Sherlock Series 3 Speculation

How clever people of the Internet

I usually don't do this. After "The Reichenbach Fall' aired what seems like ages ago, the web was filled with fans' theories on how Sherlock Holmes managed to fake his own death. After reading a couple, I frankly got tired of it. So, if you've come to this post with the notion that that's what I'll be discussing, I won't be. Nevertheless, Series 3 is on the docket today, as I express my aspirations and opinions of the third series of Sherlock.

I will admit up front - I do sometimes spoil myself with shows and movies. It's a bad, bad thing to do - but I do like to have some idea of what'll be coming up. Surprisingly, I've viewed few spoilers for Series 3, perhaps because I want to remain as surprised as possible. The few photos from the first few days of shooting which I saw quite some time ago have blurred together in my mind. I remember seeing photos of Benedict Cumberbatch dressed in the deerstalker hat again (hooray - it's returning), and of course there's John Watson's mustache - the less said the better. Presumably, these things are in Episode 1, entitled "The Empty Hearse" and written by Mark Gatiss. As I have said before, I think Gatiss is a fantastic writer and I cannot wait to see him helm the opening episode. Most interesting to me at least is how he'll handle Sherlock telling John he's still alive. Gatiss has gone on record saying that John probably won't faint upon seeing Sherlock (per Doyle's story). John has already punched Sherlock, so what'll it be?

The other thing I'm curious about seeing is how Mary Morstan is handled. I have some feeling she'll have been introduced to John in the intervening years between "The Reichenbach Fall" and "The Empty Hearse," and that she won't be a client. Which reminds me - how will Sherlock restore his reputation? By now, he's been deemed a fake. Even I don't have a theory behind that one. But, I really do hope that's addressed right away. It seems like that the point which everyone forgets - except for those who "Believe."

Following on from that is "The Sign of Three" by Stephen Thompson. Thompson is a writer who suffers from the inconsistency syndrome. His first episode, "The Blind Banker" is surely the weakest of the first series' story and yet "The Reichenbach Fall" ranks among people's favourites. His work on Doctor Who is equally inconsistent. Most people loathe his episode "The Curse of the Black Spot" with a burning passion, but "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" is well-liked by most. How his third contribution to Sherlock will turn out, I don't know. I hope that it's a memorable fun episode. "The Sign of Four" is Doyle's most fun Sherlock Holmes novel, managing to be an adventure, a mystery and Gothic horror story all at once. I'd love to see the story done justice in a suspenseful, witty, adventuresome way. Do I expect bloodhounds and pygmies - NO!

A Random Picture of Randomness

The third and final episode is "His Last Vow" by Steven Moffat. With Moffat behind the wheel for the finale, I'm sure that will be an interesting story, peppered with fun allusions to Doyle and feature a climax which will make all of the fans squirm. The most curious bit for me however is what will the plot be. "His Last Bow" is chronologically the last Sherlock Holmes story, set on the eve of World War I. Theories persist that the episode will deal with spies and espionage - which would not only be a nod to Doyle, but to the Basil Rathbone films of the '40's where Holmes was hired by the government to fight Axis agents.

"Bow" is obviously referring to "His Last Vow" and it was one of the three words used to tease audiences about the show's third series. The others included "Wedding" which refers to "The Sign of Three" in which John will get married and "Rat" well...could we possibly learn the fate of the Giant rat of Sumatra at last? Hmm...I'm suddenly even more excited than I was when I started writing.