The First Doctor is at the South Pole. After an encounter with the Cybermen, he is injured but refuses to regenerate. He fights off the change and walks out into the snow and as he's walking back to the TARDIS he encounters the Twelfth Doctor who is also refusing to regenerate following an encounter with the Cybermen. The Twelfth Doctor recognises the First Doctor but the same can't be said for the other way around. Twelve doesn't remember fighting off the change as One and presses him to understand that he needs to regenerate and carry on. But their conversation is interrupted as the snow around seems to freeze in place and a confused and injured World War One British military captain approaches them, asking for a doctor. Twelve realises that something has gone very wrong with time.

The Captain had been in December 1914 in a ditch in a gun-point stalemate with a German soldier when time froze. He walked up out of the ditch and spots a mysterious glowing figure that turns around and displaces him while claiming there is a timeline error. When he came to he was at the South Pole surrounded by snow frozen in the air. This is when he approached the Doctors and asked them for help, disoriented from his journey.

The trio head into the TARDIS together where One finally realises that Twelve is a future regeneration. After a bit of discussion they end up being abducted by a large spaceship where Bill is already waiting. The Doctor is skeptical that this could really be Bill since she had been turned into a Cyberman. She then tells the Doctor how the girl from the puddle had come from her but when questioned, she doesn't remember how she got onto the ship or where her girlfriend has disappeared to. They then encounter a glass figure that is the personification of a computer system that demands the Captain be turned over for Bill to be freed. The Captain offers himself up but Bill doesn't want the Captain to be captured on her account. Bill encourages Twelve to save the world and he becomes inspired to find out who the glass figure is and will stop them if he doesn't like it. The glass figure brings forth bubbles of all the different regenerations of the Doctor and announces all the names he has known over the years. One is overwhelmed by this swam of knowledge but Twelve sets off the release of the TARDIS and undoes the chains to release them. The group is able to drop down to get on top of the TARDIS from which they jump down while Twelve's TARDIS is pulled back up into the ship.

The group escapes into One's TARDIS and it takes them to the planet Villengard which is located in the centre of the universe. Bill is amazed to learn that she in the presence of one of the past regeneration of the Doctor. Twelve determines that they should try to figure out what the original face is that the glass figure is modelled after. They are searching for answers on the origins of this latest threat. Twelve encounters the rogue Dalek Rusty, who is hiding out from the other Daleks hunting for it. Twelve convinces Rusty to give him access into the Dalek Hivemind for all the data contained within it.

Bill is revealed to be a Testimony avatar created from her memories. The glass pilot and its ship are known as the Testimony created on New Earth. They were created in order to extra people from their timelines at the moment of their death so their memories could be channeled into glass avatars. It wasn't something designed with a malicious intent, leaving Twelve confused about what to do. He is also conflicted on his feelings regarding Bill and whether it is really her. The philosophical dilemma is whether or not a collection of memories amounts to a person's existential identity.

The Doctors see that there is no evil foe for them to fight and acknowledge that they were the ones that caused the time error that displaced the Captain to where they were. By trying to refuse to regenerate, they created a whirlpool through time. They decide to return the Captain to his timeline, with Twelve remembering that everyone is important to someone. As they drop the Captain off to the moment in the ditch where he will meet his demise. The Captain asks the Doctors to look after his family and introduces himself as Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart. He will have no memory of his experiences with the Doctors and all the visitors to his timeline will be rendered invisible when time resumes. Archibald is an ancestor of the Doctor's close friend, the Brigadier.

Once time resumes, the Doctors watch the stand-off carry on but it's then that soldiers on both sides of the conflict begin to sing "Silent Night". This causes the fighting to stop and the stand-off stops, as the men agree to put aside their differences for now since it's Christmas. Twelve tells One how he had shifted the Captain's timeline so this stand-off would be happening on Christmas and save the Captain's life. Only on Christmas could such a miracle have taken place and the opposing soldiers would agree to come together and stop their fighting. The Captain calls for medical attention to tend to the injured German soldier that had been about to shoot him.

One says goodbye to Twelve, now feeling at peace with his decision to regenerate. One wishes Twelve luck and heads back to his TARDIS where he resumes his regeneration and is returned to the South Pole. Twelve reunites with Bill's avatar and insists that she is not the real Bill. She replies with a further explanation that memories are what define a person. She further emphasises her point by leaving him with a goodbye present, that of returning his memories of Clara Oswald. An avatar of Nardole appears next but the Doctor still won't give over the testimony of his life to the avatars. He hugs them both goodbye and they leave him to be alone in his final moments. He goes back into the TARDIS and prepares a bit of advice for his next incarnation before regenerating.

