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Observation Notes Sherlock: Season Three

Figured world – large social environment with its own set of actors, artifacts, rules, and conventions; it is the container for various discourse communities and provides structure for how actors engage with one another

The figured world I will be observing is Season 3 of Sherlock, the BBC TV adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic tales. In this figured world, there is Sherlock Holmes, a consulting detective renown for his eccentricity and deductive abilities. Holmes lives in a flat at 221B Baker Street in present-day London. His job, along with his assistant and veteran Dr. John Watson, is to solve seemingly difficult cases involving murder or high-profile criminal activity. Together, they aid the British government or their clients in resolving cases and undermining criminal networks.

Given the nature of Holmes' profession, murder and missing persons/belongings are not uncommon phenomena in this figured world. In addition, the series establishes that Watson is perhaps the only individual deemed “normal” in the sense that there is nothing particularly unique or weird about him as a person. In contrast, those around Watson are either extremely bright, neurotic, eccentric, and/or outright sociopathic. Also given Holmes' methodology, it is commonplace to see Holmes breaking societal norms as he sees fit, whether it is disappearing for weeks at a time (undercover or as a recluse), getting into dangerous situations while working on a case (Holmes risks his life constantly with little room for error) , and ignoring social cues. Those familiar with Holmes' demeanor know that he can be cold, overly-critical (because his deductions tend to get way too personal and almost sound derisive), and that he rarely shows affection towards other people. Most communication occurs in context to a case, but when personal matters come up, there tends to be awkwardness and discomfort from both parties. One expects wit and complex but logical reasoning for the actions and behavior of the actors in this figured world, and it would be considered unusual if Holmes were not acting logically, erratically, or aloof.

Holmes' flat serves as a meeting place between clients as well as where Holmes and Watson work on various cases. Other places include crime scenes, which brings together Holmes with Inspector Lestrade and allows Holmes to formulate theories about how the murder occurred and who is responsible. Holmes' mind palace serves as way for him to retrieve relevant information about the case, see connections between seemingly unrelated events, and a way to compartmentalize his relationships and feelings.

As for discourse communities, I expect to see clients, Sherlock's fanclub, the homeless network, average folk, criminals, government officials/ law enforcement, close friends and family, love interests, and geniuses. Many of these categories overlap depending on if a given actor fits multiple roles (ex: Moriarty being a criminal as well as a genius and rival to Sherlock's intellect), but together they holistically encompass this figured world.

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Actors – the individuals in the figured world that undergo change, embody particular roles or archetypes, and engage in discourse and use artifacts

Actor List

Sherlock Holmes – the inhabitant of 221B Baker Street. He is renown for his deductive skills, having the ability to take in various details about an individual or situation and reach profoundly accurate conclusions. In this figured world, he is a consulting detective – the only one of his kind. He often aids Inspector Lestrade of the New Scotland Yard on bizarre cases involving national security. However, when Holmes is not working on a case (whether it's for law enforcement or private clientèle), he plays violin, dabbles with chemistry, or engages in risky behavior to alleviate his boredom. The public view him as an aloof genius, and he even has a fan club due to his past successes. However, Holmes views himself as a “high-functioning sociopath” who solves cases mostly because of the intellectual stimulation it provides him. His social circle is mainly limited to Mycroft (his older brother), Ms. Hudson (landlord / housekeeper), Inspector Lestrade, Molly Hooper, and John Watson (old flatmate / friend/ assistant). Holmes inadvertently brings people together through his actions and does some good along the way. He is also outwardly unpredictable.

Dr. John Watson – former army doctor who moved in with Holmes to transition back into civilian life; he suffers from PTSD after serving in Afghanistan. In this figured world, he is Holmes' best friend and assistant in the various cases. He acts as the lens to which outsiders come to understand Holmes' actions and intentions. Watson is also a bright individual, but in the more conventional sense; he comes across as modest and caring in comparison to Holmes. Watson is loyal to Holmes but their friendship involves not many admissions of personal feelings and in fact, Holmes avoids all use of the word “friend” when describing John to others. In a sense, John seems drawn to the action and intrigue Holmes' lifestyle provides and that's where their mutual understanding lies.

Mycroft Holmes – Sherlock's older brother. In this figured world, Mycroft acts a mastermind behind certain operations within the British government. Whereas Sherlock is ostensibly eccentric, Mycroft is more reserved and prefers to keep his quirks (and affection for his younger brother) masked by a cold, bureaucratic demeanor. Sherlock often looks to Mycroft for guidance or assistance on a case when he needs his high-level connections or insight – and Mycroft delivers it with condescension and slight apathy.

Jim Moriarty – Sherlock's arch-nemesis. In this figured world, Moriarty is a criminal mastermind with a syndicate at his fingertips. He is a manipulative sociopath who also gets joy out of intellectual stimulation and mind games. He represents what Sherlock isn't – a murderer, someone lacking all sense of empathy, truly alone. Moriarty is like the devil on Sherlock's shoulder, knowing exactly what antagonizes him, and he is willing to make the world burn if it means besting the great Sherlock Holmes. Their verbal exchanges and various confrontations are like a battle of wit that establishes superiority.

Inspector Lestrade – works for the New Scotland Yard; has a working relationship with Holmes – doesn't really think outside of the box but has a good heart and takes his job seriously

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Mrs. Hudson – landlord of Baker Street; acts as a motherly figure for both Holmes and Watson

Molly Hooper – crime lab scientist; aids Sherlock in his elaborate schemes – is romantically interested in Holmes

Mary Morstan (Mrs. Watson) – Watson's love interest; her past is a mystery and she seems unusually accepting of Holmes' antics which suggests that she might know more than what she lets on; Sherlock is suspicious of her and feels threatened by her presence because of how close she has gotten to Watson

Artifacts – physical items or ideas/ emotions with a socially agreed meaning; they have major significance to the actors that use them

Sherlock's hat/ coat – his identity as a detectiveviolin – Sherlock's creative side mind palace – how Sherlock remembers and makes sure of the world around him; shows how complex

his mind truly is – where he stores artifacts of the people he knows to help him through situations

221B Baker Street – Sherlock's residence; where friends, clients, and enemies come to meet Holmes; where Holmes and Watson research and solve cases

homeless network – how Sherlock collects information about the streets/ suspicious activity the media (the press) – how the public perceives Holmes and the cases he solves John's blog – how John perceives Holmes and reflects upon his adventures marriage – represents John settling down and choosing a “normal life” over a life of danger and

adventure thought bubbles (Sherlock sees) – provide insight into how Sherlock arrives at initial impressions and

deductions “I believe in Sherlock” – shows who supports Sherlock John's mustache – represents John's mourning theories on Sherlock's death hoax – how others have come to rationalize that event and explain his

disappearance

cases – brings the actors of this figured world together; it's how they work out their issues and how John and Sherlock show their friendship

Discourse communities – groups with a similar way of communicating and interacting

