilia. The family informs him that there was a plaster bust of Thatcher centered on the table, but a robbery had taken place a few days before and the bust was destroyed. Sherlock digs deeper and soon finds out that all over London there are break-ins to private homes. All these homes have one thing in common; the same replica bust of Margaret Thatcher that ends up destroyed.

     This case takes an absolute shocking turn when it points to Mary Watson and her former life as a agent/spy/assassin. Prior to meeting and marrying John, Mary had been part of an elite group of agents that were sent on the most dangerous and deadly missions. After a botched assignment in Serbia, Mary was thought to be the only agent that got out alive. However, one of her former members did survive and blamed Mary for leaving him to be tortured by Serbian terrorists.

    After years of trying to settle down into a normal life, Mary now realizes that her past has caught up with her. Sherlock, is not deterred by any of this and continues to keep his vow to protect the Watsons. Yet, Sherlock should know that the past cannot remain hidden forever; and when lies and secrets are revealed, the truth comes at the most devastating cost.

Episode 2 - The Lying Detective

     Sherlock Holmes has found himself in many dark places, but the death of a loved one sends him literally to the darkest parts of hell. When Mary is killed, John blames Sherlock for breaking his vow to protect them. Cutting off all communication, John wants nothing more to do with his former best friend. Truly heartbroken by this, Sherlock turns to his drug addiction to cope with this triple loss (three including Rosie Watson). Both men are falling at a rapid rate, John in his grief and his refusal to accept Mary's death. Sherlock at his failure as a detective and a friend. 

     While on a drug high, Sherlock gets a visit from Faith Smith a client who claims that her father, wealthy philanthropist, Culverton Smith, has admitted to killing someone. However, her father made this confession to her and a group of friends while they were drugged up on a new medication and she has no idea who this person was. When Sherlock gets somewhat clearheaded he sets out to put Culverton in the news as a serial killer. 

     John reluctantly assists Sherlock in this bizarre investigation that has both men face to face with the menacing Smith. While at a hospital that Culverton funds, he reveals to both men his oftentimes sadistic nature and his love of the dead. Sherlock's still drug addled mind believes that he has caught him in confessing, yet is shocked when he finds out that Faith Smith never went to his flat and told him about the case at all. Furious at Sherlock's insolence, stupidity and lack of self respect, while also holding him responsible for Mary's death, John lets loose on Sherlock. All his pain, rage and fear put onto the one man he thought he could trust.

     Yet, John comes across an unexpected message that was meant for Sherlock. And in this message is a case, possibly Sherlock's hardest case. "Save John Watson. Go to hell Sherlock. Pick a fight with an enemy. Do all of this for John." Sherlock has literally gone to hell and back all for the purpose to save his friend. And for John to be saved, he must save Sherlock from the murderous hands of Culverton Smith. 

Episode 3 - The Final Problem

    There's an East Wind coming....and that wind comes in the form of Eurus Holmes. The thought to be dead sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Unknown by almost everybody, including Sherlock himself. For years Sherlock had no knowledge or memory of his sister who left when he was six years old. Mycroft relays to him who Eurus was, her extreme intelligence, but also her growing sinister side. When Eurus kills Sherlock's beloved dog and then proceeds to try and kill Sherlock, she is sent away to an asylum. Several years later she set fire to the asylum and was proclaimed dead. Or that that was the story that Mycroft told everyone.

     According to Mycroft after Eurus killed Sherlock's dog, Redbeard, Sherlock went through intense trauma. Slowly he began to forget his sister all together and for some reason, his family never thought it important to remind him of her at all. For years, Eurus has been sheltered on an maximum security island with other lunatics. Kept away from her parents knowledge of her, Mycroft uses Euros' intelligence for government profit in spite of her insane and sadistic nature.

     In The Lying Detective, Eurus has broken free and wants to see Sherlock again. She wants to play a game, test Sherlock's intelligence and his emotional context. When Eurus is found by Mycroft and sent back to the island, Sherlock, John and Mycroft tread the dangerous North Sea to see her. Sherlock meets his sister, who has the capability to be beautiful and even charming. Yet, it doesn't take long for him to witness her ability to manipulate and use people.

