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Season 1
1 - Pilot
- Sherlock told Mantlo, "No, he [Saldua] was insane. And you took advantage." Sherlock was deeply upset at that point, angry and sorrowful, in a way that absolutely showed that this Sherlock was driven by one thing: a desire for justice so strong that he was willing to empathize with an insane murderer if that insane murderer was himself a victim.
- Said insane murderer was a man literally begging his doctor to help him recover. He was a man who'd done and been through traumatic experiences (came from an abusive household apparently), had hurt people, and he was desperate for treatment. He was, as Holmes put it, not a murderer but a weapon. While there is a desire for justice behind Holmes' actions, it's not hard to draw a line from Holmes' fury over how Mantlo used Saldua and to Holmes' own mental instability. Holmes also has his own problems and self-destructive behavior, and as much as he snarks about "junkie jail" and "addict sitters", when he needs help, it is available to him. Something that Saldua also needed and did not get.
- The look on Sherlock's face when Joan shows up to bail him out.
- At the end, Holmes and Watson are watching a baseball game. Holmes, impatient and hungry, tells her the outcome of the game before leaving. She doesn't believe him, but the game shows that he was correct. She walks downstairs and sees Holmes waiting for her by the door and he helps her put her coat on so they can go eat.
- He does the same thing in "A Giant Gun, Filled With Drugs." It means a lot more that time.
2 - While You Were Sleeping
- Doubles as awesome: after a private detective, who's an old friend of Captain Gregson, refuses to reveal important information pertaining to the case of the week, Holmes takes the detective aside and threatens to reveal his meth addiction, which would mean getting kicked out of the business. When the detective relents, Holmes then tells the detective that, when he's ready to get his life back on track, Hemdale, the rehab facility Holmes himself just left, is his strongest recommendation.Holmes: They even have a pool.
- Wealthy Philanthropist Rebecca Ellison is willing to share her billion-dollar inheritance with two previously unknown illegitimate half-siblings, and even asks if a third sibling (really an Invented Individual for a sting operation) is okay after being targeted by the killer.
- After the case is solved, Gregson and Bell invite Sherlock for drinks, unaware that he is a recovering addict. While Sherlock politely declines, he clearly appreciates the friendly gesture.
- After bickering over personal boundaries and Holmes setting a violin on fire, the episode ends with Sherlock quietly contemplating his violin before playing it as Watson is in her room reading.
3 - Child Predator
- Watson brings Holmes coffee and he tells her that he isn't asleep, but merely reviewing the facts of the case in his head. Watson asks "You're talking to me? I thought I was just a cavernous expanse between two ears." Holmes' response: "Don't be so sensitive, Watson. The service you provide is very valuable." That's a big compliment coming from him.
- Holmes prepares to pull an all-nighter going through files on the previous child abductions, hoping to find a clue that the police missed. He prepares to head off Watson's arguments about him not getting enough sleep, but she cuts him off, saying the normal rules don't apply when a child's life is at stake, and she's sitting up with him.
4 - Rat Race
- While meeting with a lead at a restaurant, Holmes orders a bottle of the most expensive wine on their client's dime. When Joan scolds him (as he's not allowed to drink) he tells her it's for the couple at a nearby table. Holmes has deduced that the man is about to propose and the wine is to help them celebrate (or for the man to console himself with if she declines). As the scene ends we hear the woman shouting a delighted "yes" as the couple hug in the background.
- Holmes manipulating the killer into sending a text message to Watson from his phone, knowing that the killer would probably write in English rather than use the text speak Holmes is so fond of. At first glance, it's just a Moment of Awesome, but it becomes Heartwarming when you realize that it means Holmes completely trusted Watson to figure it out. (And this is not a man known for his faith in the intelligence of others.)
- Also Holmes actually complimenting Watson on her increasing deductive reasoning skills.
- Gregson reveals that he's known about Sherlock's drug problem and stint in rehab all along. After all, he had to run a background check in order to keep Sherlock on a consultant. While he wasn't happy that Sherlock didn't tell him upfront, he still believed in Sherlock's capabilities and promised to keep the matter between them.
7 - One Way To Get Off
- While interviewing a suspect Holmes discovers that the man has been keeping a Sex Slave locked in a hidden room in his basement. After breaking into the room Holmes keeps his distance so as not to frighten the woman but once she sees Gregson's police badge, and knows they can help her, she reaches out to Sherlock who immediately pulls the poor woman into a hug to comfort her.
