Contains Spoilers
John (Martin Freeman) has found himself a new shrink (that'll be shortlived) - okay and called it as soon as they showed her, it was Daisy woman from the bus, well her nose was a big giveaway and the fake accent and John wouldn't exactly divert from his routine and get a new shrink now would he. I mean unlike Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) he wouldn't deduce that Sherlock would even contemplate seeing a shrink and that he'd choose his one. So it's just the usual questions and John however is seeing Mary (Amanda Abbington). Only she's inside his head. So yet again she's guiding him to what he must do and the point being it's really John cos she's dead. Also of course we knew Sherlock would let himself go once again and fall into his bad habits, viz one, that of his drug habit. It's an easy way out for him and Sherlock in this instance is more emotional, can't cope and has to fall back into his drug induced stupors to get by. Even with his dealer around he's brewing up a Meth lab in the kitchen.
Cue Culverton Smith (Toby Jones) : egomaniac, psychopath and serial killer. He's a most detestable small minded, little human being and he relishes getting other people to do what he wants. In short he loves the fame and throwing his weight around. The only reason why he's an entrepreneur and philanthropist. He calls a meeting and talks of darkest secrets. How he'd tell someone his secret and then wouldn't be able to take it back cos they'd know now and it'd be off his chest. He couldn't take it back even if he wanted to. In some ways an allusion to Sherlock who has many secrets, as does the entire Holmes family. Smith makes his friends take a drug TD12 which is basically a memory inhibitor cos they won't remember what he told them. He tells them he's going to kill someone. His daughter Faith objects but he makes her take the drug anyway. Later she wakes up and makes herself write a note and remember. Of course we already know who the recipient of this note will be. She recalls one man was a police officer, some worked at Smith's company, she was there, and someone was going to be killed by Smith but she couldn't recall who. (No reference to Doctor Who of course! Although at the end John - a doctor - did get the gun in his face so...ha!)
Smith walks in and finds her with the note and takes it from her. First clue was here: if he saw the note and what she wrote, why not just take it from her, it's easier than being discovered, unless he wanted exactly that; in his arrogance that no one could stop him. Not even the world's greatest detective. No, she goes to Sherlock and she gives him the note. Sherlock as usual noticing her nuances, like the marks on her dress showing she drove here, but she was in a left handed car, perhaps. That she's damp, it's raining and she didn't bring a coat. She was once in a relationship but not anymore. He says there's no case and throws her handbag to her. He then realizes her handbag was heavy hence she's carrying a gun. He stops her from leaving and tells her about his deductions. With her replying she came in a taxi, but his brain finally catches up to his thinking and he says that's what he looked for outside of the window: there was no taxi waiting for her and she didn't call for one. He gives her a coat and tells her about the gun: that she was going to end it all, but they're going for chips.
Sherlock also knows that he's being watched by Mycroft (Mark Gatiss) who calls John about how Sherlock's a security risk and he has to act on it even if he is his brother. Who doesn't seem to be interested. Smallwood (Lindsay Duncan) will also accept an apology from him for arresting her, which she doesn't get. Sherlock notices the police helicopters and he walks with Faith around London and we're back to Piccadilly Circus (see season 1) and the operators telling him he's leaving a trail as he doublesback leaving: "*uck off" for Mycroft! He tells her about the note and how she lives in a small place with a small kitchen. She had the note hidden cos of the fold in the middle and was in a relationship. When it ended she pinned the note on a board in the kitchen and it smells of spices. She loves to cook (yeah cook up plans to ensnare Sherlock). As well as having no visitors that's why it was on display.
At the bridge he says he wants payment but not cash and she gives him the gun. With him saying she can't take her life. It's not hers to "take" and why do people take their lives. They only leave behind others who are affected by it (which is what I've always said about suicide: it's selfish - never thinking of those they leave behind who will have to deal with it. It's not about ending their own suffering but leaving loved ones to cope with theirs. Okay digression!) She stops him and tells him he's not like everyone else: he's "nice."
A car crashes outside the shrink's house and a helicopter chases it. It's Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs) driving and she tells John she needs help with Sherlock. He lost the plot and she's terrified. He was going crazy with photos everywhere and she made him a cup of tea, but he had a gun. He threw the gun down in order to catch the falling cup and she took him at gunpoint and handcuffed him from the handcuffs in his salad drawer, which she's used before! (Eeww wouldn't like to know about that! Ha.) She shut him in the boot and drove him here, as Mycroft removes the policeman who was chasing her via phonecall.
