Sherlock/Recap/S02/E03 The Reichenbach Fall

"I am you. Prepared to do anything. Prepared to burn. Prepared to do what ordinary people won't do. You want me to shake hands with you in hell? I shall not disappoint you."

- Sherlock Holmes

John Watson has returned to his therapist's office for the first time in eighteen months. Why? Because his best friend, Sherlock Holmes, is dead.

Only three months earlier, Sherlock had been catapulted to even greater heights of fame thanks to his recovery of a famous painting of the Reichenbach Falls, amongst other big-note cases. How did the Reichenbach Hero fall so far? The answer is wrapped up in the simultaneous break-ins at the Tower of London, the Bank of England and Pentonville Prison, along with a budding journalist, a high-profile trial, international assassins, fairy tales, the mysterious Richard Brook, and the "final problem" of Jim Moriarty...

This episode provides examples of the following tropes:
"Moriarty: You understand.
 * Actor Allusion: John shows up in one scene in a dressing gown, with a towel thrown over his shoulder.
 * As You Know: Lampshaded and justified during Sherlock's confrontation with Moriarty after the trial, when they both know what Moriarty's up to but somebody needs to explain it for the audience.

Sherlock: Obviously.

Moriarty: Off you go, then.

Sherlock: You want me to tell you what you already know?

Moriary: No, I want you to prove that you know it."

" Moriarty: Sherlock, your big brother and all the King's horses couldn't make me do a thing I didn't want to.
 * Ax Crazy: Guess who?
 * Badass Boast: Sherlock tells Moriarty in no uncertain terms that if he harms his friends, Sherlock will burn him right back.
 * Badass Boast: Sherlock tells Moriarty in no uncertain terms that if he harms his friends, Sherlock will burn him right back.
 * Badass Boast: Sherlock tells Moriarty in no uncertain terms that if he harms his friends, Sherlock will burn him right back.

Sherlock: Yes. But I'm not my brother, remember? I am you. Prepared to do anything. Prepared to burn. Prepared to do what ordinary people won't do. You want me to shake hands with you in hell, I shall not disappoint you.

Moriarty: Nah. You talk big. Nah. You're ordinary. You're ordinary. You're on the side of the angels.

Sherlock: Oh, I may be on the side of the angels. But don't think for one second that I am one of them."

"John: They are all coming over here now. Queuing up to slap up on the handcuffs. Every officer you made to feel a tit, which is a lot of people."
 * Big Bad Friend: It's revealed that Moriarty got his information about Sherlock from.
 * Break His Heart to Save Him:
 * Sherlock's earlier attempt to do this was, sadly, a lot more successful. John receives a phone-call telling him that Mrs. Hudson . Sherlock refuses to go with him to see her and acts as if he doesn't care about her when previous events have clearly shown otherwise. Throughout the episode, people have been slowly turning against Sherlock, all except John who has been fighting his corner all the way until this moment which causes him to snap and call Sherlock a 'machine' before abandoning him as well. It turns out.
 * Bullying a Dragon: All Sherlock's put-downs of Anderson and Donovan finally come back to bite him.

"John: Now people will definitely talk!"
 * Call Back: While handcuffed and and forced to hold hands with Sherlock, John mutters "Now people will definitely talk", referencing his line in " The Great Game"
 * Sherlock learned back in "A Study in Pink" that cabbies can hide in plain sight because no one pays attention to them. Hoo boy, did that come back around.
 * Casting Gag: The incensed old man in the Diogenes Club was played by Douglas Wilmer, who played Sherlock Holmes on TV in the 1960s.
 * Chained Heat: Sherlock and John.
 * Common Nonsense Jury: Moriarty was caught red handed stealing the Crown Jewels. There are plenty of witnesses and good quality security camera footage. At trial he offers no defense and the judge tells the jury that they have no choice but to convict. They return a verdict of 'not guilty'.
 * Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Neatly exploited by Moriarty. As Sherlock points out, nothing he could steal from any bank in the world is ever going to be worth more than a computer program that will let him break into any bank in the world.
 * Deconstruction:
 * Did You Actually Believe:
 * Also, at the end when Sherlock is
 * Diegetic Switch:
 * Jim Moriarty's iPod music became the BGM to his jewel heists in "The Reichenbach Fall". Appropriately enough, the song is Rossini’s "Thieving Magpie".
 * Later, when Moriarty is waiting on the rooftop, "Stayin' Alive" plays as BGM, then becomes the diegetic music from his iPod as Sherlock arrives.
 * Driven to Suicide:
 * Extreme Doormat: Oh, Molly.
 * Famed in Story: Continuing the trend of series 2, Sherlock is becoming an internationally-renowned detective.
 * Faux Affably Evil: Moriarty.
 * Foregone Conclusion: Well, if you know the original stories, you knew that
 * Flat What: John is a master of these. In particular, this is his reaction when Sherlock, announces that they are about to jump in front of a bus.
 * Gilligan Cut:
 * At a trial, the judge threatens to throw Sherlock into a cell for contempt of court, and asks "Do you think you could survive for just a few minutes without showing off?!?". Sherlock thinks for an instant, and opens his mouth. Cut to Sherlock being thrown in a cell.
 * And again when Watson is seen looking like he's going to punch the chief superintendent; cut to outside and guess who has a bloody nose?
 * Gosh Dang It to Heck: Donovan and Lestrade are driving to the Tower of London where a break-in has occurred. They have also heard since leaving the station that the Bank of England has been broken into. When Lestrade finds out Pentonville Prison has also has a security breach, his response is "Oh no!" Season 2 may have more cursives than season 1 but the language is still very mild.
 * Holding Hands: Sherlock and John, while handcuffed together. To the sound of exploding squees of slash fangirls everywhere.
 * Gosh Dang It to Heck: Donovan and Lestrade are driving to the Tower of London where a break-in has occurred. They have also heard since leaving the station that the Bank of England has been broken into. When Lestrade finds out Pentonville Prison has also has a security breach, his response is "Oh no!" Season 2 may have more cursives than season 1 but the language is still very mild.
 * Holding Hands: Sherlock and John, while handcuffed together. To the sound of exploding squees of slash fangirls everywhere.


