Sherlock series 3 wrapped up last weekend, and to celebrate, the Hypable staff have picked their favorite moments from “His Last Vow.”
Sherlock is only on air for about two weeks every two years, so when we do get these concentrated bursts of brilliance, it’s important to enjoy every second of it that we can! To help you relish this short but sweet broadcast window, Hypable writers Harri Sargeant and Marama Whyte have selected their 10 favorite moments from “The Sign of Three” in the second of a series of Sherlock articles, accompanied by GIFs made by writer Tariq Kyle. Check them out below, and make sure you share your faves in the comments below!
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“Moriarty’s definitely dead,” they said. “He’s not coming back,” they said. And yet, just as Sherlock was flown off for a six month mission in Eastern Europe that he almost certainly wouldn’t be coming back from, the nation’s screens were filled with static. “Did you miss me?” gloats Sherlock’s arch-nemesis as Mycroft is forced to bring his brother home. Well, not really, Jim – Andrew Scott’s character has featured in every episode since his ‘death,’ so it was difficult to miss him. That doesn’t make his full-fledged return any less exciting though, as we already can’t wait to see what this fairytale’s good old fashioned villain has up his sleeve next. The reveal was a brilliant surprise, and the wonderfully gif-able moment will be all over tumblr until series 4. God knows how he managed to survive, but we’ll surely be treated to several fantastical explanations as we did with “The Empty Hearse.” – Harri Sargeant  |
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The Doyle purists amongst us were slightly disappointed when we didn’t see the great detective’s trick with a dummy upon his return. Steven Moffat remedied this in “His Last Vow” when Sherlock confronted Mary about her past. Set in a literal empty house (the title of Holmes’ comeback story and namesake of series 3 opener “The Empty Hearse”) in Leneister Gardens, Sherlock confuses Mary with what she thinks is a dummy of him, when in reality it’s actually her shocked husband John. Racked with tension and series-defining revelations, this segment was beautifully acted by the three leads, and intelligently directed. The empty houses scene also negates any clunky, expositional scene which would have involved a disbelieving John (Martin Freeman) denying Sherlock’s claims. Instead, the momentum is pushed forward allowing us more time with the turbulent case. – Harri Sargeant  |
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If you were a little cynical about the validity of Lars Mikkelsen’s Charles Augustus Magnussen as a suitable foil for Benedict Cumberbath’s super sleuth, then the opening sequence proved he was a highly intelligent and deeply sinister man. Armed with the anti-Christ of Google Glass, he identified a person’s pressure point in seconds and uses it to his advantage. His deductions ranged from disconcerting (the chain of getting to Mycroft Holmes through Sherlock, John and Mary) to hilarious (Mrs. Hudson’s marijuana habit). When it’s revealed that the glasses are just plain spectacles we truly realise the intelligence and danger of Magnussen as an adversary. It also provided a nice bit of foreshadowing for his empty vault mind palace. – Harri Sargeant  |
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And to think, the Sherlock fandom didn’t think their favourite consulting detective could get any more adorable. Steven Moffat’s son, Louis, filled the role of the young detective, and we have to say, those curls are enviable. The inclusion of young Sherlock brightened up the Mind Palace sequence, and introduced a new dimension to Sherlock. Interestingly, it was Mycroft who saw Sherlock as his younger self at the end of the episode. There have been a lot more hints at Mycroft’s superior intelligence during Sherlock season 3, and the fact that he seemingly still views Sherlock as a young child gives us a lot of insight into their relationship. And luckily, we also got an answer to who the mysterious Redbeard was – yes, that is the sound of our hearts collectively breaking. In fact, what we really need now is a Sherlock spinoff that shows us the origin story of the Holmes brothers to tide us over until Sherlock season 4. Louis, clear your schedule. – Marama Whyte  |
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Never did we think that we would be so lucky as to see the return of Sherlock and Mycroft’s parents. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch’s real-life parents Timothy Carlton and Wanda Ventham, we got a greater insight into the home life of the Holmes’ this episode. Apparently, Mrs. Holmes is another family genius, although obviously with much greater social skills than either of her sons, and Mr. Holmes is the normal one (in comparison, at least). Seeing Sherlock and Mycroft interacting with their parents was absolutely golden. They might be two of the most important people in England, but at home they are just competitive brothers who are unwilling to spend time with their family. The Holmes’ weren’t the only ones present at Christmas, Sherlock’s new prodigy and the Watsons were also invited. Mycroft may not have been enjoying himself, but that is certainly one Christmas that we would like to be invited to (minus the drink spiking, obviously). – Marama Whyte  |