Sherlock knew John would be here cos he planned it all three weeks ago. He needs his help in catching the most despicable human being around: Culverton Smith, a serial killer and he accused him as such in the media. Coincidentally exactly who John was looking at on the internet at the shrink's house. Smith films an ad as a "Cereal Killer" which is nothing new and has been said before! He calls John and tells him he's sending a car around. Again all arranged by Sherlock beforehand. John sees the marks on his hand and wants a second opinion, again contemplated by Sherlock as he's already called Molly (Louise Brealey). Who arrived in an equipped ambulance and tests him. At the rate he's going he's only got weeks (possible hint for next ep?) They drive to the meeting with Smith. Mary appearing to John all the time and making comments about Sherlock planning it and being clever. As well as referencing John's self loathing cos she's in his head.
Smith tells Sherlock he only hugs, which Smith does cos he doesn't shake hands, why DNA? Paranoia? Anyway he finds it amusing that Sherlock's accused him of being a serial/cereal killer cos that'll give give more ratings and yes his ad was tasteless (no pun) especially since the cerial (can I combine it like this? ha) was aimed at children. As was the visit to his hospital, where he conveniently brings up the subject of HH Holmes: America's first serial killer, was expecting that a while ago, not least which cos of the Holmes similarity in name. With it beginning and ending there, except for the third 'brother' or should I say family member. The nurses are impressed with meeting Sherlock and how they love his blog even if John's the one who writes the blog. They didn't like to hear that. Smith wants them to talk about his cases, with Sherlock giving away the endings. Until Smith gets onto the morbid subject of killing and how the Queen could be a killer and get away with it cos of her money. John adding that she's not a killer and wouldn't get away with it. Possibly talking of himself, yet with such contempt since he has money and he got away with it too for along while.
After the tasteless subject, he takes them to his favourite room. Sherlock saying that he's got about twenty minutes roughly, well seventeen and a half minutes exactly before they get a visitor. His favourite room being the morgue and you know what, was getting tired of Smith's asking how long his staff have worked there when he didn't like being questioned, or playing with the dead woman's body. As John told him to stop it. Again more mention of HH Holmes and his murder castle (which we all know about so won't mention here. Wrote plenty on it in my Supernatural book for season 2.6 No Exit.) He likes confessing to the bodies there, but he doesn't confess he's killed anyone. Sherlock suffering from withdrawal and not having a fix. Smith tells him he couldn't have met his daughter and she doesn't know him, since that's the visitor. She doesn't resemble the woman who came to see him and at this point you were meant to see that she was actually the shrink who came to see Sherlock and was also the woman on the bus. Well that's when I pointed it out (sorry.) Sherlock loses it and takes a scalpel as he says Smith took one and it's behind his back. Of course he doesn't have one. John thinking Sherlock lied to him again cos that's what he does, he lies about everything to everyone (thus the title).
Cue Lestarade (Rupert Graves) asking John why he took the scalpel and he didn't see him take it. John wrestles with Sherlock for the scalpel and also beats him up to pull him out of it, but also cos it was brewing for a while. Again missing the point of how that's exactly what Sherlock had wanted and planned. He wanted to be here, as he's sedated and kept in the hospital. John leaves his walking stick for him and says goodbye. Mycroft searches Sherlock's place for anything untoward and again says the same thing to John about having to do this even if Sherlock wasn't his brother. As Mary tells him he's lying, cos last time he said brother, he wasn't talking about Sherlock. That there's another brother! Mary loving John confronting Mycroft. As the note from Faith falls to the floor. Mrs Hudson comes in and says that they don't get Sherlock but she and John do. If somethings not going right he'll fire the gun and stab something. Where John finds Mary's DVD. Mrs Hudson tells them all to leave her house.
John plays it and we get to see the rest of it too. Mary wanted Sherlock to kill himself so that John would rescue him, or rather have himself killed. Which is exactly why he chose Smith, not only to bring him down and make him stop, but also to help John. John wouldn't help himself or save himself, but he would save Sherlock. He realizes what will happen as he races over there in Mrs Hudson's car. Oh and I liked how Mrs Hudson said she has her own house and also isn't John's housekeeper!
In pops Smith cos he can't refuse a victim and didn't that room remind you of the TARDIS!! Some fancy wallpaper! ha. Of course he'd have secret passages as he built the wing and yes admittedly he was in awe of HH Homles and his mistake was that he should've been in awe of Sherlock Holmes. Cos he didn't think HH Holmes was very intelligent and so could be a distant relative of Sherlock's! Smith confesses to his murders and Sherlock tells him he wants to die and he wants him to do it, which he does attempt. Then Sherlock screaming he doesn't want to die! With John arriving in time to stop Smith from suffocating him. Smith says he didn't confess and he found the three recorders in his coat. Yeah he'd be stupid enough to leave all three in one place. He tells him he missed one in John's walking stick. Again he'd accounted for that too weeks ago. John calling Sherlock a cock as does Sherlock and that he "was off his tits" for weeks!
