The Empty Hearse 

Mycroft calls Sherlock back to London to investigate an underground terrorist organization.

Director:

Jeremy Lovering

Writers:

Mark Gatiss, Arthur Conan Doyle (based on the works of) (as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Stars:

Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Benedict Cumberbatch	...	Sherlock Holmes
Martin Freeman	...	Dr. John Watson
Una Stubbs	...	Mrs. Hudson
Rupert Graves	...	DI Lestrade
Mark Gatiss	...	Mycroft Holmes
Andrew Scott	...	Jim Moriarty
Louise Brealey	...	Molly Hooper
Amanda Abbington	...	Mary Morstan
Jonathan Aris	...	Anderson
David Fynn	...	Howard Shilcott
Sharon Rooney	...	Laura
Tomi May	...	Torturer
Rick Warden	...	Bonfire Dad
Trixiebell Harrowell	...	Zoe (as Trixiebelle Harrowell)
Lovelace Akpojaro	...	Reporter 1 (as Lace Akpojaro)

Storyline

Two years after the devastating effects of The Reichenbach Fall, Dr John Watson has got on with his life. New horizons, romance and a comforting domestic future beckon; but, with London under threat of a huge terrorist attack, Sherlock Holmes is about to rise from the grave with all the theatricality that comes so naturally to him. It's what his best friend wanted more than anything, but for John Watson it might well be a case of 'be careful what you wish for'. If Sherlock thinks everything can be just as he left it though, he's in for a very big surprise.

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Plot Keywords:

terrorist | subway | reference to guy fawkes | brother brother relationship | disguise | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 2014 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hartswood Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name of the abandoned tube station "Sumatra Road" is a subtle reference to The Giant Rat of Sumatra, a case that is mentioned in 'The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire' as one of the many "unseen" adventures Holmes and Watson have had.

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Goofs

When Sherlock examines the body in the cellar (41:21) He misses the fact that this "body" is probably a skeleton robbed from a School or University. As can be clearly seen on the hand of the skeleton where individual bones of the fingers are held together with iron wires.

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Quotes

Sherlock Holmes: [voiced from the darkness as Lestade lights a cigarette] Those things will kill you.
DI Lestrade: [long pause with recognition] Oh, you bastard.

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Crazy Credits

During the credits, individual letters are coloured red. Together they spell Weng Chiang.

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Connections

References Scary Movie 5 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Opening Titles
(uncredited)
Written by David Arnold and Michael Price

User Reviews

A Marvelous Return of the great detective

2 years is a pretty long time to wait for something so excellent.Being a big fan of the source material,I've followed this show from the beginning and this episode lived up to our expectations..the wait was worth it!We finally got an explanation to the riddle which had been bugging our minds so long.

Is there something better than Sherlock and Moriarty about to make out, and Sherlock's parents, and Sherlock's scarf, and Sherlock kissing Molly, and John repeatedly attacking Sherlock, and Anderson's first name?I think not. This was by far one of the best episode of this show and provided a full dose of spectacular performances by Benedict and Freeman with a script full of amazing wit,whizz and humour.Also the way Sherlock explains the fall is stunning and it opened with a breathtaking sequence. And hats off to the creators for such an excellent episode. It deserves a 10/10.