9 - You Do It to Yourself
- Sherlock sits with Watson at the end for Watson's friend to check into rehab.
- Speaking of which, Sherlock not even hesitating or asking to help Watson's friend, calling him his "brother in track-marked arms."
- Sherlock and Gregson get a couple hastily married, heading one off from being deported as an illegal immigrant, as thanks for helping them with the case (and partly because said immigrant was heavily abused by the victim).
- Sherlock actually taking an interest in Chinese medicine after the Chinese herbal tea Watson gave him aided in his recovery from a cold.
10 - The Leviathan
- Sherlock blatantly and shamelessly praises Joan for her work during dinner with her family.
- Even if he does later play it off as 'everything I said was a lie'. This Sherlock is a lot of things, but a good liar (to Joan, anyways) he is not. Besides, Joan makes it clear that she expected Sherlock's reaction.
- Joan's mom telling her the real reason she was against Joan being a sober companion is that she could (correctly) tell that Joan wasn't very happy with the job, but that Joan's mom can tell that she's happy working with Sherlock.
- Sherlock wakes up Joan with a breakfast in bed tray. He even looks proud of himself as he waits for her to react.
12 - M.
- Oh, God, "M."
- Sherlock opening up to Joan about Irene. Although he was more or less justifying his intended torture and murder of M. once he found him.
- Joan and Sherlock's moment together and the Meaningful Echo.
- Joan deciding to stay with Sherlock even though it's no longer her job.
- Sherlock referring to Joan as "my dear Watson." Given the show's title, he was practically obligated to say it sooner or later, but still, it's so nice to hear.
13 - The Red Team
- Holmes eating soup (the end of a running joke about turtle soup) while staring at the new team pet, Clyde, and making a poetic speech about the long life of tortoises with a sad look.
14 - The Deductionist
- Joan talking to a visibly upset Sherlock. "You got clean. You picked up your career right where you left off. You even made a friend, something Catherine claimed in her article was virtually impossible. Me? I'm talking about me."
- Sherlock wakes Joan up in excitement over a lead Gregson has, and he even opens up her closet to pick an outfit for her. The following scene at the hospital shows that Joan did, in fact, wear the clothes Sherlock selected.
15 - A Giant Gun Filled With Drugs
- Sherlock makes an undercover DEA agent in a Dominican gang and actually takes a beating for information, in a nice inversion of the Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique. Shows a strong commitment to rescuing the kidnap victim and doubles as a Moment of Awesome
- Rhys's "I believe in Sherlock Holmes" speech, which is fulfilled at the climax, when Rhys cuts himself and Watson loose; instead of fleeing out the door like a Dirty Coward (as you might expect from a drug dealer), he tackles their kidnapper unarmed, willing to die just to ensure that Watson escapes and believing that, as long as Holmes lives, he can rescue Rhys's daughter, and that is all that matters.
- Sherlock yelling "Watson? Watson!", clearly upset, after he hears over the phone that a gun is being fired in their apartment.
- Rhys is shocked, in the best possible way, when Emily comes in to his hospital room and hugs him, calling him "Daddy". After everything she's been through, with him fully owning that it's his fault she was kidnapped and mutilated, she still loves him.
- At the end of the episode, Sherlock confesses to Joan that Rhys gave him a baggie of cocaine, but he didn't use it. When Joan offers to talk, he decides that it's much more appropriate in a group setting, meaning that he's deciding to attend a group therapy session and asks Joan to join him.
16 - Details
- Sherlock testing Watson's self-defense skills (relevant, after the events of the previous episode) becomes heartwarming when he admits that if anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.
- Sherlock lies and tells Gregson that the murder weapon planted in Bell's apartment was found in a dumpster near the crime scene. He encourages Bell to go along with the lie, leading to this exchange:Marcus: Easy for you to say.
Sherlock: Why? Because I’m a mere consultant and you’re a real policeman? You think I don't have as much respect for the Captain as you do? - Holmes asking Watson to stay with him, offering to pay her a stipend and let her stay in his home.Sherlock: Stay on permanently. Not as a sober companion. As my companion.
- Even more heartwarming when he says it's not an act of kindness; he claims that he's better when she's around him. Had Word of God not already said Holmes/Watson would never happen, this would be a good amount of Ship Tease.
- He also makes a point to tell Joan that she can think it over, and talk to others about it before coming to a decision. Dickish as he is, he really respects her.