Mary saying he should wear a deerstalker in tribute to her, which he goes back and gets as they leave to meet Molly for cake: for his birthday. See Sherlock: more human, he eats more now and chips!! Not just drinks tea!! Mary also telling him about how Sherlock knew which shrink he'd find. Someone he'd go to in the lunch hour within bike riding distance so no one would know. As he goes back to her now and she reveals who she is. Mycroft and Smallwood having a mutual attraction as she gives him her private number on her card. And we see him pick it up to reveal a 2pm appointment with Sherrinford. Surprise, surprise that's where John is! And she asks him why couldn't their bother be a sister. Pretty convenient, half expecting her to take off the mask and reveal Moriarty under it. She pulls a gun on him and fires. As Sherlock finds the note and realizes it really happened! The woman was here. So the game (race) is on for Sherlock to save John now. As Mary already predicted and wanted him to.
Was Sherrinford in league with Moriarty all this time. It's possible to get lost in all the confusion since everyone's using "Miss Me" these days. Don't know what's what anymore, just joking. Also we get Irene's ringtone again: the famous moan and he's been in touch with her. Again nothing new. So if Sherrinford could be a woman, why can't Irene Adler be Sherlock?!! Anyway John finds out it's Sherlock's birthday cos he never knew when it was and asks why he doesn't go to High Wycombe (how does he know she's there anyway? She could be anywhere. That life's too short and Sherlock should get some in before it's too late. As Mary also tells John it's okay when he says he cheated on her. They were only texts, but he texted her everytime he was alone. There foreshadowing as that woman had to be involved in his life but funny how it was so easy for her to ingratiate herself into his life. Especially since he tells Mary he's not the man she thought he was but who he wants to be.
Smith was indeed: "the most dangerous and despicable human being I have ever encountered (he hadn't met him yet had he, though being Sherlock, he would've had an inkling) a living breathing coagulation of human evil." More so since he didn't have any remorse, most killers generally don't but the mere fact that he could kill "anyone." This anyone being and including Sherlock. Oh, oh and most importantly of all we got Sherrinford admitting what the 'E' stands for in the note she left for John, rather the texts. E = Eurus: Greek for 'East Wind'!! Re the third ep of last series. When he says an "east wind is coming..." Now it makes sense. She being the east wind. and why Sherlock was needed back. Not so much for Moriarty but his own family member!
Oh and a word on that scene where Sherlock dramatically lost the plot in his drug haze: so very Shakespeare and so very Hamlet in many ways!! Which was also relevant as Sian Brooke who played the shrink/E was in Hamlet too with Bene as Ophelia!
This one wa loosely based on The Adventures of the Dying Detective aka The Dying Detective (which is what Sherlock was doing, both in an attempt to rescue John and also to catch Smith. With a reference from Sherlock to Watson after Smith tells them his word is a good as Sherlock's but won't stand up in court. Thus Holmes saying the same to John here, that the confession was entrapment, but Smith can't top confessing to Lestrade. Demonstrating yet more arrogance and how he still hungers for fame, even after Lestrade tells him he's already famous! Yeah go serve him some Gnash!! Yuk!
A little carried away on this one, showing how Sherlock still manages to excel after this long period of breaks in between episodes and also how we need it to continue. Single handedly Britain can take over the world (and I don't mean that in some form or former or neo-colonial sense as in Colonial Gin re The Apprentice! ha) but in the sense of how Britain can still make excellent drama with a quality cast, regardless of whatever political turmoil or climate the country or the world is in! Escapism is also good! But as Benedict told USA Today: his words were taken out of context when he said it's the "end of an era." He didn't mean it would end, but that it was the last one they had filmed for now. Only that if anymore come about, they won't be as regular as every two years cos everyone's busy. Yeah we know, but at least we can hope they can all find the time to bring back something sooner, even a one-off special.
You can check out my Bene book below, ah go on, you know you want to! Had some good words about this from Sue Vertue and even Mark commented on it when I met them at the Radio Times Women of Sherlock Festival. & no you won't make me a millionaire either!! Ha.
https://www.amazon.com/My-Continuing-Letter-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/1326198017/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1484186731&sr=8-9&keywords=mila+hasan
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