The BBC’sSherlockmade some big mistakes after season 2, but 11 years ago, it betrayed fans with a decision that ended up killing the show. Thanks to his popularity and engaging stories, Sherlock Holmes has been adapted to all types of media for decades, and some of his most successful adaptations have been those that brought the detective to the modern world.
Among them is the BBC’sSherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as John Watson. The series was set in modern-day London, adapting the characters and cases to modern technology, social issues, and more.Sherlockhad a strong start with its first two seasons, but it had a disappointing ending.
Manythings went wrong withSherlock’s seasons 3 and 4, such as Holmes’ cases becoming very hard to believe and the introduction of a third Holmes sibling that turned out to be a criminal mastermind. However, at the beginning of season 3,Sherlockmade an infamous decision that killed the show.
Sherlock Season 3’s Premiere Made Fun Of The Show’s Fans
“The Empty Hearse” Disrespected Fans
As mentioned above,Sherlockfound success pretty quickly with its first two seasons, but this also led to the show peaking very early. AlthougheverySherlockepisodecovered a different case, the presence of Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott) was teased from the first episode, and he made his official appearance in season 1’s finale.
Moriarty was the main villain throughout season 2, and his final confrontation with Holmes happened in the season finale, “The Reichenbach Fall.” Moriarty made Holmes meet him on the roof of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, where he intended to force the detective into killing himself so he could save his loved ones – however, Holmes realized there was a way out.
Not willing to lose, Moriarty killed himself in front of Holmes, leaving the latter no choice but to do the same.With John watching from the street, Holmes jumped off the roof, and John rushed to his body to see if there was a way to save his friend.
Sherlockhad already built a loyal and passionate fanbase, and this cliffhanger ending unleashed a bunch of fan theories.
However, right at the end of the episode, as John walked away from Holmes’ grave, the detective was revealed to be alive. By then,Sherlockhad already built a loyal and passionate fanbase, and this cliffhanger ending unleashed a bunch of fan theories, analyses, and possible explanations ofhow Holmes faked his death.
The team behindSherlockwere aware of the show’s solid fanbase and acknowledged it many times, but instead of giving back to their loyal audience, they disrespected it in the worst way. Season 3’s premiere episode, “The Empty Hearse”, saw Anderson (Jonathan Aris) leading a group of fans and conspiracy theorists who looked to explain how Holmes faked his death.
The people in Anderson’s group were clearly a nod to Sherlock fans, but the show was making fun of its audience through them.
For that, the writers ofSherlockused real-life fan theories, both serious ones and other more fan-like, such as one that included Holmes and Moriarty kissing. The people in Anderson’s group were clearly a nod toSherlockfans, but the show was making fun of its audience through them, and this disrespectful decision marked the beginning of the end ofSherlock.
“The Empty Hearse” Didn’t Bother To Explain How Sherlock Survived
“The Empty Hearse” not only made fun ofSherlockfans and their many theories (most of them quite brilliant), but it also failed to do the most important thing: explain how Holmes survived jumping off the roof. The episode begins with one of Anderson’s possible explanations, which involved a bungee rope, John being hypnotized, and Holmes kissing Molly.
Later, there was the above-mentioned theory in which Holmes and Moriarty kiss, which also included them dangling a Holmes dummy off the roof. Lastly,Holmes visited Anderson to personally explain to him how he faked his death, saying that he planned it with Mycroft, as they realized there were 13 possible scenarios once he met Moriarty on the roof.
With the help of his Homeless Network and other people, Holmes made sure that John couldn’t get closer and that he would be hit by the biker while Holmes landed on an inflatable mattress, bystanders added blood to him, and he placed a squash ball under his arm to temporarily stop his pulse (the latter a detail found in many fan theories).
However, Anderson doubted the veracity of all this, and even questioned why, of all people, would Holmes tell him what truly happened – andwhen Anderson turned around, Holmes wasn’t there anymore, leaving Anderson and the audience to question if Holmes was even there to begin with. This way,Sherlockavoided giving an official explanation of how Holmes faked his death and never touched the topic again.
Sherlock Season 3 Was The Beginning Of The End For The Show
Sherlock Couldn’t Recover After That
“The Empty Hearse” avoiding explaining the biggest questionSherlockhad left up to that point and making fun of its audience was just the beginning of the show’s decline.Seasons 3 and 4 had messy cases that often made no sense,Holmes’ deduction skills became hard to believe, and the addition of Mary Morstan (Amanda Abbington) messed with the dynamic between Holmes and Watson.
To top it off, the series finale, “The Final Problem”, introduced a third Holmes sibling named Eurus (Sian Brooke), who was not onlythe most intelligent Holmes siblingbut also a criminal mastermind.Sherlockhad a strong start and a weak and disappointing ending, but its biggest mistake was making fun of its audience.
