It’s time to talk about the season (SERIES??) finale of “Sherlock”
The last episode of Sherlock Season 4, “The Final Problem” might also be the final episode of the series. It’s okay if you need a few minutes to collect yourself — and it’s okay if you haven’t yet watched the episode yet, but maybe stop reading here because there are SPOILERS ahead.
Sherlock first hit our television sets in 2010. That was seven years ago. It has taken seven years to get four seasons of Sherlock, and that is just bonkers (think for a second about the fact that Netflix’s Fuller House had two seasons in 2016). It’s a long, and beautiful, process to make Sherlock, and it’s only gotten more complicated over time. In the years since 2010, both Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have been to the Shire and back, and are now both part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They are very busy boys.
Going forward, they might be too busy for Sherlock.
Since the beginning of this year, Sherlock’s co-creators, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, have been gently telling us that this could be the last season of Sherlock. Moffat told The Telegraph, “I don’t know how long we can keep it going.” Not making us feel any better, later Benedict himself stated, “It might be the end of an era.”
Sure sounds like the people behind Sherlock are getting ready to wrap it up.
And that leads us to “The Final Problem.” After learning that there is, in fact, a third Holmes sibling (the chilling Euros, aka, “The East Wind”), Sherlock, Mycroft, and John travel to the fortress-on-an-island prison, Sherrinford (lol, see what you did there, Sherlock) where she’s been since a child — since you need to know the horrible reason why she’s there, it’s because she killed Sherlock’s childhood best friend.
Everything should be smooth sailing with this trip, but Eurus has secretly taken control of the island and has been manipulating everyone. She then sets Sherlock, Mycroft, and Sherlock on race to try and solve as many puzzles as possible, or lots of people will die.
Glazing over all the tiny details in the episode, don’t worry, Sherlock, Mycroft, and John are able to solve this “final problem” and free Eurus from her emotional prison, and save the day! All’s well that ends well.
And that brings us to the final moments of the episode. Mary — from beyond the grave — has sent one last video to John and Sherlock, titled, “Miss You.” Might as well know what Mary says in full, so here it is:
I know you two, and if I'm gone, I know what you two could become because I know who you really are: A junkie who gets high to solve crimes, and the doctor who never came home from the war. Will you listen to me? Who you really are, it doesn't matter. It's all about the legend, the stories. The adventures. There is a last refuge for the desperate, the unloved, the persecuted. There is a final court of appeal for everyone. When life gets too strange, too impossible, too frightening, there is always one last hope. When all else fails, there are two men arguing in a scruffy flat, like they've always been there and always will. The best and wisest men I have ever known. My Baker Street boys, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Welp. If that doesn’t read like a series final send off, IDK what does. Mary’s voiceover reminds us what the show has been about all along: Just two bros solving crimes in very unconventional ways. They’ve always been solving crimes together, and they always will be. Even if there is no more Sherlock ever again, these two are still holed up in 221B Baker Street, trading jabs and stopping the bad guys.
With Mary’s speech, there’s a nice little bow on the series, wrapping everything up. Sherlock is fine, John is fine, and lil’ Rosie Watson seems to be doing just fine, too. We’re not worried that these three are in peril, and everything seems to be back to normal. It’s a good place to end.
But like… there’s going to be more episodes of Sherlock, RIGHT?
