Sherlock: 20 Easter Eggs, In-Jokes And References
15. The Glowing Matchbox
During his best man speech in The Sign Of Three, Sherlock mentions several of his and Johns cases. Some are invented such as The Hollow Client and The Elephant in the Room but others are, naturally, nods to the Canon.
One of the strangest is the intriguing case of the French decathlete found surrounded by 1,812 matchboxes, all empty except one. We see Sherlock open said matchbox only for whatever is inside to glow.
This is adapted from a case mentioned in The Problem Of Thor Bridge in which an insane man is found with a matchbox containing a remarkable worm unknown to science.
The reason why the matchbox is glowing here is possibly a reference to Pulp Fiction, in which the unknown contents of Marcellus briefcase do just that.