- Detective Bell and his brother Andre reconciling after Andre is shot, their relationship being strained since Andre is an ex-criminal.
- Especially heartwarming, as Holmes notes: shot twice in the back, slowly bleeding to death, Andre still understands that he has been attacked in an attempt to implicate Marcus, and uses his own blood to write "WAS NOT MARCUS" before passing out.Marcus: But... we fought yesterday. You were shot in the back. No way you saw who did it. No way you could've known for sure it wasn't me.
Andre: But I did know. I know you. And you got to look out for family. Even when they disappoint you.
- Especially heartwarming, as Holmes notes: shot twice in the back, slowly bleeding to death, Andre still understands that he has been attacked in an attempt to implicate Marcus, and uses his own blood to write "WAS NOT MARCUS" before passing out.
17 - Possibility Two
- Sherlock essentially takes a backseat during the entire episode to let Joan solve the case on her own, only prodding her when needed.Sherlock: I wanted you to trust your own instincts... I expect my colleagues to do the same.
18 - Deja Vu All Over Again
- Morland Holmes is owed a favour by Sherlock, but instead of using it to get Sherlock to help him within his morally ambiguous empire or a friend who Sherlock may detest, he actually asks Sherlock to assist a business acquaintance’s personal assistant with her missing sister, which wouldn’t actually help Morland at all. It’s also a case Sherlock would likely want to assist with instead of asking for something more odious that he would be against.
- Holmes coming to bail Watson out when she gets arrested for breaking into a suspect's car.
- Then later attempting to cheer her up after she goes into a Heroic BSoD due to her previous imprisonment.
- Watson's other friends staging an intervention because they think Sherlock is a bad boyfriend and they want to bail her out. They were wrong, and accidentally upset her in the process, but knowing her friends are actively proactive in trying to help her is still a testament to how good friends they are.
- At the conclusion, one of said friends calls to congratulate her for cracking the case, saying she won't apologize for being concerned about her friend, but she will apologize, abjectly and repeatedly, for doubting that Watson would make a stellar detective.
19 - Snow Angels
- According to Clyde the Tortoise's official twitter, Ms. Hudson crocheted him a little tortoise sweater to keep warm during the storm.
- After questioning a homeless veteran on potential leads in their case, Sherlock does not report him to the police but instead advises him to sell the stolen phones the man found for a higher price and gives him enough money
to rent a hotel room for the night to escape the blizzard. note
20 - Dead Man's Switch
- Meeting with Alfredo's sponsor, who is afraid to go to the police to expose the blackmailer threatening to publish a graphic video recording of his daughter's rape on the Internet, Holmes coolly says that he finds blackmailers an even lower class of criminal than murderers, and pledges that he and Watson will find the blackmailer and make sure that "this vile recording" never sees the light of day. Payment is never mentioned once.
- Most incarnations of Sherlock Holmes tend to be rather dismissive of other investigators even when interacting with their police contacts. When Sherlock is faced with the complexities of Charles Milverton's death, he immediately goes to Gregson to get a second opinion from an investigator "I both respect and admire", stating this in the calm manner in which he makes his most significant deductions, reinforcing that he truly values Gregson's abilities and will give his opinion suitable attention before he makes his own decision.
- Holmes also acknowledges that Gregson, as a man with daughters of his own, is probably better qualified than Holmes to empathize with the victims of a rapist, and to appreciate the consequences to them and their families if the blackmailer he is pursuing publishes the details of their abuse.
- After spending the entire episode making various excuses as to why he won't go to his one-year sobriety anniversary, Sherlock tells Joan that he can't accept the chip because he doesn't think he earned it - he relapsed on his first day in rehab. Not only is he incredibly vulnerable in that moment, but he says that while he'll tell his mentor Alfredo later, it didn't feel right to tell him before he told Joan.
- As though that wasn't enough, when he admits his relapse he immediately affirms that it happened before he met Watson, his first priority when telling this story being to ensure that Watson knows she isn't responsible for his relapse and she hasn't missed anything while acting as his companion and friend.
21 - A Landmark Story
- After the (darkly funny) failed Friendship Moment earlier onnote , the actual Friendship Moment, where Sherlock reassures Joan that she's brilliant.Sherlock: When I pursued Moran, my entire life I had made one meaningful connection. That was with Irene Adler. You were preparing to take on a new client, I had every reason to believe I would be returning to my solitary methods of old. Since then, we've turned into a partnership. It's an arrangement I find very rewarding. You're an interesting project and I enjoy watching your progress. The thing that's different about me, empirically speaking...is you.
