The idea of this whole Christmas Special in Sherlock's head is when he's heard that Moriarty came back with "Did you miss me?" line all over london, his mind splashes with question of "HOW WAS MORIARTY STILL ALIVE WHEN HE BURST HIS MIND OPEN AND SHERLOCK SAW IT". Then his mind linked it to the one unresolved cases way back that he read/learned somewhere. So in his mind, if he could try to solve that one, he might be able to solve Moriarty's same issue, killed himself/herself with a gun into their heads.

So the point of this special was to show that Sherlock knows that Moriarty isn't actually alive, but someone is using the knowledge of Moriarty to incite more fear, which is the premise of season 4. It also establishes Sherlock's consistent drug use that we haven't seen in the first three seasons, but was very much a part of the original stories

23:29 In the books, Moriarty was referred to as the "Napoloen of Crime" - meaning he was as much of a genius committing crimes as Napoleon was a genius on the battlefield. The whole idea that Napoloen was short was British newspaper propaganda. He was actually quite tall for a man of that age. But Sherlock referring to Moriarty as a "short arse" (quite a common English insult for short people) was clearly alluding to the myth that Napoleon was short. Also, that scene at the waterfall is directly out of the books too. The Reichenbach falls is where both Sherlock and Moriarty plunge to their deaths whilst fighting (which was updated in Season 2 to be his apparent suicide by falling off a building). However, due to popular demand for more stories, the author brought him back, later revealing that he had used his fighting skills to (somehow) avoid falling himself. But really, he was dead and the public were not read for Sir Athur Conan Doyle to stop writing. Also, he never says "elementary, my dear Watson" in the books

Remember in ‘The Great Game’ Sherlock mentioned how secret societies sent fruit pips as a death threat. It was also in reference to one of the stories’ The five Orange Pips’ in that, as in this episode, Holmes fails to save his client. Mycroft in the books was described as large and portly. Given that Mark Gatiss is far from obese they made it in the modern show that Mycroft was dieting. Since the Victorian part was in Sherlocks mind he didn’t just make his brother large but even more so. The waterfall scene is in reference to ‘The Reichenbach Fall’ where Sherlock and Moriarty supposedly fell to their deaths and this was how Conan Doyle originally killed off his creation. However due to fans mourning and the backlash, he brought Holmes back. They recreated that moment when Sherlock jumped from the hospital roof.

I think one thing important to understand about Sherlock as a character after season 2 which is never explicitly said but is shown through acting choices is that we’re now dealing with a deeply traumatized character who refuses to acknowledge it or tell anyone in his life. We know he was tortured for 3 months in Serbia after the fall, and it seems clear that the entire Moriarty thing was also deeply traumatic for him, but he never tells John or anyone else about it so they treat all of his mania and ptsd symptoms as Sherlock being self centered and an addict instead of being able to see the root of those issues. We’ll see that shame spiral play out in the extreme in the final season and it is an interesting look into someone’s experience after trauma but because they never make it explicit, it can feel just like an odd character choice instead of something intentional

For Mycroft, in the books he dislikes physical effort, and is unenergetic. While the producers exaggerated to make a contrast with the modern version, it is more faithful to the original version. The Wikipedia article about the character includes the following: In "The Bruce-Partington Plans", Watson states that Mycroft is "tall and portly", and gives the following description of him: "Heavily built and massive, there was a suggestion of uncouth physical inertia in the figure, but above this unwieldy frame..."

Definitely check out the two Sherlock Holmes movies with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. It's set in the original time period but not entirely presented in the classic 30s-40s, Basil Rathbone style of Holmes. It draws on more of the description of Holmes' character from the original stories. Mix that with the filmmaking style of Guy Ritchie (Snatch; Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels)

This was a presentation of Sherlock's mind. When he uses his extraordinary ability to enter his mind palace, his mind moves at 'Sherlock speed' allowing him to use the reference he had stored in his mind of the original case to create an imaginary version of how he would solve that case, and it was set in the appropriate time period for that case, but the case he's really trying to solve is how Moriarty could be alive. It's a truly brilliant episode that makes great use of the established character interactions as well as providing a peek into the inner workings of Sherlock's genius mind. Great reaction, can't wait for the next. Happy holidays all.

