‘Sherlock’ season 3 finale review: Mycroft, Moriarty and is there a third Holmes brother?

The “Sherlock” season 3 finale is here already just two weeks after the premiere and although it’s been a very short ride, it was definitely worth the two year wait. (Caution: Spoilers ahead).

This season we’ve listened to the tall tales of how Sherlock faked his own death, Watson’s reaction to finding out Sherlock was alive (it involved a lot of anger), and Watson and Mary getting married as well as learning that they have a baby on the way. In seasons past each episode had a big bad attached to a very in-depth case that Sherlock and Watson had to solve, but the first two episodes didn’t have that this go around. Have you been missing that? So have we.

Since the wedding Watson hasn’t seen Sherlock in a month and Sherlock has a girlfriend, (Janine the bridesmaid from Watson’s wedding.) Sherlock was a virgin when this series began (and we haven’t seen him kissing anyone), so watching him kissing this random woman is a little anti-climatic for us as a viewer. Shippers of Irene Adler and Sherlock or Molly and Sherlock (Molly is no longer engaged) are likely imploding at the moment. We expected a bit more from this moment and we are a little disappointed to say the least. At least Sherlock is still a virgin.

Charles Augustus Magnussen: Finally we have a real villain this season. He’s smart, creepy and nasty… the baron of blackmail. Watching his first interaction with Sherlock was completely mind boggling as he came into Sherlock’s apartment, peed in his fireplace and walked out as he tells Sherlock the will not turn over the incriminating letters of Sherlock’s client. He decides to break into Charles office to get the letters and we learn that Janine is Charles’ personal assistant… so with her help (and a proposal from Sherlock) she opens the door for him and Watson. Did he really just propose to get into an office? He did, but luckily it’s not a proposal that will stick.

When Sherlock finds Charles he is on his knees at gun point while a woman has a gun trained on him. Who is the woman? When she turns around we see that it’s Mary. Sherlock offers to help her no matter what Charles has on her but instead she shoots Sherlock. Watson comes upstairs to find Sherlock on the ground and the shooter is gone.

Sherlock decides not to tell John about Mary shooting him, but tricks her into telling John herself. As angry as John is, he sits down with her and Sherlock and they listen to Mary’s story. She hands John a flash drive that reveals all information about who she really is and tells John not to look at it until he’s ready to no longer love her. After months of holding onto the flash drive Watson decides not to learn anything about Mary’s past, burns the flash drive and wants to move forward with her. Unfortunately Charles is still holding all of Mary’s secrets.

Sherlock makes a deal with Charles and sells him Mycroft… more so, Mycroft’s secrets. In exchange he will hand over all of Mary’s information. Sherlock’s real plan was to bring Mycroft’s secrets (his computer with a GPS) to where Charles and all of his secrets are held (his vault) and there he will be busted. Sherlock learns that the one major mistake he made is that there are no physical vaults at this location, they are all in his head. Charles tells them that they will be arrested shortly for trying to sell state secrets to him. When Mycroft shows up in a helicopter with the Calvary Sherlock decides to shoot Charles in cold blood to end his hold over everyone including Mary and John.

Mycroft works out a deal to stop Sherlock from going to jail, but it involves him working for MI6 and going on a six month mission that will surely end in his death. Only four minutes into his exile Mycroft brings him back for one very important reason…. Moriarty is back! Oh how we’ve missed Moriarty and we hope that with his return that Irene Adler will also be on the horizon too.

The one thing that was very subtle, but worth mentioning here, is that during a conversation between Mycroft and a co-worker he lets it slip that there was a third Holmes brother that is seemingly dead. This is very interesting and something that we are dying with curiosity about as much as the idea of Moriarty coming back. This season has sorely been lacking a great villain and while we thought Charles was pretty good, he was barely used. Grade: B

What did you think of “Sherlock” season 3? Was it worth the wait? Are you excited for Moriarty to come back? Leave us a comment with your thoughts and concerns moving into “Sherlock” season 4.

Photo: BBC One