For Lovers of Mystery and Intrigue-The Game Is On!

In a world where there are so many platforms to watch TV, we are being flooded with show after show. The options are endless and therefore; can be intimidating.

Because of this, many people tend to stay within their preferred genre. As someone who is well versed in many of the genres out there, I am here to encourage those who both love this specific genre and those who usually shy away from it.

The genre, I am of course referring to, is Mystery.

I think a lot of people love a good whodunit. I'm not talking your basic crime show that we see an abundance of. What I'm talking about is an actual mystery where the body is found with zero clues as to how the person got there or how they were killed. I'm talking a show that makes you really think. That's what I love about mystery. It's one of the only genres that is interactive in a way most shows/films aren't.

The mystery genre gives (you) a chance to figure out the game before the character does. I know my main motivation for watching mysteries is the challenge (and I do love a good challenge). If a show can shock me, then I know the writers have done their job.

A show that is not only brilliant, but also surprises me with every episode is the British TV show Sherlock.

Sherlock Holmes is a well-known name for many generations. There are those who are familiar with the famous novels, and those who are fans of the films made back in 2009 and 2011 with Robert Downey Jr. I'm assuming you, reader, are also a fan, for why else would you bother reading this article?

Being a fan of both the books and the older films, I was thrilled when the British TV show aired back on 2010. The promise of a new generation and concept of Sherlock intrigued me and once I watched the first episode, I was hooked. If you are anything like me-a fan of mysteries and the cases of Sherlock Holmes-then the TV Sherlock might be perfect for you!

I know some people might be hesitant to watch mystery shows claiming it’s all already been done or they are so predictable. I am here to debunk those statements and say the show Sherlock is unlike any other mystery you’ve ever seen and will not only test your knowledge on the mystery genre, but will make you fall in love with these newly defined characters the world has come to love.

Instead of listing off all the reasons you should watch this show, I'm going to offer you a trial-like basis, giving you a taste of what the episodes entail and leaving the decision up to you when you reach its end.

I am going to walk you through an episode, treating it like a mystery so you can then ask yourself, Is this the right TV show for me? Does this pique my interest? Am I able to solve the case before the great detective Sherlock Holmes?

Let's find out!

Season 3 Episode 2: The Sign of Three

If you’re a fan of mystery then you know the first rule to every one: there must always be a victim.

But first cue the reason this episode is taking place, which is as equally important as the mystery.

The Setting:

The scene takes place with Sherlock at John and Mary Watson's Wedding. The wedding ceremony flies by without any problems, shown in flashes of a camera of the happy couple. We then reach the reception. Held in a beautiful building in the countryside outside of London, the building is old, ivy tracing up the sides, a water fountain placed in the front of it, the sounds of splashing water mixed with bright colors of green grass creating a serene feel. The inside consists of splashes of bright, pastel colors against a bright, yellow wall. It seems like the perfect place for a happy day...or perhaps the perfect façade for a murder?

Between this lovely view of the setting, we are introduced to each of the guests-or victims-through flashes of a camera, enjoying the merriment that comes with the day.

The Guest List:

Mrs. Hudson- the woman who resides and owns the building where Sherlock lives. Known as his caretaker and someone who Sherlock sees as family. Mrs. Hudson has brought a date with her, who's background is unknown.

Jeanine- Mary's longtime friend and maid of honor. She's actively looking for a potential partner at the wedding and is using Sherlock's detective skills to weed out bad suitors.

DI Lestrade- well known in the Sherlock universe as the detective who's always trying to thwart Mr. Holmes. Though in this show, their relationship has grown into a fond one of trust and friendship.

Molly Hooper & boyfriend- Molly is a coroner, though she often helps Sherlock when he needs her expertise in scientific matters (she's very good with chemistry). Molly also carries a flame for Mr. Holmes. Boyfriend's background is unknown.

Major Harry Sholtow- John Watson's old commander when he was in the army. Following a terrible incursion that resulted in the deaths of new recruits led by Sholtow during his time spent in the army, the man remains a recluse getting multiple death threats a day.

Okay, reader. Now that you have the names down be sure to mull them over a bit. Who is the victim? Who is the killer? Do you have any theories yet? I know when I'm given names while watching a mystery, it's important to suspect everyone. So take a moment before continuing. Once the story begins, it will be important to collect all the necessary data in order to figure this mystery out.

Like all beginnings, we need to set the stage for the murder. What I love about this episode is it gives us clues in the form of flashbacks carried out by Sherlock.

Now that all the guests have enjoyed the food and wine, it's time to enjoy one of the most looked forward to part of every wedding: The Speeches. For the socially awkward Sherlock Holmes making a wedding speech that doesn’t offend anyone is bound to end in disaster or in this case a possible murder?

The scene starts out much like any other speech would, addressing the public. Glancing over the necessary parts of every speech, Sherlock gives a very Sherlock speech, which consists of some heartfelt things said barreling over the fact that he insulted almost everyone in the room before going into a retelling of the cases he and John tackled together.