     Eurus is controlling the entire asylum and she sends her brothers and John through hellish challenges that will test their deduction skills and their own humanity. To save his friend, Sherlock must uncover foggy memories of a past long forgotten and in the process he saves Eurus as well. Sherlock may have won the game, but he now sees Eurus no longer as the lunatic killer, but as the lonely little sister craving her brother's love and affection. He may not have been able to save Mary, but he will work tirelessly to bring his own family back together.

     And so life moves on for Sherlock and John. They rebuild their former flat, raise John and Mary's daughter, continue to care for Eurus, take refuge and love with their extended family of Mrs. Hudson, Molly and Lestrade and do what they do best. In Mary's final message to them, she deducts them both in absolute Sherlockian perfection:

There is a last refuge for the desperate, the unloved, the persecuted. 

There is a final court of appeal for everyone

When life gets too strange, too impossible, too frightening, there is always one last hope. 

When all else fails there are two men sitting, arguing in a scruffy flat. Like they've always been there and they always will. 

The best and wisest men, I know. 

My Baker Street Boys.

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Sherlock - Season 3

     Never was such a fandom on the edge of their seats during the finale episode of season 2 of Sherlock, when the consulting detective leap from the heights of St. Barts and crash lands on the ground. Sherlock Holmes, the Reichenbach Hero turned fraud and now turned martyr for all of London. At his grave site a bereft John Watson, who was the last person to see and hear Sherlock alive, begs Sherlock for one miracle. Don't be dead.

     And as well all know, Sherlock is very unpredictable. 

     Now knowing that Sherlock Holmes was indeed alive, the ever expanding Sherlock fandom spent the next two years trying to solve Holmes biggest mystery. How did he survive the fall at St. Barts?

Episode 1 - The Empty Hearse

     After the heroic death of Sherlock Holmes that makes international news, Moriarty's once perfectly woven net begins to fall apart. Sherlock's name is cleared when it's revealed that Jim Moriarty did indeed fabricate his lies and that the 'consulting detective' was completely honest in all his work. In spite of his 'death,' Sherlock is still a big name in London with a growing fanbase that refuse to accept that he's dead.

     So if Sherlock isn't dead than where is he?

     With the help of Mycroft, Sherlock manages to sneak into Eastern Europe where he spends the next two years bringing down Moriarty's network. However, when a terrorist threat is detected in London, Mycroft informs Sherlock that it's time to come back from the dead. London needs their beloved detective back. And Sherlock needs London...and his best friend.

     Meanwhile, John Watson has managed to pull his life back together. He has a real house, a real job and a real solid relationship. One that he hopes to make permanent. Mary Morstan arrived in John's life right when he needed her. Pretty, bubbly and full of fun, Mary is exactly that type of women that John needs. And just when John is about to propose, the absolute unpexpected happens. His best friend stands right in front of him. A not so dead Sherlock Holmes. 

     If you thought that John was going to be overjoyed at his friends return. Well, you're wrong. John is so overcome with emotional grief that he takes Sherlock out three times. Only Mary can get him to calm down. While the rest of London rejoices at the return of the consulting detective, Sherlock wastes no time in getting back to work. He eventually gets John to work alongside him as they try to track down this impending terrorist threat and in the process, they find their friendship again. Even though they may have saved the day (or actually Sherlock and Mary save John), this case is only the beginning of something darker and infintely more evil.

     An evil that Sherlock Holmes would kill himself if he had the opportunity.

Episode 2 - The Sign of Three

     It's wedding planning mayhem at 221B Baker Street as John and Mary count down the days to their happily ever after. Yet, not everyone is full of merriment for the couple. Sherlock, who already hates public functions is not entirely in line with the idea of John marrying. Either that he doesn't care for the institution of marriage, abhors weddings or simply doesn't want to lose his best friend. Then the inevitable happens when John makes Sherlock his best man. A fate worse than death in Sherlock's mind and he's already died once. 