Criminals – coarse language and use the threat of violence; usually united by goal to make money and cause havocLaw Enforcement / Government – follows protocol when investigating cases; united by goal to catch criminals, make London safer, and protect the interests of the British government Clients – turn to Holmes in times of distress in the hopes that he will investigate their case; they usually sit in a specific chair when they come to Baker Street

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Sherlock's Family – have nicknames and more informal ways of addressing each other in between their outwardly serious demeanorLove interests – united by their physical affections (kissing, etc) and intimacy; many love interests in this figured world are covers for ulterior motives thoughMasterminds – united by their high level of skill and intelligence; they need interaction with other masterminds to feel alive and engage in high-stakes battle of witInformants (helpers) – united by how they discreetly aid Sherlock on various casesbelievers – united by how they place faith in Sherlock's abilities to save the day; “I believe in Sherlock”

Literary Practices – how actors communicate with each other, whether it be verbal, written, or gestured

insults/ quips – establishes who is intellectually superiorMycroft's nicknames for Sherlock – meant to show affection whilst irritating his brother jokes – relieve tension after an otherwise awkward admission or situationtexting / instant messaging – how actors alert each other; how Sherlock interviewed people in “The

Sign of Three”riddles/ codes – provides a challenge to Holmes and makes sure that others cannot intercept the

messagephysical confrontations – ex: Watson punching Sherlock to express his anger for not telling him that

he was still alive lies – covers an actor's ulterior motive / shields someone from an unfortunate truth

Note: I will use two different conventions for recording the time of events. The first will match the number of minutes into the episode (ex: 9:35 meaning nine minutes and thirty five seconds in) and the second will use relative time based on the amount of time elapsed since the previous event (based on the figured world's internal logic) followed by the approximate time of day, if possible.

To recap, Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty are standing on top of a building. Moriarty has successfully ruined Holmes' reputation as a renown detective by deceiving the public to think that Holmes is nothing more than a fraud. Moriarty sees Holmes as one in the same, and Moriarty threatens Holmes to commit suicide or else he would call the hit that kills John Watson, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade. Sherlock believes that Moriarty can call the killings off, but in an unexpected turn of events, Moriarty points a gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger. Presumed dead, Sherlock sees no other way out but to jump. With John standing near the intersection below, Sherlock tells John not to come any closer and jumps. Confusion ensues as John falls from a collision with a bicyclist and only catches a glimpse of Sherlock's descent. A truck further obscures the view. John gets back up slightly dazed and pushes back the crowd to see a body and a pool of blood. He checks for a pulse and believes Sherlock to be dead just before medics take this body away. Some time later, a funeral is held and John stands by Holmes' tombstone sullenly. Unbeknown to him, Holmes is watching from afar, alive.

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Episode 1 – “The Empty Hearse”

(3:20) Two years after Sherlock's fall near a coffee stand: Anderson (forensic scientist for the New Scotland Yard) tells Lestrade a possible theory (Molly's theory) as to how Sherlock would've faked his death. Molly and Anderson both believe that Sherlock is still alive (Anderson: “I believe in Sherlock Holmes” ) , whereas Lestrade is incredulous and tells Anderson to let it go. Lestrade feels that they are partially responsible for driving Sherlock to suicide.

Theory 1: In this theory, Sherlock had Molly and the homeless network used Moriarty's body to stage Sherlock's death by putting a life-like mask on him while Sherlock bungee jumped onto a ledge and came in through a nearby window to safety. The homeless network staged the collision with John and removed Moriarty's body dressed as medics. You can tell this is Molly's theory because Sherlock kisses her before his exaggerated exit – this is out of character for Sherlock but highlights Molly's romantic interest in him.

(4:15) The press uncovers that Moriarty did defame Sherlock Holmes in an elaborate ruse.

(5:00) Same time, but at the cemetery: John has a mustache now. He's staring solemnly at the grave of Holmes. He is holding hands with someone but you can't tell who it is. John is still devastated by the loss.

(5:30) Same time, but somewhere in Eastern Europe: A chase in the woods is occurring. A man is trying to escape foreign military forces but gets captured. The man is getting tortured and interrogated for information. The torturer repeats the deductions the man is making about his personal life and gets him to leave the room. The other man in the room tells the captive that there is an underground terrorist network forming in London, and that “the holiday is over, dear brother” – the captive is Sherlock Holmes and the other man in Mycroft. Mycroft has come to get his brother back to London for another mission, unconcerned about Sherlock's wounds from torture.

(10:20) A few days later: John rides the London Underground and returns to 221B Baker Street. He has flashbacks of the past. He greets Mrs. Hudson.

(10:55) Same time, but at Mycroft's office: Sherlock is getting freshened up. Mycroft is amused that Sherlock spent his two years in hiding infiltrating a Serbian crime network. Mycroft tells Sherlock to be grateful that Mycroft went undercover to rescue Sherlock as “fieldwork is not my milieu”. Sherlock is upset that Mycroft simply watched as he was getting beaten; he didn't want or need Mycroft's help. The brotherly exchange continues as Mycroft claims it was to keep his cover and that he learned Serbian “in a few hours”. They are hostile in words/ quips but seem to care about each other, even if they don't admit it.

(12:20) Same time, at Baker Street: Mrs. Hudson slams the tea cup and plate of cookies on the table, clearly upset. John sits there awkwardly. She passive aggressively talks about forgetting things and openly disapproves of the mustache. She then mentions the heart of the matter: John never called or visited Ms. Hudson since the incident. John remarks that meant to call, but it got harder to do so due to his grief. They share a moment of solace.

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(13:40) Same time, Mycroft's place: Sherlock agrees to find the terrorist cell and inquires about John. He looks visibly appalled by Watson's mustache in a photograph taken of him in his file (to keep tabs on him since Mycroft works for the government).

(14:35) Same time, Baker Street: Sherlock's flat is untouched. He came back to put his past behind him because he is getting married. (Mrs. Hudson initially thinks it's to a man, suggesting that Watson's relationship with Holmes might have given the wrong impression to others). Mrs. Hudson seems surprised but happy nonetheless. Watson is irritated.

(15:45) Same time, Mycroft's place: Sherlock wants to surprise Watson (tada, I'm still alive!). Mycroft is taken aback at how delusional Sherlock is for not realizing that Watson has moved on and plans on settling down (“what life? I've been away”). Mycroft reluctantly tells Sherlock which restaurant Watson will be dining at with his fiancée and warns him that Watson may not be happy to see him. Sherlock gets his signature coat back and heads off (“Welcome back, Mr. Holmes”).

(17:10) That night, at the Landmark Restaurant in London: Sherlock enters the building and scans the place. He improvises and disguises himself as a waiter. He reaches Watson's table and tries to cleverly reveal his true identity but Watson is unaware, never looking away from the menu. Holmes is annoyed and leaves for the wine. Watson takes out a ring.