The First Case: The Bloody Guardsman

A guard-our first victim- writes to Sherlock on John's blog:

“ Dear Mr. Holmes, My name is Bambridge. I’m a private in the majesties household guard. I’m writing to you about a personal matter. One I don’t get to bring before my superiors because it sounds so trippy, but I think someone’s stalking me. I’m used to tourists. It’s part of the job. But this is different. Someone’s watching me. He’s taking pictures of me everyday. And I’d mentioned it to my major but it's really praying on my mind.”

The case follows Sherlock and John Watson in a series of flashbacks as they go to visit the guard (Bambridge) who wrote to them, wishing to ask him some questions about this said "stalker." Since he’s on duty Sherlock and Watson aren’t allowed to speak with him until he's finished with his shift. So they stand and wait, watching the guard until his hour is up.

Though in typical Sherlock fashion, the great detective grows tired of the waiting game and sneaks into the facility, needing more answers. In doing this, both he and Watson miss Bambridge getting off duty.

We, as an audience, are shown Bambridge walking into the showers seemingly okay. A few minutes later, one of the Privates walks into the showers to let him know Sherlock is there to see him (having found him snooping around). Upon entering the showers, the Private finds Bambridge almost dead, lying in a pool of his own blood.

We then return to Sherlock standing in front of the crowd of people at John and Mary's wedding:

“ Private bambridge had just come off guard duty. He’d stood there for hours, nobody watching, nothing apparently wrong. Came off duty and within minutes was nearly dead from a wound in his stomach, but there was no weapon. Where did it go? Ladies and gentlemen I invite you to consider this: A murderer who can walk through walls. A weapon that can vanish.

How about you reader? Have any theories yet? I can tell you when I first watched this episode, I had nothing, no answer. Because how could someone manage that without being seen or leaving a single trace behind? It's safe to say at this point, I was putting my full detective skills to the test.

Sherlock admits that he and John never solved the case and it still remains the best unsolved mystery of his time.

He then moves onto the next story of the day and our second clue to this very strange mystery.

The Second Case: The Mayfly Man

This story encompasses Sherlock and John getting drunk on his bachelor night to a themed pub-crawl in the locations of every street they’ve found a corpse. Long story short they get back to Sherlock’s flat completely pissed (drunk) from all the alcohol they’ve consumed and a client shows up at their door about a case.

She claims to have spent a night out with a nice man. By the end of the date, they exchanged numbers and he said he’d get in touch, but he never did. She went as far to go to his flat, but there was no trace of him. In fact, it looked as though nobody had lived there for some time. The woman thinks she had dinner with a ghost. The woman also mentions she did some digging of her own and found a chat room online for women who think they're dating men from the spirit world.

Taking this case seriously but knowing it’s not an actual ghost, Sherlock does a deeper dive, creating his own profile for this chat room the woman mentioned in order to find other women who claim to have had similar interactions like his client's. Finding hundreds of woman on the site who all claim to have had this same thing happen to them, he begins the process of finding outliers between these women. What he finds is four other women, all within a decent distance not only from his client but also from each other. Narrowing it down to location, Sherlock finds these women all claim to have the same story as his client: they met a man, had a perfect time and then he vanished.

Sherlock then proceeds to find any relation to the four women.

Important Questions:

Where did they meet him? Names he gave? Who's place? The name of the address? What did he look like?

Each answer the women give him differs greatly from the other. Upon inquiring, Sherlock makes the realization this man is using the dead men in the obituaries column in the newspaper along with their residencies. Hence, the term Mayfly Man. He lives for a day and then vanishes without a trace. Still, it doesn't solve the mystery. More questions are needed.

What are the women's jobs?

To which each answers: Gardener, Cook, Private Nurse, Security Work, and Maid. All different.

What do all these women have in common? Ideal night out? Make up? Perfume?

Perhaps this man looks for certain similarities such as these in the women he dates? But none of them have anything remotely in common. Each are as different as a person's fingerprints. Sherlock realizes he's asking the wrong questions. Perhaps it's not environmental at all, but personal.

Do you have a secret you've never told?

All five women answer no, far too quickly to be true. Once the question is asked, each woman quickly leaves the chat room, one of them saying as they go, " Enjoy the wedding."

Alright reader, let's take a break for a moment. I've given you a lot of information. Two stories worth and yet we still have more questions than answers. But take a moment. Look back. Is there a connection here? There has to be right? Because why else would these stories be a part of the equation if they didn't lead you to the end result?

If you've figured it out, then you're doing far better then I was upon my first time watching this episode. Because by now, I was horribly confused, grasping at straws trying to make connections I wasn't yet seeing. If you're anything like me, hang in there. The answers are coming sooner than you think.

The Climax

Resuming our story, at the time of the Mayfly Man Case Sherlock didn’t consider the woman's words before leaving the chat, but as he stands before everyone recalling his cases, he raises his glass as a snapshot of him is taken, triggering his mind to recall what the woman said: " Enjoy the wedding." How would she have known? Only about 100 invitations were sent out, which limited how many people attended and knew of the wedding. The woman who said this was a registered nurse, leading only to the fact that her employer might be someone who was either invited OR has another reason for attending the celebration.