The Thirteenth Doctor gazes upon her new reflection, amazed by what she sees. But when she tries to start the ship, it malfunctions badly due to damages caused by her most recent regeneration. The doors to the TARDIS open and it falls on its side. Despite her best efforts to hold on, the console room suffers an explosion and she falls out towards the Earth, watching as the ship dematerialises in space.

Doctor Who will return for series 11 in 2018 on BBC One.

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Charles Augustus Magnussen is questioned on his influence over various British leaders. He appears to have a computer program hooked up to his glasses as he sees secrets about each person whom he speaks to. He is eerily calm as he speaks and states that he has an excellent memory. Later, he meets with the head of the group and frightens her immensely, blackmails, and even licks her face to confirm his theory on which perfume she is wearing. She is visibly shaken after the encounter, speaking of how no one ever stands up to Magnussen, before telling her driver to turn the car around and head to Baker Street.

John and Mary are visited by their distraught neighbour, in search of her drug-addicted son, Isaac. She gives the address of a drug house and John is determined to set off after him. Despite being now-visibly pregnant, Mary insists on coming along. Inside, he strategically sprains one addict to obtain the whereabouts of Isaac. After finding him, he finds Sherlock nearby and high. Sherlock insists that he was undercover for a case. Mary now drives John, Isaac, Sherlock, and the sprained druggie to St Barts. On a humorous note, the addict refers to Sherlock as "Shezza."

Molly tests Sherlock for drugs and she slaps him repeatedly for throwing away his gifts and tells him to say he's sorry. He apologises that her engagement has ended. Good riddance, Tom. All aboard the Sherlolly train. Sherlock deduces that Sherlock has been cycling to work and the sprained addict displays deductive abilities of his own when he provides the details of how Sherlock has deduced that. Addict's name is Bill.

Sherlock and John return to 221B and Sherlock unstraightens the knocker that Mycroft has OCD-straightened, whilst remaining oblivious to the fact that he has just displayed OCD tendencies of his own. Mycroft is in the flat, along with Anderson and a woman, who are concerned over Sherlock's apparent fall off the wagon. When Sherlock mentions Magnussen, Mycroft tells Anderson and the woman to forget that name, threatens them, and tells them to leave. Mycroft also tells Sherlock to forget about Magnussen but Sherlock merely orders him out, though not before pinning his arm behind his back. John learns that Sherlock has been in a relationship with Janine (Mary's bridesmaid from "The Sign of Three"). Magnussen visits them and refuses to negotiate the surrender over Sherlock's client's stolen letters. Magnussen also briefly mentions the name "Red Beard," (which Mycroft had also mentioned in "The Sign of Three"), which appears to catch Sherlock off guard. Add a giant dose of creepy, and Magnussen urinating in the 221B fireplace, and the scene is finished.

They attempt to break into Magnussen's office, where John learns that Janine is Magnussen's personal assistant. Sherlock sets off Magnussen's apartment, where he finds Mary holding him at gun point. Mary shoots Sherlock and employs his mental capabilities to stay alive (Ah.. ah... ah... ah...)
In large part, a vision of Molly talks him through the medical technicalities of his wound, risks, and the importance of falling to prevent dying from blood loss, and to feel the pain instead of going into shock. He also sees Mycroft and Anderson who talk him through other details. He interacts with the mysterious "Red Beard," who was his childhood dog that was put down. He also sees himself in a padded room with Moriarty chained and in a straight jacket. Moriarty sings and Andrew Scott delivers that deliciously mad Moriarty charm we're all so fond of. At the mention of John being in danger, Sherlock pulls himself up (at this point, he's in the hospital, and his heart has stopped). Sherlock's back and will not be taken down so easily! (much to the amazement of the doctors). Mary is alarmed by Sherlock's uttering her name first after he wakes. She warns him not to say anything. Janine visits Sherlock and reveals that she has sold a rather fabricated version of their relationship to the press but after a bit of verbal sparring, she and Sherlock part on surprisingly good and cheerful terms.

Sherlock escapes from the hospital and baits Mary in to coming after him. He gets her to confess to having stolen the real Mary Morstan's identity and to having been a secret agent/assassin. Magnussen is blackmailing her for this very reason. He deduces and she confirms her impeccable skills as a marksman and she had indeed shot him in a spot that would not kill him. She was also the one to call the ambulance. She does not want John knowing about the shameful things in her past but it's too late; John is there and has hear the conversation in its entirety. Sherlock tells John that John is addicted to a life that flirts with danger and was subconsciously attracted to Mary for her past. Mary gives John a memory stick containing information on her past and the initials "A. G. RA" on it - apparently her true initials. She tells him to not read it in front of her because she does not want to watch John lose his love for her.