Sherlock never actually said "elementary my dear Watson" in the original books. He did say elementary but never like that. That cane from one of the early on screen adaptations and people often think it was his original catchphrase or something but it wasn't.

13:29 Surprised Nat didn't realize the "M" card from earlier was a trick to get people thinking "...Moriarty?" when, again, it was just Mycroft like in the original episode.

Miss Gold, Good Morning. I just wanted to ask when we will receive the final season of this on KZfaq cuuuzzz damn it’s been a month 😅

2:30 Nat's reaction, knowing absolutely nothing about this special episode, was just amazing 😄😊

In my opinion this movie was really made so that the cast, crew and showrunners (who after all are massive fans of the original stories) could produce a Holmes adventure that was a more faithful adaptation, with the original setting and costumes and dialogue, yet still woven into the ongoing plot they had created, by way of the dream/drug trip. There is no need to look too deeply into it, they made it because they could, and people watch it because it is a brilliant Holmes story.

Natalie: "They don't have a very healthy relationship do they? They don't communicate.." Me: "It's19th Century Victorian England so... correct."

Hearing you talk about "bonus content" makes me remember that the fans of the show swore that there was going to be a secret additional episode of the show.

Interesting little fact. Sherlock never said "Elementary, my dear Watson" in any of the original books. It is just a myth, like Kirk never saying "Beam me up, Scotty" or Darth Vader saying "Luke, I am your father", or Bergman saying "Play it again Sam". All are often quoted lines that were never said.

Mycroft in the books had no ambitions. He was able to deduce cases from reading the files but if he ever needed evidence he’d rather let the case go unsolved rather than do the leg work. It’s why he employs Sherlock lol

This episode, and especially the establishing shot of Baker Street in the 1800's, is a nod to the 1980's Sherlock Holmes series starring Jeremy Brett; (which many believe is the best Holmes every put to film/TV)

I adore this episode for how many references it has to the classic books For the Sherlock nerds, this is so much fun to watch and notice those small stuff 😍

I'd forgotten how amazing this feature length episode of Sherlock truly is. Great reactions Natalie. Thanks for sharing.

The 5 orange pits is a reference to a story titled The Five Orange Pips, and it was one of the few stories that didn't have a proper resolution. The short of it is the KKK came calling on a former member who had sensitive information on them, and those seeds were their calling card. The man was eventually killed, the man's brother eventually killed and finally his son killed. Sherlock was able to figure out who was behind it but they had already fled England by steamer at that point, but the thing is the ship sank before it could reach the US.

When are you gonna react to the last series?

I'm so glad that you're enjoying this series so much, Natalie. Other series which I recommend are: 'The Night Manager' from 2016 with Tom Huddleston and Hugh Laurie, and 'Luther' from 2010 starring Idris Elba both of these are excellent.

The scene with Sherlock & Moriarty at the waterfall was almost exactly a recreation of the original "Reichenbach Falls" story's final scene...where both characters "die" in the fall.

Loving these reactions, cant wait for the final season review!

Wow i haven't seen this ep in so long I forgot so much about it and how it all tied into what's going on with Moriarty and everything!

I forgot how trippy this special is! I haven't seen this show in forever so it's so fun to rewatch it through your reactions!

There are more themes, twists, realities and awkwardly placed social commentary that one can usually keep up with. But in a completely Sherlockian way, it all falls into place in the end.

I’d really recommend looking into Robert Downey Junior’s Sherlock Holmes, directed by Guy Ritchie.

im not going to lie, i get so happy when i see your notification. of all the sherlock episodes, this one was an awesome ride !

