When you know that its time to indulge in your favorite British crime drama, again, but you aren't sure which of the ten episodes will best suit your mood, look no further. This comprehensive list will direct you towards the perfect episode to match your mentality.
Episodes are ranked from 10 (Least Emotional) to 1 (Most Emotional) to help you decide just how many tears you want to shed tonight.
WARNING: Contains Spoilers
10. The Sign of Three - When you want to be comforted.
What it does: Stories on stories, and no one dies! There's mostly love in the air and eyeballs in the coffee. Sherlock melts our hearts with his words at the wedding and we are reminded that he is actually capable of feeling.
Favorite moment: Drunk Sherlock. Enough Said.
9. A Study in Pink - When you feel reminiscent.
What it does: Ah the good old days, when all we had to be scared of was a name heard through the yell of a dying man's pain. Back when our hearts leapt at the iconic wink and we had just begun to fall in love with the theme music.
Favorite moment: When John forgets his cane in the shop.
8. The Blind Banker - When you want to build trust.
What it does: Clearly establishes the necessity of communication. On several occasions we recognize that a misunderstanding leads to missing the intended goal by a fraction of a hair and at the end of the day, Sherlock, John, and John's girlfriend must exhibit a great amount of trust and communication, lest any blood be spilt.
Favorite moment: Sherlock's head bob around the offices.
7. The Hounds of Baskerville - When you want a good scare.
What it does: A good old fashioned thriller. We learn that Sherlock is just as prone to psychological manipulation as anyone else. Although it takes him longer to fall into fear, he inevitably gets caught up in his inability to find a solution to a rather simple problem. This humanizes him and reminds the viewers that he takes emotional responsibility of those around him, even if he has no connection to them prior to the case.
Favorite moment: The eternal quote "I don't have friends. I've just got one."
6. Empty Hearse - When you want to aggressively resolve tension.
What it does: Gives Sherlock his much needed chance at redemption. Saving John from a fire is exactly the kind of proof John needed that Sherlock wasn't abandoning him. In reward, John loses his mustache. This episode is also the first of season 3, with a new villain, meaning we aren't too concerned with CAM's peripheral evil, only with restoring the Johnlock bond, and deciding whether or not we like Mary.
Favorite moment: "The thrill of the chase - the blood pumping through your veins! Just the two of us against the rest of the world." (and the subsequent head bash).
5. A Scandal In Belgravia - When you feel romantic.
What it does: Ah, intellectual heteronormative sexual tension. This episode plunges to depths of thought not yet touched by the show. The danger of flirtation is shown in many ways, as Sherlock and Irene both make mistakes that cost them. Thus proving to John, Mycroft, and Moriarty that Sherlock is vulnerable when he contemplates such things as sex and love.
Favorite moment: When Sherlock refrains from wearing pants.
4. The Great Game - When you want to race against the clock.
What it does: Throws the first cliffhanger season ending right in your face before you knew to expect it. ALMOST, almost has you convinced John was the bad guy, for like .03 seconds but still, you thought about it.
Favorite Moment: The sensational debut of Andrew Scott as psychotic and enthralling Moriarty.
3. The Abominable Bride - When you don't know what you want.
(Mycroft wanted this pudding, but I'm not so certain)
What it does: Leaves you with more questions than you came with. Tears your soul right down the middle as you come to understand that Sherlock has been doing drugs again. Gives you all the Victorian Era, Arthur Conan Doyle feels.
Favorite Moment: When John saves Sherlock at the falls in an unspecified dimension.
2. Reichenbach Fall - When you want your heart broken.
What it does: Shows us Sherlock at the worst we've seen. Defeated, tired, scared. It shows him facing his ultimate challenge, a society that doesn't care about him. It crushes your soul as you recall the year and a half that we suffered in silence, as we imagined John suffering in his own silence and depression with us. This episode will leave you surrounded by balled up tissues.
Favorite Moment: When Sherlock visits John at Sherlock's gravesite. We simultaneously feel our hearts shatter and know in our souls that all will be well in the end.
1. His Last Vow - When you want to bond with your family.
What it does: Strengthens bonds in a time when life is falling apart. We see in the christmas dinner scene that Sherlock has created for himself a healthy family, of both relatives and friends. This episode also gives us faith in Sherlock's heart. We know that two wrongs don't make a right, but there is something heart wrenching and satisfying about Magnussen falling dead on his back patio. Sherlock shows immense strength and bravery through his child-like tears, much like a victim standing up to a bully in the school yard.
Favorite Moment: When Sherlock survives death and escapes his mind palace because of his love for John.
To review:
Honestly, your best bet is to set aside 15 hours to just binge watch all 10 episodes. We both know that as soon as you sit down to one, you're going to be wishing you had watched all of them. I'll get the popcorn and tissues.
