‘Sherlock’ season 3 spoilers: First details on episode 3, ‘His Last Vow’

As if you were not excited enough already about the first two episodes of “Sherlock” season 3, we now have some more details on the third and final episode. This episode is entitled “The Last Vow,” and unlike some other episodes, there is no airdate mentioned in the official press release for it.

Instead, the BBC seems to be more concerned in just sharing what the story is this time around, including introducing a noteworthy villain, and showing what may be the most intense conflict for Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes just yet:

“In the final episode of this new series, written by Steven Moffat, a case of stolen letters leads Sherlock Holmes into a long conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen, the Napoleon of blackmail, and the one man he truly hates.

“But how do you tackle a foe who knows the personal weakness of every person of importance in the Western world?”

Moffat penning the episode is yet another sign of the sort of focus and attention that he is putting into the work. Remember here: This is a new season that is two years in the making, and people love season 2 with the white-hot intensity of many suns. They have to figure out a way to equal that sort of passion for season 3, and avoid the inevitable hate comments of “the show’s just not as good anymore!” that tends to crop up every time a show is a couple of years into its run.

Personally, we don’t think anything with Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman can be bad, and we’re personally predicting that despite the long layoff, season 3 is going to be all levels of awesome. This case, at least via description alone, is just yet another example of it.

Do you want to read some more “Sherlock” news? Well, we’ve got some synopses and analysis for the other two episodes, whether you are talking about “The Empty Hearse” (episode 1) and “The Sign of Three” (episode 2). The new season premieres New Year’s Day in Britain, and on January 19 in America on PBS.

Photo: BBC One