Fast-forward to Christmas, where Sherlock, John, Mycroft, and Mary are all with the Holmes parents. John reveals to Mary that he has not read anything on the memory stick and chooses to destroy it. Their reconcile is touching and emotional. Outside, Mycroft and Sherlock once again discuss Magnussen. Mycroft also informs Sherlock that he has a job offer for him that he wants him to turn down; working undercover in Eastern Europe under dangerous circumstances that would likely kill him within six months. Sherlock is confused as to why Mycroft would care about his dying and Mycroft sasses him before eventually admitting that the loss would break his heart - much to the shock of Sherlock. Sherlock safely drugs his parents, Mycroft, and Mary so that he and John can go meet Magnussen.

Sherlock reveals that he had previously met with Magnussen, following his little breakout from the hospital and when he checked Magnussen's spectacles, which we all believed to contain software that would connect to a database of everyone's secrets were in fact, simply ordinary spectacles.

Sherlock and John arrive at Magnussen's country property, Appledore, to get near his blackmailing database. They learn that Magnussen was responsible for putting John in the bonfire. Apparently, putting pressure on Mary was to trigger John, to trigger Sherlock, to trigger Mycroft, the most powerful man in the country. Sherlock attempts to buy off the information on Mary with state secrets from Mycroft's laptop, which Sherlock has stolen and brought to him. Magnussen realises that there is a GPS tracker in the laptop and that Mycroft will be on his way as part of this trap that Sherlock has set up. This was done so that they could raid the property and find all the secrets in Magnussen's vault. Magnussen reveals that there is nothing in his vault and all of the secrets are stored away in his very own mind palace. He doesn't keep any physical records.

Outside, while waiting for Mycroft and authorities to arrive, Magnussen decides to pass the time by repeatedly flick John in the face because he simply wasn't creepy enough to begin with. Sherlock realises that there is no other way to keep John and Mary safe, so he shoots Magnussen in the head. Mycroft is visibly emotional over the well-being of his baby brother and even has a vision of him as a small boy. Mycroft gets the government to spare Sherlock's life by having him set off on that probably-fatal MI6 mission in Eastern Europe.

Sherlock and John say their goodbye and even discuss baby names - Sherlock is set on trying to find a way to have the baby named after him. Sherlock boards the plane and it takes off. TV screens all across the UK are hacked with a looped feed of an image of Moriarty and audio asking, "Did you miss me?" Mycroft calls Sherlock on the plane and has the plane turn around despite having only left minutes prior. Watch to the end of the credits, folks, we see Moriarty breaking the fourth wall ask, "Miss me?"
YES, Andrew Scott, YES. So much missing occurred. Welcome back, Moriarty!

Sherlock Series 3 is available for DVD purchase/ordering along with other merchandise from the BBC (or various artistically inclined Sherlockians).

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Lestrade is in hot pursuit of the Waters gang but each attempt proves fruitless. He is determined to catch them in the act so as to ensure justice will be served. Right before the big bust, he receives a text from Sherlock  asking for help and though he is initially conflicted, he ends up racing off to Baker Street while calling for back-up. When he arrives, he learns that Sherlock needs help writing his "Best Man" speech for John's wedding. It's a touching moment as you see just how much Lestrade truly does care about Sherlock's well-being.

On the morning of the wedding, Mrs. Hudson tells Sherlock that this is a significant day, and shares that she never saw her best friend/maid of honour after her marriage to Mr. Hudson. Before the wedding, one of the bridesmaids, Janine, strikes up some banter with Sherlock. She quickly realises that Sherlock is not going to be seduced, but is delighted by his ability to deduce which men at the wedding are less than desirable partners.

As John and Mary greet guests, one of Mary's friends, David, is rather distant with Mary. As it turns out, Sherlock has put tremendous fear into him by saying that he will be monitoring him, having noted his still being in love with her. The ring bearer, a young boy named Archie, greets Sherlock with a tremendous hug. We flashback to Sherlock unintentionally winning him over by showing him photos of decomposing bodies that were part of his cases. Molly is in attendance with her fiancee Tom, Lestrade is drinking perhaps-too-heavily, and Mrs. Hudson has a magnificent hat adorning her head. John is happy that Major James Sholto is also in attendance; Major Sholto was his military commander. It is surprising that he has chosen to attend, because he frequently receives death threats after he lost a unit of soldiers in Afghanistan. Sherlock calls Mycroft right after Mycroft has been running on a treadmill, and Mycroft suggests that they will be seeing more of each other after John and Mary get married (implying that the couple will be spending less time with Sherlock post-wedding).