Joan: That is one of the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.
22 - Risk Management
- Sherlock and Joan finding the very much alive Irene Adler. Sherlock is so moved, he can barely speak. MAJORLY subverted when we learn the truth about Irene.
- Joan and Sherlock's conversation in the bathroom.Sherlock: Watson, you know that there are risks entailed in the work that I - that we - perform. We cannot do the work without undertaking those risks. But know this: as far as Moriarty is concerned, I will never allow any harm to come to you. Not ever.
Joan: You can't promise that.
Sherlock: And yet I have.
23 - The Woman
- Related to his flashbacks, Sherlock showing Irene ancient carvings from The Roman Empire that he'd discovered in the catacombs beneath London. Once again, Harsher in Hindsight after The Reveal about Irene.
- When Joan asks if she should leave when Irene comes to live in the brownstone after being missing and presumed dead in order to give Sherlock space, Sherlock responds that she didn't have to because it's her home.
24 - Heroine
- Holmes telling Watson that the reason he didn't steal the Vicodin is because she'd be disappointed in him, not because he'd be disappointed in himself or was afraid it would cloud his mind and make him unable to work.
- Holmes sticking up for Watson and giving her her props for taking down Moriarty when he couldn't even do it.Holmes: You know, she solved you. The mascot.Watson. ...But, um, given your repeated claims to have eyes and ears everywhere, you said "There was only one person in the world that could surprise you." Turns out...there's two.
- Moriarty's genuine concern for Sherlock when she thinks he's overdosed. She even wants to help him get clean. It's a little twisted, but sweet in its own way: whatever else she is, she's obviously given her heart to Sherlock.
- Similarly, Bell's genuine fear and concern when he thinks Sherlock's relapsed, to the point where he literally kicks the door down to get to him.
- Sherlock naming a new species of bee after Joan.
- The very obvious, genuine delight Joan expresses when she learns this.
- Even more heartwarming because they'd had a serious argument earlier in the episode. The bee scene isn't just a Friendship Moment; it shows that they've reconciled.
- And the metaphorical element. The bee showed him that even something that seemed isolated and alone could connect with someone normal.
Season 2
- Sherlock's repeated kindness to animals - he's protective of his bees, he adopted Clyde from a murder victim, and rescued a pair of cocks from a fighting ring.
- Sherlock, noticing that Joan is acting strangely after a meeting with Mycroft, asks her if Mycroft "took liberties" with her. Of course, nothing like that happened at all, but his tone makes it very clear that if Mycroft had been awful (and stupid) enough to do something like that to Joan, there would've been absolute hell to pay.
1 - Step Nine
- This exchange in the kitchen of the Baker Street flat:Mycroft: Sherlock doesn't have any friends.
Joan: Yesterday I would've told you he doesn't have a brother. But he does. - In their own weird way, Sherlock and Mycroft attempt to repair their strained relationship. Mycroft blows up Sherlock's things and considers it a clean slate to start over. Sherlock is impressed that his brother is not the complete lay-about Sherlock took him for.
- Mycroft and Joan have a heart to heart about Sherlock as Mycroft hopes to repair his relationship with his brother, rethinking his life after narrowly surviving leukemia.
- A small moment in the beginning, when Sherlock carries Watson's suitcase up the stairs at his old place. It may seem insignificant, but considering the relationship between Sherlock and Watson at the start of season 1, it shows it's come a long way.
2 - Solve For X
- Sherlock advances Watson $20,000, four times what she asked for. Also, he's genuinely concerned that her dead patient's son may be taking advantage of her. And then he asks to go with her to the cemetery, to pay his respects for the patient she lost. Especially since his death is what eventually led Watson to work with him in the first place.
3 - We Are Everyone
- Moriarty's letter to Sherlock. Even though we know she is manipulating him again, it's very poetic and sad.
- Watson's speech at the end when Sherlock stops reading Moriarty's letter to look at her, saying she feels really sad for him, that he is an amazing person and she shouldn't be the only one allowed to know him.
- And then she starts writing the famous Dr. Watson's chronicles of Sherlock Holmes.
4 - Poison Pen
- Sherlock told the police about the nanny's (Abigail) true identity (she was previously arrested, tried and acquitted for murdering her abusive father with the same M.O. as the victim of the episode), afterwards he goes to her place to apologise for revealing her true identity.
