BBC’s Sherlock adapted some of the detective’s most memorable moments, including his apparent death in "The Reichenbach Fall". As in the source material, Sherlock returned after that, but how? The adventures of the world's greatest detective have been adapted to film and TV multiple times. One of his latest TV versions was Sherlock, with Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character and Martin Freeman as John Watson. Even though it's been ten years since the Sherlock season 2 finale aired, many fans are still asking how did Sherlock fake his death?

After the successful Sherlock pilot premiered in 2010, season 2 arrived in 2012 and left fans with a significant cliffhanger: in order to save John, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade, Sherlock had to die by jumping off the roof of St. Bart’s Hospital. This was the series’ version of the short story “The Final Problem,” in which Sherlock (and Moriarty) also died only for Holmes to come back years later, and that’s what he also did in the series.

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The Sherlock season 3 premiere “The Empty Hearse” gave three different theories on how Sherlock survived the fall in the Sherlock season 2 finale. The first two were brought by Anderson, who lost his job at the Metropolitan Police’s Forensic Services and became an avid fan of Sherlock and the biggest theorist about how he faked his death. The third theory, however, was given by Sherlock himself to Anderson: the genius Holmes siblings, Sherlock and Mycroft, had everything planned, way before the meeting with Moriarty in St. Bart’s. Mycroft gave Moriarty information on Sherlock, and in return, he gave them “hints” so they could measure the extent of his plans. That way, they figured there were 13 likely scenarios once they were up on the roof and planned accordingly, with a codename for each outcome – all Sherlock had to do was send the code to Mycroft.

How Did Sherlock Fake His Own Death

Sherlock original Reichenbach Fall solution changed

Sherlock's death in the Sherlock season 2 finale was so convincing that some fans thought it might be genuine. Everyone around the hospital, including passersby, was there because they had a role in Sherlock’s fake death. He did jump but landed on an airbag. It was imperative that John stayed exactly where he was so his view would be blocked by the ambulance station. As the airbag was taken out of the way, Molly threw a body dressed as Sherlock through the window. The cyclist that hit John was also part of the plan, as he gave Sherlock time to switch places with the corpse, so John would recognize him. The rest, as he said, was window dressing. The final detail, which was also included in many fan theories, was a squash ball under his armpit – with enough pressure, it momentarily cuts off the pulse. As for the snipers ready to kill John, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade, they were taken down by Mycroft’s men. This is hugely different from Sherlock's fake death in the book.

Why The Reichenbach Fall Reveal Was Disappointing

Sherlock seasons 1 and 2 gained a following because, as convoluted as they could see, the intricate lines of deduction or villainous schemes made sense. Part of the reason fans loved the show was the notion that every mystery came with a solution that satisfied because it was plausible – incredibly complex, certainly, but never so much that audiences had to suspend their disbelief. However, "The Reichenbach Fall" relied on too many variables and moving parts to be believable. Sherlock and Mycroft are geniuses, but even Batman would struggle to pull off such time-critical levels of preparedness, planning, and deception. The whole affair feels completely out of place in the context of the wider show, and many critics of Sherlock seasons 3 and 4 feel Sherlock's faked death marked the start of a downward trend in the quality of the stories.

Ironically, the dissatisfaction with Sherlock's faked death is mirrored by some characters in the show. Anderson, like many fans after the episode aired, pointed out that this couldn’t have been possible, and that he was disappointed. Clearly, there are some inconsistencies in Sherlock’s explanation, and fans will never really know if he was telling the truth or not. Series creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat were aware that whatever explanation they gave wouldn’t fully satisfy fans and read a bunch of theories during the two-year hiatus of the series, which showed in Anderson’s theories and Sherlock’s as well. In the end, fans continue to come up with theories and point out mistakes in the chosen solution, making it Sherlock's biggest mystery – but also one of its most cumbersome.

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