Sherlock begins his speech and after reading some telegrams, he tells the story of John's asking him to be his best man. (Note: this "Will you be my best man?" snippet is the clip that was shown at the "Sherlock" panel at SDCC 2013). John's first attempts to ask him about "the Best Man" lead to Sherlock listing men whom he considers to be the greatest - in a general sense. John clarifies further by stating that he needs a Best Man for his wedding. Sherlock suggests Gavin Lestrade (this is humorous because Lestrade's first name is Greg, and Sherlock still somehow fails to remember him correctly). Sherlock remains confused when John states that none of his suggestions are his best friend. John wants to be surrounded by the two people that he loves and cares for most: Mary and... *insert a pause that Sherlock fails to understand* Sherlock. Sherlock reacts with rapid blinking. Sherlock tells the guests that he told John that he was flattered and surprised when in actuality, he stood stunned in silence. Each time Sherlock tells the guests that he replied to John, the camera cuts back to Sherlock still standing silently. Sherlock states that he finally realises he had never said any of those things out loud. Flashback-Sherlock questions John about his being his best... when John says "man" in agreement, Sherlock asks, "friend?" (A loud chorus of "Awww"s was uttered at the panel at this moment). Still stunned, Sherlock accidentally drinks from his cup of tea in which he had dropped an eyeball that he was experimenting on at the top of the scene.

Sherlock continues with the speech by at first seemingly belittling the marriage ritual. But the tide eventually turns as he expresses self-deprecation and incredible insight to his own character flaws, and shares great admiration and respect for John. It is a moving speech that causes many of the guests to shed tears. Sherlock is bewildered, asking John if he has done something wrong when seeing the emotional state of the guests.

Sherlock transitions into the rehashing of some previous cases on which the two have worked together. Eventually, he settles on "The Bloody Guardsman." There was a Guardsman named Bainbridge (played by Harry Potter's Alfie Enoch - Dean Thomas) who wrote to Sherlock with concerns that he was being stalked. They try to meet Bainbridge, but are unable to at first as he is on duty. When they finally reach him, he is nearly dead, having been found in a shower with a stab wound. It is a mystery since there is no weapon to be found and nowhere for the attempted-murderer to have escaped to. Due to John's medical training, Bainbridge's life is saved. Sherlock questions the guests on how this could have happened but no one is able to do so. As it turns out, the purpose of the story was not to say how the murder occurred but to celebrate John's saving Bainbridge's life. Sherlock has yet to solve the mystery.

Sherlock shares the happenings of the stag night. Sherlock attempts to calculate the proper means of their consuming alcohol and staying on a schedule but John keeps spiking Sherlock's drinks, leading Sherlock to get far drunker than originally intended. (We are even treated to a dubstep remix of the 'Sherlock' theme in this montage). This transitions into a case, "The Mayfly Man." Back at 221B, Sherlock and John are still drunk when they are visiting by a new client, Tessa. She shares the story of her going on a date and spending the night with a man. When he never gets in touch with her, she visits his apartment, only to find that the man whose name was on the flat had died several weeks prior. This is the reason for her believing that the man she was with was in fact a ghost. Sherlock and John visit the apartment in search of clues, but end up being arrested for their inebriated states. The next morning, Lestrade releases them but not before getting in a good yell to make John's cranium throb. Sherlock researches other womyn in London who have the same story as Tessa. He eventually deduces, with John's help, that the man must have been a married, serial adulterer with an elaborate means of stepping out on his partner.

When he is about to finish his toast, Sherlock freezes and realises that Tessa knew John's middle name (Hamish), a fact he keeps very secret. Since he knows that John had never stated it in her presence, he realises that she must have seen one of the wedding invitations. He also realises that the Mayfly Man must be at the wedding and is there to make an attempt on Sholto's life (Sholto was the common thread between the womyn - they all confidentially worked for him). Sherlock continues to talk, trying to narrow things down, whilst sending a text to Lestrade to lock the place down, and also slipping in the phrase "Vatican Cameos," alerting John to the fact that something is indeed wrong and someone's life is in danger. During Sherlock's erratic rambling, Tom speculates that Sherlock must be pissed (drunk - for those of you who don't understand British English), and Molly stabs his hand with a fork. Let this be a lesson to all - don't insult Molly's man when she is present and expect to get away unscathed.

He slips Sholto a note informing him of his being in danger and Sholto heads back to his room. Sherlock, John, and Mary all chase after him and try to get Sholto to open the door. Sherlock has also realised that the attempt on Bainbridge's life was a practice run. He realises that the tight uniform belts bound the flesh and delayed the effect of a thin blade stabbing them hours before they even realised that they were injured. Sholto refuses to open the door even after Sherlock has solved the mystery and even contemplates committing suicide by removing his belt but Sherlock manages to talk him down by reminding him that ending his life would ruin John's wedding, as well as cause him great personal distress. John tends to his wounds and saves his life.

