Notes about Sherlock 1x03 "The Great Game" (Warning: SPOILERS)

Basically, this is just kind of a walk-through of the episode that I made while re-watching in order to sort of be able to make sense of all the stuff that happened, as well as Holmes/Watson scenes as I call them and just some thoughts. So don't read if you haven't seen it yet!

Written for galaxies., to help with our discussions. xD

Also, I wrote this literally as I was watching, so there's a lot of fragments. I tried to clean it up as well as I could, grammatically.

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Beginning: Setting: Minsk, Belarus. Holmes at a prison, talking about a possible case with an inmate. Holmes - corrects grammar, very antagonistic, doesn’t take case about domestic abuse.

~THEME SONG~

“The Great Game” - starts off at 221b Baker Street. Holmes is lounging in his bed clothes, gun in hand, shooting at the wall from his armchair. There’s a yellow smiley face on the wall that he’s aiming at. Watson comes home, shocked at Holmes’ behavior. We find out that Holmes is bored. Does a little shooting behind his back ala RDJ in Tropic Thunder. Watson takes the gun and unloads it. Sherlock lays down on couch, John takes off his coat and goes to fridge - sees Sherlock’s experiments all over the table but doesn’t say anything.

There’s a head in the fridge! - coagulation of saliva after death - talks about John’s blog. Sherlock is hurt at John’s description of him being “spectacularly ignorant” in some subjects - Holmes/Watson mention #1 of this episode.

Holmes talks about his brain being like a hard drive - only cares about subjects pertaining to his work (nice update of the ‘attic’ comparison used in the books) - then curls upon the couch like a wounded puppy. John is upset too so he leaves as Mrs. Hudson comes home. “You two had a little domestic?” - Holmes/Watson reference #2

Holmes watches Watson walk off from the window with a tinge of melancholia - “quiet, calm, peaceful” talking about London but maybe also a little bit about John? Open for interpretation. Also, circumstantial Holmes/Watson #3

Mrs. Hudson notices the wall and freaks out. This amuses Holmes. “I’m putting this on your rent, young man!” Sherlock smiles

KABOOM!!

Cut fade to Watson at the girl from the previous episodes apartment (Sarah? Susan? Something with an ‘S’)
News: The Lost Vemeer - foreshadowing
Oh and Watson slept on the couch - she’s flirtatious but he’s unresponsive. Holmes/Watson #4
Explosion at Baker St. Watson leaves - name = Sarah

Goes to Baker St. of course. Runs up stairs calling after Sherlock, who is fine - sitting with Mycroft. Violin FTW - canon fact +1.
“Gas leak” is the cause of the explosion.

Mycroft has a case for Sherlock. “It’s of national importance” yet Sherlock apparently is ‘too busy’ aka doesn’t want to help his older brother. Mycroft doesn’t want to deal with it: “elections” coming up, can’t stay away from the office, and “requires legwork”.

They turn to John - Sherlock thinks he slept on the lila(??), Mycroft says it’s a sofa, John doesn’t ask - adorable scene, in a way.

“Sherlock’s business seems to be booming ever since you guys became ‘pals’…” John is never bored.
Mycroft tells John about the case instead of Sherlock.

The Bruce-Partington Program:
- Andrew West aka Westly to friends
- Civil servant
- Found dead on tracks on Batterly Station (I think?)
- Missile defense system
- Plans on memory stick, top secret; missing
- Find the plans!

Mycroft leaves as Sherlock plays violin badly. John catches Sherlock’s lie; calls it “sibling rivalry”.

Lestrade summons Sherlock via phone call. “I’d be lost without my blogger” -Holmes/Watson #5

Taxi cab montage. Nice music and imagery.

It’s not a gas pipe explosion - note for Sherlock. Bohemian stationary (which is why I thought Irene - A Scandal in Bohemia) from Czech Replubic, no prints. Fountain pen - sender is female, somehow. Inside is the phone from A Study in Pink.

The entire police force reads John’s blog, apparently.

It’s a new phone - 1 new message: five beeps and a picture of a fire place - warning; secret societies used orange pips as warnings (another source material reference!) five pips - BOOM going to happen again.

Picture is of 221c, the basement of their apt. Damp with black mold. They find a pair of shoes - Sherlock gets a call from a crying woman who is strapped for a bomb. “Hello sexy”

Shoes = puzzle that Sherlock has twelve hours to solve.

Sherlock mumbles something? Can’t make it out.