As a fan of Sir Arthur's writings, this is my favorite episode of the show. It's really cool to see Benedict and Martin in the original setting, even if there are minor details that don't add up with the timeline of the "Canon"

Nat's reactions are so entertaining, can't wait for Season 4

Holmes never says "Elementary, my dear Watson" in the books. That was introduced in the movies by Basil Rathbone - as was the deerstalker hat

i was so lucky to watch this premiere in the cinema....its was a great experience. allso the abselute silence. well secrets cant be told that way. people cant have lose tongues

This special episode was just amazing! So brilliant at so many levels. Loved it.

Have you seen the RDJ Sherlock movies Nat? Maybe consider checking them out as well. Also the show Elementary is very good Sherlock content!

24:54 Just an observation: The phrase "elementary my dear Watson" is not said by Holmes in any of the original books. This phrase was made up afterwards.

This episode is weird. When it came out it was simply promoted as a standalone Christmas special set in Victorian London. It even played in some movie theaters. So to reveal that it's happening in Sherlock's imagination has always rubbed me the wrong way. I just want to know how many people were tricked into seeing it (especially in theaters) without knowing anything about the series and being completely baffled.

Ultimately, the reason for the flashback stuff, apart from being fun and cool, is because the order for a Christmas special came through but they didn't want it to mess with their plans for S4. So even though they do have a lot of fun with it, the hallucination stuff is basically a way to put a pin in the main arc plot so that S4 can still pick up from S3's cliffhanger seamlessly.

No season4?

I enjoy all the Sherlock reactions! :) Yeah, in the past, being a big person was a sign of success, but these days being thin is a sign of success, so in the books Mycroft is a big guy, but they made him thin in the modern retelling to keep the spirit of the idea that he's admirable / successful alive. ;)

Omg this was such perfect timing, had nothing to watch and couldn’t find anything for last 20 minutes of searching then this popped up! 🎉🎉

I had forgotten what had happened in season 4, but now I remember. You're in for a treat.

'The Reichenbach Fall' episode, where Moriarty kills himself and Sherlocks jumps to his "death", is a reference to the Reichenbach Falls - the waterfall where Moriarty and Sherlock fall to their deaths in the original books. So THIS was a more accurate depiction of the Reichenbach Falls. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle genuinely DID kill off Sherlock and Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls, because he was desperate to stop writing Sherlock Holmes stories and get back to his "real" literary career (whatever he imagined that to be). "However, distressed readers wrote anguished letters to The Strand Magazine, which suffered a terrible blow when 20,000 people cancelled their subscriptions to the magazine in protest. Conan Doyle himself received many protest letters, and one lady even began her letter with "You brute". Legend has it that Londoners were so distraught upon hearing the news of Holmes's death that they wore black armbands in mourning. The recorded public reaction to Holmes's death was unlike anything previously seen for fictional events." After eight years of resisting, Doyle first wrote 'The Hound Of The Baskervilles' which was set before Sherlock's death, and THEN he wrote 'The Empty House' in which Sherlock returned to life and explained to Watson how he had faked his death.

Mycroft in the original books was described as corpulent

Can't wait for her to watch Season 4 of Sherlock. I really hope she watches the Robert Downey version of Sherlock too.

Oooh I remember seeing this in the cinema it was a great time! 🤣 A lot of it is reference to the canonical book stories, such as Mycroft being overweight, Mrs Hudson never saying anything of substance, Mary basically being ignored other than being John's wife ar home, obviously Molly couldn't be a doctor in that time and John being maybe a bit more..bumbling 🤣🤣 also in the original Reichenbach Falls Sherlock "dies" falling down a waterfall. Conan Doyle was happy to keep him dead but got hounded by fans 🤣

If you enjoy Andrew Scott's performance as Moriarty, I hope you'll consider reacting to _Fleabag_ . He's a regular in series 2, but I think you'll like the show for Phoebe Waller-Bridge's writing/performance as well.

