2. The Reichenbach Fall (Season 2, Episode 3)
Written by Steve Thompson
"One more thing, one more miracle, Sherlock, for me. Don't...be...dead." - Dr. John Watson The Fall has become notorious for unleashing a torrent of emotions within its viewers. This episode is the ultimate culmination of what both seasons have been building up to since 'Sherlock' began with "A Study in Pink." "Reichenbach" comes full circle with "Study" multiple times during the episode. The first time is at the very beginning, when John is back at his therapist's office, a place he hadn't been since he met Sherlock. The second time is when Sherlock is arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and attempted murder, and Sergeant Donovan recalls to John how, when they first met, she predicted that Sherlock would one day be discovered as the perpetrator of a crime. The third occurs when Sherlock is standing on the ledge, about to jump, telling John that he is a fake, and John refuses to believe him, referring back to when Sherlock deduced everything about John when they first met. The show comes full circle, and in doing so it shows just how much Sherlock has changed, how John has changed, how each of their lives has been enriched by the other. While "A Scandal in Belgravia" focused on love as its main theme, and "The Hounds of Baskerville" focused on fear, "Reichenbach" combines the two to great effect. As the episode plays out, paranoia over Moriarty grows, leading up to a climax where Sherlock's heart is revealed once more when he "dies" to save his friends. Moriarty is everything that Sherlock could be if Sherlock didn't have John, Mrs. Hudson, Molly, and Lestrade to keep compassion in his heart. This mirroring is showcased incredibly well in all of Moriarty and Sherlock's interactions, in scenes such as the rooftop before Sherlock's fall, and in 221B after Moriarty is acquitted from the trial. In each scene they banter back and forth, each testing the other's intelligence, weighing each other's weaknesses and strengths. Jim Moriarty is played to perfection by Andrew Scott; what other villain could dance along to a classical soundtrack as he steals the Crown Jewels, and still be as menacing and threatening as ever when confronting Sherlock? Moriarty's presence is felt throughout the entire two seasons of the show, even if he only makes a brief appearance within an episode, and the feeling of that lurking presence comes to a head in "Reichenbach" when he seems to be everywhere. For example. he's on the television in the cab as the storyteller and he is the driver of that cab ("No charge"). He makes his presence felt as he deliberately leaves clues behind in the breadcrumbs, the book of fairy tales, and the burnt gingerbread man. His influence is behind the spray-painted "IOU" appearing on the building, the camera within 221B, and the assassins living right across the street. There seems to be no escape from Moriarty. Even when Sherlock and John go seeking out answers from Kitty Riley, there he is in her flat, as an ordinary man, begging John not to hurt him and confessing that he's an actor hired by Sherlock to play Moriarty. It's a credit to Andrew Scott's acting ability that he almost had me believing for a second. While most of my brain was shrieking "That can't be true!" there was a tiny, horrified part going "But can it...?" Only when Kitty's back is turned and Moriarty drops the act for a second as he grins at John and Sherlock can we be sure that Moriarty is real, and wonder how we ever could have doubted. That is part of the brilliance of this episode - the audience is drawn in to feel the fear, the paranoia of the characters, and then even feel the doubt, if only for a second. The fact that Moriarty is capable of such terrible manipulation is what makes him such a terrifying villain, and, as he says, "every fairy tale needs a good old-fashioned villain." This begs the question: if Moriarty is the villain, does that make Sherlock the hero? Back in "The Great Game," Sherlock says, "Heroes don't exist, John, and if they did, I wouldn't be one of them." Yet at the beginning of "Reichenbach," Sherlock acquires the title of "the Reichenbach hero." And by the end, he certainly performs a heroic deed by sacrificing himself in order to save his friends, even if he was clever enough to fake his death. Even though he and Moriarty are so similar, Moriarty dies only to beat Sherlock and ensure himself of being the winner and the resolver of the Final Problem, while Sherlock dies to save the lives of John, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade. While Sherlock may still be characterized as more of an anti-hero, across the series he has learned to be heroic. He becomes a hero for his friends, and they don't even know it. Sherlock saves everyone...including himself. That still leaves the question of HOW he actually did that, which unfortunately will be left unanswered until "The Empty Hearse," which hopefully will air in early 2014. Until then, we can only speculate, and stand in awe of such an emotional roller-coaster ride of a season finale!