This week marks the 10-year anniversary of BBC airing the pilot episode of Sherlock (2010-2017). This fantastic series took the characters and ideas of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels and dropped them into modern-day London. In grand British tradition, each season consists of only a few episode and there are many-year gaps between seasons - and so, there are only 13 episodes in the series. Here is my ranking!
SPOILER ALERT: as this list is aimed at people who have watched the series, I will be spoiling specific plot points, so bear that in mind.
Also, I won't include the mini-episode Many Happy Returns, which was aired between seasons 2 and 3, as a 7-minute episode is hard to compare with the usual 90-minute ones. I will say that I greatly enjoy Many Happy Returns - it definitely shouldn't be brushed off, as it does a great job creating additional hype for season 3.
Also, I won't include the mini-episode Many Happy Returns, which was aired between seasons 2 and 3, as a 7-minute episode is hard to compare with the usual 90-minute ones. I will say that I greatly enjoy Many Happy Returns - it definitely shouldn't be brushed off, as it does a great job creating additional hype for season 3.
13. The Blink Banker (Season 1, Episode 2)
There isn't much wrong with this early episode - it's just a bit basic for this particular series. Sherlock is at its best when it goes full Moffat with its high-concept shenanigans and grand-scale plot twists, and The Blink Banker doesn't have much of that. There's a string of mysterious murders and a mildly interesting plot element of recurring graffiti tags, a fairly forgettable one-episode love interest for Watson (Martin Freeman), and a fairly entertaining final act where Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) faces off against a Chinese crime syndicate. It's perfectly fine, but there isn't as much rewatch value as in the other episodes, and there are no particularly mind-blowing or especially memorable moments.
12. The Six Thatchers (Season 4, Episode 1)
For much of its duration, The Six Thatchers is a remarkably below-average episode of Sherlock. The series doesn't really have bad episodes in my opinion, but the first two thirds of this season 4 premiere is as close as its gets - it's still good television, but disappointing when compared to the high bar that a majority of Sherlock has set.
However, the episode gains extra points and jumps ahead of The Blind Banker due to its surprisingly powerful ending. Mary Watson (Amanda Abbington) is killed off, which is quite a bold move for a series that very rarely kills off its major characters (while basing much of its stories on fake-out deaths). The emotional nail in the coffin is Watson's reaction to his wife's death, delivered by the always-great Martin Freeman.
11. A Study In Pink (Season 1, Episode 1)
The pilot episode is actually pretty awesome - it just got bested by nearly everything that came after it. A Study In Pink is many things at once: a dynamic introduction to the main characters, a modern-day adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes novel A Study In Scarlet (1887), an engaging 90-minute murder mystery, and a sneaky introduction to a larger storyline (in the very end, we find out that the main villain was working for someone called Moriarty). The pilot was definitely good enough to get me hooked on the series, and it was delightful to see that most of the series turned out to be even better.
10. The Hounds Of Baskerville (Season 2, Episode 2)
I must confess that I haven't read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels, so my opinion on this episode isn't based on how well it adapts the most famous Holmes book. What I can say is that The Hounds Of Baskerville, when viewed simply as an episode of this particular series, is pretty great. There's a cool horror element that sets it apart from other Sherlock episodes, as many sequences rely on creepily built tension. The setting of a quaint British village also sets the episode apart from the typical London milieu, and the final scene, where Moriarty (Andrew Scott) is released from jail, is a spine-chilling cliffhanger leading up to the season finale.
9. The Abominable Bride (2016 Christmas Special)
This Christmas special has an amazing premise: doing a 180-degree spin on the show's original premise, taking the setting back in time to the setting of the original novels: Victorian England. The concept is made to fit in with the show's storyline, as we see present-day Sherlock tripping on drugs and going into his mind palace to solve a mystery, thus imagining himself and his associates in 1890's London. The writers and actors really had a lot of fun with the idea, as the Victorian scenario leads to a vastly entertaining and amusing mystery that is obviously very different from what the show usually does. It's not as dramatic and genius as many other Sherlock episodes, but it sure is one of the most fun ones.
8. The Sign Of Three (Season 3, Episode 2)
Speaking of fun, well, all of this silly and surprisingly well-made episode. Sherlock gives a best man's speech at Watson's wedding, and, well, that's the episode. Seriously. They pulled one and a half hours of best-man-speech-giving out of nowhere and made it into one of the most innovative episodes in a critically acclaimed series. Of course, there are plenty of flashbacks, but the speech is the central element from start to finish. And, as might be expected, the protagonist literally stumbles onto (and solves) a murder mystery during the delivery of his speech. The episode is full of humor, but also very well-written and suspenseful. I'll definitely be revisiting this one if I ever do a post about the best TV weddings.
7. The Great Game (Season 1, Episode 3)
What a nail-biting end to the first season! The episode immediately proves that it's not messing around, as the central mystery revolves around the nefarious and unseen mastermind Moriarty sending Sherlock messages through victims with bombs strapped on them. It feels like the two first episodes of season 1 were the show with its training wheels still on, and The Great Game is the point when it went into full speed and entered the league of truly great television.
The episode is especially memorable for the amazing way in which the main villain is introduced: the first time we see Moriarty is halfway through the episode, where he poses as Molly Hooper's (Louise Brealey) boyfriend, and first-time viewers have no idea that that guy is Moriarty. He comes forward as himself in the dramatic final scene, and his earlier appearance makes for very high rewatch value.
6. The Final Problem (Season 4, Episode 3)
The Final Problem is the de facto series finale, as Sherlock hasn't officially been cancelled or ended and the writers and castmembers have left the option of another season open, yet as of now, there are no more seasons in the making. If they end up making more Sherlock, the ending of this episode makes it very possible as it doesn't feel too nail-in-the-coffin final. But if they never end up making more, The Final Problem serves as a great ending for the series.