Later that night, Sherlock reveals to Janine that he loves to dance and even demonstrates a pirouette. Sherlock has Lestrade apprehend the wedding photographer, Jonathan Small, and identifies him as the Mayfly Man. As it turns out, Jonathan's brother was one of the men lost under Sholto's command and the attempted murder was revenge for this loss. He provides Lestrade with a pair of handcuffs, to which Janine asks if he always carries a pair around and he immediately responds by saying, "Down, girl." The chemistry between these two is outstanding.

Sherlock plays the violin for John and Mary's first dance and the piece is an original composition for them. He accidentally states that he will look after the three of them in front of everyone. He comes down to speak with the two of them as dancing commences. He reveals that Mary's increased appetite, change in taste perception, and sickness in the morning are all signs that she is pregnant and should get tested. John and Mary are shocked but overjoyed nonetheless. Sherlock spots Janine and briefly looks as if he'll join her in a dance before noting that she is enjoying the company of one of the male guests. He looks disappointed about not getting to dance and heads back to the front of the room. (It was really a silly thing to do; if he'd pulled a "May I cut in?" of course she wouldn't have hesitated to drop that other fellow). Sherlock folds his composition for John and Mary and places it in an envelope as a wedding present for the couple. He then heads out and Molly watches him leave. (I can't think of any proper reason why she couldn't have gone after him and had a dance with him. Being engaged doesn't mean you're forbidden from dancing with others). Sherlock puts on his coat and has left the wedding early, just as Mrs. Hudson's maid of honour did (you can imagine how upsetting this echo was for Sherlockians).

Sherlock Series 3 is already available for DVD purchase in the UK and a 4th series has been commissioned. The BBC is hoping to have this 4th series out in time for Christmas 2014.

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After over two years of waiting, Sherlockians all over the globe tuned in to BBC One (or countless livestream links) to watch this incarnation of Sherlock Holmes return from "the dead" and reunite with his loved ones. This episode had countless easter eggs, winks, and nods to the fandom and the Internet has exploded with adoration for each and every one of them. Now let us re-visit what has happened when Sherlock made his highly anticipated return.

The episode begins with a re-hashing of the end of "The Reichenbach Fall" when Sherlock jumped from the roof of St Barts hospital. We see a team of people drag Moriarty's body off and place a mask of Sherlock's face upon it, along with some blue contacts. John is knocked over the bicyclist as Sherlock jumps. He is connected to a bungee chord and right before he hits the ground, he bounces back up and crashes through a window of St Barts, into a room in which Molly is waiting. The music has a pulsing beat and the show's theme is remixed with electric guitar. Sherlock puffs his coat, ruffles his luscious locks, and plants a passionate, yet tender kiss on an understandably dazed Molly before strutting out. A man performs some sort of hypnotic sleep technique on John and sets his watch back a few minutes. Moriarty's (disguised as Sherlock's) body is dropped from the window and a team of people spray fake blood to make everything look convincingly gruesome.

"Bollocks!" spouts Lestrade, as he listens to Anderson deliver his latest theory on how Sherlock faked his death. It would seem that Anderson has been forming numerous other theories and Lestrade tells him he is merely feeling guilty for Sherlock's suicide and tells him that it is his and Donovan's fault. Anderson states, "I believe in Sherlock Holmes." (Easter egg!) In the two years that have passed, Richard Brooks has been proven to be a creation of Moriarty and Sherlock's name has been cleared. However, the world still believes him to be dead.

John (with that horrific pornstache) visits Sherlock's grave with Mary (portrayed by Martin Freeman's real-life partner, the outstanding Amanda Abbington).

In a Serbian forest, a long-locked Sherlock runs about while being pursued by military forces. After a short chase, he is captured and beaten for information. He's shirtless, glistening, and manages to get the man beating him with a pipe convinced that his wife is having an affair and he hurries home fuming to catch them in the act. Another man remains in the room and well what do you know? It's Mycroft, come to bring him back to London and Baker Street to tackle an underground terrorist organisation. A threat is looming and only the best will do to prevent the attack (though Mycroft would never call Sherlock the best).

Back in London, John takes the tube back to Baker Street and as he walks up to the door, some children ask him for some money for charity (Side bar - I saw that shot being filmed last May in London. The shot is brief, but didn't take too many takes. So just remember that from the point of view of the camera, there were hundreds of fans watching).

Mycroft and Sherlock discuss Sherlock's return. Sherlock berates Mycroft for enjoying his torture and Mycroft is none too pleased about having to infiltrate the organisation and learn Serbian. Sherlock has had his mane chopped off and is getting himself a shave (and begins to bear great resemblance to John Harrison while doing so with a slightly more gruff voice).