Cut to S. Bartholomews Hospital

Sherlock is examining the show. John expresses concern for the hostage that Sherlock doesn’t return. Sherlock makes John get his phone out of his jacket pocket - Holmes/Watson #6

Texts from Mycroft - Sherlock dismisses because he didn’t “cancel his dentist appointment”. Mycroft never texts when he can talk.

Sherlock’s Theory on B-P plans: West tried to sell the plans and got his head smashed in for it.

Girl with crush on Sherlock appears with “Jim” - suspect. New character - what’s his involvement? Why is he being introduced? Hits on Sherlock despite being with girl. Works in IT. Sherlock: “gay” doesn’t express interest. Upsets girl by pointing this out. Jim left his number. Personally wasn’t a huge fan of the stereotypes but it wasn’t in malice so it’s no big deal. Girl leaves in a fuss and John tries to explain that Sherlock was a bitch.

Sherlock makes John talk about the shoes.

John’s observations:
- Good condition
- Soles are well worn
- 80s; retro design
- Large; men’s shoes
- Name written in felt in shoe; belonged to a kid

Sherlock commends this but also dismisses, then examines the shoes himself.

Sherlock’s observations:
- Owner cleaned shoes meticulously; loved them
- Changed laces 4 times
- Shoes are well worn more son on the inside; owner had weak arches
- British made, 20 years old

Not retro - original: someone’s kept them clean. Mud from Sussex - kid came to London from Sussex, 20 years ago, left shoes behind. Something bad happened - wouldn’t leave them unless he had to.

Sherlock realizes something - Carl Powers.

Carl Powers:
- 1989 champion swimmer, came from Brighton (?) for a school tournament
- Drowned in the pool
- Sherlock thought the missing shoes from locker was fishy
- Police dismissed him
- Carl had fit in water
- Shoes are Carl Powers’

Six hours remaining.

Back at Baker St. Watson wants to help. Five hours left.
Mycroft is texting John - he’s had a root canal.

Sherlock: How quaint.
John: What is?
Sherlock: You are. - Holmes/Watson #7

John thinks Sherlock should help Mycroft - “I’ve put my best man on it”

Cut to John in Mycroft’s office - Holmes/Watson #8

Mycroft does some hand thing? Obvious teeth discomfort. Sherlock is “out investigating”.

Andrew West:
- 27
- Some kind of address??
- MI6
- Minor involvement in B-P plans
- No known terrorist affiliations/sympathies
- Last seen day before at 10:30 pm by fiancée; “gotta see someone”
- Did not get on train; didn’t use oyster card or have a ticket stub

Three hours.

Sherlock finds out - it was poison the killed Powers - Sherlock posts result on site
Killer kept the shoes - killer is bomber.

Gets a call from the hostage - gets rescued.

Hostage: lives in Cornwall, two men in masks forced the bomb on her, etc., read from pager.

“I can’t be the only person in the world who gets bored.”

New message - 4 pips and pic of a car

Sherlock gets a call from a new hostage. “I never liked him. Carl laughed at me, so I stopped him laughing” at the time, Sherlock was a boy as well, so killer is around Sherlock’s age, with the assumption that the killer was a boy at the time as well.

Hostage in a public place. Eight hours to solve puzzle.

Car is found.

Car:
- Rented by Ian Monksfored
- Going on business trip; never arrived
- Blood found in car; it is Ian’s
- No body

Sherlock interviews the wife by acting like an old friend of Ian’s. Finds out:

Ian Monksford:
- Was depressed for months
- Forgot to renew tax on car; wasn’t like him

Wife referred to husband in past tense before any body was found - not a mistake a murderer would make.

Six hours.

Janus Cars was where Ian rented the car. Owner is a liar, Sherlock says.

Back at hospital. Gets a clue from hostage - “clue is in the name - Janus Cars” - while testing blood.

Three hours.

Sherlock’s observations:
- Blood in car exactly a pint; frozen
- Janus; God with two faces
- Ian had problems - probably financial - needed a way out
- Vanished to Colombia
- Owner had 2000 Colombian pound note and some change
- Had been abroad recently; tan lines, was itching and bleed on arm from a booster shot

Conclusion: Ian vanished to Colombia, wife is in on it and probably going to cash in inheritance with owner of Janus Cars.

“I am on fire!”

Back at Baker St. Hostage gets rescued.

Going to get something to eat. John talks to Sherlock about who is doing it and why. Gets 3 pips and a picture of a celebrity.

Hostage is blind. “This one’s a funny one.” Twelve hours to solve. “I like to watch you dance.”