- Sherlock used to be pen pals with Abigail, the suspect, under a slightly different name. They both admit to enjoying their correspondence and looking forward to their letters. It's clear Abigail was Sherlock's Only Friend for quite a long time (Sherlock was also isolated at boarding school at the time so Abigail was the only person he wrote/spoke to at the time). The look on her face when he reveals who he is to her is understandable shock, mixed with joy at finally meeting her friend.
- Abigail initially admits to Sherlock when he is about to leave to follow up on a lead in the case, after 5-10 minutes, that she has no one she can talk too about being the police's main suspect. We later find out he spent 3 hours at her place talking to his old friend.
- Abigail, who is innocent and being framed by the child (Graham) she was a nanny for (and his step mum was also planning to frame her if she had killed her husband first) confesses to killing his sexually abusive father because she doesn't want to see Graham go through life being seen as the person who killed his father after what she went through and has his whole life ahead of him. Sherlock tries to talk her out of it but she is very adamant that she is taking the rap for him.
- Sherlock tells Graham after he has got away with the murder of his sexually abusive father because Abigail chose to take the rap for him, that he'll be watching him and will catch him if he kills again... and then recommends that he speaks to someone about the hell he went through as it will help him and Sherlock personally offers to be there for him if he needs someone to talk to that knows the whole details.
- Earlier on (before Abigail confesses to the crime, she didn't commit) when Sherlock is interrogating Graham as his story unravels and points out Abigail is innocent but may end up being tried and found guilty of the crime, Graham is visibly tearful for his actions and is on the verge of confessing himself to clear Abigail’s name. While he previously gave the impression he didn't care much for Abigail, during the interview however, he clearly did care for their nanny who by all accounts was nothing but kind to the children (Even after Abigail had been fired as the nanny after everything that happened, the younger brother had called Abigail when Graham was taken away by the police and was crying and needed to talk to someone).
- Joan buys a platypus skull as a gift for Sherlock.
6 - An Unnatural Arrangement
- Sherlock solves a minor case that was given to Joan, irritating her for "stealing" her case before she could gain valuable experience on her own. So he gives the biggest vote of confidence in her abilities imaginable, by letting her have a shot at the few cases that even he hasn't been able to solve.
- Sherlock implies he has intense respect for Bell by referring to the other detectives that he's worked with as "Not Bell".
- Sherlock encouraging Captain Gregson to try again with his wife and using his partnership with Watson as an example.
- Gregson making amends with Cheryl at the same moment Watson opens the chest with a glowing smile and Sherlock observes from a distance.
7 - The Marchioness
- Although Sherlock does not appreciate it, Mycroft attends an NA meeting (and surprises Sherlock), just so he can support his brother and to hear his views on his addiction, which he finds fascinating. While Sherlock suspects something is afoot, Mycroft did only attend because he was trying to be closer to his brother and wants to know more about him.
8 - Blood Is Thicker
- When Mycroft tells Sherlock that their father wants him to return to London and might cut him off if he doesn't, Sherlock is initially defiant before Mycroft reminds him to think of Joan. When Sherlock talks to Joan about the situation, he says that he values what they have in New York (expressing respect for Gregson and Bell), but is willing to move with her to London if she thinks it's the best option. Joan's response (re: Sherlock's father): "Screw him."
9 - On the Line
- As a result of Sherlock solving the case, Tim Spalding is reunited with his wife Kathy, who'd been kidnapped several years earlier. They Never Found the Body, but they did find her bloody clothing, leaving Tim (and the audience) to suspect the worst.
- At the end, Gregson gives a Rousing Speech where he defends Holmes and Watson from the cops who have been criticizing them, and him for his reliance and use of them.
10 - Tremors
- Holmes is undergoing review due to an incident that put Bell in hospital with a gunshot to the abdomen when he recognises that the attorney interviewing him is a fellow addict. When he brings it up to her, she originally thinks he's trying to threaten/blackmail her, but in fact he just wanted to show solidarity with someone else on the wagon. She later returns the favour by telling him she's going to a sponsor meeting and inviting him to go with her after the review ends poorly.
12 - The Diabolical Kind
- A furious Moriarty begins her Roaring Rampage of Revenge with a completely non-fatal prison break, just because Sherlock wouldn't approve of her killing the guards.
