‘Sherlock,’ Season 2, Episode 3: “The Reichenbach Fall”

Writer: Steve Thompson
Original Air Date: January 15, 2012 (UK Premiere Date)
Watch It On: Netflix

What It’s About: Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) is beginning to get a name for himself as the world’s leading consulting detective. The only problem is that Moriarty (Andrew Scott) is at the height of his powers and out to finally get Sherlock. Moriarty stages an elaborate plot to strip Sherlock of all his allies, frame him for a crime, and to brand him publicly as a fraud. In the episode’s epic climax, the two meet atop a roof. If Sherlock doesn’t declare himself as a fake and commit suicide, Moriarty’s hitmen will murder the only three people the detective cares about: Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs), Detective Lestrade (Rupert Graves), and Sherlock’s best friend, Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman). Sherlock Holmes has no choice but to accept the inevitable fall — or does he?

Why It’s So Good: By itself, the episode is a sublimely written and incredibly well-acted 90 minutes of television. Thompson sets up multiple mysteries for the famous sleuth to solve and they all dovetail together in such a way that Sherlock is pinned to the wall and seemingly beaten. The detective’s devastating solution to the problem has an irrevocable effect on the entire series. In fact, the first three seasons of Sherlock can be divided into everything that leads up to “The Reichenbach Fall,” and then how the characters regroup after the episode’s fallout.

Cumberbatch and company might have scooped up 7 Emmys this year for “His Last Vow,” but “The Reichenbach Fall” is Sherlock at its best. Every character is pushed to his or her limit. Sherlock must confront not only the idea that he can’t save the day, but that he can’t save himself. Watson breaks down over losing his best friend. Oh, and Andrew Scott makes Moriarty even more terrifying and more warped than ever.

The show has always been good at presenting intellectual puzzles for Sherlock to decipher, but season two was about pushing the detective to his emotional limits. The first episode, “A Scandal In Belgravia,” forced Sherlock to confront love and sexuality in the guise of Irene Adler (Lara Pulver) and the second, “The Hounds of Baskerville” plunged him into the depths of terror. He managed to overcome these primal urges to save the day, but what happens when he’s confronted with loss, shame, and his own mortality? Can Sherlock save the day and save himself?

The episode is also important because it shows the depth of Sherlock and Watson’s friendship. Homoeroticism aside, Sherlock and Watson love each other and “The Reichenbach Fall” tears them apart. We’ve known from the first episode that the two men are stronger together than they are apart, and the crux of Moriarty’s plan is to separate Watson from Sherlock, and to exploit the good doctor as Sherlock’s greatest weakness.

The Best Moment: It’s not necessarily a moment, but an entire act. Sherlock and Moriarty’s prolonged confrontation on the rooftop is spellbinding to watch. You have two great actors portraying two complex characters going at each other until the other falters. It’s an intellectual chess match, an emotional battle, and incredible television. Oh, and it ends with a dramatic fall…

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Photos: PBS & BBC