History Recap / SherlockS02E02TheHoundsOfBaskerville

* WhiteBunny: Justified: The rabbits Dr Stapleton are working on are pure white: genetically engineered lab animals are usually white, because it's easier to see bioluminescence in a light-coloured specimen than in a darker one.

!!This episode contains examples of:

* {{Foreshadowing}}: John tells Sherlock that it's not possibly for the victim to have committed the murder in Cluedo. This is more-or-less what happens in [[Recap/SherlockS02E03TheReichenbachFall the next episode]].

-->'''Sherlock:''' It's all right. It's OK now.
'''John:''' NO, IT'S NOT! IT'S NOT OK! I saw it, I was wrong!
'''Sherlock:''' Well, let's not jump to conclusions.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: John tells Sherlock that it's not possibly for the victim to have committed the murder in Cluedo. [[spoiler:Which is very similar to what Sherlock would do in [[Recap/SherlockS02E03TheReichenbachFall the next episode]].]]

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Double-subverted. Frankland was ultimately responsible for the death of Henry's father, and [[KarmaHoudini got away with it]] because even though Henry witnessed it, Henry was drugged by the Project Hound drug and rationalized it into thinking it was the hound to cope with the trauma. When Henry finally learned and accepted the truth about the hound and his father's murder twenty years later, he furiously tried to attack Frankland before being stopped by Lestrade. Frankland then attempted to escape through the Grimpen Minefield and, predictably, ended up getting blown up.

** Dr Stapleton, especially for those familiar with the original novel. They're involved in genetic experimentation on animals of dubious legality, but are otherwise innocent -- and her counterpart in the original turned out to be the killer.

** Henry Knight's name is a play on the knight, Sir Henry Baskerville, from ''The Hound of the Baskervilles''. Many of the other names are taken more or less straight from the original, including the surname of the original villain.

* NeverFoundTheBody: The body of the father, who was alledgedly killed by the wolf, was never found. This fact [[RedHerring doesn't become plot-relevant]] though.

** Major Barrymore sports a thick dark beard, in spite of the fact that it's against army regulations. This is because the original character's most distinguishing physical characteristic was a black beard.

The 21st century take on possibly the most famous work in the Holmes canon - ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles''.

--> '''Lestrade:''' I suppose he likes having the same faces back together. It appeals to his... his...
--> '''Watson:''' [very snarkily] Aspergers?

-->'''Dr Frankland''': I'd love to tell you, but then of course I'd have to kill you.
-->'''Sherlock''': That would be tremendously ambitious of you.

-->'''Sherlock''': It's all right. It's OK now.
-->'''John''': NO, IT'S NOT! IT'S NOT OK! I saw it, I was wrong!

* {{Foreshadowing}}: John tells Sherlock that it's not possibly for the victim to have committed the murder in Cluedo. [[spoiler: Which is very similar to what Sherlock would do in [[Recap/SherlockS02E03TheReichenbachFall the next episode]].]]

-->'''Bill Murray''': It sounds as if the dog's bark was worse than its bite!\\
'''Mike Stamford''': It's certainly given me paws for thought.\\
'''Bill Murray''': Surely this is just a ShaggyDogStory.\\
'''Sherlock''': John, [[ShootTheDog fetch me my revolver]].

* NothingIsScarier: The sequence in which John is trapped in a lab with an apparently escaped hound.

--->'''Sherlock:''' (''clutching a glass of whiskey and shaking badly'') Look at me, John. I'm afraid.

--> '''Sherlock:''' Listen, what I said before, John, I meant it. I don't have friends. I've just got one.

-->'''Henry''': Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!
-->'''Sherlock''': Say that again!
-->'''Henry''': I found footprints, they were ...
-->'''Sherlock''': No, no, no, your exact words. Repeat your exact words from a moment ago, exactly as you said them.
-->'''Henry''': Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound.
-->'''Sherlock''': I'll take the case.

-->'''John:''' You being all mysterious with your - cheekbones. And turning your coat collar up so you look cool.

-->'''John:''' It's not actually possible for the victim to have done it, Sherlock!
--> '''Sherlock''' It was the only possible solution!
--> '''John:''' It's not in the ''rules!''
--> '''Sherlock:''' "Then [[GameplayAndStorySegregation the rules are wrong]]!"

%%HandlingSpoilers: Recap pages: An episode recap page is, by default, a spoiler. Readers of these pages are expected to have watched the episode in question. Therefore, there are no spoiler tags on recap pages. Conversely, do not add spoilers for future episodes, even under tags. Those go on the later episode pages.

