Sherlock: The Great Game

John receives news of an explosion on Baker Street while visiting his girlfriend Sarah's apartment. Sherlock and his brother Mycroft seem unfazed by the incident, and Mycroft urges Sherlock to take on the Andrew West murder inquiry instead. The suggestion sets up the central case, linking the bomber's wider game to a missing flash drive with defense secrets.

Mycroft presses Sherlock to investigate the murder of Andrew West, a MI6 employee found dead on a railroad track. Sherlock initially declines the assignment, showing his reluctance to engage with the case at first. The West case is connected to a missing flash drive that allegedly contains missile secrets, intensifying the stakes.

Sherlock is summoned to Scotland Yard where a phone resembling a murder victim's device emits five Greenwich pips and displays a photo of the basement flat with a pair of trainers. A frightened woman calls, claiming she wears an explosive vest and demands a solved puzzle within 12 hours. Sherlock deduces that the five pips signal five separate challenges to crack.

While Sherlock and John inspect the trainers, Molly Hooper interrupts to introduce her new boyfriend, IT worker Jim. Sherlock immediately deduces Jim is gay from their interaction and comments on it, displaying his blunt observational skills. The moment adds a personal undercurrent as the game unfolds.

The trainers are traced to a schoolboy named Carl Powers, who drowned under mysterious circumstances. Sherlock, who was underage at the time, had pursued the case but failed to convince the police. By analyzing clues on the sneakers, he concludes Carl Powers was poisoned via his eczema medication, though the person who poisoned him remains unknown.

A second clue arrives: a blood-stained sports car with an eight-hour deadline. Sherlock discovers a rental agency card in the glove box and, by noting the owner's distinct suntan and recent trip to Colombia, along with the car’s frozen blood, deduces that Ian Monkford paid the agency owner to help him disappear. With another hostage to secure, Sherlock remains convinced Moriarty is behind the game.

Sherlock investigates Connie Prince, whose supposed tetanus death turns out to involve a post-mortem wound. He identifies the housekeeper as the killer, revealing she had increased Connie's Botox injections to kill her. The twist deepens the mystery as new clues emerge linking the various puzzles.

A photograph of the River Thames becomes the fourth clue. Sherlock and John find bruises on a security guard consistent with 'the Golem,' an assassin. The guard had suspected a Vermeer painting to be a forgery, and an astronomy professor who had spoken with the victim leaves a message that the painting is fake, guiding them toward Moriarty.

The museum curator discloses that the person ultimately responsible is known as Moriarty. This revelation ties the disparate puzzles together and identifies the mastermind behind the deadly game.

While pursuing Andrew West's case, John discovers there is little blood on the tracks, suggesting West was killed elsewhere and placed on the train's roof. Sherlock and John confront West's prospective brother-in-law, who confesses to stealing the flash drive and accidentally killing West. The motive and method are peeled back, clarifying the chain of events.

Sherlock waits for John to leave and arranges to meet Moriarty. Instead, John appears as another hostage wearing an explosive vest and having his words dictated. Moriarty reveals himself, and the tension between hero and villain escalates into a high-stakes confrontation.

Moriarty orders multiple snipers to target both Sherlock and John. Sherlock aims his handgun at Moriarty but diverts his shot toward the explosive vest, which he had thrown across the pool deck. The scene ends on a gripping cliffhanger as the fate of all involved hangs in the balance.