(19:20) A few moments later: Watson's fiancée Mary arrives. John's eyes are glowing and is incredibly nervous. He is trying to propose to her but Sherlock interrupts. Watson finally looks up and looks like he's just seen a ghost. He stands up. Sherlock doesn't seem to understand the pain he has put Watson through and thinks it's still “fun and games”. Watson is appearing more furious and shaken. Sherlock removes his painted mustache, asking “Does yours rub off too?”. Holmes finally gets his inconsideration and tries to apologize. Watson slams his fist on the table. Watson demands an explanation. Sherlock makes another joke about Watson's mustache and Watson grabs Holmes and knocks him down.

(22:55) A few minutes later in a nearby deli: Sherlock wants to unveil how he pulled it off (“There were 13 possibilities...”) but Watson wants to know why Holmes didn't tell Watson that he was alive. Sherlock claims it was Mycroft's idea. Mary adds (“Well, he needed a confidant.”). Molly and the homeless network also knew about Sherlock's plan. Watson attacks Holmes again. Holmes really dislikes Watson's mustache, and Mary agrees. Watson feels ganged up upon. (“Why am I the only one acting like a human being?”) Sherlock acts for Watson's help and says that Watson must've missed the thrill. Watson headbutt's Sherlock.

(26:00) Outside the deli: Mary remarks on how oblivious Holmes is about Watson's feelings, but says she'll turn him around. Sherlock is surprised and “scans” Mary for deductions. Clever, liar, secret tattoo pop up. Watson and Mary take a cab home. Sherlock is perplexed by what he deduces.

(27:15) Crime lab, parking lot: Sherlock goes to Molly and then Lestrade to prepare them for another mission. Holmes incorrectly guesses Lestrade's first name (Initial G). Lestrade hugs Sherlock, happy that he is alive.

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(28:30) Later that night, Baker Street: Mrs. Hudson screams upon the return of Sherlock.

(30:00) The next day, Philip's flat: The Sherlock fan club appears as organized by fan Philip. (named The Empty Hearse) He gathered people who still believe Holmes is alive in hopes to uncover the truth and discuss theories. They find out he is alive via the press.

(Creepy fan theory)Theory 2: Sherlock and Moriarty are both alive on the roof and play a gag on Watson. The body that falls is a dummy. Sherlock and Moriarty kiss.

(30:40) Same time, Mary's place: Mary mockingly reads John's blog about the return of Holmes. Watson is shaving his mustache off. She then mocks him for shaving it off now that Sherlock is back (aka his bromance)

(32:20) A few hours later, Baker Street: Mycroft and Sherlock are playing chess and Operation (showing their brotherly competitiveness) while discussing if there has been any suspicious activity. Mycroft brings up the past to get under Sherlock's skin and motivate him to step up his skill (because he's lost his edge after two years). They practice their deductions. Sherlock claims that Mycroft is lonely and Mycroft leaves.

(34:00) Same time, alternates between Sherlock and Watson (who is working as a doctor): They are not talking to each other. Molly comes to Baker Street mistaking it as a personal (romantic) invite rather than a request to become Sherlock's new assistant for cases. John and Sherlock are seeing their respective clients are seem unchallenged. John mistakes a weird patient as Sherlock in disguise.

(41:00) Crime scene: Lestrade invites Molly and Sherlock to investigate a case. Sherlock hears Watson's voice as he investigates, distracting him from his work. He solves the case effortlessly but accidentally calls Molly “John”. Everyone sees that Sherlock and John need each other.

(44:00) Shortly after, client's house: The client works on trains for a living and shows Sherlock and Molly video footage showing a man entering a train car in the tube (subway) but never exiting at a station. The train driver is also missing. There is no explanation as to where he could've gone between stops. Sherlock recognizes the man (Lord Moran)

(47:00) Same time, outside Baker Street: Two men in black kidnap John.

(48:15) Client's house: Sherlock expresses his gratitude for Molly (something he rarely does). He knows that she can't be his next assistant though, and must convince John to work alongside him again. Molly is engaged. Sherlock kisses her on the cheek and tells her that she deserves to be happy and walks out. (again, something he has never done)

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(50:30) Evening, Baker Street: Mary receives a strange text and shows Sherlock, thinking that John is in danger. She somehow realizes that the text is a code. Sherlock cracks the code and they steal a motor bike and head to St. John the Less monument to rescue John.

(52: 30) Night, St. John the Less: John is trapped under rubble. A crowd has gathered around to burn the rubble as part of a political protest against an anti-terrorism bill. (We now realize the date is November 4 aka eve of Guy Fawkes day – allusion to V for Vendetta) Sherlock rescues John in the nick of time.

(56: 00) The next morning, Baker Street: Sherlock's parents are in town visiting. Sherlock is lost in thought. John arrives and he tries to kick his parents out. His parents are relieved that all is well again. They apparently seem “normal” to Watson. His parents also knew that he was still alive. Sherlock realizes that the message Mycroft's agent relayed to him was in regards to the London Underground (the “underground network”) and that John's kidnapping must be related to this as well as Lord Moran's disappearance. One less train car is seen at the final station, thus the car must still be underground somewhere. They video call the train client and realize that a sealed off station is between the route the train would've made. And it happens to be under parliament (“Remember, remember the fifth of November”) – they plan on bombing parliament.

(1:05:00) Later that day, in the tunnels: Sherlock and John find the missing train car rigged with explosives.

(1:08:30) Same time, hotel room: Lord Moran (who is an established double agent) activates the bomb.

(1:08:45) Same time, in the train car: John panics. The timer is counting down. He urges Sherlock to enter his mind palace to figure out how to diffuse the bomb. John sees that it didn't work. Sherlock is claiming that he doesn't know to diffuse the bomb and apologizes to John asking for his forgiveness. John doesn't believe Sherlock, thinking that it's a ruse to get him to say something nice. However, John admits that he was glad that Sherlock wasn't dead and that he's the best/wisest man he had ever known. He forgives Sherlock.

Theory 3: How Sherlock did it (as he explained to Philip)

Sherlock let Moriarty destroy his reputation. He had thirteen plans of escape from the rooftop and he contacted his brother with codename “Lazarus” (biblical allusion). “It's just a magic trick” he tells John. Sherlock jumps onto a giant airbag. The team removes the airbag and Molly throws a corpse (of a man who looked just like him) to hit the ground. The bicyclist (plant for Sherlock) bumps into Watson and Sherlock switches places with the corpse. They create a pool of blood/ makeup and Sherlock places a rubber ball under his scarf and applies pressure to remove his pulse temporarily. John checks his pulse, assumes the worst, and the medics carry Sherlock off. Mycroft dealt with the snipers. The homeless network had the street closed off. We are left unsure as to whether or not Sherlock was telling the truth to Philip.

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(1:20:00) Moments later: Watson opens his eyes after a flashback. Sherlock is laughing hysterically at the fact that he had already turned off the bomb, thus ruining the sweet moment prior. He had also called the police after leading John to believe that he hadn't. (“Really, are you going to kill me? That's so two years ago.”) They exchange a smirk.

