Sherlock Season 3 Overview: Let Me Check My Mind Palace And Ill Get Back With You

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"Sherlock" is a British series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's short stories. The main characters are Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Doctor John Watson (Martin Freeman). There are several other recurring characters-- Mrs Hudson, Mycroft (Sherlock's brother), Molly, Lestrade, etc.

One difference between this show and others in that there are only 3 90-minute episodes each season (and a long stretch of time between). Season 1 aired in 2010 and season 3 in January 2014. A season 4 is in the works. For my reviews of other seasons see Sherlock Recaps

The end of season 2 left us with Sherlock apparently plummeting to each death while John looked on in horror from the street below. He had to commit suicide so or Moriarty and his criminal network would kill the three most important people in Sherlock's life (John, Mrs Hudson and Mycroft). One of the best parts of season 3 were the hypotheses about how Sherlock faked his death. The "Empty Hearse" fan club was an especially fun addition.

Highlights from "The Empty Hearse":

Per Sherlock, there were "13 likely scenarios" of what Sherlock could have done on the roof to avoid killing himself. I assume the story Sherlock told Phillip was the true one.
I agree that John's new mustache had to go.
Mycroft says it took him "several hours" to learn Russian so he could rescue Holmes. Sherlock replied with "You're slipping."
I thought John's reaction when he learns Sherlock is still alive is fitting. Way to torture your best friend. Punch him a few more times.
Did you know that the nice older couple in Sherlock's house when John arrives are Benedict's actual parents?
Poor Molly still has a thing for Sherlock. She is currently engaged though (to a man that bears a striking resemblance to Sherlock).
Sherlock and Mycroft playing "Operation" was fun.
The terrorist plot was just a ploy to get Sherlock and John back together (and to introduce a new villain).
Nothing like having a heart to heart in the two minutes before a bomb blows you to bits.

Highlights from "The Sign of Threes":

Sherlock delivers the best man speech at John and Mary's wedding. Who thought that was a good idea?
As with the previous episode most of this one is spent on Sherlock and John's relationship. I'm not complaining since I think that's the best part of the show. Several viewers have complained about the crime of the week being more of a side note though.
Are "telegrams" a British wedding tradition? I had no idea.
We may have a budding sociopath in the ring bearer. And the maid of honor uses Sherlock to scope out all the eligible men in attendance. It is useful to have Sherlock around at times.
"Serviettes" are apparently napkins and table settings? I had to look that one up.
Sherlock precisely calculates their alcohol intake for John's stag night.
Mrs Hudson has a rather saucy past.
"Delayed action stabbing"- I need to remember that one.
And in the big reveal of the episode, Mary is preggo hence the title "The Sign Of Three".

Highlights from "His Last Vow":

Well hello Mr Charles Augustus Magnussen.
And in the big shock of the season, Mary shot Sherlock to protect her secret from John. But it was "surgery" and not "murder". She purposefully did not kill him. "You can trust Mary, she saved my life" says Sherlock to John.
Sherlock's mother was a mathematician but she "gave it all up for children".
Sherlock has a new protege named Bill Wiggins. He brings Bill to Christmas dinner. Bill has some of the same skills as Sherlock but to a lesser degree.
Mrs Hudson used to an exotic dancer. "Sherlock Holmes have you been Youtubing?"- aks Mrs Hudson. Haaa, she is hilarious.
Sherlock solves crimes to avoid taking drugs. He says John works with Sherlock and chose to be with Mary because John enjoys the excitement of it all.
"A.G.R.A" are "Mary's" initials. Everything about her is on a thumb drive. She was an intelligence agent and is not British. They later mention the CIA so I assume she's American.
MI-6 wants to place Sherlock back into Eastern Europe. Mycroft says he shouldnt take the mission because it will kill Sherlock and "your loss will break my heart".
Bill drugs everyone at Christmas dinner except for Sherlock and John. Is Wiggins a chemist in his day job? Sherlock takes Mycroft's (dont call him Mike) laptop and get on a helicopter to see Magnussen. We find out Charles was also the one who put John in the bonfire in order to attract Sherlock.
It turns out there are no vaults where Magnussen's blackmailing documents are stored. There are all in his "mind palace". When Sherlock confirms this, he kills Magnussen and asks John to tell Mary she is now safe.
"There will always come a time when we need Sherlock Holmes"- Mycroft. He also makes reference to a third Holmes brother and what happened to him. Hopefully we'll see more about that later. In lieu of prison time Sherlock has to do some undercover work overseas. He says goodbye to John but we know it's not the last they will see of her other.

Wikipedia overviews:

Episode 7: The Empty Hearse

Two years after his reported Reichenbach Fall demise, Sherlock, who has been cleared of all fraud charges against him, returns with Mycroft's help to a London under threat of terrorist attack. John has moved on and has a girlfriend, Mary Morstan. Sherlock enlists Molly to assist him, but when John is kidnapped by unknown assailants and is rescued by Sherlock and Mary, John returns to help find the terrorists and an underground plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament during an all night sitting on Guy Fawkes Night. Based on the short story "The Adventure of the Empty House",^[26] with numerous references to other works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and other adaptations of the original stories.

Episode 8: The Sign Of Three

It is John and Mary's wedding day and Sherlock is daunted by the task of delivering a Best Man’s speech. As part of the speech, he recounts cases they have worked on including a soldier being stalked and somehow stabbed in a locked shower, a ghost dating women he dubs "The Mayfly Man", the last being part of John's disastrous stag night, among others. Before his speech ends, he realises that a murderer is present among the guests intent on killing a fellow guest. Sherlock informs John and Mary of the meaning of the sign of three. The title is based on the Holmes novel The Sign of the Four.

Episode 9: His Last Vow

Stolen letters lead Sherlock into conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen, "the Napoleon of blackmail" who knows the personal weakness of every person of importance in the Western world. During the investigation Sherlock is shot and nearly killed by someone who is being blackmailed by Magnussen. Sherlock and John discover the blackmail files in a seemingly impenetrable location. The title is based on Doyle's short story His Last Bow, whereas the plot contains elements of another short story, The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton.

Favorite Quotes:

"Use your mind palace!"- John to Sherlock on how to disarm the bomb.

"Not the way I would have done it" says Phillip to Sherlock when he revealed how he killed himself. "Everyone's a critic" says Sherlock.

"Marriage changes people in ways they dont themselves realize"- Mrs Hudson to Sherlock.

"Its the end of an era."- Mrs Hudson and Sherlock.

"You're a bloody psychopath" says one of Mary's exes. "A high functioning sociopath with your number."- Sherlock.

"I'm afraid John I can't congratulate you. All emotions, and in particular love, stand opposed to the pure, cold, hard reason I hold above all things...Today we honor the deathwatch beetle that is the doom of our society and in time, one feels certain, our entire species. But anyway let's talk about John."- Sherlock

"I will take the case"- Sherlock. "What case?"- Mary. "Yours"- Sherlock.

"Has everyone I have ever met a psychopath?"- Mary. "Yes"- Sherlock.

"People like Magnussen should be killed"- Mary.

"She's bad that one-- so many dead people"- Magnussen about Mary.

"I dont understand"- John. "You should have that put on a tshirt"- Magnussen.

"The game is never over John but there may be some new players"- Sherlock.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). A solid season. I especially enjoyed the theories about how Sherlock escaped death in "The Empty Hearse" and the twist with Mary in "His Last Vow". I hope we get to see more of Mary's back story in season 4. Please leave your thoughts and comments about "Sherlock" in the comments below.