History Recap / SherlockS03E01TheEmptyHearse

After a two year absence, [[HesBack Sherlock returns to London]] at his brother Mycroft's request. There has been much speculation since his "death" with many having always believed he was alive and well. While many rejoice, one who doesn't take his return well is John Watson who, after grieving the loss of his friend, moved on with his life both professionally and personally. He's upset that his friend didn't trust him enough to tell him just what he was doing. He's also engaged to Mary Morstan. While he tries to get his old friend onside, Sherlock also has to deal with the main reason Mycroft wanted him back: they have credible evidence that there is to be a major terrorist attack in London.

* AdaptationalWimp: Moran. In the books, he was a crack marksman and a badass GreatWhiteHunter who spent time as a big game hunter in India, and served Moriarty as his chief assassin. Here, he's a Member of Parliament who merely serves as TheManBehindTheMan to the terrorist group (with some unknown party behind ''him''), preferring to operate from behind the scenes.

* CoincidentalBroadcast: During the meeting of The Empty Hearse fan club, TV news are running in the background. Suddenly the news ticker announces "Hat detective alive".

** When John first sees Sherlock again after 2 years, his immediate reaction is to punch him, multiple times. His punches land on his mouth and nose. In [[Recap/SherlockS02E01AScandalInBelgravia A Scandal In Belgravia]] Irene mentions 'Someone loves you. If I had to punch that face I'd avoid your nose and teeth too.'

** Sherlock's response to Mycroft saying he isn't lonely, is what Mycroft responded when Sherlock said "Sex doesn't alarm me" in [[Recap/SherlockS02E01AScandalInBelgravia A Scandal In Belgravia]].

** When Sherlock attempts to ask Molly out, she asks if Sherlock got the chip shop owner off a murder charge. Sherlock had done just that with Angelo, as Sherlock stated to John in [[Recap/SherlockS01E01AStudyInPink A Study In Pink]].

** Operation Lazarus is an extremely pre-prepared gambit for the unlikely event that Sherlock has to fake his own death.

-->'''Mrs Hudson:''' ''[regarding Sherlock's reappearance after two years]'' What did [John] say?\\

* DidntSeeThatComing: Sherlock admits, that he didn't know Moriarty would be desperate enough to kill himself to destroy Sherlock.

* EmergingFromTheShadows: How Sherlock reveals himself to Lestrade at the parkade.

* FryingPanOfDoom: Downplayed. Mrs Hudson arms herself with a frying pan when she sees a {{Sinister Silhouette|s}} approaching her door. Turns out it was Sherlock returning.

* HasAType: Molly's new boyfriend dresses ''exactly'' like Sherlock, and looks rather like him as well. [[SarcasmMode This is obviously a coincidence]].

* MagicCountdown: The bomb counter starts counting down from 2:30 min but it takes 3:15 min until John has finished his NotSoFinalConfession. Justified, as Sherlock had managed to turn off the bomb after 1 min [[MundaneSolution via off switch]].
* MirrorScare: Early on in the hospital locker room Sherlock appears in Molly's mirror which gives her a big surprise.

* MundaneSolution: Sherlock doesn't know how to [[WireDilemma disarm a bomb]], but does know that they must have an off-switch. Problem solved.

** The old DVD seller's regular doctor is Dr Verner, to whom Watson sold his practice in the original stories to move back into Baker Street with Sherlock.

* NestedStoryReveal: Twice, we see stories from members of The Empty Hearse, presented as part of the main narrative and then revealed to be characters' hypotheses rather than canonical events. First, Anderson's theory of how Sherlock survived, and then later the female group member's SlashFic between Sherlock and Moriarty.

** Given that Sherlock disappears into thin air leaving Philip to cackle madly and tear down his [[RoomFullOfCrazy wall of theories]], we're left into limbo as to whether he was ever there, or if Philip went crazy a bit earlier than we thought.

** Molly serves as one temporarily, when Watson doesn't want to continue fighting crime with Sherlock, and Sherlock accidentally calls her John a couple of times as he keeps hearing his voice.

** The audience is given three different explanations for how Sherlock could have survived his fall off the roof, and Sherlock attempts to apologize to John three times--first at the restaurant(s), and then in 221 B after John has been rescued from the bonfire, and finally in the train car after Sherlock has disabled the bomb.

* SherlockScan: Sherlock and Mycroft have a Scan-off with a hat left behind by one of Sherlock's clients, volleying deductions back and forth until [[spoiler:Sherlock]] runs out of fresh details to analyse. [[spoiler:However, Sherlock offers an insight into the subject's social isolation overlooked by Mycroft, who cannot perceive loneliness in himself or in others. Non-verifiable deduction so Sherlock loses the battle... but he wins the broader war by completely flummoxing Mycroft.]]

** Likewise the way he creates a costume by plucking various elements from his surroundings as he walks through the restaurant is similar to how Holmes puts together his beggar's outfit while tailing Irene Adler in the same movie.

** The song is "Dónde Estás Yolanda" by the band Pink Martini. The Spanish lyrics translate to: "Where are you Yolanda? What happened? I looked for you but you weren't there."
* StealthHiBye: Sherlock pulls one on Graham to announce that he's alive. [[RunningGag Er, Greg.]]

** One of the [[YaoiFangirl members]] comes up with an explanation for how Sherlock survived, with Sherlock and Moriarty making out at the end. Anderson promptly dismisses this as absurd.

** Anderson has grown a full beard too.
* TitleDrop: Anderson's Sherlock fangroup is called "The Empty Hearse".

--->'''Sherlock:''' Mr Windibank, you are a complete and utter-\\

** Before that, Mrs Hudson asked Sherlock to talk to John.

''' Mrs Hudson:''' What did he say?\\

** Sherlock himself states that he landed on an air cushion, had Mycroft block off the streets except to Sherlock's informants, and left behind the body of the kidnapper who resembled him that he had Molly find from the morgue.

* YouCannotKillAnIdea: In a reversal of the previous episode, this shows that given enough time, cooler heads were able to re-examine the subject and found major faults in the original theory. Once discredited, the idea quickly dies off and when Sherlock is revealed to be still alive, the public embraces him once again as a hero.

* DeathGlare: John as several of these before attacking Sherlock after the latter is able to reveal he's alive.

'''Mrs. Hudson:''' What did he say?\\

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Sherlock assumes he can pop back into Watson's life and be welcomed like old times. It takes him a while to grasp how absolutely furious Watson is about Sherlock putting him through the agony of his "death" and the aftermath and not ready to forgive him in the least.
** It turns out that Moriarty's entire "Richard Brook" story fell apart fast once Scotland Yard looked into it and realized they couldn't find ''anyone'' who had actually ''worked'' with Brook on all the supposed TV shows and movies he did and that the identity was made up to frame Sherlock.