- I think it is safe to say that our wonderful, incorrigible Sherlock Holmes will never be the same again. But that is a good thing, believe me.
The Doctor has just come away from his first adventure with Donna Noble, and the TARDIS decides to land him in Tibet, winter of 1892-'93. In exploring a too-quiet village, he comes across a badly wounded man and a yeti-like creature. The man turns out to be the Great Detective, himself.
The Doctor and the TARDIS heal Holmes very thoroughly, and the Time Lord explains who and what he is and what the TARDIS is. It's a lot for Holmes to take in, but he's been making observations of his own that back up what the Doctor says... not to mention stepping out the front door to see just how small the TARDIS is on the outside.
Turns out that Holmes is on his Great Hiatus, the three years that he spends faking his death between "The Final Problem" and "The Adventure of the Empty House". Not only that, but he has been investigating the disappearance of the village smith. The Doctor opines that the creature who attacked is the village smith. The men decide to investigate together, the Doctor fanboying over Holmes and Holmes excited to be working with a non-human being. When they cross paths with the yeti/smith again, the Doctor carefully enters his mind to find out what happened. He and Holmes then have an argument which quickly devolves into a massive guilt-trip on the Doctor's part, regarding his Companions and, most recently, Rose.
Through further investigation, they discover that the yeti/smith is an experiment-gone-wrong via a Mad Scientist, one who is most likely in league with monsters left over from the Last Great Time War. When the Doctor confronts the monsters, Holmes has to rescue him à la the heart of the TARDIS. Their work done, the pair reluctantly part ways.
Cut to November 1895. Holmes is safely ensconced back in 221B Baker Street and reunited with his best friend. And then... he hears a VWOORP-VWOOOORP...
This Episode Provides Examples of:
- All Myths Are True: "In fact, unless you have proof that a legend isn't real, it's usually just better to assume that it is."
- All Up to You: The Doctor gives Holmes a vague contingency plan in the event that the Doctor is put out of commission — and then reminds the TARDIS to get Holmes to safety if things end badly
- Anger Born of Worry: The Doctor is not happy that he has to deal with the fallout of mankind's curiosity yet again, and makes that very clear to Holmes.
- Applied Phlebotinum: The Doctor works with the TARDIS to heal all of Holmes's injuries... and all old scars (such as injection marks).
- Brutal Honesty:The Doctor: Holmes, you're not thinking clearly. You know the word 'genetic,' and you know the word 'experiment'. And whether the brains behind it this time are human or not, there are always people willing to ruin a life by toying with a body.
- Call-Forward:
- The K'vir, apparently part of the parade of monsters the Doctor describes in "The End of Time".
- The Vashta Nerada also get a mention courtesy of the K'vir.
- Call to Adventure: "Just traveling, me, and wind up in Tibet just in time to save someone from a human-hybrid. Aaand, molto bene, it turns out to be the world's best detective! Up to investigatin' possible alien doings, Mr. Holmes?"
- Cold Open: The Doctor lands in Tibet just in time to save a poor soul from being mauled to death by the apparent Monster of the Week. But the injured party isn't just an Innocent Bystander — oh no. It's Sherlock Holmes.
- Dreaming of Things to Come: In the midst of digging up memories for Holmes, the TARDIS shows him flashes of his future, being nonlinear herself and not intending to give him any spoilers.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Holmes and the Doctor, who swiftly become a force to be reckoned with.
- Inelegant Blubbering: The Doctor is confronted with very fresh memories of losing Rose. His subsequent breakdown draws out a bit of Watson in Holmes.
- The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Ten is, surprise-surprise, a big fan of Holmes and Watson — well, Holmes is very literally brilliant...
- Light Is Good: "And the heart of the TARDIS is as bright as the sun itself."
- Living Shadow: The K'vir, a remnant from the Time War.
- Most Wonderful Sound (In-Universe): Holmes lights up when he hears the TARDIS in Victorian London.
- Name and Name: "Smith and Holmes".
- Not So Stoic: Both Holmes and the Doctor really have their moments."
- Oh, Crap!: "The TARDIS's perception filter... does it also disguise scent?
- Primal Fear: The dark, à la "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead".
- Refused the Call: Holmes's decision regarding traveling with the Doctor... at least for this episode...
- Rummage Fail: The Doctor checks his coat pockets for paper and digs up all kinds of interesting things... including Sherlock Holmes for Dummies.
- Sequel Hook: Holmes hearing the TARDIS materializing in the epilogue.
- Sherlock Scan: Naturally, how Holmes figures out things about the Doctor, including the "brainy specs".
- The Slow Path: "I do have an unfinished task ahead of me—on the long road."
- Translator Microbes: The TARDIS's translation mechanism certainly comes in handy in Tibet.
- The World Is Just Awesome: Holmes's reaction to seeing Earth from space.