    Yet, the ever steadfast Brit he is, Sherlock puts away his personal negative feelings and gets down to work as the best man. A job he takes a little too seriously at times, but still manages to go above and beyond his own expectations. When the big day comes, everything goes off without a hitch and Sherlock behaves admirably. However, his best man's speech may go down as the most life saving one in history.

     While at the reception, Sherlock recounts a murder that was never solved. An invisible killer that took the life of a young guard at Buckingham Palace. While it may be a good story another mystery soon follows. Shortly before the wedding a young woman claims that she is dating a ghost. As Sherlock looks into the case, he is surprised that this is not an isolated occurrence. Multiple woman have said the same thing. Unlike his other cases and laughable as it might be, Sherlock can't let this one go and is determined to solve it. 

    As Sherlock's speech continues, he soon puts together both cases and discovers that the invisible murderer and the ghost are both at the wedding. Both of them connected by a tragedy years before. Sherlock, John, Lestrade and even Mary have a limited amount of time to save one man's life and put away another. However, Sherlock's deductions aren't completely over when he makes the most shocking of announcements to John and Mary. 

Episode 3 - His Last Vow

      Sherlock Holmes is known for being unconventional in his methods for solving a case. However, no one was prepared to find him in a drug house, completely high and yet still completely functioning. Although, Sherlock has had drug problems in the past, he insists to everyone that he is getting stoned to catch down a notorious blackmailer. A man that Sherlock considers the most evil of all the enemies he's had to deal with. Charles Augustus Magnussen.

     Magnussen is definitely more than meets the eye. As brilliant as Sherlock, cunning as Moriarty and as slippery as Irene Adler, he uses his intelligence to prey upon the weaknesses of others and then proceeds to blackmail them if not given his way. He reads people in the same way Sherlock does and then stores all his information in 'his vaults' at his home, Appledore. Sherlock wants more than anything to get into those vaults and finally put an end to Magnussen.

      That's easier said than done seeing as Magnussen's immense wealth from his media mogul career has afforded him the best security. Yet Sherlock puts his devious nature to an all new level to break into his office. Only when he gets there, he is shocked to come face to face with another of Magnussen's enemies. Someone he certainly didn't except to be connected to Magnussen.

  

     In the midst of this three-way confrontation, Sherlock is shot and would have died immediately if not for his subconscious working through his brilliant mind palace. In less than a couple of seconds Sherlock manages to evade death due to his disciplined mental construction; not too different from the inception theory, only in this case information within information. Both mental and emotional.

    Even though Sherlock survives, there is now a bigger more dangerous case to solve. Badly wounded and wracked with pain, Sherlock will not stop until he has found the answers to this ever evolving mystery, while also trying to protect John and Mary in the process. After several months in recovery which has led to a good amount of time to plan, Sherlock now he now believes that he can bring down Magnussen. Yet, even Sherlock's intelligence could not prepare him for what Magnussen has in store for him, which only increases the lengths that Sherlock will take to end this extreme evil.

Sherlock - Season 2

     Due to the brilliant cliffhanger at the end of season 1 of Sherlock, the two year anticipation of season 2 brought on the beginning of absolute Sherlock mania. Everyone, everywhere was obsessed with the updated detective and doctor. Fan-fictions, Pinterest boards, Tumblr fan accounts, all dedicated to the brilliance of Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman became immediate household names; and Sherlock (along with Downton Abbey which premiered the same year) began a Renaissance in British television drama.

     No one, not the writers, directors, actors or even Sherlock Holmes fans ever expected such an incredible reception to the show. So it's only natural that season 2 recreate three of the most popular and iconic Sherlock Holmes mysteries, The Woman, The Hound and The Fall (to quote Steven Moffet).