Mrs. Hudson serves John some tea and scolds him for his moustache, saying that it ages him. She is upset that he hasn't called in a while after all they went through together after Sherlock's suicide. He apologises. John informs Mrs. Hudson that he's moving on with his life and that he is about to ask a woman to marry him. She expresses surprise that it is a woman and in an exasperated tone, reminds her that Sherlock was never his boyfriend and that he is not gay.

Sherlock re-dresses in a white button-up that is clinging to his torso for dear life and a black blazer. He says he needs to get to know London again. He enquires after John and expresses disdain for the moustache upon seeing a photograph. He states that it will have to be gotten rid of him as Sherlock cannot be seen with an old man. Sherlock says that he will surprise John at 221B and even quips that he could jump out of a cake. Mycroft informs him that John no longer resides at 221B as it's been two years and he's gotten on with his life. Sherlock asks where he'll be and though Mycroft briefly plays coy, he informs him of a dinner reservation he has. Sherlock declares he'll drop by, Mycroft warns him that it is possible he won't be welcome and true to form, Sherlock does not heed the warning. Sherlock demands to know where "it" is, and he has the coat returned to him. Sherlock thanks Mycroft and even calls him "Blood."

Sherlock heads into the restaurant and deduces that the man at the door's wife has just gone into labour. He then spills water on a customer to steal his bow-tie, takes away one man's menu to steal hi glasses from another, swaps out that menu out as a distraction to steal a woman's make-up pencil to draw on a silly moustache, and voila! His "disguise" as a waiter is complete. He then approaches John and gives him a recommendation on the wine with a hilariously ridiculous French accent (resembling Martin du Crieff from Cabin Pressure), but is unable to properly "surprise" him as John does not bother to look up and notice that the "waiter" is his not-dead friend. Sherlock appears agitated by the failure of his theatrics.

John looks at his engagement ring and Mary arrives looking absolutely radiant. He offers her some wine and she says she is good with water. He tells her meeting her was the best thing that could have happened to her and she agrees. He chuckles and she giggles when he struggles to get out his proposal. Sherlock returns with a bottle of wine and eventually John looks up again. Sherlock genuinely utters the phrase "Not dead" (seriously - he did say it). Mary is horrified when she realises who it is, given how broken up John was over it. Sherlock wipes off his make-up moustache and asks if John's rubs off too. John is fuming over Sherlock's deception and even slams his fist onto the table. Sherlock, in an apparent attempt to diffuse the situation asks to ask him a question. After a pause, he asks if John is really going to keep the moustache and laughs over the absurdity of it. John attacks Sherlock and they are kicked out of the fancy restaurant. The three of them go to a small diner and begins to tell them about how he survived the jump off the roof and that there were 13 different possible scenarios. He begins to elaborate and John cuts him off saying he doesn't care how he did it but merely wants to know why. Sherlock callously admits that others knew that he was alive, including Mycroft and Molly. When he admits that there were 25, John attacks him yet again. In another new food establishment, Sherlock nurses his cut lip and enquires yet again about the moustache. John says Mary likes it and Sherlock retorts that she doesn't. When John realises he's right, he is upset and embarrassed. Sherlock tells him about the threat and that he needs John's help. He tells him that John has missed the thrill of the chase and the dynamic of the two of them being against the world. John replies with a headbutt.

Outside, Sherlock nurses his bloody nose and chats with Mary. She's amazed at how little he knows about human nature and informs him she'll talk John into coming around. He seems touched and deduces various things about her (not out loud). John and Mary leave, and John is amazed when Mary states that she likes Sherlock. Sherlock reveals his return to Molly Hooper, who is surprised by the fact he snuck up behind her. Next, he visits Lestrade as he's about to smoke (and mistakenly calls him Graham even though his name is Greg), and after a few seconds of scowling, Lestrade hugs him. When he comes to visit Mrs. Hudson, she thinks the noise is an intruder and arms herself with a frying pan. When he actually walks in, she screams her head off.

Yet again, we see a version of the rooftop scene. This time, Sherlock is holding a rope attached to a dummy with a wig and a paper mask of his face on it. He releases it and sits with Moriarty as the two giggle like teenagers at a slumber party. They gaze into each other's eyes and are about to kiss just as Anderson interrupts. Turns out that this theory is coming form a young girl who is a part of "The Empty Hearse," an organisation started by Anderson for people to meet and discuss theories on how Sherlock faked his death. His rant is interrupted by texts that Sherlock is indeed alive.

Mary reads John's old blog while John prepares to shave the moustache off. When she notices what he's doing, she teases him over the fact that he's only now shaving after Sherlock's return. He insists that he doesn't shave for Sherlock Holmes. She quips that he should put that on a t-shirt. He playfully tells her to shut up, she replies, "Or what?" and he says, "Or I'll marry you." It's a painfully cute moment, and we may now consider them engaged.