Connie Prince:
- Recently found dead at house shared with brother. She hosted a make over show.
- Dead two days
- Cut her hand on rusty nail in garden
- Tetanus. Bacteria entered the wound
- Cut in hand deep; clean and fresh
- Bacteria in blood; 8-10 days
- Cut made after death

Eight hours. Sherlock is trying to find a connection between any parts of the cases/hostages. Call - three hours.

John goes to talk to the brother. The house boy makes a face as he leaves room. Hairless cat keeps crawling on John.

Back at Baker St. Connie made fun of her brother.

Back to John. The brother is making goo-goo eyes at John, who smells something so he calls Sherlock. Sherlock comes over under the guise of photographer and distracts to allow for John to observe.

John is happy. Theory: brother murdered sister for money, put disinfectant on cat’s paws, who scratches her and poisons her.

Sherlock dismisses. Theory: house boy wanted revenge. They fought and Connie threatened to take her brother out of her will.

“Hope you can get a cat for me” - Holmes/Watson #9, if I heard that right - sarcasm because John has made sentimental gestures in the episode and therefore would be the kind of person to give gifts in a relationship?

One hour. Sherlock tells Lestrade - house boy gave Connie a fatal dosage of botox.

Killer explodes hostage even though Sherlock solved the case because she tried to describe his voice.

Houseboy arrested. No call or pips. Can’t find anything about Powers - all classmates check out. John lectures Sherlock on humanity and finds that Sherlock doesn’t care. John is disappointed in him. “Don’t make people into heroes, John, heroes don’t exist. And even if they did, I wouldn’t be one of them.”

Message - 1 pip. View of the Thames, between Suffex Bridge (?) and Waterloo.

Sherlock tells Watson to check the papers - “you’re mad at me” - John gives him a look - this and the hero scene are Holmes/Watson #10. John reluctantly starts to help Sherlock - mentions Andrew West - attempt to get Sherlock to help him with Mycroft’s case?

A body is found on the banks of the Thames.

John’s observations:
- Dead about 24 hours or so
- Drowning? No; asphyxiation
- Bruising around nose and mouth; “fingertips,” Sherlock adds

While this is going on, Sherlock is looking through his phone:
Interpol - Regional Activities
Czech Republic - Most Wanted
Missing Persons

The Lost Vemeer painting is a fake.
The Golem - an assassin; squeezes the life out of victims; body was a hit.

Sherlock’s observations:
- Clothes: formal, heavy duty, polyester, too big for body; standard issue uniform
- Hook for a walkie talkie; “security guard?”
- Backside flabby, feet and legs strong = equal amounts sitting and walking around
- Night shift; buttons on watch alarm stiff
- Insignia on uniform torn off, worked somewhere recognizable; some sort of institution
- Ticket stubs in pocket; museum etc.
- Hinton gallery reported attendant missing ‘Alex Woodbridge’
- Hinton revealing lost Vemeer
- Why would Golem be hired for an attendant? Knew something most didn’t, that would stop gallery owner from profit

Conclusion: Vemeer is a fake.

Taxi cab - Waterloo bridge.
Sherlock writes a note and wraps it in money, gives it to a homeless person.
Then he goes to gallery - sends John to find out about attendant.

John goes to Alex’s apartment.

Alex:
- Shared with a woman
- Stargazer
- Nice guy
- Didn’t really know much about art

Message left for Alex - Prof. Caans “You were right”
Mycroft texts John to ask if they’ve talked to the fiancée.

Sherlock is at the gallery looking at the painting dressed as security guard.
Talks to the owner about painting being fake and whanot - doesn’t faze her. He walks out. Owner looks at painting.

John talks to West’s fiancée. She refuses to believe he’s a traitor. Quiet - left out of the blue. John meets her brother, Joe, who doesn’t act friendly. West was a “good man” who didn’t steal the plans, she says.

Homeless gives Sherlock a note back. Sherlock is not impressed by John’s findings. They drive off to a slummy area where homeless sleep.

Mention of the Irregulars briefly - “my eyes and ears are all over the city.”
The Golem is there - they chase after him but he gets away. They go after Prof. Caans figuring the Golem would be going after her.
She’s looking at a video about astronomy when the Golem attacks.
Sherlock and John intervene - fight scene! Sherlock shoots after the Golem but doesn’t hit him.