Episode 1 - A Scandal in Belgravia

     Sherlock Holmes wanted to be a successful detective, not a famous one. However, due to John Watson's blog that relays all their cases, he is beginning to experience city wide fame in ways he never imagined. And this growing fame that encroaches on his privacy and his work, may end up being his undoing.

     Season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off. Sherlock and John literally at death's doorstep all orchestrated by Jim Moriarty (probably should have mentioned him in the first season review). They narrowly escape at the phone call of someone who could be their savior or their enemy; an even worse enemy than Moriarty depending on how Sherlock wants to deduce it.

     Shortly afterwards, Sherlock gets a very unlikely client...from Buckingham Palace. The royal family are caught in a scandal created by Irene Adler or The Woman as she is commonly known. Adler is a wealthy professional dominatrix who is as intelligent as she is beautiful and makes her living by blackmail. And like the rest of London, has a growing interest in Sherlock Holmes.

     Upon meeting Irene Adler, Sherlock is faced with a phenomenon he never thought he would experience. Not being the smartest person in the room. In a matter of minutes, Irene outwits Sherlock Holmes, leaving him in utter confusion, but also developing a secret and growing fascination for her. Afterwards, Irene screws around with Sherlock to no end, texting him constantly; to which he conveniently ignores, pretending that she, like everyone else, holds no importance to him.

    When, Irene gets into trouble and ends up on a coroner's slab, Sherlock is utterly devastated; another phenomenon he never thought he would experience. Yet, when it's revealed that Irene has actually faked her death, Sherlock is left more confused and angry than ever. To make matters infinitely worse, Irene uses and manipulates Sherlock to uncover a growing threat that ends up costing the lives of innocent people as well as the immense disapproval of Mycroft Holmes. 

     Irene has messed around with Sherlock's mind and has betrayed the people who originally commissioned her to get information from him. However, she made the mistake of severally underestimating Sherlock Holmes and when he discovers her one weakness, the one thing that she can no longer hide behind, Sherlock has finally had the last word.

Episode 2 - The Hounds of Baskerville

     While trying to quit his smoking habit, Sherlock is driving John to insanity. And John is not the only person who is going insane. Henry Knight from Devon, England will never forget the night his father was killed by 'a gigantic hound.' The experience still haunts him twenty years later and the traumatic loss of his father has left him to the point of delusional. He still believes that the hound is out there, waiting for him, waiting to attack and kill him. It doesn't help that the said hound has now become a supernatural legend for the small country town and helps with the tourism.

     Sherlock and John go down to Devon and visit the area on Dartmoor where Henry's father was killed. This investigation leads them to Baskerville Military Base, a top secret facility that is rumored to run insane science experiments. This case proves to be much harder on Sherlock emotionally than he cares to admit. Prior to going to Devon, Sherlock believed this hound to be a made up creature in Henry's mind, a coping mechanism to deal with the murder of his father. Yet, when he actually sees the hound and is faced not only with fear of the supernatural, but also the conclusion that he was wrong, he begins to break down at a rapid pace.

     John, ever the loyal--if not at times aggravated--friend, puts his former military skills to good use and ends up providing Sherlock with the information he needs to solve this bizarre case. While the hound may have been in Henry's mind, it was not entirely made up by Henry himself. Baskerville Military Base has indeed been hiding many secrets from Henry and the rest of Devon. Sherlock manages to piece together what he can, but to prove that he is right, he must risk facing the hideous beast one last time.

     When the time comes for the hound to be seen, Sherlock sees something entirely different. While Henry may see an imaginary dog, created by his fear of death, Sherlock sees Jim Moriarty. His own private monster, only this one is very real, very dangerous and is truly set out to destroy Sherlock Holmes.

Episode 3 - The Reichenbach Fall

     Heroes don't exist. And if they do, then Sherlock Holmes isn't one of them. Or so he says to John. After several successful cases, the once private world of Sherlock Holmes is busted open and Sherlock becomes an internet sensation, all due to John's charismatic writing of their work together. Sherlock is put on edge by this unwanted media attention and annoyed that John seems to delight in chronicling their private work life. He cannot escape the cameras, the lauded appreciation of thankful clients and being humiliated by Scotland Yard (much to their delight).

