As Watson (Martin Freeman) struggles to check out his shopping at the supermarket, Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) struggles with a masked marauder. Watson gives up and finds Sherlock on the sofa as if he hasn't moved from there. He needs money for shopping so Sherlock gives him his card. When he returns he finds Sherlock using his computer which he takes from him. A friend, or rather acquaintance of Sherlock's has asked him to look into a possible job. A break in at the bank where he works. Someone sprayed a painting with a message aimed at someone. But before that the joviality's begin, i.e Sherlock working out his friend has been out of the country and has just returned. It was Sherlock's 'thing' at uni which annoyed everyone. Which Watson has first hand experience of since he did the same to him about his brother, who turned out to be his sister last episode.
Sherlock tries to work out how the intruder could have gotten in and also how he could have reached the painting without being seen. This involves a series of leaping and darting around watched by office workers who think he's lost the plot, well who wouldn't. Also Watson takes the retainer of £5,000 since Sherlock doesn't "need an incentive" to take the case. He finds the person came in through the balcony. That stockbrokers work at all hours and it was someone who was working on the Hong Kong desk. This leads him to Eddie Van Coon (Daniel Purcell).
While this is happening Soo Lin (Gemma Chan) makes tea in a museum and more of that yellow spray paint is revealed to her on a statue causing her some distress. To the point where she goes missing and her friend/co-worker Andy (Al Galbraith) turns up but she doesn't answer her door in Chinatown.
Arriving at Eddie's apartment Sherlock is unable to gain entry so he asks a newly moved in woman for entrance and to use her balcony. Inside he finds him dead, an apparent suicide, but it's just at first glance. Watson still buzzing on the door since he won't let him in. Watson also concludes suicide but Sherlock says it wasn't since he was lefthanded. Also explaining this to new DI Dimmock (Paul Chequer) on scene as Le Strade is busy.
In Chinatown they realize the graffiti is actually Chinese numbers. Look it's those Chinese Lucky cats! Sitting in a restaurant, really Watson can't get a meal can he and eat in peace. Sherlock asks when it rained as he notices a wet Yellow Pages outside Soo Lin's apartment. Breaking in once more, he once again doesn't open the door for Watson. Thus he is attacked by the killer who leaves an Oragami black lotus flower in his pocket. Watson standing outside muttering to himself again and saying "I'm Sherlock Holmes..." Sherlock doesn't tell him he was attacked though he sounds horse.
Sherlock takes Watson to meet someone who's adept in graffiti and asks him to look out for some Chinese numbers, which he does. When the CSO arrive they flee leaving Watson to take the blame, spray can in hand. Later he shows them more graffiti and they find more on the wall and Watson fellows the train tracks to find some on a wall. By the time he gets Sherlock to come the graffiti's been painted over. What followed was another great scene which makes people like this show so much. Sherlock trying to get Watson to remember everything he saw. But he doesn't need to since he took a photo. They try to work out what the numbers are, when Sherlock reads about another murder, this time a journalist. Again no signs of forced entry and the killer came through the skylight deduces Sherlock. Looking at his books he sees he was at the library. Here Watson finds more numbers behind some books.
At the museum they talk with Andy who tells them what Soo Lin was working on last and Sherlock notices that the teapot has been used. They then see the statue with more numbers. Soo Lin finally comes out of hiding to tend to her teapot and nearly drops it but Sherlock catches this priceless antique. She tells of how they're footsoldiers for the Black Lotus gang lead by General Shan. She has a black lotus tattoo on her foot, as did the journalist Brian Lukis (Howard Coggins) and Eddie. She's going to die soon by the hands of her brother who was also a smuggler but she left and now they've found her.
The killer shows up, timely as they're here and she's out of hiding. Sherlock chases after him but loses him and this gives him a chance to shoot Soo Lin. Sherlock wants all of the books from the other CS as he needs to find the cipher to the code. Coming up empty handed. Watson falls asleep on the job but asks Sarah (Zoe Telford) out on a date. Sherlock recommends the Chinese circus. Tickets are booked in the name of Sherlock Holmes and Watson pays for them, he also got himself a ticket too. The killer is agile and where else would he be but in a circus since exit visas are rare from China. Sarah catches Watson telling Sherlock he wants "to get off with her!"
At the circus they see the escapology trick and the giant spider leaving Sherlock to investigate further. He finds the spray can and is caught, bringing the fight to the circus itself. Back home Sarah tells Sherlock that some of the numbers have already been deciphered as Watson searches for food, that's a tall order. Hey Sherlock doesn't eat and what happened to the shop he just did?! Soo Lin began to translate the numbers. Sherlock leaves and realizes the book he's after is the A-Z. Thus snatching it from a pair of German tourists. He returns home to find Watson and Sarah gone.
He works out the message from the wall and locates where they are. Still taking taxis obviously. Shan thinks Watson is Sherlock since he's got the cheque, the credit card and the tickets were in that name too. She wants the missing item but he doesn't have it. Sherlock arrives and hey there's more from the circus act again. Instead of pushing Sarah out of the way, why was he untying her. Shan runs.
The item was a jade pin Eddie gave to his assistant and she doesn't realize it's worth £9 million. Shan talks to the mysterious 'M,' Sherlock's admirer really and promises not to reveal anything about him. Which he agrees with and shoots her.
Watson gets himself a job as a locum cos someone's got to think about bills and all that. But he's also got other needs, which clearly Sherlock doesn't nor does he demonstrate his desire for any female here either. Though he does talk Ms Morgue ME, Molly (Louise Brealy) into showing her the two DBs to ascertain they did have the tattoo too and to this end he flatters her by noticing her new hairstyle, now parted at one side. As for the book everyone owns, well, in this day and age many rely on the Net and Googlemaps anyone, okay aside from tourists but I haven't seen that many tourists walking around with it. Maybe only the Germans. Okay that was another swipe, sorry.
Still I loved the pairing between the two and this is my fourth time of watching this episode, yeah only far so far! and it still appears refreshing to me and so much more. Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch have a chemistry on screen that really works and the casting of these two was perfect. Though time has passed since watching these for the first time in 2010, as now I can't get "Baginses" out of my head everyone Martin/Watson was on screen! Stroke of genius too was Watson being mistaken for Sherlock something perhaps Sherlock would have scoffed at, he's the world's only "consulting detective" you know, but luckily he wasn't around to hear that, unless Watson blogged about it. Then again he doesn't read blogs (!)
One thing that I didn't like was how Soo Lin was left alone when they were meant to be protecting her, obviously she had to be killed so the clues had to be figured out by Sherlock, but it was a bit messy in terms of plot. No security either.
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