Sherlock series 3: what does the three-word tease mean?
We ponder the three words that provide clues to Sherlock’s third series. What stories might be heading to the screen?
Warning: we've tried to remain as spoiler-free as possible, but if you don't want to know anything, why not pop off for quick a cup of tea?
Now that most either have a theory on the big Sherlock mystery from the season 2 finale or have given up guessing in frustration, Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat have set fans of the show a new piece of homework. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to solve the case of the three words that will form the basis of series 3 of the show.
Those words? Bow, Wedding, and Rat. The game, as they say, is afoot…
Let’s begin with Rat. It could be intended in the figurative sense, meaning an informant, someone working for the opposition. The ‘rat’ that rings a bell in most Holmes fans’ minds though, has to be the giant rat of Sumatra, alluded to, but never explained, by Holmes in The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire: “Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson, ... It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.”
The idea of including the infamous Holmesian tangent is one that must appeal to Moffat and Gatiss’ playful fanboy minds, so if ‘rat’ is key, we could be looking at some misdirection perhaps.
A “rat-trap” was also a phrase used at the end of the first half of The Valley of Fear by one of the story’s antagonists, so thoughts turn towards that multi-layered story, as they do towards The Boscombe Valley Mystery, in which "a rat" featured as a character's last words.
Moving on to wedding, there are a number of possible connotations. There was of course, a wedding in A Scandal In Bohemia, though that story can be crossed off the list. An aborted wedding is a plot point of A Case Of Identity, in which Holmes is asked to solve the mystery of a young woman’s fiancé disappearing and abandoning her at the altar. Continuing along that line, a bride goes missing of course, in The Adventure Of The Noble Bachelor, and an unwilling one is almost forced to pledge her troth in The Adventure Of The Solitary Cyclist, both possible contenders.
Watson, as we know, marries Mary Morstan from The Sign Of The Four in the course of Conan Doyle’s stories, so the wedding could well be his. Interestingly, back before series one was broadcast, Moffat mentioned an idea to devote a Sherlock series arc to Watson’s romance, which may well be the intention here.
And finally, Bow. The first notion that springs to mind is of course His Last Bow, Conan Doyle’s story in the collection of the same name. His Last Bow, unusual for being narrated in the third person rather than via Watson’s pen, was an espionage story in which Holmes and Watson go up against a chap selling WWI British intelligence to Germany. That’s for starters then.
A very long shot could be the Bow Street Runners police force, of which Inspector Bradstreet (The Man With The Twisted Lip, The Adventure Of The Blue Carbuncle, and The Adventure Of The Engineer’s Thumb) was a member.
It’s also worth remembering that Holmes is a violinist of course, an instrument that has its own bow, and that’s before we even consider the verb form, in which bow becomes an action, a closing theatrical gesture or a mark of respect…
Leave your own thoughts in the comments...
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A watson marriage would make sense for this series. Without Sherlock around to take his time, Watson can actually settle down and get engaged. I'm betting that Sherlock turns up again on Watson's stag do.
Giving how difficult it is to get everyone together (they've done series two like, one year and a half ago?) and to film the series, and how Benedict is getting more famous everyday and how Martin is already very famous, I'd say "His Last Bow" will be the last episode and "Sherlock" will be finished for good then.
Can you confirm the pronunciation of "bow"? The action is pronounced differently than, for example, the violin bow.
According to those at the Masterclass it was pronounced as the verb, not the noun.
There's a logic to that, definitely. Moffatt has form for that, considering the final episode of the first Matt Smith season of Doctor Who where the Doctor has perished and reappears at Amy and Rory's wedding. It was something that sprang to my mind as well. With the other two words, I was only able to really speculate on various things, as the article above has also.
That doesn't help since both pronunciations of 'bow' have a verbal form as well as a noun...
if john gets married i will be so angry.
The problem with 2 major (soon to be 3) current screen adaptions running concurrently? I was confused reading this article thinking that we already saw Watson's marriage. Then I remembered that was in the Guy Ritchie films...
Could you spell that phonetically?
Hang on, we know already from Mark Gassis that the first episode is going to be based on Empty House. I'll admit I've yet to read that one, so any ideas how that fits in?
Seriously excited! 'Bow' was on my list of possible words, but the other two are completely left field.
BOW!!!!!!!!! His last bow? Is this the last series????