Sherlock is keeping tabs on multiple people as part of the investigation into the underground terrorist organisation and eliminating suspects in the process. He meets with Mycroft and the two discuss the case over a game of chess that eventually leads to a game of Operation. The topic eventually turns to banter over their childhood. Sherlock even throws in a spot-on impersonation of Mycroft (remind me again why Benedict Cumberbatch has yet to host SNL?) The boys weren't keen on making friends in their youth, and Sherlock notes that Mycroft still doesn't have any and Mycroft insists they change the subject when Sherlock mentions something about a "goldfish." Mrs. Hudson brings them tea and notes that he's "secretly pleased to see you underneath all that" and when Mycroft asks whom she is referring to and she says, "Both of you." Sherlock suggests they play Deductions and tosses him a hat left behind by a client. They make deductions on it and it's great fun to see them both flex their intellectual muscles. It culminates with Sherlock deducing that Mycroft is lonely, which Mycroft denies and Sherlock asks, "How would you know?" It's a powerful moment, folks.

The scene goes back and forth between John and Sherlock's respective lives. John sees patients at his office. Sherlock invites Molly over and invites her to solve crimes with him. There are several touching moments in which we witness character growth from Sherlock. He tells Molly to be herself (and not John) and consoles a weeping client. John mistakenly thinks a slightly eccentric patient is Sherlock in disguise and frightens and manhandles the poor man before realising his mistake. Eventually, Sherlock and Molly meet Lestrade to consult on a case that has them all baffled. Sherlock hallucinates John's voice while analysing the scene. Lestrade appears delighted to have Sherlock back and is even prepared to be insulted by him if he pleases. Sherlock eventually informs him that the scene is staged to make people think it's Jack the Ripper.

Next up, Sherlock and Molly visit a man who with a love for trains who works for the tube on the district line. This man tells Sherlock his girlfriend loves him, and when Sherlock scoffs, "Girlfriend?" Molly gives him a look and Sherlock immediately apologises. (Happily drowning in character development at this point). The man shows him security footage of a man boarding the last car at Westminster station and when the tube arrives at St. James's Park, the man is gone. There's no way he could have jumped off the train, nowhere for him to go, there's no tunnels on any map, and the driver of that train has seemingly disappeared after possibly being bought off. Sherlock realises it is somehow related to the underground threat that. In front of 221B, John is injected by some strangers and is knocked out by it.

Sherlock notes that the journey between the two stations usually takes five minutes but on the footage it took ten. He tells Molly he's going to need lots of maps. She asks him what "today" had been all about and he tells her it was to thank her for everything she did for him. She brushes off the thanks, saying it was her pleasure. He tells her that Moriarty made a mistake and that the one person that he thought didn't matter was the one that mattered the most. He then deduces that she won't be able to join him again and notes her ring (it's not explicitly stated whether it's an engagement or a promise ring). She babbles a bit about this new man in her life and Sherlock tells her he hopes she will be happy, before smiling and kissing her on the cheek. He also jokes that not all men she falls for can be sociopaths before walking out. She says that maybe it's just her type and looks longingly after him. It's a safe bet that Molly's flame still burns for Sherlock and perhaps always will.

John awakens but is still drugged. Mary receives a mysterious text and heads off to 221B. She meets Mrs. Hudson before informing Sherlock that the message is a skip code. They need to save John and Sherlock drops his fish and chips and hurries out with Mary right behind him. He dramatically stops a a motorbike rider and gets on with Mary. They head to the church where a bonfire is about to be lit (come on folks, you forgot to check your bonfire for hedgehogs!) Sherlock has received taunting texts during the ride over and arrives right as the fire is lit. He and Mary jump off the motorbike and runs over to the bonfire. He digs through the burning things and manages to pull out a slightly bloody, very dazed John.

Sherlock meets with a pair of clients searching for a missing lottery ticket and sends them away when John arrives. Sherlock reveals that they were in fact his parents and John is amazed at how ordinary they seem (easter egg - Sherlock's parents are portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch's actual parents, Timoth Carlton and Wanda Ventham). Sherlock is pleased that John has shaved off the moustache. John wants to know why he was attacked and kidnapped and Sherlock has yet to figure it out but is continuing to work the case involving the disappearing man on the tube and the underground network. He fills John in with the information and has an epiphany that the last carriage was detached since only six arrived at St. James's Park but seven departed from Westminster. They realise that it is November 5, and realise that the connections to Guy Fawkes indicate a plot against the palace of Westminster. They also realise there is an unused station under it where there is, in all likelihood, a bomb.