(1:21:00) Same time, hotel room: Lord Moran is caught by the authorities.

(1:21:40) Next morning, Baker Street: Mycroft calls Sherlock pleading to deal with their parents as he is stuck watching Les Miserables with them. Sherlock hangs up. Mary, John, Molly, and Lestrade are there. Molly brought her fiancé who appears similar in style to Sherlock. They still don't know why John was kidnapped. Things are back to normal and Sherlock is loving it. John and Sherlock share one more brief sentimental moment before Sherlock puts on his famous hat and goes to address the press outside.

(1:25:00) Same time: Cut scene to a man with glasses watching the footage of Sherlock rescuing John. He appears to be the mastermind behind the attack.

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Episode 2 – “The Sign of Three”

(0:00) Flashbacks going from 18 months ago to the present: A series of crimes occur but Lestrade and law enforcement are always one step behind the criminals. Lestrade shows anger but determination to finally best the criminals. Yesterday, Lestrade and his team are about to apprehend bank robbers dressed as clowns until Lestrade gets a text from Sherlock “Help. Baker Street.” – Lestrade leaves the crime scene and even though he risks not getting credit for the arrest thinking that Sherlock is in serious trouble (he even calls back up)...only to find out that Sherlock is just writing a speech for John's wedding. Lestrade barely contains his composure (winded, angry, and dismayed that Sherlock would waste his time for something non life-threatening as it tends to be the case with him).

(4:30) Morning – Wedding day , Baker Street: Mrs. Hudson walks up the stairs to bring morning tea to Sherlock (as is her usual habit as a mother-like figure). She hears a violin playing and smiles. She opens the door to his room and Sherlock is pantomiming a waltz to the tune of a violin recording. He is composing a piece for John's wedding. Mrs. Hudson is enjoying this side of Sherlock, but Sherlock seemed annoyed (and maybe embarrassed) that he was interrupted. They sit down and talk as Sherlock drinks the tea. Mrs. Hudson brings up the wedding and Sherlock gets defensive, resorting to his cold and sarcastic retorts. Sherlock clearly wants to change the subject but Mrs. Hudson goes on about how weddings change people. Sherlock yells for biscuits and dismisses Mrs. Hudson from his room. She clearly hit a sore spot. Sherlock grabs his tuxedo and murmurs “All right. Into battle”

(7:30) Same time, bedroom of unknown residence: A military man puts on his belt and beret. He is fully decorated and packed for some occasion.

(8:15) Later that day, at a Chapel: Wedding bells are playing. John and Mary are officially married and walking out of the chapel, leading the line. Behind them are the best man (Sherlock) and chief bridesmaid (Janine) and the pastor. John and Mary pose for pictures first, followed by everyone else. Janine jokingly flirts with Sherlock, but Sherlock fails to get the humor.

(9:30) Some time later: John and Mary thank the guests for coming as they walk past them (Sherlock standing next to them) . One such guest is Mary's ex-boyfriend David. David is acting weird and uncomfortable, and we find out that is because Sherlock vetted him before the wedding and threatened him to not make any advances toward Mary (to protect John). The ring bearer (a small body) runs up and hugs Sherlock. We find out that is because Sherlock showed him the gory pictures from previous cases (not really considering the appropriateness of that action) when he was explaining to him his job.

(12:15) Inside the reception area: The photographer is taking more pictures of everyone. Janine continues her game of asking Sherlock to scan the male guests for her to possibly hook up with. Major Scholto (the military man from before) arrives and John looks pleasantly happy to see him. They salute. Sherlock appears jealous that there's another guy who John is friends with. John and Scholto catch up since Scholto had dropped of the radar since returning from service. Mary and Sherlock watch from afar. Mary says “He's the most unsociable man he knows”. Sherlock answers, “Really? Him?” Mary finds it amusing that Sherlock is jealous.

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(14:45) Same time, Mycroft's house: Sherlock calls Mycroft for a favor. They make slight jabs at each other, Mycroft glad that he didn't attend as he prefers to be alone anyway. Mycroft gets under Sherlock's skin by remarking that Sherlock will start bothering him more again now that John will be preoccupied with married life. Mycroft says “red beard” in reference to some childhood nickname for Sherlock. Irritated, Sherlock hangs up.

(17:30) Moments later: Sherlock stands up to give his speech. He is bombing the delivery.

Flashback: Molly and Lestrade wonder what will happen if Sherlock has to give a speech in front of people (Sherlock isn't good at personal, heartfelt speeches in front of people). Molly fears disaster and calls Mrs. Hudson, who uses a ruse to have John give subtle reminders to Sherlock in case he starts to choke.

Sherlock starts reading the telegrams. After the first few cutesy messages, Sherlock gets annoyed and starts skipping through them “Love. Love. Love. You get the general theme of this”. He continues his speech, openly referring to John as a friend (shocking!). He retells the event of when John asked him to be best man.

(20:40) Flashback continued, Baker Street: Sherlock is experimenting with some chemistry. John sits down and says “Best man...what do you think?”. Completely missing the cue, Sherlock begins a list of other people he thinks are suitable as John's best man. John stops him. Sherlock seems confused. John finally spells it out that Sherlock is his best friend and that he wants him to be the best man. Sherlock is completely silent. All the while Sherlock is retelling the tale in a very matter-of-fact way, void of sentimentality (“I was almost moved by it”). John says “Of course, you're my best friend.” Sherlock is lost in thought and sips his coffee with little to say. He is in shock.

(23:50) Sherlock takes out index cards to get his place. Sherlock resorts to an epic chastising of weddings and how it's antithetical to pure logical reasoning. The crowd gasps and seems taken aback by the inappropriateness of such pessimism. Sherlock stops. He begins to talk about John's fine qualities in a backhanded way (still making it about himself). He goes on the bridesmaids and the absurdity of God. However, he tries to fix it and even shows an unusual amount of self awareness by saying “What I am trying to say is that I am the most unpleasant, rude, ignorant, and all around obnoxious asshole that anyone can have the misfortune to meet. I am dismissive of the virtuous (referring to the pastor), unaware of the beautiful (referring to the Janine), and uncomprehending in the face of the happy (referring to John and Mary).” He continues by saying that he is unworthy of being the best friend of someone so loyal and brave. He finally gives his approval of their marriage and ends on a heartfelt moment so uncharacteristic of Sherlock that everyone is emotional and taken aback by the sweet sincerity of his words. Sherlock is confused as to why everyone is so sappy in an almost naïve, childlike inquiry. John and Sherlock hug.

(27:30) Sherlock takes out his phone to pull up John's blog and retells some cases they had solved together.