All three words link to a Sherlock Holmes books, His Last Bow,
The Giant Rat of Sumatra and some other one which I can't be bother googling again, but surely Gatiss and Moffat would have been cleverer than this?
I'm pretty sure Steven Moffat has already alluded to a series four, so doubt this heralds the end. Of course, just because he's mentioned it doesn't mean it has been or will be commissioned.
I also think the wedding will be Watson's. Other than that, I have nothing concrete, and really can't work out how any of the words fit in with the narrative of 'Empty House' - though as someone suggested below, maybe Moffat will bring the wedding in to coincide with Holmes' return, which would explain it.
Another year or so before we find out! *sigh*
Mark gatiss had already announced that the first episode will be based on the adventure of the empty house.
I highly doubt that 'bow' means 'his last bow' because Cumberbatch says 'I want to make more'.... only time will tell...
I highly doubt that the term 'bow' will mean 'his last bow' because Cumberbatch says that he hopes to make more... oh well, we will just have to wait and see... only time will tell...
Also involving wedding is the Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, where Sherlock reveals he's about to be married ... as part of his investigation.
Would love to see.
My money is on a planned wedding between Watson and a woman too - and Sherlock will announce, that this woman isn't the one she claims to be. Watson will declare this as an act of jealousy, until Sherlock proofs, that she is indeed a spy/super villain/transvestite.
It was pronounced as "bow" as in "bow to the queen" and not "bow" as in "cross-bow" or "bow and arrow"
I do hope that the wedding isn't John's. For one, we already know that the writers are incapable of producing a female character who isn't two dimensional, but there is also a problem with pacing. Last season we saw Irene Adler be introduced as a catalyst for major change in Sherlock - but she was never mentioned again, and neither were any other elements of the episode. It's not a one off either, as Moffat and Gatiss said that Sherlock's doubts in Baskerville was a major thing too, but he got maybe two minutes of soul searching and then the whole thing was dismissed.
.
The series is just case focused, with a dash of comic relief added from Sherlock interacting with other people. That's all fine, but there's really no room for exploring characters and relationships in between all that. Chances are that there'd be exactly one episode where much fuss is made about Sherlock's separation anxiety and John's need to get a life of his own. The next episode the angst will be forgotten, Mary gotten rid off or reduced to a mrs. Hudson at the most, and John ends up not having a life of his own anyway, because a three episode series can't afford to lose one half of the duo for enough cases to prove that he does. Then there is of course the pace issue where the wedding may take up time from Sherlock's return, turning both majors developments into drama of the week.
Fantastic program - I just wish they would make more in a series, however more doesn't always mean better (just ask the States) and its a refreshing change for the BBC to make more of a popular program rather than just cancelling it like they usually do. Im certainly not rushing out to try to guess where how Sherlock will return or the meaning of the 3 words as I like to be surprised :)
Why? He married at least once in canon.
That person is obviously a Sherlock/John shipper.
If you mean a rat as an informative, that could be where Moran fits in. We haven't met Moran yet, but he is one of Moriarty's henchmen and considering that Moriarty is dead, one presumes that Moran will take the driving wheel. Especially if the first episode is based on "The Empty House", it makes a lot of sense.
A marriage seems to imply that John would get married, however I don't see how John would turn from single, mourning his friend to engaged/married in three episodes. Unless if Sherlock hides for three years (like the books) and John meets somebody in that time.
I've also seen a couple of comments saying how Sherlock might have to convince John that she is one of the enemy. I doubt John would need much encouragement- he stuck by him throughout the whole Moriarty calling Sherlock a fake didn't he? Then again, John might not trust Sherlock, considering he's been alive for all this time without telling him.
Like with many other people, it is only bow where I falter. It can mean many things. It could be referring to a bow as in bow and arrow (I don't know how it would fit in but it could), Sherlock's bow he uses to play his violin, the story His Last Bow and even, like the article ponders, the Bow Street Runners police force.
NO THIS IS BAD DON'T SAY THAT EVIL WITCH CHILD
Why do directors and producers NEVER LISTEN? He cant get married! *Cries* Hes sherlock's man! Oh god, do i ship it...
Maybe we'll get another fake death - after all, RF rather lacked the finality of the original; Doyle actually considered ending the series, but the question here was more a question of HOW he survived than whether he survived.
Generalizing from a single example, now, are we?
It's the one featuring Sherlock's return after playing dead, so no surprise there.