We hope it's not The Final Problem. Sherlock - 9pm Sunday - BBC1

[givemushypeasachance]

I thought it might be an idea to start a new thread for The Reichenbach Fall since The Hounds got its thread up to over 200 pages since last Sunday!

Non-spoilery vague preview description: "Sherlock and John lock horns with their old enemy in one final problem that tests loyalty and courage to their very limits. Sherlock must fight for his reputation, his sanity and his life. But is he all he claims to be?"

BBC link for The Reichenbach Fall

Take note of the later start time of 9pm. Get your deerstalkers and spiffy pocket magnifiers ready!

Oh come on, we're going to need a bit more than that! Or are you suggesting that it's Moriarty's body with a Sherlock mask on? Hmmm Could be, could be...would explain the stoved in head, the blood, and the lack of mention of Moriarty's death in the newspaper...yes, I like it.

Hmmm..... I'm not convinced about Sherlock mask, when they roll the body over, you clearly see his eyes and they are a very distinctive colour.

But screamy kidnap girl is hard to explain without it.

Thanks to all the Holmes fans on this thread who have suggested which books to start with and where to go from there. As I'm a bit lazy and it's just too much effort for me to make notes from the different posts, I've started a thread in Adult Fiction here to get all the suggestions concentrated in one thread.

It'd be vair kind of you to help a lazy, lapsed Holmes reader.

Boulevard - yes but they swap the body before its rolled over.

Yep to body swap after the fall the "audience" were quick to cordene the body off and Watson's approach was delayed by cyclist.

Screamy kidnap girl is only seven, and already frightened by being kidnapped in the middle of the night. I should think it would have been pretty easy to convince her of pretty much anything. She could have been shown some pictures of Sherlock and told that he was coming to get her, or something like that.

Fell onto the padded truck, jumped off, added fake blood and then Watson appeared after being "delayed",

Well, apparently - if I understood correctly the girl in the mortuary made a prosthetic of Sherlock which Moriarty must have worn when kidnapping the little girl - not sure if mask was attached to Moriarty or just a dummy......need to watch it again!

but what about the gravestone, and presumably a funeral? Watson and Mrs Hudson would HAVE to attent the funeral (how can it be fake?)

Regarding the question as to why Moriarty isn't mentioned in the press

Well he set it up that his whole existence was made up by Sherlock and he was just a paid actor i.e. a nobody.
When Sherlock says they are the same person it's because Moriarty has tied himself so completely to him. In order to solve his final problem, i.e. Holmes was the mastermind all along in the eyes of the public, he is writing himself out and it means he has no ability to do any of the things he did before. They need each other - one to set the riddle and the other to crack it.

He kills himself because without Holmes there is no interest left in his life

V well put, Everybodys.

I liked the Mycroft/Sherlock storyline, despite the daft bit in the Palace.
What was it that Mycroft told Moriarty? Was it that he gave Moriarty more detailed insight into Sherlock which he then used to his own advantage in the mind-games?

Not sure how believable I find that.

I agree that we see it through Watson´s eyes-fairly quickly people gather & sort of form a chain around the body & keep others away.

Watson expects it to be Sherlock.

Why is there no shout of OMFG-it´s Sherlock Holmes?

The "witnesses" are most likely Sherlock's homeless network. They were brought up for the first time in ages earlier in the episode, so they're definitely key.

SeaShells - that's for me to know and you to find out!

Just to add to the TV series - the pathology girl was the ex-girlfriend of Moriarty and did have access to a lot of dead bodies as well as information on Holmes.
It is very possible that Holmes's body was swapped for that of Moriarty (along with his disguise as Sherlock - remember the guy was very good at acting). Hence why the blood from Holmes's body was coming from the head, just as it would if he had been shot in the head.
Thus there is only one body to bury and Mycroft would have seen to the rest of the cover-up as he did in the book.

Holmes was always a master of disguise.

As to the novels, well the Holmes novels are very different to the stories as they give a lot more background as to the actual crime and motives and pandered to Doyle's love of historical novels. I found them all interesting but can understand that some people might not do. The short stories are all condensed so there is non-stop action and they focus purely on Holmes, Watson and the case at hand.
I'll go visit this other thread in adult fiction now.

Diddl - Why is there no shout of OMFG-it´s Sherlock Holmes?

Because he wasn't wearing his Sherlock-hat and no one recognsises him without it!

TheRhubarb - I still like my theory that Mycroft keeps a supply of frozen Sherlock-a-like corpses on ice for emergencies just like this...

I agree with Pixel about how they staged the falling scene and the screaming girl. There is a lot of talk in the episode about the power of suggestion, how suggestible people are, etc, and she is a traumatised child so presumably even easier to influence than most adults. All it needed was for her to be shown Sherlock's image and told that he was a bad man coming to get her or something.

IveGotTights, is that video really from Benedict's ex's wedding? I didn't think she was married. And I thought the footage, although leaked recently, was filmed some time ago ? if it was from more than about a year ago (which I thought it was) then Benedict and Olivia P would still have been together. I really felt for her over that; what an awful thing to happen. She must've been mortified. It also resulted in her making her Twitter account private so you can't just follow her any more, which is a pity ? she was funny and interesting.

Oh that's a good theory - I like that one!
Diddl - because they don't swear on the telly like that.

Tell you what though, if they resurrect him like in The Empty House then Watson ain't gonna be too impressed. He fainted in the book then had a right hissy fit at Holmes. Well, you would wouldn't you?

Anyway, remember Holmes' maxim? "Once you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the answer."

Watson ain't gonna be too impressed...

Swooning, brandy and loosened clothing - sounds like a Sherlock/John shipper's dream senario, I'm sure they're all writing fanfic like that right now!

I reckon he would punch Sherlock in the face for doing that to him...

"My dear Warton, I owe you a thousand apologies, I had no idea you would be so affected." Typical Holmes style - Watson turns around to find Sherlock standing before him and Holmes didn't think he would be so affected!

Warton? Who the fuck is Warton? Watson obviously!

Yes, I should imagine somebody you thought was dead would give you a bit of a turn! It's funny how easily he can read human emotions and behaviour, but didn't realise that might be a bit of a shock.

The thing that does irritate me slightly is that in the book we're told he doesn't like woman, but he's always polite and has a good manner with them, whilst in this he's so short and harsh with them.

I don't know why it annoys me, it just isn't the way I'd imagine him speaking.

"Because he wasn't wearing his Sherlock-hat and no one recognsises him without it!"

"Diddl - because they don't swear on the telly like that."-well, maybe not that exactly, although Watson does say iirc "Oh Jesus, no, Oh God no!"

How about it really is Sherlock on the ground-having jumped into the truck first?

When Watson gets hold of his hand, someone pulls it off just about straightaway.

I think it is Sherlock on the ground and yes, he jumps and breaks his fall into the rubbish truck. The shot of John reaching for his pulse and someone pulling his hand away was positioned and held for a pointedly long time; John didn't have time to check properly.

I have read another theory though: remember the scene where John comes into the lab to find Sherlock sitting on the floor bouncing a squash ball? Apparently an old trick is to hide a squash ball under your armpit; when you press your arm to your side the ball cuts off blood flow to a major artery and anyone trying for a wrist pulse will not feel it ...

Excellent point. These little details are usually there for a reason.