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"The Final Problem" is the third episode of the fourth series of the British television series Sherlock and the thirteenth episode overall. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One, PBS, Channel One and 1+1 on 15 January 2017.

Plot

A girl wakes up on an airplane and finds everybody asleep. She picks up a cellphone and hears Jim Moriarty announce "Welcome to the Final Problem."

Mycroft Holmes is watching a vintage film in his home, while suddenly the film stops with the words “I’M BACK”. Escaping, he finds a clown with a sword. Mycroft tries to escape, but Sherlock Holmes reveals that he and John Watson staged the attack to prove that his sister, Eurus, exists.

On Baker Street, Mycroft reveals that their parents sent Eurus to a mental institution after she burned their home. An adult Mycroft then sent her to a maximum-security facility, Sherrinford. He dismisses the idea that she has escaped, but a drone with a motion-activated explosive flies into the flat. John, Sherlock, and Mycroft are forced to escape as the bomb detonates.

Later, John and Sherlock hijack a boat to travel to Sherrinford. They are discovered, but Sherlock gets to Eurus's cell by disguising himself as a prison guard. Mycroft and John corner the prison governor. They discover that Eurus has taken control of the prison by influencing the people she talks to. Meanwhile, Sherlock finds that Eurus's cell has no protective glass, meaning she is not actually a prisoner. The guards take Sherlock, John, Mycroft, and the governor to a separate cell.

Mycroft reveals that five years ago, he granted Eurus five unsupervised minutes with Moriarty as a Christmas present. They arranged for Moriarty to record a variety of taunting videos, which Eurus plays throughout the prison. Eurus demands that Sherlock choose Watson or Mycroft to kill the governor to save his wife. Although the governor kills himself when they refuse, Eurus kills his wife nonetheless. A secret door in the cell opens, leading to a room with three photographs of murder suspects. Sherlock solves the murder to save the two innocent suspects from being dropped into the sea, but Eurus still kills all three.

In a new room, they find an empty coffin with the words “I LOVE YOU”. On screen they see Molly Hooper in her home, where Eurus threatens to detonate explosives unless Sherlock can convince her to say those three words. Sherlock calls her and begs her to say the words, despite her resistance because she admits they are true. Eurus then reveals that there were never bombs, causing Sherlock to break down and destroy the coffin. In the next room, Eurus demands that Sherlock kill either John or Mycroft. Sherlock instead points the gun at himself, causing a frustrated Eurus to stop him by shooting everyone with tranquilizer darts.

Sherlock wakes up in a cell, later revealed to be fake, located near his family's old house. Sherlock speaks to the girl seen in the beginning of the episode, to guide her in landing the plane. John wakes up at the bottom of a well and reveals to Sherlock that there are human bones there. Sherlock then realizes that what he thought was his dog Redbeard, was in fact his best friend, Victor Trevor. Eurus threw him into that well and left him for dead because Sherlock has never spent time with his sister in their childhood. Sherlock deciphers a code in the gravestones put by Eurus with the aid of her song, urging him to seek her in her old bedroom. Sherlock finds Eurus there, revealing that the girl in the plane was her mental metaphor and that the game was only a cry for help. John is rescued, and Eurus is arrested and taken back to Sherrinford.

Mycroft explains that Eurus refuses to speak to people anymore, but Sherlock visits her and they play violin together. Meanwhile, John and Sherlock begin repairing their destroyed flat. John receives a CD sent by Mary before she died, which contains a video encouraging him to continue having adventures with Sherlock.

Production

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2017)

The setting for Sherrinford, the high-security prison, was filmed at St Catherine's Fort, St Catherine's Island off Castle Beach in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Leak and investigation

One day before the episode's release, it was leaked online by Russian distributor Channel One. Both the official Sherlock Twitter and members of the Sherlock team acknowledged this and asked people to not share it and keep the Internet free of spoilers.

BBC through BBC Worldwide is engaged in a full-scale investigation of the early leak of the Russian version of the episode, which occurred on 14 January. Channel One is conducting their own separate investigation.

