The edge of your seat, hair pulling, nail-biting cliffhanger that writers and directors Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, and Sue Vertue left Sherlock fans with will finally be answered in 2013!
As series two of BBC’s Sherlock ended with Holmes faking his death to save his three closest friends, John Watson, Mrs. Hudson, and Detective Inspector Lestrade from the infamous Professor Moriarty and his team of hidden hitmen, the plot was washed with dramatic irony.
The audience sat in awe as they revealed Sherlock standing silently, watching Watson walk from his supposed grave and while he was very much alive. How did he do it? Almost an entire year has passed since season two ended and many have tried to get Gatiss, Moffat, and even the actors to spill the secret but their lips stayed tightly and tauntingly sealed.
However, since the announcement of them planning on filming this year, the directors dropped three hints on what is to be expected. With last series hints being “Woman, Hound, and Fall,” series three’s hints are “Rat, Wedding, Bow.” Each word and episode is a modern day twist to the original stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
“Rat” is possibly referring to Lestrade who Doyle repeatedly described as “rat-faced,” but, more likely, the original story they may get to work with is “The Boscombe Valley Mystery.” This particular story is about one of Moriarty’s top hitmen, Sebastian Moran, who seeks revenge on Holmes after the discovery that he is in fact not deceased.
“Wedding” is most likely based off of “The Sign of Four” in which John Watson weds Mary Morstan after years of having a string of girlfriends and a total of three gloomy, heartbreaking years without his closest mate, Sherlock Holmes.
The last and most worryingly word, “Bow,” which fans are left internally sobbing about because it’s mostly in reference to “His Last Bow” where Sherlock solves his very last and memorable case before retiring from his adrenaline packed days of being a consulting detective.
No worries, though! They haven’t even begun legitimately filming, so there is plenty of time for fans to mentally and emotionally prepare themselves for what’s to come. Although, you can hear the fangirls and boys hyperventilating around the world as Arwel Wyn Jones, in charge of setting the studio up, has been posting teasing photos on twitter of the creation of Holmes’ and Watson’s flat.