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(29:10) Flashback to the case of the Bloody Guardsman, Baker Street – two weeks ago: Sherlock is staring at his wall where he keeps case information. Mary and John are organizing invites for the wedding. Mary can tell that Sherlock is terrified about the wedding by the way he is over-preparing. John and Mary head into the other room to discuss. John doesn't see why Sherlock would worry – he believes nothing will change and that they will still solve cases together. Mary urges John to prove it to Sherlock by going on a case. John reenters the room and goads Sherlock into taking a case (the pretense being that he needs an escape).

Bainbridge, a royal guardsman, believes that he has a male stalker. Someone has been constantly taking pictures of him while on duty and has emailed Sherlock urging him to investigate. They come up with an excuse to leave, Mary essentially duping both of them into believing that they are taking the case to help the other. The shot of Mary shows her head underneath the mounted horns (making her look devilish, a schemer).

(34:00) Flashback continues, that afternoon: John and Sherlock sit on park bench across the street from Bainbridge's active guard post. Sherlock awkwardly inquires about Scholto, to which John tells him that Scholto led a failed mission that resulted in the deaths of his new recruits. He nows receives death threats from those who believe he is personally responsible. John reassures Sherlock on where he stands and is about to open up again but Sherlock is nowhere to be found, making John feel stupid.

(36:45) Inside a government building: Sherlock sneaks in to pry around. Meanwhile John goes the orthodox method and tries to get permission to investigate from Bainbridge's commanding officer. However, the man seems completely unreceptive. A messenger barges in to announce that Bainbridge is dead. They run out.

(39:05) Inside the shower room: Bainbridge's body is lying on the ground in his own blood. The officer tries to arrest Holmes and Watson but Sherlock thinks quickly and runs through the logical impossibility of him being the murderer. John shows his courage and insists to inspect the body since he is a doctor. The officer finally concedes. John notes that there is a stab wound to the abdomen but there is no murder weapon and the shower was locked from the inside out when Bainbridge was discovered dead inside the shower. Not more than five minutes passed since him leaving guard duty to when he went to shower that the murder could have taken place, let alone that it would have had to have happened inside the shower. John realizes that Bainbridge is not dead, but he is in critical condition and that rush to save him.

(41:20) Reception room, present time: Sherlock pauses his retelling to ask others how the crime occurred (again, Sherlock doesn't really see the inappropriateness of asking such a question on a wedding day). But he does go on to talk about John's keen ability to save lives in a moment of distress. When Lestrade interrupts to ask how it was done, Sherlock admits that he hasn't solved it yet – he's really disappointed by that admission. He goes on to say another story:

(43:30) Flashback to the case of the Mayfly Man, Molly’s lab: Sherlock is planning a “bachelor’s party” for Watson in which they have a drink on every street where they found a corpse. He has come to ask Molly to help him plan the timing of the night so that he doesn’t get drunk. The exchange is awkward and Molly takes Sherlock’s words the wrong way. To recover, Sherlock asks about Tom.

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However, the mention of Molly’s sex life with Tom (her fiancé) makes Sherlock uncomfortable and he changes the topic.

(44:45) Early evening, various pubs throughout London: Sherlock has the amount of liquor intake calculated exactly thanks to Molly. Watson seems perplexed that they would drink beer out of beakers but goes along with it. Later in the night, Watson goes off schedule and gives himself and Watson way more alcohol than planned. Sherlock is drunk and almost gets into a bar fight.

(46:30) Two hours later, Baker Street: Both John and Sherlock are drunk. They place a card of a person’s name on their heads and try to guess who they are supposed to be. Sherlock coincidentally has “Sherlock Holmes” on his forehead. He asks various questions leading to humorous yet honest responses from John. (ex: “Am I human?” “Sometimes” “Do people like me?” “Erhm, no they don’t. You tend to rub them up the wrong way.” ) Sherlock guesses the King of England, clearly unaware that there is no current King and unaware of how others view him. He guesses again in a drunken laugh and says he’s John.

(49:10) Short while later: A female client comes in asking which one of them is Sherlock. Watson points to the card (Sherlock again missing the joke). The client sits down in the famous chair and talks about her date. John and Sherlock struggle to stay awake, and Sherlock is unusually affected by the lady being rejected by the man (probably because he is drunk). She says there was no trace of the man since then, almost as if he were a ghost. Sherlock and John wake up. The man who owned the flat died before their date so who was the guy she met? The lady then mentions a site about women who think they’ve also dated ghosts.

(51:45) Some time later, mystery flat: Sherlock can’t make any deductions about the flat in his inebriated state. His thought bubbles are blurred and unimportant. Holmes passes out on the rug. The new landlord wants to call the police, but the client insists that they stay. Unusually, she knows John’s middle name, but John and Sherlock are too drunk to notice this detail. Holmes throws up.

(53:45) Next morning, in a holding cell: John and Sherlock are hung over. Lestrade bailed them out.

(55:00) Maybe an hour later, Baker Street: Mrs. Hudson makes John breakfast. She remarks about how marriage changes people (again). John inquires about Mrs. Hudson’ past marriage. Her husband ran a drug cartel, had women on the side, and got locked up for murder. She says it so nonchalantly that John is shocked and slightly disturbed. He finds an excuse to go upstairs to see Sherlock investigating.

(57:00) Courtroom scene (figment of Sherlock’s mind): The various women from the ghost site are standing in the room. In reality, Sherlock is instant messaging all of them from his room, but he is imagining them in a way to discover the commonality between their stories. He starts narrowing down the women. (“Not you”) Four women remain. They all met at “his place” but say different addresses and different names for the guy. Sherlock deduces that the same man is stealing the identities of dead, single men (from the obituary) and using their empty flats for dates with different women – but to what end? He asks if they have secrets. They quickly reply no and Sherlock tries to inquire further as if he’s on to something, but they all leave the chat. The woman from before (the client) says “Enjoy the wedding”. John thinks there’s nothing more to the case than the guy is just trying to play the field.

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(1:02:30) Reception room, present time: Sherlock almost goes off on a derailment against marriage but reels it back in to compliment John. He ends the speech on a solid note and starts a toast – but suddenly freezes and drops his glass.

Courtroom, present time: He recalls that the client knew John’s middle name although he doesn’t mention it to anyone but Sherlock and Irene Adler (whom Sherlock refers to as “the woman”). However, the wedding invitations did have his full name on it. She had also said “Enjoy the wedding.” He thinks it could be a coincidence that he saw the invitation that not more than a 100 people should have seen. Mycroft appears at the judge’s podium to guide Sherlock’s thinking. Sherlock concludes that the man must’ve targeted these women to find out about the wedding, and his methods suggest criminal intent and that the Mayfly man must be at the wedding.

