Hello to all other Sherlockians reading this! In celebration of finding the air date (it's actually for the U.S. it will air in the U.K. sometime before this), I've come up with a list of facts concerning the last episode from BBC's Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall.
First things first I want to tell you right now it's not a complete theory. I still have no idea how Sherlock survived. This is just reviewing some facts that seem to fit together, and refutting some of the other theories out there that if you actually look at the facts, just wouldn't work.
The first fact that always bugged me: What did Sherlock ask Molly to do?
This may not be all that complicated. When I was re-watching The Reichenbach Fall for the hundreth time I realized something. When John got the fake call that Mrs. Hudson had been shot I always thought it had been someone working for Moriarty that made the call when in fact I think Sherlock told Molly (or had her get someone else) to call John and get him out of harms way.
Something else that always bugged me: How could Sherlock be that dumb not to see through Moriarty's plan?
I mean come on! He's SHERLOCK HOLMES! Well I think I have an answer for all you Sherlock fans who were disappointed in your hero.
So we know from later in the show that Sherlock had a phone on him, it very well could be an iPhone, which if you know anything about iPhones they come with an app for recording you talk for voice memoes. If Sherlock really is as smart as I think he is I believe he was recording the whole conversation with Moriarty. He "played dumb" to get Moriarty to tell him the whole plan. Later just before Sherlock jumped, he tossed the phone back on to the safety of the rooftop where it wouldn't be damaged by the fall.
Next point: John never saw Sherlock hit the ground. If you don't believe me go and watch the episode again.
This was the best picture I could get at short notice so you might wan to watch this episode again to see what I'm talking about but this is early on in the conversation when Sherlock tells John to go back. When he does this smaller building is between John and the hospital sidewalk.
The building was in the way so that John couldn't have seen the last ten or twelve feet. I think this is probably one of the most important facts right here.
I've read a lot of other theories on how Sherlock survived and some people say that he had somebody in on it who brought out an inflatable or a trampoline or maybe he landed in a nearby dumpster. I don't think any of these are quite true, 1. because of all the bystanders that would had to have been bribed to act like they'd just witnessed a suicide, and keep quite about it afterwards, and 2. Because Moriarty obviously had some else watching to make sure Sherlock jumped who would have seen that it was faked and would have told the assassins to go ahead and shoot John, Lestrade, and Mrs. Hudson.
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| Notice the truck filled with garbage bags on the right side. |
The best theory that might fit is that there was a truck or a bus that pulled up that he landed on and rolled off of first before hitting the ground, again however I don't think this is right because he would have had to roll off the vehicle on to the street and then run back and lay down on the sidewalk... which I guess he could have done, but again: bystanders.
Another actually quite brilliant theory that fits is that Sherlock used a drug to make it look like he had no pulse when John reached. If it kicked in at just the right moment it could have also saved him from getting seriously injured when he fell. You don't believe me? There has been numerous incedents where people who should have died in a car accident was saved (and in a lot of cases were barely hurt at all) because they were asleep and their body didn't tense up before the impact. In fact I once heard of a guy that was camping on a mountain and rolled over the edge of a cliff in his sleep. Anyone else should have died but the doctors said he survived only because he had been asleep at the time, in fact he was barely bruised from the fall.
So where did he get this drug?
People who might have been in on it:
The cyclist
Could be part of the homeless network. He could have ran into John to slow him down, buy Sherlock a few extra seconds to put the finishing touches on his "illusion" (this could have included splattering some blood on him that he'd nigged from the hospital).
Mycroft
While Sherlock faking his death could have been easy, arranging a funeral without anyone looking into the casket or keeping people (John) from going to see a non-existant corpse in the morge wouldn't be without some help. Not to mention Mycroft has access to CCTV all over the place, he would probably see right away what had happened if he wasn't in on it.
The paramedics
They may or may not have been. Since Sherlock was just faking it they probably would have realised sooner or later, so there's the slight chance they knew.
This random person:
Now this person could have just been trying to help out, or they could have been trying to keep John from actually feeling Sherlock's pulse. Now John did get a split-second to find a pulse but if my drug theory is correct then his heart rate would have been too faint for him to notice in the little bit of time he had.
Last question: Why did Sherlock have to fake being dead for so long?
After the assassins were called off why didn't he just come out and tell his friends? Well if you read the original stories you might find the answer. In The Adventure of the Empty House (it comes right after The Final Problem where Sherlock "dies"), Sherlock explains to Dr. Watson that he had needed to hide from three other men that worked for Moriarty, although only one comes into the story: a Colonel Moran, expert marksman. Since Moriarty is gone who is Sherlock going to take on next? After all "every fairy tale needs a good old-fashioned villain." I think it's highly likely that the writers are going to bring in Moran for at least the first episode of the up-coming series, and seeing what they've done before I have high expectaions!
References:
BBC Sherlock, Series 2, Episode 3: The Reichenbach Falls
The Final Problem, by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventure of the Empty House, by Arthur Conan Doyle
