‘Sherlock’ season 4, episode 2 preview: Meet Culverton Smith in ‘The Lying Detective’

Through the past three seasons, our title hero of “Sherlock” certainly has tangled with many a formidable opponent, with of course Moriarty topping the list when it comes to being intellectually challenging. We’re not sure that Andrew Scott’s character pales in comparison to who we are about see Holmes face off against next, but the implication is clear that Culverton Smith (Toby Jones) is a man not to be trifled with. He’s smart, and more importantly he’s got the sort of power who few other adversaries have had over the course of the series.

“The Lying Detective” is the title for next week’s episode of the series, and judging from what the BBC is saying in advance of it airing, what Smith is hiding could be just as important as what he is portraying on the surface.

Synopsis – “Sherlock faces perhaps the most chilling enemy of his long career: the powerful and seemingly unassailable Culverton Smith – a man with a very dark secret indeed.”

It’s hard to say too much more about this story in advance of seeing “The Six Thatchers” air, especially since there may be some elements of tonight’s episode that bleed into what we see here. The one thing that we were told weeks ago was that this would be one of the darkest seasons of the show to date, and with this man in power, it’s easy to understand how that could be so. Alliances and relationships are going to be tested, and there’s a chance for far greater sadness before we end up reaching the unfortunate end of the road.

One other sad reminder is that by the time you finish watching this installment, you will already be two-thirds of the way through season 4. If that’s not a difficult pill to swallow (especially given that the future beyond this season is unclear), what is?

Where do you think “Sherlock” is going to next? Let us know below, and be sure to check out another cryptic video on the future of the series. (Photo: BBC One.)