Sherlock brings Lestrade in, accuses the owner of knowing it was a fake but he doesn’t know how. He gets a call - a kid starts counting down 10 seconds and Sherlock’s going crazy trying to figure it out.
2 seconds - van Buren supernova is depicted in the picture but it only appeared in 1858 so it can’t have been painted in the 1650s.
Mycroft texts John.

Lestrade and Sherlock interrogates the art gallery owner.
Owner found someone who could replicate paintings - put in touch with people would could make it happen - Moriarty.

John goes to investigate Mycroft’s case at the train tracks - no blood on the line. There wasn’t much blood yet his head was bashed in. Sherlock appears - been following from the start. West wasn’t killed at the track.
The plans hadn’t left the country - Mycroft’s “people” would know - Sherlock is sure that person who has it doesn’t know what to do with it.

They break into a flat - Joe Harrison’s - brother of fiancée is the killer.

Joe comes home. Tells them what happened - wasn’t planned. Got into drug dealing, got into debt. Went drinking with West who talked about his job, showed him the memory stick, so he palmed the plans because West was so drunk. West went to confront Joe, they fought, West fell down the steps in front of his house and died. Thought about what to do, then realized - trains topped below his flat, dragged body on top of train and left it. Train took off with West on top. Train curved, West fell off.

Joe gives the memory stick to Sherlock. Bomber hasn’t messaged.

Back at Baker St. Sherlock is getting into “crap telly”, as John says. Sherlock tells John that he gave the plans back to Mycroft. John gloats a little about Sherlock delaying the painting case because he knew nothing about the solar system - Holmes/Watson #11, if you’re looking for it - their smiles give it away, and John follows up with inane, coupley talk about “risotto” in the fridge and who’s getting milk and beans and whatnot.

John leaves. Sherlock updates his site. Talks about collecting B-P plans at the pool at midnight.

Cut to the pool. Sherlock arrives, memory stick in hand. Talks to thin air. Watson appears in a giant coat. He is strapped with a bomb. John talks a bit. Then Moriarty appears - Jim from IT! Knew he was suspicious. (Bit of an overactor, really. Weird voice o.O) Sherlock pulls a gun out of his pocket.

Moriarty is a “specialist” - consulting criminal. The opposite of Sherlock’s job.

Yeah, I flinched when Moriarty screams about “that’s what people do” or whatever. Uncalled for, really.

Moriarty leans into John - “you can talk!”

Sherlock gives stick to Moriarty, who throws it into the pool. John jumps on Moriarty, risking his life to save Sherlock. “He’s sweet!” - Holmes/Watson #12.

John backs off when sniper focuses on Sherlock.

“If you don’t stop prying, I’ll burn you. I’ll burn the heart out of you.”

Sherlock claims he doesn’t have a heart. Threatens to shoot Moriarty; they banter more but if he does, then Moriarty’s snipers will blow them up.

Moriarty leaves. “Catch you later.”

“No you won’t!” (Makes me thinking of the Gingerbread Man, especially in that voice, haha.)

Sherlock rips the jacket off of Watson and slides it away from them. Watson can barely stand - out of shock, or something else? Grimacing too. Sherlock thanks John for trying to save his life. Wire connect to John’s collar; ear piece, right?

John: Hope no one saw that.
Sherlock: Hmm?
John: You ripping my clothes off in a darkened swimming pool. People might talk.” - Holmes/Watson #12 - why does John care about people thinking they’re gay at a time like this? Also, he seems a bit fainter than usual. Slower to speak. Still from shock? (Also, Benedict, why must you mumble with such a gorgeous accent?! What do you say in response?!)

Sniper is still trained on John. Moriarty comes back. Snipers train on Sherlock too. He still has the gun in hand. He and John share a look. John nods. Sherlock trains the gun on Moriarty…and then his hand falls, down to point at the explosive jacket that’s still blinking at Moriarty’s feet.

THE END.

Okay, so, my theory: Sherlock pulled the trigger, and immediately he and John jump in to the pool to deflect the blast. Whether that would work, I have no idea. But it’s really the only way I could conceive of them getting out of there - snipers trained on them could shoot before they could get out through any doors, which is also the dilemma if he shoots Moriarty. Plus there is more than one sniper, so it’s harder to avoid the shots, even in Hollywood.

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A few things:
Please point out if I got anything wrong, and I'll be sure to edit it. Also, I'm American born and bred, so that's why there are a lot of question marks besides places in London that were mentioned, and whatnot - anyone from the UK who sees any of these places as spelled wrong or anything, please tell me.
And if you've read all of this, then I applaud you, seriously.