"The Return of Sherlock Holmes" Wisteria Lodge (1988)

Director:

Peter Hammond

Writers:

Arthur Conan Doyle (short story "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" from volume "His Last Bow")
John Hawkesworth (developer)

TV Series:

"The Return of Sherlock Holmes" (1986)

Original Air Date:

20 April 1988 (Season 2, Episode 3)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A bored Holmes eagerly accepts a case involving the disappearance of an amateur Spanish cartographer as well as his servants from his rented country lodge.

Plot Keywords:

Cartographer | Disappearance | Map | Spaniard | Mulatto

Cast

Jeremy Brett	...	Sherlock Holmes
Edward Hardwicke	...	Dr. Watson
Freddie Jones	...	Inspector Baynes
Kika Markham	...	Miss Burnet
Donald Churchill	...	Scott Eccles
Basil Hoskins	...	Henderson
Trader Faulkner	...	Lucas
Arturo Venegas	...	Garcia
Guido Adorni	...	Luis
Sonny Caldinez	...	The Mulatto
Abigail Melia	...	Henderson's Daughter
Lorna Rossi	...	Henderson's Daughter

Filming Locations:

Arley Hall, Arley, Knutsford, Cheshire, England, UK

Quotes:

[first lines]
Garcia: Mr Scott Eccles.
Scott Eccles: Oh, ah-ha, Mr Garcia.
Garcia: I'm sorry, I did not recognize you at once.
Scott Eccles: Oh, ah.
Garcia: Please, allow me to carry your case.
Scott Eccles: That's very civil of you. Thank you very much.
Garcia: I'm sorry the weather has been unkind for your visit.
Scott Eccles: Ah, well, unkind for you, perhaps, but, hah, we British, you know, we're hardy souls, hah-hah.

So-so

The direction and plot line is rather muddy, perhaps intentionally to keep viewers in the dark. The repeated use of mirrors becomes an annoying gimmick rather than a stylistic feature. Brett's choices for the Holmes character are at times surprisingly odd relative to other episodes. The rest of the acting is uneven. A few of the motivations and reasons are not adequately explained in the end. Some of the shots seem poorly lit. This episode is one of the worst in the series. However, Freddie Jones stands out in a quirky role as Inspector Baynes, a detective trying to one-up Holmes and who turns out to be more intelligent than he at first seems.