(1:06:30) Cuts between the reception room and Sherlock’s mindMycroft directs him on what to do given that he has the people all gathered there. Sherlock talks to keep the people seated and starts pacing to narrow down suspects. The crowd has no idea what is going on. There’s too many thought bubbles. John realizes that something is wrong. He accidentally utters “Murder”. He makes another distraction to text Lestrade and says a code phrase to alert John that someone is going to die. Mycroft is telling Sherlock to narrow it down. Sherlock has a eureka moment and gets more serious by posing a hypothetical game of “Murder”, still thinking out loud. He realizes that the target is Major Scholto given that he never makes a public appearance and there is a clear motive. The women had all worked for the Major at some point doing housework and all signed confidentiality agreements about the arrangement. Sherlock discreetly passes a note to the Major warning him. The ring bearer remarks about the invisible man and Sherlock makes the connection between the two seemingly unrelated cases. He realizes that Bainbridge was the test murder for Scholto.

(1:12:40) Major Scholto’s guest room upstairs: Scholto takes a gun from his suitcase. Mary tells Sherlock and John the room number and they rush upstairs. The door is locked. Scholto won’t open the door until Sherlock solves the case of the Bloody Guardsman. Mary tells Sherlock to solve it then. John yells at Sherlock to solve the case and stop being such a drama queen on how he can’t solve it. Sherlock pauses, thinks, and realizes that the knife was inside his belt so that when it was taken off, there would be a delayed-action stabbing. Scholto considers embracing death now, but Sherlock urges him not to die today on John’s wedding. Scholto concedes and opens the door for medical attention.

(1:16:50) That night, ballroom: Sherlock and Janine practice dancing. Sherlock admits that he likes dancing and Janine remarks that she wishes that he weren’t so…Sherlock (implying that there could’ve been something more between them). John walks in. Lestrade pulls in the cameraman. Sherlock explains that the cameraman is the Mayfly man. His alibi is that he can go anywhere during the wedding and not be in a single photograph. His brother was a victim of Major Scholto’s mission and sought revenge. When he went to position the group for photographs, he stabbed Scholto through the belt, the belt was tight enough to bind the wound, and he would be nowhere in sight when the Major would later take off his belt and bleed to death.

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(1:20:00) Some time later, ball room: The bride and groom have their first dance to Sherlock’s piece. The crowd watches and smiles. They kiss. Sherlock apologizes for the crisis earlier and makes his first and last vow: to always be there for the three* of them (deducing that a baby is on the way given Mary’s early pregnancy behavior). He corrects himself realizing that no one else knows, not even John and Mary. The sign of three. John and Mary are panicking. Sherlock calms them down with a joke and they all smile. Sherlock feels awkward afterwards and gets them to dance. Mary gives a nod of approval to Sherlock. Sherlock pauses, and realizes that he is out of place in a room filled with happy, dancing people. Janine smiles at him. Sherlock tries to advance but she is dancing with someone else. Sherlock looks down. He takes his sheet music, places it in an envelope addressed to the Watsons, and walks solemnly out of the room. Molly notices him leaving and looks displeased for him, but continues dancing. Sherlock puts on his coat and heads home.

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Episode 3 – “His Last Vow”

Charles Augustus Magnussen – foreign national, owns a news company, and person with extreme influence over the British government; a creepy sociopath; the one man Sherlock hates

A month after the the wedding

(0:00) Morning, Government Conference Room: A panel of high government officials are interrogating Charles Augustus Magnussen about his influence over the British Prime Minister and the UK Government. He sits nonchalantly, glasses on the table and answers slyly to establish his power and dominance over the current situation. When the questioning continues, Magnussen puts on his glasses. Information about the person of question appears, almost like a digital dossier (or Sherlock's scans) revealing secrets and “pressure points”.

(1:30) Night, Magnussen's Mansion: Magnussen returns to his large home after the interrogation. He pulls up a file on Lady Smallwood (the woman from the inquiry/interrogation). He puts a woman's photo on the projector in his basement – presumably relating to Smallwood and smirks creepily. He was the man shown in “The Empty Hearse”.

(2:40) Some time later, Lady Smallwood's Office: Magnussen arrives. Lady Smallwood is visibly intimidated by his presence and says that they can't have contact outside of the inquiry. He gets close and holds her hand. He mentions her husband's past relationship with an underage girl (in the photo). She defends her husband and retells what actually happened. (“Those are the facts.” “Facts are for history books. I work in news.”) He is clearly blackmailing her. He smells her arm and remarks about the perfume. She insults him, but he turns it into a creepy compliment. He mocks her age. She is losing her cool, avoiding eye contact and almost ready to strike. He pulls her arm and forces her to look at him. He states that he owns her and licks her face. He wipes his tongue off on a handkerchief and walks away. She is shaken and repulsed and trying to stay strong – she gets indignant of everyone being subservient to Magnussen. She gets in a limousine and tells the driver to head to Baker Street.

(6:40) Next morning, the Watsons' residence: John is having flashbacks of the war. Sherlock's voice rings, implying that despite the horrors he's witnessed, John still misses the action. The neighbor bangs on the door. Her son Issac is missing again. Issac is a junkie. John asks the lady where their (the junkies) hangout is, and he storms off. It's been a month since he's worked on a case and seems thrilled to have some excitement again. He uses the pretense of being neighborly to get in the car, but Mary inquires. She tries to stop him, but ends up going up with him.

(8:45) Shortly later, Junkie hangout: John takes out a tire lever as a precaution. John is particularly confident today. He barges into the building and a junkie tries to kick him out. John asks where Isaac is. The junkie pulls out a knife and threatens him to leave. John comes closer and disarms the junkie swiftly. The junkie's arm is sprained and tells him he might be upstairs. John finds Isaac dazed and strung out in a room of junkies. Suddenly, the man next to him turns and it's Sherlock in a hoodie. (“Have you come for me too?”)

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(11:00) Outside, the parked car: Isaac heads back to the car. Sherlock and John are arguing like children. Sherlock claims that he was undercover for the month, but John thinks he's gone off the deep end and turned to drugs. They get in. The junkie with the sprained arm also gets in.

(12:00) Some time later, Molly's Lab: Mary is tending to wrapping up the junkie's arm while Molly drug tests Sherlock. She slaps him repeatedly. (He apparently was doing heroin) Sherlock insists it was all for a case. He remarks that Molly is no longer engaged since there's no ring now. Mary asks who sprained the junkie's arm. Sherlock knows it was Watson, but Watson blames another junkie who was “in need of a fix”. Sherlock answers “Yes, I think in a way it was”, clearly hinting at Watson's need for danger/excitement. The junkie says his name is Bill Wiggins, and apparently shows promise in deductive reasoning and observation skills. He resembles Sherlock in connecting small details together to reach certain conclusions. Sherlock receives a text. His drug habit may reach the press. He is thrilled, answers the phone and leaves.

(14:20) A bit later, In a Cab: Sherlock and John are heading to Baker Street while Mary heads home.