Broadcast and reception

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2017)

The Final Problem received mixed reviews from critics with some drawing parallel to films like Saw. Sean O'Grady of The Independent gave the episode four out of five stars, stating that "Benedict Cumberbatch and Tim (Martin) Freeman are their usual accomplished double act" although suggesting "Maybe Sherlock needs a little more reimagining". Meanwhile, Michael Hogan of The Daily Telegraph gave the episode five out of five stars, praising that "the dazzling script delivered laughs, excitement, and emotion .. we were left with a wiser Holmes and Watson". He also commented about the possibility of series 4 being the last series for Sherlock, stating "If this was the last-ever episode, which it surely won't be, it worked well as a sign off".

However, some reviews were more critical and negative of the Final Problem. Kaite Welsh of IndieWire scored the episode a grade of B-, writing "Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss wrap up their 13th episode on an elegiac note, musing on the legend that is Sherlock and Watson. It's just a shame the rest of the episode was such a mess, really." Ian Hyland of The Daily Mirror stated that he preferred it "when Holmes and Watson were just solving fairly believable mysteries. If it went back to that I'd welcome another series or two with open arms". He compared the series to the BBC series Taboo, suggesting that the latter would be a better television series for those who love Sherlock. Aja Romano of Vox also criticized the episode, praising the usual drama of Sherlock, but being critical of the fact that "'The Final Problem' ... collapses into a muddled mess of melodrama and confusion ... there is even less logic". Romano considered the episode to be an anticlimax, saying "the episode feels like a window dressing on a completely different story". Christopher Stevens for the Daily Mail ended up awarding the episode zero stars (following his one-star review of The Six Thatchers), highly critical of what was seen as poor writing, describing the "problems" of the episodes as "all so callow, so contrived, so undergraduate", and a proneness to become self-satisfied.

References

1. Moskvitin, Egor (1 January 2017). "«Шерлок»: что мы знаем о четвертом сезоне" [Sherlock: what do we know about the fourth series]. Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 9 January 2017.
2. Soshin, Dmitry (1 January 2017). "Первый канал начинает показ нового сезона британского сериала «Шерлок»" [The fourth series of Sherlock on Channel One]. Channel One (in Russian). Retrieved 9 January 2017.
3. "Шерлок – 4 сезон – 3 серія – онлайн". Офіційний сайт каналу 1+1 - 1plus1.ua. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
4. Williams, Kathryn (15 January 2017). "Revealed: Sherlock's Sherrinford is Tenby landmark St Catherine's". Wales Online. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
5. Yelistratov, Vadim (14 January 2017). "В сеть досрочно утекла финальная серия «Шерлока» в переводе Первого канала" [Final episode of "Sherlock" with translation by Channel One prematurely leaked]. DTF (in Russian). Retrieved 16 January 2017.
6. "Sherlock series finale leaked online". BBC News. 15 January 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
7. "Sherlock finale ratings hit all-time low". BBC News. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
8. "Финал «Шерлока» показал на родине самые низкие рейтинги со времён первого сезона" (in Russian). DTF. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
9. "Первый канал расследует слив серии «Шерлока»" (in Russian). The Village. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
10. Sean O'Grady (24 November 2016). "Sherlock season 4 episode 3 review: 'The Final Problem' maybe needs reimagining". The Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
11. Michael Hogan. "Sherlock episode 3: The Final Problem, review: 'an exhilarating thrill-ride'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
12. Kaite Welsh. "Sherlock Review: 'The Final Problem' Is A Problematic Season Finale". IndieWire. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
13. , 16 January 2017Updated10:33, 16 January 2017. "I preferred it when Sherlock and Watson were just solving fairly believable mysteries - Ian Hyland - Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
14. Johnson, Nathanael. "Sherlock season 4, episode 3: "The Final Problem" might be the series finale. If it is, it's a huge disappointment". Vox. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
15. Driver, Ben. "CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: Sherlock's now so clever-clever, it's stupid". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
16. Stevens, Christopher (19 October 2016). "Do BBC bigwigs give a fig about Sherlock viewers? | Daily Mail Online". Dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2017.

External links

• "The Final Problem (Sherlock)" at IMDb

• 2017 British television episodes
• Screenplays by Steven Moffat
• Screenplays by Mark Gatiss
• Sherlock (TV series) episodes