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The Empty Hearse

Episode aired Jan 19, 2014
TV-PGTV-PG
1h 28m

IMDb RATING

8.8/10

31K

YOUR RATING

Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock (2010)

Crime Drama Mystery

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

IMDb RATING

8.8/10

31K

YOUR RATING

- Jeremy Lovering
- Mark Gatiss
- Steven Moffat(co-created with)
- Arthur Conan Doyle(based on the works of)
Stars

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Awards
- 1 nomination

Photos64

Amanda Abbington and Martin Freeman in Sherlock (2010)

Amanda Abbington and Benedict Cumberbatch in Sherlock (2010)

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Sherlock and Mycroft's parents are played by Benedict Cumberbatch's real-life parents, Wanda Ventham and Timothy Carlton.

Goofs
Sherlock goes to great lengths to examine the skeleton, supposedly of Jack the Ripper in the hidden room. However, Sherlock should have spotted it was a fake immediately as the skeleton was in a sitting position, fully articulated. Without any ligature tissue to support the bones, the skeleton would be a pile of bones on the chair and floor. Molly, as a doctor, should also have known this.

Quotes
Dr. John Watson: Well, I've got some news.
Mrs. Hudson: Oh, God, is it serious?
Dr. John Watson: What? No, no I'm not ill. I've, uh, well I'm... moving on.
Mrs. Hudson: You're emigrating?
Dr. John Watson: Nope. Uh, no, I've, uh... I have met someone.
Mrs. Hudson: Oh! Ah, lovely.
Dr. John Watson: Yeah. We're getting married. Well, I'm going to ask, anyway.
Mrs. Hudson: So soon after Sherlock?
Dr. John Watson: Hmm, well, yes.
Mrs. Hudson: What's his name?
Dr. John Watson: [sighs] It's a woman.
Mrs. Hudson: A woman?
Dr. John Watson: Yes, of course it's a woman.
Mrs. Hudson: [laughs quietly] You really have moved on, haven't you?
Dr. John Watson: Mrs. Hudson, how many times?... Sherlock was not my boyfriend.
Mrs. Hudson: Live and let live, that's my motto.
Dr. John Watson: Listen to me. *I am not gay*!

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

Connections
Featured in The Big Fat Quiz of the Year (2014)

Soundtracks
¿Dónde Estás, Yolanda?
(uncredited)
Written by Pink Martini
Performed by Pink Martini
[Played when John and Mary dine together]

User reviews49

Review

Featured review

9/10

Underrated

My favorite episode so far. It's badly bashed online because it really has its flaws. The main argument is that this episode is more of a parody to Sherlock than it is new Sherlock story. The fact is that this episode does not bring new complicated crime and Sherlock's genius solution, and to a certain extent I can understand the disappointment of those who waited two years for this episode. But I, who waited for it just a few minutes, really cannot recall last time I had so much fun. It may be bad from the crime/mystery genre point of view, but it's not written in the stone that every episode must follow that pattern. It's premium entertainment and I am thrilled.

9/10

However, I have one objection. It is not a big deal and most of the audience won't even notice it, because it is obvious only to former Yugoslavian audience and Russians, but it needlessly undermines the quality of this awesome show. I will quote Bosnian guy who presented this issue par excellence:

"Besides Serbs always being the bad guys, torturing someone when they have nothing else to do, how come they wear Russian parade uniforms and talk their Serbian like a parrot with Aerosinusitis, which is hardly intelligible. I know that Mycroft had few hours to learn Serbian, but the other Serbian guy speaks his mother tongue like a text-to-speech software. It seems that using google translate instead of human keeps production costs low... just as the quality of it."

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