(14:40) Baker Street: Sherlock sees the door knocker straightened and deduces that Mycroft is there (because of his OCD). John phoned him to come. Mycroft insults him “Back on the sauce again?” and says “Cross-dressing would've been a better habit”. Anderson is also there to clean out the apartment. Mycroft says that Sherlock is a celebrity and can't afford a drug habit. Mycroft notices that the door to Sherlock's bedroom is locked, and figures that is where he is hiding his stash. Sherlock yells and concedes. Apparently, this isn't the first time this scenario occurred, Mycroft bringing up their parents. Mycroft asks what case could possibly require drug use. Sherlock responds “Magnussen.” Mycroft gives a serious stare. He turns around and dismisses Anderson from the flat. Mycroft seems intimidated by Magnussen and suggests Sherlock to back off (“Brother O Mine”). Sherlock doesn't care and kicks him out. Watson realizes that there is indeed a case and seems slightly excited. Sherlock heads into his bathroom. Unexpectedly, Janine comes out of the bedroom in nothing but a shirt. John is confused and shocked. Janine appears to be seeing Sherlock now, referring to him as “Sher”. Janine heads into a the bathroom and John hears certain noises. He is still shocked that Sherlock would even have a girlfriend.

(19:30) Minutes later: Sherlock is dressed and cleaned up. He wants to talk about Magnussen. “I've dealt with murderers, psychopaths, terrorists, serial killers. None of them can turn my stomach like Charles Augustus Magnussen.” But John is still stuck on the girlfriend part, incredulous. Janine enters (dressed as well) and sits on Sherlock's lap. She has to go work. Sherlock and Janine kiss and John is even more shocked and thrown off by Sherlock's behavior. However, when Sherlock closes the door, he lets out a brief frown, seemingly relieved that she is gone. Sherlock continues on Magnussen, calling him the Napoleon of blackmail. He believes that Magnussen has a wealth of secret knowledge in his mansion called Appledor. John goes back to the prospect of a dinner double date. Sherlock is annoyed that John doesn't seem to care about the case. Mrs. Hudson comes in.

(23:20) Minutes later: Magnussen walks in with his bodyguards. They search Sherlock and Watson. Magnussen tries to make himself comfortable and get under Sherlock's skin. Sherlock says that he wants the letters back that Magnussen was using to blackmail her before. Magnussen is showing blatant inattention and disrespect. He scans Sherlock's pressure points. He urinates in the fireplace. He shows letters underneath his coat and walks out. Sherlock sees that as a good sign that Magnussen doesn't

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view Sherlock as a real threat. His plan worked – Magnussen thinks he's a druggie. Sherlock plans on breaking in to steal the letters while Magnussen is at dinner. He assumes John will becoming along because there's finally a case, but at the moment, John stays behind while Sherlock goes off in a cab.

(28:10) That night, CM Global News Building (Magnussen's company): John arrives. Sherlock explains that they are going to break in via Magnussen's private lift and runs through the scenario. Sherlock nicked a key card yesterday and placed it next to a cell phone to corrupt the magnetic strip. This will prevent the scanner from reading “wrong card” and alerting security. Rather, it will relay a camera feed at eye level to a computer where only trusted people of Magnussen (his personal assistant) can determine if the people at the door should be allowed in. As it so happens, the P.A. is none other than Janine. Sherlock pulls out a ring, pretending that he is going to propose to her so that she would let him in. John thinks it's messed up for Sherlock to play with her emotions for a case. (“But she loves you.” “I know. Human error.”)

(31:50) Magnussen's private office: John finds Janine unconscious. Someone knocked her out as well as the guard. John tends to her while Sherlock investigates. Magnussen must still be around. Sherlock smells perfume, the same kind Lady Smallwood wears. John says Mary wears that, but Sherlock dismisses it. Sherlock runs upstairs. Through the crack of the door he sees a gunman holding Magnussen captive. Sherlock walks in. He thinks it's Lady Smallwood, but Magnussen corrects him. The gunman turns around. It's Mary. She asks if John is here. Sherlock says he's downstairs. Sherlock is not threatened by the gun pointing at him. She warns him not to take a step further. He does anyway and she shoots him.

(34:40) Enter Sherlock's mind/ mind palace: He imagines Molly slapping him and telling him to focus. He stays perfectly still. He needs a plan and only has three seconds. He needs to stop the blood loss before it kills him. He needs to decide to fall forward or backwards, but that depends on if the bullet left his body. Sherlock tries to remember the gun type. Mycroft appears to chastise him and Sherlock reverts into his younger self. He calls Sherlock stupid and says the gun is irrelevant. Sherlock remembers the mirror behind him. The mirror did not shatter, thus the bullet is still inside of him. Molly reappears. She tells him to fall backwards because the bullet is cutting blood flow and gravity will work to his advantage. Sherlock falls backwards.

(36:55) Deeper into the mind palace: Sherlock's body is going into shock. He is in the morgue and sees his dead body. Molly reappears. She tells him the shock will kill him. He has to calm down. Mycroft tells him to find the thing that will calm him. Sherlock remembers his childhood dog. His body is in intense pain and he is having convulsions. Sherlock runs up the stairs of his mind palace into a room of solitary confinement where Moriarty is locked up. Moriarty says “You'll always feel pain, but you don't have to fear it.”

(39:00) In the real world: John finds Sherlock on the floor. Magnussen is still alive. John calls for an ambulance and they take Sherlock away to a hospital.

(39:10) Mind palace: Moriarty taunts Sherlock and wishes for his death.

(39:50) At the Hospital: Sherlock flat lines.

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(40:00) Mind palace: Moriarty continues by talking about how his inner circle will miss him, and how Watson will be lost without him (and possibly in danger). This triggers Sherlock. He struggles to leave the padded room and continue up the stair case of his mind palace towards consciousness.

(41:45) Next morning, the Hospital: Watson spent the night in the hospital. Mary arrives and feigns ignorance of the situation. Sherlock's first word waking up was “Mary”. The Watsons hug.

(42:00) Same time, Magnussen's place: He descends down a spiral staircase resembling Sherlock's mind palace into the library from before to retrieve something: the dossier on Mary.

(42:40) Hospital: Mary paid a visit in Sherlock's delirious state to threaten Sherlock not to mention what happened. Janine stops by to show Sherlock the tabloids of them. They banter. She seems hurts that Sherlock manipulated her and wished that he hadn't gone through such lengths – their friendship seemed severed at this point. She kisses him on the forehead and leaves. He reduces the morphine levels and enters his mind palace.

(44:50) Mind palace: Thought bubbles of “liar” reappear around Mary. He can't figure out who she is or her true motive.

(45:30) Evening, Hospital: John shows Lestrade to Sherlock's room, but Sherlock escaped through the window. John phones Mary to tell her. She is worried that he might ruin her cover. They all go on a hunt to find possible hide out locations, but everyone tells them a different possible spot.

(46:20) Night, Baker Street: Lestrade, John and Mrs. Hudson are standing around. John is trying to piece together what happened and who Sherlock is trying to protect. Lestrade leaves. John sits down in his chair, the one that was moved (earlier in the episode). The perfume bottle is on the night stand. Sherlock is calling and Mrs. Hudson is urging him to pick up.

