Sherlock’s Biggest Betrayals: How It Disappointed Fans

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The BBC’s Sherlock is a highly successful and well-loved update of the classic Sherlock Holmes stories, though it disappointed some viewers on a few occasions. Created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, the show reimagined the famous detective and his friends in present-day London, cleverly adapting well-known cases to fit modern problems and technology.

The show Sherlock initially received high praise, particularly for the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch as Holmes and Martin Freeman as Watson. However, many viewers felt the series began to decline with its third season, and the fourth and final season was widely considered its weakest.

While Sherlock had issues in seasons three and four, its most significant flaw was disappointing its audience, particularly through the handling of a few specific episodes.

Sherlock Killed Moriarty Too Soon

Any good retelling of the Sherlock Holmes story needs to include his greatest enemy, Moriarty. The TV show Sherlock hinted at his involvement early on, revealing that he was responsible for many of the cases Holmes and Watson solved. Andrew Scott officially introduced his version of Moriarty at the end of the first season of Sherlock.

Moriarty served as the primary antagonist throughout the second season of Sherlock, but his storyline concluded there. The season reached its highest point with the finale, “The Reichenbach Fall,” where Moriarty desperately tried to ruin Sherlock Holmes’ reputation and even drive him to suicide. Though Holmes managed to cleverly avoid Moriarty’s plans, the villain had one final, surprising move remaining.

Moriarty staged his own death in front of Holmes, hoping to drive him to suicide, but it was a deception. Although Holmes survived, he was deeply affected by Moriarty’s apparent death and never faced another adversary of equal caliber. Sadly, there wasn’t enough of the actor’s outstanding portrayal of Moriarty to fully satisfy fans.

Sherlock Never Confirmed How Holmes Faked His Death

The biggest disappointment with Sherlock’s supposed death wasn’t that he faked it, but that the show never revealed how he did it. While “The Reichenbach Fall” confirmed the deception, the first episode of season 3 missed the opportunity to explain the details of his plan.

Okay, so “The Empty Hearse” was all about Holmes finally coming back and seeing Watson again. But the really clever part? The show poked fun at its own fans! Before Holmes reappeared, a bunch of amateur detectives – led by that Anderson guy – were spinning wild theories about how he’d died. Turns out, the writers actually used real fan theories, twisting them into the plot as jokes. Holmes even pays Anderson a visit and gives him a slightly altered version of the truth, which is just brilliant meta-commentary. It’s a really playful episode that acknowledges and gently mocks the obsessive fan base – and I loved it.

When Anderson tries to question Holmes about the holes in his story, the detective vanishes, suggesting Anderson imagined the whole encounter and leaving everything unexplained. Similarly, the rest of the Sherlock series never bothered to explain how Holmes managed to fake his death.

Sherlock Made Unnecessary Changes To Mary Morstan

The episode “The Empty Hearse” revealed a big surprise: Watson was in a relationship with Mary Morstan (Amanda Abbington) and they were planning to marry. While it was natural for Sherlock to have introduced Mary at some point in the series, her introduction felt like an unnecessary alteration to Watson’s character.

I always felt like the show really shortchanged Mary Morstan. They revealed she had this secret life as a spy, a past that was clearly going to cause problems, and it eventually did – it put a huge strain on her relationship with Watson. Honestly, by the time she died in season four, I didn’t feel invested in her story at all. They just didn’t give us enough reason to really care about her before it was too late.

Sherlock Introduced A Third Holmes Sibling

Seasons 3 and 4 of Sherlock had several issues, but Season 4 really stumbled with the unexpected arrival of Eurus Holmes (Sian Brooke), a previously unknown sister. Despite the explanation that she’d been secretly present and even a threat to Watson, her introduction felt jarring because she’d never been hinted at or mentioned before.

Eurus was exposed as a brilliant criminal who had been committing crimes since childhood. She was responsible for the death of a friend from Holmes’ youth, a deeply upsetting event that Holmes subconsciously blocked from his memory. As a result, Eurus was imprisoned in the high-security Sherrinford facility.

Despite everything, Eurus remained in control, expertly manipulating those around her to freely move in and out of the prison. She also devised a complicated and illogical scheme to ruin her brothers and Watson, but her brilliant sibling managed to thwart her plan just in time.

Sherlock Had An Underwhelming & Messy Ending

Many of the show’s flaws could have been overlooked if Sherlock had finished with a satisfying conclusion, but unfortunately, it didn’t. The finale focused on Eurus’s complicated scheme and a rushed explanation of the Holmes brothers’ childhood, which ultimately made her character feel out of place and pointless.

The plot of the final Sherlock episode, particularly Eurus’ scheme, had several unresolved issues. It felt even less satisfying due to the inclusion of somewhat melodramatic pre-recorded messages from Mary.

The series Sherlock ended with Holmes and Watson returning to their detective work at 221B Baker Street – something fans had wanted since season 3, but only briefly saw. Because there won’t be a fifth season, the finale is considered one of the most disappointing TV endings of the last ten years.

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2025-11-16 01:49