I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

This is SOO good

where's the next season?

For some reason, I forgot all about this episode. I'm glad you watched it. Btw, I think it was Basil Rathbone's Sherlock in the old movies who first wore the deerstalker hat, and it caught on. The hat was never mentioned in the original stories.

So excited for season 4!! You'll be gooped and gagged! :)

This one genuinely spooked me when I first saw it. 😮

Can't wait to see you watch the last season, it's so crazy.

The early lines are lifted straight from "A Study in Scarlet," the first Holmes tale from 1887.

Benedict Cumberbatch really knows how to rock a top hat

23:25 i laughed so hard and had to keep quiet because its 5 in the morning😂 can't wait to see the reaction to season 4!

British shows having Christmas specials is something I love. American who grew up with PBS, so I developed that dry sense of humor, and became addicted to many things British on TV decades ago. Dr. Who is the most known for their Xmas specials in recent years, although that fell to the wayside with a change of production staff a few years ago.

So much foreshadowing, especially with the Do not forget me chants.

I was a few hundred miles from home when this hit theaters but there was no way I was going to miss it. Such a delightful film. (Pretty much every episode could have been a theatrical release.)

I really hope you'll watch the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes films after this series is over. They are definitely worth a watch!

There is a US series of Sherlock, in the modern day, called "Elementary" with Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock & Lucy Liu as Joan Watson. It ran for 7 series from 2012-2019. Nowhere near as good as Sherlock, but worth a watch nonetheless. More a straight crime solving puzzle show than the stylised delivery of Sherlock, but I found it enjoyable all the same. A lot more is made of Sherlock being a recovering addict in that.

Of course "Redbeard" will be resolved in season 4 in the very last episode - and that´s kind of a Sherlock family background story...

Having watched this, I kind of want to see Nat's reaction to Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Lovely period fantasy.

You should react to Elementary series next. Honestly better depiction of Sherlock

Although I don't tnik this was really really relevant to the series overall, I love this special so much!

the house your editor used when complimenting the... lady doing well for herself is i believe Tyntesfield which is very close to where i live, and does in fact deserve a WoW. its stunning. it has a fascinating history, and well worth a visit! (even if just to its wiki page!)

Spealing of the word Elementary there's a fun What if modern Sherlock but in NY by that name that you might like!

I like how John tips his hat at Molly, he’s impressed by what she has had to do in order to work at what she wants in a time where it was not expected for a woman.

I really really hope that you watch the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes movies while on your Sherlock kick. I honestly prefer them but both are great

Thank you

The show Fleabag has the Moriarty actor in it and it’s definitely something you should check it out

Ayyy let’s go!

Gosh I’ve not watched this for awhile!

Did you already watch the old sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Jr and Mark Strong? It plays in around the same time like this movie!

I absolutely can not wait for Nat to react to the 4th season That season without a doubt is my favorite season

This is kind of similar to a short-lived series called "Houdini & Doyle" that was about Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle solving supernatural-seeming mysteries together.

I love how going back in time changes "The Game is on" to "The Game's afoot".

As a reader of SH this is my absolute fav episode

Moriarty is here depicted as the affliction that haunts Sherlock, ie his addiction. He can't beat him without help from Watson

I hope you'll watch at least one episode of the Granada Television Holmes stories starring Jeremy Brett. A good one would be "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle" which is Christmas-themed.