(47:20) Same time, on a Leinster Gardens, London: Mary passes by a beggar. The beggar is Billy. Billy gives Mary a cell phone and Sherlock calls. He instructs her to find the right house to confirm his suspicions. She does. The houses are a facade to cover up the London underground passing underneath. Mary's wedding picture is projected onto the front of the building. Sherlock tells her to come in. She sees a figure sitting at the end of the hallway and thinks it's him because of the trench coat. However, it is too dark to tell. Sherlock rattles off her past – how she adopted the name Mary Morstan. He appears from the shadows, standing a few feet behind Mary. He pieces together her behavior to figure out that she is spy and that her shot was intentionally nonlethal. Mary says she didn't approach Sherlock because she wanted John to find out she lied about her identity. However, that was John sitting there. Mary and John just stand and stare at each other.

(52:23) Christmas day, Sherlock's parents' home: Mycroft complains about the festivities. He clearly doesn't want to be home. Sherlock is sitting in his chair. Their mother is getting things ready. For some reason Sherlock invited Billy. Sherlock looks at his watch. He has a countdown going. Seven and a half minutes to go. In the other room Sherlock's dad is standing and Mary is looking at a mathematics book Sherlock's mother wrote. Apparently, she is a genius of sorts. John arrives and Sherlock's dad leaves the room to give them space.

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(55:00) Flashback to the night of Mary's ousting, Baker Street: Sherlock is cranky and demands morphine from Mrs. Hudson. Sherlock wants John and Mary to quickly resolve things so that they can move on with the case. John flips out. He demands answers from Mary. (“What have I done to deserve you?” Sherlock: “Everything”) Sherlock gives John a dose of reality. (“You're abnormally attracted to dangerous situations and people”) John cannot bear a life in the suburbs and chooses to associate with people with different standards of acceptable behavior. John chose Mary knowing subconscious that wasn't truly normal like he claimed he wanted. John responds by yelling and kicking the furniture. (“Why is everything MY fault?”) Sherlock tries to get him under control by channeling his anger, confusion, and hurt feelings into the case. To gain control over the situation, John relegates Mary to a client role, demoted of the status of wife and future mother of their child. Sherlock and John take their seats. Mary concedes.

(58:30) Present day, Sherlock's parents' living room: We learn that it is months later since that incident and they hadn't been talking to each other. John is ready to confront her now.

(59:00) Flashback continues: Mary gives John a flash drive containing the only remaining information about her past operations as an intelligence agent/ assassin. John puts it in his pocket. Sherlock deduces that she was on the run and Magnussen knows her secret and hence, she planned on getting rid of him. However, because Sherlock and John were there on the night she planned to kill Magnussen, the plan changed. She couldn't kill Sherlock out of sentiment, so she incapacitated him. She couldn't kill Magnussen because John would take the blame when the police would investigate. So she left and called the ambulance before John came upstairs. Sherlock urges John to trust Mary because she essentially saved his life. Sherlock is in severe pain and needs morphine. He left the hospital before he was supposed to and may have internal bleeding. Medics tend to him (he called earlier).

(1:03:00) Present day: John has mostly come to terms with everything and throws the flash drive into the fireplace. They hug. Meanwhile, Mycroft and Sherlock are in the front yard smoking. Mycroft asks why he hates Magnussen so much (“Because he attacks people who are different and preys on their secrets”). Mycroft tolerates him because “he never causes too much damage to anyone important. He's far too intelligent for that. He's a businessman that all, and occasionally useful”. Mycroft mentions that MI6 wants Sherlock to go undercover in Eastern Europe but that he would probably die in 6 months, so decline. Sherlock looks puzzled at the kindness. Mycroft qualifies the sentiment by saying Sherlock is more useful domestically. (“Also, your loss would break my heart.”) Sherlock chokes on cigarette smoke in response. An unusual admission. Mycroft heads inside.

(1:06:40) Living room: Mary passes out. So do Sherlock's parents and Mycroft. Wiggins spiked the punch and tea for Sherlock.

(1:07:30) Flashback, after Sherlock escaped from the hospital: Sherlock is eating at a small restaurant (the one from “The Empty Hearse”) and Magnussen arrives. They stare intensely. Sherlock wants to know where the secrets are. He believes Appledor is inside his glasses. However, Sherlock is mistaken and looks shocked and disappointed at his wrong conjecture. Magnussen has the upper hand again. Sherlock offers to give Mycroft up to see Appledor.

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(1:10:00) Present day, the front yard: Sherlock nicks Mycroft's laptop (want Magnussen actually wants) and waits for Magnussen's helicopter to arrive. John and Sherlock get in.

(1:11:00) Magnussen's mansion: Magnussen is watching old footage of Sherlock saving John from the fire. Sherlock acknowledges that Magnussen was the mastermind behind John's abduction. John is Sherlock's pressure point. Sherlock gives him the laptop. Sherlock will give him the password in exchange for the files that would incriminate Mary. Magnussen laughs at the boredom. He knows that there's a GPS locator on the laptop that will lead law enforcement to this house. And since he has Mycroft's laptop, there will be probable cause to search the mansion, find Appledor, imprison him, and exonerate Holmes. Magnussen claims Holmes made a mistake somewhere. He gets up and shows “Appledor”, an empty room. Appledor is Magnussen's mind palace. Magnussen is ecstatic and wants them to follow him outside. Sherlock and John will be arrested for trying to sell state secrets. Sherlock is unresponsive.

(1:18:45) Dusk, Outside the mansion: John doesn't understand the usefulness of just remembering everyone's secrets. Magnussen's antagonizes him. He flicks John's face and explains how he could ruin John and Mary's life. John is visibly irritated and withholding anger. Magnussen wants to flick John's eye for amusement now. Sherlock tells John to let him. He is biding time.

(1:21:00) A bit later: Mycroft arrives with back up to tell Sherlock to back away from Magnussen. Sherlock realizes that there's no clever way to take Magnussen down. Magnussen has no master plan or anything to incriminate himself. Sherlock and John are about to be taken into custody. Sherlock calculates, taps into his “sociopath” role, takes John's gun and kills Magnussen point blank. Sherlock takes the wrath to free everyone from Magnussen's extortion.

(1:23:00) Days later, Government conference room: Mycroft makes the case to keep Sherlock alive. He wants Sherlock to accept the MI6 role with Lady Smallwood's approval. She obliges.

(1:23:45) Later, a private airport takeoff strip: John and Mary come to say their goodbyes to Sherlock. John says it's a girl (the baby). John and Sherlock is at a loss of words. This might be the last time they will see each other. Sherlock ends on a joke and a handshake. The plane takes off with Sherlock in it.

(1:27:15) Same time, televisions across the UK: Moriarty's face is being broadcasted with the words “Miss me?” next to it. Mycroft calls Sherlock and the plane returns. He is needed in London once more.