The stakes have never been higher, as mega-villain Eurus Holmes (Sian Brooke) traps Sherlock, Watson and Mycroft (Mark Gatiss) in a fortress filled with psychological mind games. The episode is emotionally distressing, as all of the main characters must make difficult decisions while being in fatal danger. The flashbacks to Sherlock's past explain a lot about the character in a heartbreaking manner. The show's most iconic villain Moriarty even got a final appearance in a flashback, which was very fitting for the episode. As dark as most of the episode is, it does thankfully end on a surprisingly light note, making for an emotional rollercoaster just as a (possible) series finale should.
5. The Lying Detective (Season 4, Episode 2)
As awesome as The Final Problem was, the episode preceding it was the true gem of season four. Much like the previously mentioned episode, a majority of The Lying Detective is rather dark for this series - Sherlock faces off against one of his most powerful enemies, Culverton Smith (Toby Jones), and goes down a deep rabbit hole of drugs and delusion when his theories aren't believed. The dark atmosphere of the episode is a perfect touch, because when the light-hearted banter and cute humor of the series make a return at the end after Smith has been defeated, it feels like a huge payoff.
And then there's the final scene. The series creates its best-built and most mind-blowing plot twist - actually one of my favorite plot twists from any television series. As Watson talks with his therapist, she slowly and dramatically reveals that she has infiltrated Watson's life and manipulated him (she had appeared multiple times throughout season 4 in various disguises without the viewers noticing), and that she is actually Eurus Holmes, the secret sibling of Sherlock and Mycroft. The ending is genius, making things very exciting for the finale.
4. A Scandal In Belgravia (Season 2, Episode 1)
Who would've expected this quirky mystery series to provide one of the most memorable love stories in television? Certainly not me. But this episode did just that, with the unconventional yet very real connection between Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler (Lara Pulver). Their chemistry is just unreal, and their tragic and dramatic story unfolds to the backdrop of fast-paced and well-written detective fiction. The episode is so off-the-charts with its production values, that it feels like a full-scale movie that should be viewed from the big screen. It provides everything one might expect from a Sherlock episode, but also a lot more with its brilliant emotional twist. A truly mesmerizing story.
3. His Last Vow (Season 3, Episode 3)
Season three (or 'series three', as our British friends would say) ends with a mega-explosive roller coaster of thrills and twists at a breakneck speed. We get a fantastic villain in Charles Magnussen (Lars Mikkelsen), the insane plot twist that Mary Watson is a double agent, some of the show's darkest moments concerning Sherlock's sociopathic tendencies and Watson's own psychological issues, yet also some great laughs and moments of fun, all leading to a massively dramatic showdown in the end. Finally, when it's all said and done, the viewer can rest at ease.
...That is, until the very final scene, where a video message of the very much dead James Moriarty saying "Did you miss me?" is broadcast all over the UK. This was a truly head-scratching cliffhanger that had me on the edge of my seat for three years before season 4 finally came out.
2. The Empty Hearse (Season 3, Episode 1)
Sherlock is a very stylized show, where the absolutely unique atmosphere and directing style always make it stand out from today's crowd of great television. And nowhere is that style quite as prominent as in the season 3 premiere - not only the 2nd best Sherlock episode, but very much the most Sherlock episode of the series. The show's signature humor, dialogue and atmosphere are on overdrive in this immensely eventful episode that feels like a 90-minute reel of everything that makes the show great. Filled with well-written mysteries, clever dialogue and wonderful chemistry between Cumberbatch and Freeman, The Empty Hearse is a truly witty and entertaining thrill ride.
My favorite element of the episode has to be the manner in which Sherlock's character is brought back. After his fake-out death at the end of season 2, the show's two-year hiatus had been filled with impatient fans speculating just how he managed to fake his death and how he will be brought back. This episode brilliantly plays with the expectations of fans by showing possible ways of how the rooftop sequence went down throughout the episode, without revealing which (if any) is the real one. The character's return, shown as a series of reunions with familiar characters throughout the episode, is also done in a perfect manner, making for quite the epic comeback.
1. The Reichenbach Fall (Season 2, Episode 3)
The Reichenbach Fall is, simply put, perfect. Everything great about the series is at its best in this magnificent season finale. While there are many elements contributing to the episode's success, the key one is how incredibly dramatic it is. I love dramatic stories, especially in cases like this where the viewer is invested in the characters of a TV series and suddenly the dramatic stakes are raised to the maximum, making the viewer worry and care about said characters. This episode is a masterclass in dramatic tension, starting from the very first scene - in a flash-forward, Watson tells his psychiatrist that Sherlock Holmes is dead. From that dead-serious opening, it is clear that this is no ordinary episode.
The stakes rise throughout the episode, as Moriarty slowly turns everyone around Sherlock against him, and the situation starts to look more and more hopeless. The scene where Sherlock finds Moriarty's pre-recorded video message about "the fall of Sir Boasts-A-Lot" is phenomenal, as is the climactic rooftop sequence. David Arnold & Michael Price's soundtrack helps make the episode even more emotional and drastic, making for an all-in-all draining experience - until that final scene.
Sure, cold logic would've dictated all along that Sherlock isn't really dead, but the episode is so well-made that a first-time viewer doesn't really have the time to process all of that upon arriving at the final scene. As Watson stands at Sherlock's grave, the series creates one of the most smile-worthy moments in any television series or movie, as the camera slowly pans to show Sherlock standing (very much alive) in the distance, while a more majestic arrangement of the show's main theme rocks the soundtrack. Astonishing.
Thank you for reading! Be sure to tune in next week, for a Halloween-themed ranking of the movies in the Halloween franchise!
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