     Now that he's the center of media attention, Jim Moriarty puts his long awaited plan to destroy Sherlock Holmes into action. After staging break-ins to the Tower of London, The Bank of England and Pentonville Prison, Moriarty writes 'Get Sherlock!' on the glass case that holds the Crown Jewels case, right before he smashes it. Moriarty is arrested and brought to trial, where Sherlock is asked (or made) to give a testimony against him. He begrudgingly complies, but Sherlock being Sherlock does things his own way and ends up spending a night in jail.

     Despite the evidence brought against him, Moriarty  is set free, but Sherlock is not surprised. As he said in court, Moriarty is a spider and he knows how to weave his web. He knows how to use fear and manipulation to catch his prey and to make them suffer. After he is freed from his charges, Moriarty visits Sherlock explaining to him how he now owes Sherlock Holmes for his newfound fame. And with that fame he will make Sherlock burn and will make him fall. "Every fairytale needs a good, old-fashioned villain," he remarks. And Moriarty knows how to make a fairy tale into a nightmare and turn a hero into a monster.

     When Sherlock investigates the disappearance of two children from a boarding school, it's not long before he discovers Moriarty's hand in the whole case. He starts the game all over again. And slowly, little by little he begins to destroy Sherlock, pointing him out to be a fraud and a liar, that he created Jim Moriarty for fame and is responsible for the kidnapped children. As the media gets wind of these accusations, Sherlock knows that he is running out of time. He can no longer turn to John or even his brother, but instead to Molly Hooper, someone he has underestimated for far too long.

    To save his friends and protect them from future danger, Sherlock must confront Moriarty one last time. Moriarty has finally pushed Sherlock Holmes to the absolute limit. Sherlock refuses to back down and challenges Moriarty, proving his goodness in the face adversity. And even when he falls, Sherlock is not one to stay down for very long. 

Sherlock - Season 1

     Nine years ago, BBC took one of England's most beloved fictional detectives and did the unthinkable. They updated him! Benedict Cumberbatch--who was a relative unknown to the world at the time--broke into international fame when he brought to life a new, young and handsome, modern day Sherlock Holmes, complete with tech ware and gadgets. Martin Freeman was cast as Sherlock's pragmatic and charming partner in crime, Dr. John Watson, who relays their case adventures of Holmes and Watson in his blog. 

  
     Needless to say, the idea of updating Sherlock Holmes was practically considered heresy to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's loyal fanbase. My own family, my sisters especially, were die hard Sherlock Holmes fans and they weren't to happy at the BBC's radical interpretation of Holmes. However, after watching season 1, we were completely addicted. Not being a Sherlock Holmes fan myself, I didn't care either way, but my sister was very pleased at how well the show was written and how the lead actors brought such justice to their characters. 

Episode 1 - A Study in Pink

    Newly returned from Afghanistan, Dr. John Watson is trying to start over. Dealing with a wounded leg and suffering from PTSD, John is finding it hard to come back to a world without war. His therapist encourages him to write about...well anything. However, John is finding his new civilian life less than exciting. However, his possible new flat mate, changes his thinking very quickly.

     Sherlock Holmes, a genius who is lively, enigmatic, arrogant and a mystery to everyone around him, makes his living as a consulting detective. Or as he puts it, "When the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me." He's brought on for particularly difficult cases to extract details and information that the rest of Scotland Yard may have missed. Unfortunately, when Holmes gets started on a case, he takes over very quickly. While his genius may be necessary for the police, his conceited nature regarding his brilliance has also made him more than a few enemies.

    After a string of unrelated suicides begin to build up causing tension between Scotland Yard and the rest of London, Sherlock is asked to assist in profiling the most recent victim. Along with John, both men figure that these suicides are not unrelated and it's only a matter of time, possibly hours before a new victim is found. John soon figures out that Sherlock rarely if ever plays by the rules and is always going his own way to solve a crime. Yet, even Sherlock Holmes is not indestructible and when he finds himself face to face with the murderer, he has only his skill and his faith in this new stranger to get him out...preferably alive.

