Well, the Baker Street Babes, among others, have posted the hint that Mark Gatiss and company gave about Season 3 Sherlock. I’m not certain it actually helps reduce the pain (especially since there are awful rumours that the first episode won’t air until FALL 2013).
Follow the link to the Baker Street Babes Tumblr post. Or this one to their true home on Blogger.
There’s also a nice piece on the hints at Radio Times.
The 3 Key Words Given were:
RAT
There are a number of possible stories that could apply. We know that The Empty House has to be a part of the first episode and Moran was certainly a rat, however, there is always the untold case of the Giant Rat of Sumatra and, of course, the reference in The Boscombe Valley Mystery. Chances are good that we’ll get a first episode that makes reference to more than one Holmes story.
WEDDING
Alright, alright. Calm down. I’ve already discussed John Wedding scenario possibilities here. And let’s be honest we’d all LOVE to see Sherlock and Mycroft at a Bachelor Party! But there are a a LOT of weddings in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Canon including:
- The Sign of the Four with Mary Morstan (whom even Sherlock finds “charming”)
- Charles Augustus Milverton (who is certainly another “rat”)
- The Illustrious Client (although we’ve already used that one once in Scandal, but they didn’t use the bit where Sherlock gets engaged — and then jilts the bride)
- The Noble Bachelor (which coudl be turned into John and make the fans happy with a runaway bride)
- The Solitary Cyclist which has lots of heroic action and a plucky, but poor heroine and is bit Victorian for my taste but I know many Sherlockians love it.
And, of course, it could always be a switch-aroo with Mofftiss and Molly could be the one with wedding…
and she asks Sherlock to walk her down the aisle since her dad is dead…hmmm?
BOW
SIIII-LENCE!
(To quote Dumbledore)
Now calm down everyone. We’ll proceed in a calm and orderly fashion. Remember, Keep Calm and Believe in Sherlock Holmes.
Yes, yes, the first thought is His Last Bow where Sherlock retires, but keep in mind a) that there were stories written and published afterwards that took place before Last Bow and b) the word has many meanings in English. It also has multiple pronunciations, although the report is that it was said like the bow of a ship or the bow after a performance. And yes, it’s true, that while Cumberbatch and the rest have said they would love to keep doing Sherlock they are all very hot commodities right now with very lucrative and creatively satisfying offers.
Well, I’m off to do more research in the Canon (and drink some camomile tea to calm down). You do realize that Mofftiss did this to torture us because they are such awful sadists, don’t you?
So, was the word “Bow” spoken or given in writing. I just want to point out that Sherlock does play the violin, and guess what he uses to stroke the strings. I seem to recall a few stories where his musicality was important.
While several other folks have speculated about the alternative meanings of the word “bow”, including a violin bow and a boat/ship bow — and Sherlock’s original desire to be a pirate, the reports are that it was said like the kind of bow Sherlock would take after a performance during the applause. Hence, all the wailing and gnashing of teeth about the possibility of His Last Bow being the basis for the episode and the rumours that Season 3 will be the end of the series because all of the people involved are much too famous and busy now for [insert Mycroft sneer and face here] television [except Dr. Who which Mofftiss swears they will do for as long as they are allowed; and certainly they don’t have the problem of Matt Smith being offered mountains of money to make movies where he might win an Oscar nomination or be lured into living in climates where weather is disinclined to freezing and damp].
They all love doing Sherlock. I wouldn’t worry until we actually have cause to worry. Methinks the gnashing is premature and caused by having too much spare time to speculate. 😀 Copious amounts.
I mean, we can =fret= of course, one does that on a violin bow, but I wouldn’t. Ahem.