Sherlock-'The Great Game'

The final part of Sherlock was the most interesting and probably the most deadly episode of the three.

A smart phone (basically an iPhone, but being the BBC they couldn't say the name), akin to the one discovered in 'A Study in Pink' is delivered to Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch), following a 'gas explosion' in the building opposite the one where Sherlock and Watson (Martin Freeman) live. An unknown person sends images to Sherlock that are important, and have a kind of puzzle invovled in them. All Sherlock needs to do is solve the puzzles.

This is simple enough but Holmes has a time limit. Because, this unknown person takes hostages, places a bomb on them and gets them to speak the words he types. If Holmes doesn't solve the puzzle within the right time, the bomb would go off. The hostages become more and more alarming-a young woman parked in a car park, a young man standing in Leicester Square (I think), a blind eldery lady and finally a child.

It circles around a person who seems to know things about unsolved crimes-the mysterious death of a swimming prodigy, blood found on the seat of a rented car, the death of a TV personality, the sudden arrival of a lost master artwork which is a fake. Also running alongside this is the case set by Mycroft, Holmes' brother, in which Holmes and Watson must recover a memory stick with nuclear arms plans on them, which are believed to have been stolen from the office by a young worker.

The episode ends with a meeting at the swimming pool where the swimming prodigy died. And it is here we discover who Moraity, a name mentioned in passing in the first episode, really is.

'The Great Game' was probably the most chilling of the episodes, most likely to do with the fact that there were random people invovled. One heartbreaking moment comes just after Sherlock has solved the mystery that involved the eldery hostage. When he asks where the woman is she begins to describe Moriarty (who had to speak to her as she couldn't see to type), in order to prevent his identity being revealed, the bomb is triggered killing the woman and others in her flats.

It also calls up Holmes apparent inability to realise the 'natural' reaction to events such as these. He refuses to be upset about the people who die because 'that's what people do'. When Watson asks if he cares about the people invovled, Holmes asks whether caring would make the case easier to solve. Holmes remains emotionally detached from the other characters, even managing to inform the lab assistant Molly (Louise Brealey) that her new squeeze, who isn't all what he seems anyway, is gay.

In the final moments of the episode, Holmes acknowledges the fact that Watson was ready to lay down his life in order to save Holmes was a gallant one. Although he is very awkward in admititng this.

No one, bar the writers maybe, know how the showdown ends. All the audience see is Watson and Holmes covered in sniper red lights, and Holmes ready to shoot a discarded bomb pack that would blow him, Watson, Moriarty and the sniper holders, up.

This doesn't mean I'm not praying that the BBC commission a new series. But then again, Holmes isn't James Bond. He's not immortal. But we shall see.

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Sherlock has got to be one of the best things I've seen on TV in a while.