      In a span of 24 hours, John's life is turned upside down by this one very unique man. Yet, he feels a sense of purpose and belonging and chooses to stay at 221B Baker Street. Meanwhile, John is not the only person who is interested in the mind of Sherlock Holmes. A puppet master with maniacal intentions is lurking behind the scenes waiting for his moment to reveal himself to Mr. Holmes. 

Episode 2 - The Blind Banker

     As John settles into his new home at 221B, he not only continues to be intrigued by Sherlock, but also frustrated and at odds to know how to deal with his flatmate's ever changing personality. Thankfully he's not the only one. Sherlock, while claiming to neither have nor want any friends, has a small circle of acquaintances, who are all equally perplexed by the genius (and at times idiocy) of Sherlock Holmes. 

    Mycroft Holmes: Sherlock's older and infinitely more intelligent brother who--while not controlling the government--is trying to issue control over Sherlock and his headstrong nature. The Holmes Brothers' rarely if ever see eye to eye on anything, but there is genuine respect between the two of them. Mycroft sees John as a good influence on Sherlock and is forever badgering him to keep an eye on his brother.

     Mrs. Hudson: The landlady of 221B who adores both Sherlock and John. Mrs. Hudson who might question Sherlock's oddities at times, never questions his goodness that people rarely ever see. It's not long before Mrs. Hudson becomes a mother figure to John and Sherlock and oftentimes has no problem setting them straight and even assisting in their cases.

     Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade: When Scotland Yard is out of their depth, it's not long before Greg Lestrade runs to Sherlock Holmes for help. Although a good detective himself, Lestrade is better giving orders from his office while Holmes gives him the information. While the rest of Greg's investigative team despise Sherlock, Greg actually holds some admiration for him. 

     Molly Hooper: A young and rather hopelessly in love coroner who is forever trying to win Sherlock's affection. Molly works at St. Bartholomew's Hospital where Sherlock oftentimes does his research for cases. Molly is very gifted in her work, but she is timid and painfully shy, preferring to work in the background. Molly's fatal flaw is her unrequited love for Sherlock Holmes who refuses to see her as a valuable asset to his work. 

    Two disappearances, one a wealthy banker and the other an immigrant Chinese woman who works at a museum, strange codes and ciphers found on office walls and streets, and finally, a missing Asian artifact of immense value, encourages Sherlock and John to leave their flat and investigate these seemingly unrelated cases. They are taken from the banks of London to the streets of Chinatown, where they discover an Asian mafia group known as the Black Lotus Tong.

     Secretive and deadly, the Black Lotus' primary target isn't money, but Sherlock Holmes himself. And they will hunt, torment, kidnap and kill to get their target. However, the Black Lotus are not working alone. Someone more sinister and evil is controlling their every move, bringing him closer and closer to Sherlock Holmes.

Episode 3 - The Great Game

     Sherlock Holmes is bored. Bored, bored, bored. Lack of any interesting cases to solve has left Sherlock in desperation for anything to get his mind running. While Sherlock is beginning to get recognition for his work (and some recognition is not so flattering), he's wanting something truly hard and chase worthy. He wants a game. And a game is exactly what he gets.

     He begins to receive mysterious phone calls from people who are put in heavily dangerous situations. These people are then made to read to Sherlock texts from the master mind behind these 'games.' Using current working cases that are being publicized on television, Sherlock and John must race the clock to solve them. If they miss their time then theses game victims are killed. 

     Sherlock and John manage to solve two out of the three of these games, leaving both of them shaken at the fact that someone died because of them. Even when the phone calls stop, Sherlock is not convinced that the game is over. That whoever was messing around with him is still waiting. When John becomes the next victim, Sherlock is pushed to the absolute extreme, having to choose between his life or John's.