The BBC debuted a seven-minute prequel for the third season of Sherlock on Christmas Eve, focused on Detective Anderson's suspicions that Benedict Cumberbatch's famous sleuth faked his death.
Trailers for the third season have already revealed that the show's title character is alive and well, with other characters, including Martin Freeman's John Watson, learning of Holmes' return from the dead after a two-year absence.
The mini-episode, entitled Many Happy Returns, opens with a blond drug smuggler discovered among a group of monks, followed by a discussion between Anderson (Jonathan Aris) and Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) in which the former is convinced that a series of recent events mean that Holmes is still alive. Lestrade remains skeptical, though.
Among the incidents Anderson lists to support his theory are a murder involving ice cream solved by an inspector in New Delhi and a court case in Hamburg in which a mysterious juror is the only one who believes the man on trial is guilty.
"He's out there. He's hiding. But he can't stop himself from getting involved. It's so obviously him, if you know how to spot the signs," Anderson says.
As Anderson ponders where he believes Holmes has appeared, he realizes Holmes is getting closer to England.
"Just look at the map, though," Anderson tells Lestrade. "He's getting closer. It's like he's coming back."
Lestrade then leaves and gives Watson a box of Holmes' stuff, including the uncut version of the video message he made for his friend's birthday, in which he tells a man off-camera that he won't be there because he has "a thing," and explains his absence by noting there will be people at Watson's party.
Holmes is then shown recording the birthday message and wishing Watson "many happy returns."
The mini-episode ends with a few symbols implying that Holmes will soon return from the dead.
The short was written by Sherlock producers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.
Sherlock returns in the U.K. on New Year's Day and premieres in the U.S. on Jan. 19 on PBS Masterpiece.
It was very good and very stylish, although i cant get away from the fact everyone in it and everyone who writes it positively drips with smugness. I know thats how Holmes is, but it seems every crevice of the programme oozes smug!
Still enjoyable, fast-paced, and episode 2 sunday already. Only 2 years in the waiting...for four and a half hours of t.v!
I agree that most of the episode was about the show itself, about how popular it is, how much the fans have waited and speculated, in many ways it was very self-congratulating.
For some reason they got away with it though, for me.
I do hope we get an actual mystery to solve next sunday...
I did ! ....but, not only Wanda .......Tim too !! What a lovely touch that was.
Don't read the spoiler if you don't want to spoil the surprise.
Either way....DON'T miss this new series when it comes your way.
Episode: 1 was the best 90 mts. on TV for years
Absolutely breathtaking !
Ben & Martin looked as if they were having a ball making it.
(Yes, I know there were holes, but that was all part of the fun, and I suspect that Sherlock will have some more "'splainin'" to do before the end of Episode: 3 ??? . )
Yes, it was a very fan-centric episode. But then again, so was the original story. Fans demanding that Sherlock be brought back to life is what saved him in the first place. So it was quite apropos.
It is both brilliant but also straying into self indulgence, isnt it. That self congratulatory feel was there even more in episode two - but its still fantastic television. As stefancos says, all over next sunday.
. )