On page 2:
Sherlock’s mind palace, the Mary reveal, and Sherlock romancing the ladies…
Page 2: Sherlock series 3: Our 10 favorite moments of “His Last Vow”
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Another surprise in “His Last Vow”? Another sidekick for Sherlock – this time, a little closer to his own talents. Tom Brooke played the delightful Bill Wiggins who impressed Sherlock with his ‘I can tell you have been riding your bike’ deductive skills. Brooke’s accent and easy manner already make him a fast favourite, and we always like someone who can give Sherlock a run for his money (maybe not yet, but one day). Bill Wiggins is also a reference to an original character from the original Sherlock Holmes’ stories, and hopefully he will stick around for the next season. After all, we know that he has his eyes on Sherlock’s possessions, and seeing as Sherlock has died once, he could always get lucky. And if any drink spiking is required in season 2, Wiggins is your man. – Marama Whyte  |
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The more eagle-eyed Sherlock-ians among you knew something was up when Sherlock deduced that Amanda Abbington’s Mary Morstan was a liar. The plot thickened when, in “The Sign of Three” she received a telegram from a certain CAM (Charles Augustus Magnussen) that seemed to make her uneasy. However, the happy wedding rather threw a lot of us, so we have to confess we were a bit taken aback when Mary (instead of Lady Smallwood) turned around and shot Sherlock in the chest. Once the world had picked up their jaws, we learn that “Mary” was actually a foreign assassin with an excellent shot. John’s reaction to discovering his wife was a fraud was heart-breaking, but the resulting character revelation (his addiction to danger) proves that Watson is more than just a gormless right-hand man. Besides, it all resolved itself in the end – which is great for those of us eager to see more of Abbington interact with the Baker Street boys. – Harri Sargeant  |
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There were some issues with the execution of Magnussen, but overall the villain of season 3 was pretty creepy. Lars Mikkelsen brought a suitably intimidating tone to the character (there must be something in the genetics of that family, because brother Lars puts in an equally creepy turn as Hannibal’s Hannibal Lecter). Although Magnussen didn’t feature overwhelmingly in the episode, he was the unseen menace for most of it (and seemingly, for most of the season). And when he did appear, he did his work well. Maybe you can’t categorise Magnussen’s scenes as ‘favourite moments,’ but they were some of the best moments of the episode. The scene between Magnussen and Watson in particular was all kinds of menacing, especially when we knew that Sherlock didn’t have a solution. Magnussen. But what really had our skin crawling with Magnussen licking Lady Smallwood’s face, with her being unable to stop him. – Marama Whyte  |
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We’ve seen our favorite high-functioning sociopath’s “mind palace” plenty of times , but never before has it looked so good. This visually stunning sequence featured pretty much the whole cast of Sherlock, including yet another cameo from Moriarty, as he tried to convince Sherlock to let go and die. This particular scene was a psychologically fraught and at times even disturbing moment, but the great detective’s mental hibernation had plenty of other treats. Featuring a young Sherlock, the answer to the Redbeard riddle of “The Sign of Three” (who would have thought it would’ve been a childhood pet?) and a unique insight into how the character’s mind works in a crisis; Series 4 has a lot to live up to. – Harri Sargeant  |
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Boyfriend? Apparently. While Sherlock’s new relationship status was surprising, “The Sign Of Three” set us up to think his love for Janine could be even a little bit possible. Although, John definitely had the right idea when he was more concerned with Sherlock having a girlfriend than with the Magnussen situation – we certainly were. All that smiling and kissing and hiding girls in his bedroom had us wondering. Everything we thought about Sherlock was undermined in these scenes, and there was a certain sense of relief when Sherlock’s real motivations were exposed. But seeing him in this totally new situation was both hilarious and rather touching. The resolution with Janine also had us giggling – we’re just sorry that it doesn’t look like she will be around next season now that she has exacted her revenge (and made her money) on Sherlock. – Marama Whyte  |