 * Heroic Sacrifice
 * Hero Syndrome: Moriarty frames Sherlock as being one of these.
 * Hollywood Hacking: Moriarty creates a computerized key that he uses to break into the Tower of London, the Bank of England, and Pentonville prison all at once.
 * Homage Shot:
 * Moriarty hacks into locked vaults and security systems to the tune of "The Thieving Magpie" by Rossini. Sound familiar?
 * The sequence where Moriarty enters 221 B Baker street and starts to sneak up the stairs while Sherlock's violin plays in the background. He steps on a squeaky step, the violin stops for a second and then starts again. Moriarty walks up the stairs knowing perfectly well that Sherlock is aware that Moriarty is coming. Taken directly from the Basil Rathbone film The Woman in Green, the last film of that series to feature Moriarty.
 * A clearly deranged man pops something in his mouth, plays classical music through his headphones and cracks his neck in preparation for committing a crime - Gary Oldman in Leon, anyone?
 * Homoerotic Subtext: More than ever. It extends beyond the usual Sherlock/John to Sherlock/Moriarty as well.
 * How We Got Here: Like the original story, this episode opens with John Watson telling us that Sherlock Holmes is dead, and then backtracks to show us how it all went down.
 * Intrepid Reporter: Kitty Reilly is trying to be this, but Sherlock calls her out for being a Hot Scoop and Stalker With a Crush trying too hard to impress people.
 * Instant Sedation: Moriarty sprays something on the face of a guard in the Tower of London, and he goes down like a sack of potatoes in one second flat.
 * Ironic Echo: "You repel me."
 * It Always Rains At Funerals: Battering down, to be precise, in the opening scene after It's still grey in the closing scene at the graveside.
 * Kansas City Shuffle: Moriarty makes everyone think that his plan is to sell his computer program to the highest bidder. When everyone is trying to stop him it only furthers his real plan
 * Kick the Dog: Moriarty makes this episode an hour and a half of him doing nothing less than this. And then some more.
 * Magnificent Bastard: Jim Moriarty. He well-and-truly earned his stripes.
 * Meaningful Name: "Richard Brook".
 * Mood Dissonance: "Staying Alive" makes a return appearance during a tense moment.
 * Mythology Gag:
 * Moriarty refers to his conflict with Sherlock as "The Final Problem", referencing the name of the short story this episode is based on. Likewise, Reichenbach Falls made a prominent appearance in that story as.
 * Peter Ricoletti, the man at the top of Interpol's most-wanted list, is a reference to one of Holmes' untold early cases ("Ricoletti of the club foot") mentioned in "The Musgrave Ritual."
 * Sherlock's deduction about Kitty Reilly's wrist is similar to one that Holmes makes in "A Case of Identity."
 * Sherlock's courtroom description of Moriarty as a spider at the center of a criminal web is lifted almost word-for-word from "The Final Problem."
 * Moriarty's threatening but very civil discussion with Sherlock in the sitting room at Baker Street recalls his visit to 221B in "The Final Problem."
 * During their tea-party, Moriarty tells Sherlock, "You need me - or you're nothing." Holmes himself expresses a similar sentiment in "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder."
 * The Diogenes Club is from the original stories, as is its blanket ban on talking.
 * The abduction of the diplomat's children recalls "The Adventure of the Priory School," in which Holmes is called in to find the young son of a prominent nobleman, who has also been kidnapped from a high-class boarding school.
 * As in the original "Final Problem," Sherlock is nearly run down by a cab. The twist is that.
 * Lestrade mentions Inspector Gregson as someone else who has consulted Sherlock. Gregson was another police inspector who often appeared in the stories.
 * The phone call that John receives  is a clear reference to the (literal) Swiss messenger from "The Final Problem," who.
 * Moriarty's fondness for snipers (they are key components of his plans in this episode as well as "The Great Game") may be a reference to Sebastian Moran, Moriarty's right-hand-man in the stories.
 * "This phone call, it's - it's my note." In the original story, Holmes left an actual note.
 * John calls Sherlock "the best man, and the most human human being, that I've ever known." In the closing words of "The Final Problem," Watson writes that he will always regard Holmes as "the best and wisest man I've ever known."
 * Nice Job Breaking It Hero: In "The Reichenbach Fall", it's revealed that Mycroft, while trying to get Moriarty's computer key ended up . It's only in hindsight he realises what a terrible idea this was.
 * Not So Different: Moriarty taunts Holmes with this repeatedly. It's not until the climax that he realises how right he was.
 * Occams Razor:.
 * Please Wake Up:
 * Please Wake Up:

"John: My best friend, Sherlock Holmes, is dead."
 * Reality Ensues: Sergeant Donovan makes Lestrade take her doubts to the Chief Superintendent. He's under the impression that Sherlock has only helped on a few minor cases. The reveal that Sherlock (a civilian) has been given unmitigated access to sensitive data and cases leads him to tear Lestrade a new one and order him to bring Sherlock in.
 * Rooftop Confrontation:
 * Shout Out:
 * To Stansfield in Leon (see Homage Shot), and also to A Clockwork Orange, when Moriarty refers to Bach as "Johann Sebastian" (as Alex refers to "Ludwig Van").
 * Moriarty's attempt to steal the crown jewels, as well as his being acquitted at trial even though everyone knows he's guilty, are both plot points from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce).
 * Likewise,  seems to be based on a similar scene from the Basil Rathbone film The Woman in Green. Moriarty climbing the stairs while Sherlock plays his violin is also directly from that film (see Homage Shot).
 * Moriarty's plan bears a striking resemblance to
 * All the discussion of Sherlock being "on the side of the angels" is a Shout Out to the BBC radio plays with John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson (and Orson Welles as Moriarty). In the dramatization of "The Empty House," Watson exclaims "You're the devil, Holmes!" Holmes replies "The only one, however, who has always been on the side of the angels."
 * Moriarty invokes this in-universe with "Hansel and Gretel," to spectacularly disturbing effect.
 * Spot of Tea: Sherlock and Moriarty might be mortal enemies, but they're still British.
 * During the break-ins, every single one involves someone who is drinking tea.
 * Strawman News Media: Kitty Reilly and, presumably, her editors (at The Sun?) buy into Richard Brook's story hook, line and sinker. Given the outbreak of the News International hacking scandal during production, it feels rather timely.
 * Considering that Moriarty is just that good, his story probably just holds up well enough.
 * Alternatively, it's The Sun. They're not known for being great at checking facts before publishing.
 * : The final move in 's Xanatos Speed Chess game.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Sgt. Donovan.
 * Villain With Good Publicity: Moriarty's gambit is to convince the world that Sherlock Holmes is one of these. And it works.
 * Wham Episode
 * Wham Line: John opens the episode with one.
 * Wham Episode
 * Wham Line: John opens the episode with one.

"Moriarty: You're just getting that now?"
 * What Happened to The Mouse Why the little girl was so terrified of Holmes was never addressed.
 * The implication is that but exactly what he did isn't mentioned.
 * What You Are in The Dark: Sherlock's decision to
 * Wicked Cultured: Moriarty.
 * Wild Mass Guessing: The internet exploded with theories on how
 * Worst Aid:
 * He fell down several stories to hard asphalt. It's highly unlikely that they felt the need to treat him as a patient at that point. More questionable is why they didn't leave the body for the police investigation.
 * Xanatos Gambit: Moriarty's plan to "burn" Sherlock is beyond masterful. And Xanatosian, given that at every turn, everything Sherlock could have done sends him further and further down Moriarty's rabbit hole.
 * Exactly like how the more sweets the child hostages in this episode ate,
 * Xanatos Speed Chess: Sherlock and Moriarty are playing like nobody's business.
 * You're Insane


 * : The crux of Moriarty's Evil Plan is to force Sherlock to do this.