There are tons of intriguing 'allusions" and threads connecting to Sherlock Holmes stories, here (as there are in most-if-not-all of the episodes!🤷🤷); however, one of the things I find MOST intriguing is: the allusion to Moriarty and Holmes' first and final encounter -that is: physical meeting- (Conan Doyle had decided to kill Sherlock off, at this point; but, later, revived him.) in the story "The Final Problem" (Also the title of an upcoming episode, which, basically, has no relation to the themes of the original story, at all.). Moriarty is introduced as a criminal mastermind, in "The Final Problem" and both Holmes and he die (-apparently, at least), having, each, plunged into a gorge by the (famed) Reichenbach Falls (in Switzerland). You will, also, notice that: "The Reichenbach Fall" has already been used as an episode title, in the series. In fact, it is the episode in which: Moriarty blows his own head open and Sherlock, also, dies (appears to kill himself), by falling, no less. (so these all allude to that initial encounter, written by Conan Doyle). The reiteration (and really, 'factorialization') of Holmes and Moriarty's "duel" (or whatever it was - fight ...resulting in: mutual death) from "The Final Problem" story, in this movie is, completely brilliant. In the first place, in Conan Doyle's initial story, the actual confrontation/combat is never "shown" (related), only the aftermath. Here, they show the combat portion (which Conan Doyle left up to the readers' imagination). Also, to protect his friend Watson, he sends Watson away, knowingly giving him misinformation and confronts Moriarty on his own (Watson only shows-up after-the-fact, to discover evidence of their mutual demise.), HERE Watson, instead, shows-up to protect and rescue Holmes! (although, within the "dream" (or whatever), both H & M end-up reflecting their dual demise in the original story.). It's a very nice reflection of and "honorific" 🤷🤷 towards (?) the fans of the stories and those who know them; as well as: continuing to use the themes, characters and story ideas from those, in new, unique, "updated," but not altered and by altering: destroyed, ways (which befit the series). 🤘🤘

I WAS GONNA SLEEEEEEEEEEP! BUT NEVERMINDDDDDDDDD! HAHAHAHAHAHA

26:15 in the book, Holmes said something like.. there's nothing new in crime.. if you can solve 1000 cases.. it's impossible for you to not be able to solve the 1001st.. so he dives to the similar case hundred years ago.. in order to solve his current case.. both Moriarty and Emilia Riccolety shot their own head and they survived (or in case of Moriarty Sherlock thought he survived)

It was the Strand magazine illustrator that gave Homes the deerstalker hat in 1891 so it was never part of the original stories.

Apparently the Abominable Bride was based on a never finished Conan Doyle story.

There's a lot there but the main "point" is that Sherlock needed to suss out that Moriarty is actually dead, he can't have come back, so now he can focus on why someone is using his image pretending he lived. But that's the absolute barebones. Unfortunately, you'll need to actually experience a lot of the rest of this season to connect some of the other dots. Buy it should help you recognize or reframe things we've been shown or told.

Hi Natalie, if you like the 19th century style crime thing try "Enola Holmes" (with Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock's little sister), which is a fabulous movie and also "Around the World in 80 Days" with David Tennant. Also, the TV series "Vienna Blood".

Fellas, is it me or she REALLY has to watch Good Omens (s1 and s2) too. Bc i would like to watch EVERY reaction of her.

Old is gold

Loving the Sherlock reactions, some of the best work to come out of Blighty this millennium, no doubt. As you've been watching the Avatar series and have seen Firefly before, I would love for you to check out the Cowboy Bebop anime. It's an absolute classic and I think you'd love it. English dub.

Original book Mycroft was fatter, and in the modern version in the show a few times they mention/show him dieting/exercising.

Was more of a Christmas special between series than a movie

I really liked the movie at the time, cause it shows the "Orange seeds case" which is one of the most memorable ones within all Sherlock history ❤ You really should read the books!

Mycroft in the books is quite large, also in the amazing and hopefully when you have finished Sherlock watch Jeremy Brett's t.v show, various titles, adventures, casebook, return of Sherlock Holmes, well worth the watch.

I forgot this existed

Jeremy Brett was still the best Sherlock Holmes ever. This version of "Sherlock" isn't even close.

This was a made for tv Christmas special to accompany the series and was better for being set in Victorian times.👍🇬🇧

oh how I wish you could be jumping into a better season 4 than what we ended up getting, but I still look forward to the reaction