Those who have been waiting endlessly for the release of a new ‘Sherlock’ episode need not wait much longer. According to Steven Moffat, producer of BBC sponsored show “Sherlock” and the “Doctor Who” series, a winter episode will be aired on Jan. 1, 2016. The episode will not continue the original series’ storyline, but it will be a continuation of previous winter season specials. The episode will also be set in Victorian England, which deviates from the usual setting of contemporary England. In a trailer released by BBC on Oct. 15, it was revealed that the episode was called “Abominable Bride.”
The show centers on partners Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, played by actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, respectively. Holmes is as a professional “consulting detective,” with whom many individuals and agencies such as the Scotland Yard cooperate. Doctor John Watson is a former doctor who treated military personnel during the Afghanistan War and now blogs about the cases he and Holmes crack. The two partners, along with Molly Hooper, a pathologist working at St. Bart’s Hospital, and Greg Lestrade, an inspector for Scotland Yard, seek to solve crime and battle archnemesis Jim Moriarty.
The first season of the show consists of three episodes— “A Study in Pink,” “The Blind Banker,” and “The Great Game.” The season starts off with an investigation of a series of deaths suspected to be suicides. However, the story takes a turn when a common poison is discovered in all of the victims. The second episode revolves around Holmes’ recruitment by a university classmate to investigate an unexplained break-in at a high-rise bank. The first series concludes with “The Great Game,” in which Moriarty leads Holmes to seemingly unrelated cases and gives him deadlines to solve each case. He enforces the deadlines by strapping bombs to innocent civilians.
The second season starts with the episode “A Scandal in Belgravia,” in which a dominatrix is found to possess compromising images of royal members and government officials. As Holmes tries to crack the dominatrix’s password to her phone, where all the information is stored, he realizes the similarity of the entire plot to the Coventry Blitz during the World War. “The Hounds of Baskerville” begins with the sighting of “monsters” in top-secret military research facility “Dartmoor.” When Holmes and his team follow up on accusations of “roaming monsters,” they discover an even more horrific truth to the clandestine area. The series concludes with the episode “The Reichenbach Fall,” in which Moriarty attempts to discredit Holmes via public propaganda. As a chilling preview, the episode starts off with Watson telling his therapist that his friend—Sherlock Holmes—is dead.
The latest season begins with episode “The Empty Hearse,” in which Sherlock is reunited with partner Watson, who is now engaged. Although initially disappointed that Holmes did not tell him that he was alive, he is relieved to know that they can continue their adventures. During the episode, Watson’s fiancé, Mary, receives a text in skip code claiming that Watson will die if not rescued immediately. Holmes and his team soon recognize that they are dealing with an underground London terrorist network plotting large-scale attacks in London. The second episode “The Sign of Three” revolves around the murder of a guard at Buckingham Palace. The story achieves an intricate balance between the proceedings of Watson’s wedding and Holmes’ attempt to crack the case. In the most recently released episode, “His Last Vow,” Holmes and Watson face the threat of Charles Magnusson, a media mogul blackmailing Watson’s wife.
More like a series of mini-movies than a television show, Sherlock provides viewers with intricate storylines and puzzling crime scenarios. For viewers who are often bored with regular crime shows because the endings are “too obvious,” Sherlock is definitely the show to watch.