The question you should be asking yourself now is, who would bother to go to any lengths to get themselves to a wedding? Realization hits Sherlock. Someone at the wedding is going to die.

Coming to this conclusion, Sherlock keeps talking. Time is of the essence and if someone is going to die then he needs to work quickly in order to solve the case before it's too late.

Another question:

Who could you only kill at a wedding?

Have you figured it out yet? I can say with the utmost confidence, I did figure out who the victim was after asking myself those questions.

“ A recluse, small household staff (gardener, cook, private nurse, security work, and maid). Probbaly all signed confidentiality agreements. There's another question that remains however; a big one, a huge one. How would you do it? How do you kill someone in public? There has to be a way. This has been planned.”

So reader, who out of our guests is it? Did you do what I asked and study the guest list? Our victim is none other than Major Sholtow, a recluse who is known to get multiple death threats a day. He's someone who would only come out of hiding for a wedding, making a wedding the perfect place (and only place) for his murder. A little obvious right? If you thought so, don't lose all hope yet. The rest is not so apparent and I will personally be shocked if you're able to guess every detail.

Sholtow also connects to the second case, The Mayfly Man. How? Because someone who is a recluse, would hire a small staff for his estate. Jobs that entail taking care of a house such as a gardener, a cook, a private nurse, a maid and someone who does private security work. Here, we have our five women who were vetted by our killer to find out information about the victim, Major Sholtow.

So now that we know who our victim is, we need to figure out the next piece of the puzzle. How would someone kill him?

The invisible man could do it, right? The one with the invisible knife from our very first story?

Have you been paying attention? Have you followed the clues? The very first story, told at this wedding. The one involving The Bloody Guardsman.

But how did he do it?

Sholtow, upon realizing he is going to be killed, leaves the wedding and locks himself in one of the rooms upstairs. Sherlock and John race to try and comfort him, begging for him to open the door. He says he will only do so if the great Sherlock Holmes can crack the case. Luckily, for him, after a few agonizing minutes, Sherlock makes all the connections.

The answer, my dear readers, is right in front of you. So conspicuous and yet, impossible to detect. The answer lies in the guards uniform, planned out so meticulously nobody would think to look.

“ Major Sholtow no one is coming to kill you. I’m afraid you’ve already been killed several hours ago... Don’t take off your belt. Yes bambridge was stabbed hours before we even saw him but it was through his belt(a military grade belt). Tight belt, worn high on the waist. Very easy to push a small blade through the fabric and you wouldn’t even feel it….delayed action stabbing, enough to create an alibi.”

Did you guess that? Because I didn't. My mind went through variation upon variation of possibilities, but I could never have thought such a small blade, being pushed through the backside of the uniform belt, would cause the wound. The tightness of the belt would keep the wound intact until the person took it off, finding they were bleeding from a very deadly wound.

At this point, I'm sure you're asking yourself, But who could have managed this at a wedding?

Now reader, I ask you, have you guessed it? Because I've mentioned the killer three times within this article, in plain sight, so obvious your eyes might have glanced over it. Did you catch it?

“ There is always a man at a wedding who is not in any photograph, who can go anywhere and even carry an equipment bag with him if he likes. And you never even see his face. You only ever see...the camera….Johnathan Small. Today’s substitute wedding photographer also known as The Mayfly Man. His brother was one of the raw recruits. Killed in that incursion. Johnny sought revenge on Sholtow. Worked his way through staff (our women from the Mayfly Man case). Found what he needed: an invitation to a wedding. The one time Sholtow would have to be out in public. So he made his plan and rehearsed murder(on Bambridge in The Bloody Guardsman) making sure of every last detail.”

When I first watched this episode, my reaction was very similar to the one above. I would have never guessed the Cameraman was the killer because he's overlooked. At these events there is always a photographer, a faceless person nobody cares about. I spent my time looking for answers everywhere but the one right in front of my face.

The Happy End

So reader did you enjoy the game? Did it keep you on your toes? Admittedly, while watching this episode I found it to be full of twists and turns. While I was capable of guessing the victim, I never would have accurately guessed the killer or his means of murder, nor did I expect the two stories to equate so brilliantly together. The writers of this show are truly remarkable in taking two very different stories and piecing them together.

But that is the genius of Sherlock isn't it? Expecting the unexpected.

Despite the almost murder, the episode ends with the arrest of the villain and the celebration of the happy couple. They solved the mystery and John and Mary can now enjoy their special day. And really that’s all we can want from a murder mystery with the great Sherlock Holmes.

So reader, are you intrigued? If so, you should give the TV show Sherlock a try! Every episode is as mind blowing as this one and Benedict Cumberbatch never fails to bring both laughter and intrigue to the screen. So whether you're a fan of the infamous detective or are simply looking for a TV show that will test your crime solving skills, I highly suggest giving Sherlock a go. If only to see if you're as smart as the man (and the writers) who bring this show to life.

Sherlock is currently on Netflix with four season under its belt. The seasons, while extremely short (standing at only 3 episodes per season) are each 90 minutes long so you feel like you're watching a movie each time you put an episode on.

Happy Detecting! And don't forget to watch out for Moriarty...