They make their way to Westminster Station and John attempt to call the police, though Sherlock stops him. They eventually discover the empty carriage and find that the entire thing is rigged to be a bomb with explosives set up in every seat. Lord Moran, a man Sherlock has been investigating, arms the bomb and the timer begins counting down. John is angry and frightened and tries to get Sherlock to use his mind palace to figure out how to defuse the bomb. Sherlock says he cannot and apologises to John before pleading for forgiveness. Sherlock gets emotional and John says he finds this sort of emotional stuff difficult before saying that Sherlock is the best and wisest man he's ever known and forgives him.

We see footage of Sherlock of explaining how he survived. He states that he and Mycroft came up with a plan to have Mycroft feed Moriarty information about Sherlock in exchange for snippets related to his network. Sherlock sat back and watched as Moriarty destroyed his reputation. Sherlock knew that Moriarty would want him to die as well. 13 possible scenarios for the rooftop were rigorously worked out, planned and given code names). He didn't anticipate how far Moriarty would be willing to go (in regard to his suicide by gunshoton the rooftop). On the rooftop, Sherlock texted Mycroft the signal, "LAZARUS" (easter egg - "Empty Hearse" writer/actor Mark Gatiss portrayed Professor Lazarus in the Doctor Who episode, "The Lazarus Experiment"). After Sherlock received the confirmation signal from Mycroft, "LAZARUS IS GO," Sherlock made his jump. A giant airbag was set up and a team of people quickly moved it out of the way. Molly did throw a corpse disguised as Sherlock out of the St Barts window. One person applied some fake blood to Sherlock's head, Sherlock swapped spots with the body, and more fake blood was applied. The cyclist was indeed a part of the plan to keep John from seeing the airbag and the rest of the set-up. Sherlock also put the squash ball under his arm, applied significant pressure, and the pulse was momentarily cut off. As it turns out, Sherlock has been recounting this plot to Anderson. He further reveals that he deduced that Moriarty must have had a Sherlock look-alike used during the kidnapping seen in "The Reichenbach Fall," that led to the little girl being frightened by seeing Sherlock. Sherlock knew that this person would have been a liability in Moriarty's eyes and therefore disposed of so with Molly's help, the body was recovered, the records were faked and Sherlock provided the coat (of which he as many and explicitly stated so). Mycroft bought off the snipers and Anderson seems almost disappointed by this plot. Sherlock further states that he knows that Anderson set up the fake 'Jack the Ripper' case and when Sherlock applies a slight guilt trip, Anderson breaks down sobbing. Sherlock awkwardly pats Anderson to comfort him. Anderson then becomes skeptical of the theory and Sherlock leaves, causing viewers to become skeptical of whether or not this was actually the way that he did it or if he was simply messing with Anderson's head. Anderson becomes delirious, throws a fit, and fusses with his many clippings on his walls.

We return to Sherlock and John in the rigged carriage and Sherlock begins giggling. John looks at the timer and sees that it is no longer counting down. He gets angry, calls Sherlock a cock, and Sherlock reveals that the bomb had an off-switch. The police arrive, for Sherlock had called them. Lord Moran attempts to escape but is apprehended. Back at 221B, Mary tells Mrs. Hudson they're thinking of a May wedding and John informs Sherlock that the press are downstairs waiting for the story. Lestrade is also present and they all prepare to toast with champagne. Molly arrives with her significant other, Tom, and John gapes at him. Sherlock appears slightly mortified as he takes in Tom's appearance. Tom does have a similar taste in fashion to Sherlock but could it be that there is another reason for his skeptical one-over? Lestrade discretely asks Molly if it's serious between the two of them and she cheerfully replies that she has moved on. Outside the flat, John begins to question him about Molly's new man and Sherlock replies that he's saying nothing. John then questions him why this group went after John and put him in the bonfire if it really was about Sherlock's being on to them. Sherlock does not know and is unhappy about having yet to solve it. John brings up the speech he gave at Sherlock's grave and Sherlock lets him know that he was there and heard him. Sherlock says that it is time to be Sherlock Holmes again and before stepping out to meet the press, puts on the deerstalker.

In an unknown location, the new villain, Charles Augustus Magnussen watches footage of Sherlock and Mary rescuing John from the bonfire and his presence is indeed ominous.

This has arguably become fans' new favourite episode due to its countless nods to fan theories, fan jokes, and the moments in which several favourite pairings (be they romantic or not) were able to share together. If you want more fun related to Sherlock, I'd strongly recommend creating a Tumblr account and getting better acquainted with the many Sherlockians on the site, whose passion and creativity have created a truly fantastic community.

Catch the next episode of Sherlock, "The Sign of Three," on Sunday, December 5 at 8:30 on BBC One.

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