* EveryoneKnowsMorse: Justified in case of John, as he could have been trained in it in the Army. However, [[spoiler:it turns out to be a RedHerring, as the flashes were cause by a guy's belt being caught on the switch in his car, as he's having sex with a girl]].
** Although it's not really pointed at all, when John appears beside the swimming pool [[spoiler: in an explosive vest he was forced to wear by Moriarty]], he seems to be blinking SOS.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: [[spoiler:In the climax of "The Hounds Of Baskerville", Frankland attempts to escape through the Grimpen Minefield and steps on a mine, which blows him to bits.]]

* LargeHam: Henry, especially when he sees the hound [[spoiler:or thinks he does, or then, when he finally learns the truth, he tries to attack Frankland]].

* TheShrink: Dr. Louise Mortimer. While she genuinely cares about Henry Knight, she doesn't realize that the delusions she believes he's suffering from are caused by [[spoiler: witnessing the brutal murder of his father and then being regularly dosed with an experimental psychotropic drug]]. In her defense, ''nobody'' would have reason to suspect that given it was all classified and Sherlock himself wasn't thinking of it until he experienced the Hound as well.

* WhiteBunny: Justified: The rabbits Dr Stapleton are working on are pure white: [[spoiler: genetically engineered lab animals are usually white, because it's easier to see bioluminescence in a light-coloured specimen than in a darker one.]]

* FirstNameBasis: An odd example with good old [[MargaretThatcher Maggie.]]

* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: "[[MargaretThatcher Maggie]]". He could have at least added random numbers or something...

* NotQuiteDead: The real hound at the end. Minutes after being shot it comes back and provides Dr Frankland with an oportunity to escape.

** Sherlock reacting with fear to the Hound, when he normally stays very distant from emotional responses. He notices himself that this is OOC behavior, and deduces that he's been drugged.

-->--'''Sherlock Holmes'''

A bored Sherlock decides to take on the case of Henry Knight, who claims to have seen the footprint of a gigantic hound in the woods. He also claims that 20 years before he had seen his father mauled to death by the creature. Holmes assumes that the source of the creature is the nearly Baskerville military research facility. Using his brother Mycroft's identity card, he and Watson gain access to the facility though his ruse is quickly found out. His faith in his abilities is shaken to the core when he too sees the creature, something that genuinely frightens him.

* BlackSite: The Baskerville facility is a highly secured governmental research center. Sherlock and John manage to get inside by using Mycroft's ID and BavarianFireDrill tactics.

* BlackSite: The Baskerville facility is a highly secured governmental research center. Sherlock and John only manage to get inside using BavarianFireDrill tactics.

* CryptidEpisode

* Filler: This is the only episode in the first two seasons with absolutely no connection to Moriarty and his machinations, and the only one to take place largely outside of London.

* HatePlague: According the the CIA report found by Sherlock online, the hallucinogenic drug researching on at the Baskerville facility drove the test subjects insane and made them almost uncontrollably aggressive.

* NotQuiteDead: The real hound at the end. Minutes after being shot it comes back and provides Dr Frankland with a chance to escape.

-->'''Young man''': Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!
-->'''Sherlock''': Say that again?
-->'''Young man''': I found footprints, they were ...

-->'''Young man''': Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound.

* YourTelevisionHatesYou: The man whose father was apparently killed by a wolf keeps getting wolf-related channels. Justified, as he's under the influence of a fear-inducing drug.

* OnlyFriend: Sherlock points this out to John, clarifying his assertion the night before that he "doesn't have friends":

** The Morse code John notices. It turns out to lead to a [[StealthPun dogging site]] instead of anything relevant to the case, though it does at least provide Sherlock with a genuinely helpful EurekaMoment.

* WackyWaysideTribe: This is the only episode in the first two seasons with absolutely no connection to Moriarty and his machinations, and the only one to take place largely outside of London.

* NotHisSled: The character with the original villain's name turns out to be a RedHerring who eventually helps Sherlock and John to solve the case, while the real villain has the name of an innocent bystander from the original novel.

* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: "[[MargaretThatcher Maggie]]". He could have at least added random numbers or something...
** Not only that, but picking a line of sight password is one of the WORST things you could do.
** And the password isn't long enough to meet government security standards anyway.
** The choice of words, given Maggie's real life support for people like [[BananaRepublic Augusto Pinochet]], could be a TakeThat against governments all too willing to perform, accept or cover hideous acts.

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Double-subverted. Frankland was ultimately responsible for the death of Henry's father, and [[KarmaHoudini got away with it] because even though Henry witnessed it, Henry was drugged by the Project Hound drug and rationalized it into thinking it was the hound to cope with the trauma. When Henry finally learned and accepted the truth about the hound and his father's murder twenty years later, he furiously tried to attack Frankland before being stopped by Lestrade. Frankland then attempted to escape through the Grimpen Minefield and, predictably, ended up getting blown up.