- Also, Moriarty's rampage was to save her daughter, whom she admitted that she gave up for adoption at birth because she (VERY correctly) figured that she would make an unfit parent, and yet her maternal connection with the child never fully faded.
13 - All in the Family
- Sherlock rounds off his yelling match with Detective Bell with a (shouted) "The Reason You Are Awesome" Speech.
15 - Corpse Du Ballet
- When Joan reveals her biological father is homeless and schizophrenic, Holmes decides to help her pass out supplies to the homeless.
18 - The Hound of the Cancer Cells
- Sherlock and Bell going to grab a coffee at the end.
22 - Paint It Black
- Sherlock's response to Joan being held captive.Mycroft: I know why you're upset. You're not sure what you can do what needs to be done without her.
Sherlock: My very good friend might be murdered by your very bad friends.
Mycroft: I think she is the person you love the most in the world. - In a rather dark way, Sherlock telling Mycroft, point-blank, that if Joan gets hurt, Sherlock will kill him.
24 - The Grand Experiment
- A bittersweet one at the end combined with Tearjerker: After being forced to fake his death and go into exiled hiding, Mycroft bids Joan and Sherlock goodbye. Joan is upset and leaves the room and while Sherlock continues to insult his brother, Mycroft leans forward and hugs Sherlock.Mycroft: I love you, brother. This year has been a gift.
- Earlier in the episode, Mycroft's treacherous handler shows up and tries to threaten Joan into telling him where Mycroft is. She foils him by revealing that Everyone, the hacktivist group she and Holmes are in regular communication with, are on the screens and watching. In less than 20 seconds she was able to ask Everyone for help, and they gave it even though it meant showing their faces (and thus identities). It's a big change from the group's first meeting with Holmes and Watson.
Season 3
1 - Enough Nemesis To Go Around
- Sherlock on why he came back to New York after leaving MI6: "I belong here."
- After the frosty reception Sherlock got from Joan and Gregson, he has a nice conversation with Bell, who seems happy enough to see him, and Sherlock returns the favor by solving a puzzling murder for Bell.
- Joan comes around to the Brownstone, and Sherlock calls for Kitty to open the door. She tells him that she's still freeing herself from when he tied her to a chair. A minor CMOF, but once the show starts exploring Kitty's background it becomes an incredibly major sign of the trust she has for him. Even just a few episodes later, she had a highly negative reaction when Marcus merely touches her arm, so allowing Sherlock to completely restrain her is a pretty big deal.
4 - Bella
- Sherlock admits he loves Watson. True, he admits it when he's talking to an AI, but it's still sweet, and it's clear it makes Watson's part of a very small group.
- After Watson suspects Sherlock of arranging for her boyfriend to get a job in Denmark so he could have Watson to himself again, Sherlock rebuts that the guy completely understands the nature of their relationship, so he would never do anything to jeopardize that. Watson even says she feels like hugging Holmes, which he says is a rash idea.
5 - Rip Off
- Captain Gregson has been reprimanded for striking Chris Stotz, a fellow policeman who also happens to be the ex-boyfriend of his daughter Hannah, who is also in the force. Gregson had hit him in retaliation for striking his daughter, but Hannah is adamant that her father apologize for the assault, because she doesn't want to be perceived as a battered woman in front of her peers, and needing her Police Captain father to protect her. Gregson of course is conflicted, not wanting to apologize for the assault but also not wanting to put Hannah in a comprising position. It's during this that Kitty comes to offer Captain Gregson support, having been a victim of abuse herself, she knows what Hannah has gone through but she also fully supports Gregson's decision to protect her. In the end, Gregson is forced to apologize to Stotz, but is pleasantly surprised to find that Stotz is leaving the force, after having been talked to by Gregson's English woman friend. It doesn't take long for Gregson to figure it was Kitty, and he's visibly thankful to her when he meets her later.
6 - Terra Pericolosa
- When Holmes apologizes to Kitty for giving her mundane chores because he was trying to keep her from associating with a young man that was trying to court her, as he feared she was not ready for it and was trying to protect her. Instead of getting upset about Holmes not trusting her to take care of herself, Kitty explains that she knew what he was doing but that she didn't say anything because she didn't think she was ready either. In her own words, she says that Holmes's actions made her feel "very protected and very loved." D'aaaawwww....
9 - The Eternity Injection
- Sherlock's incredibly vulnerable speech regarding the effects of sobriety, and how it's not triumphant or dramatic, but frustrating and exhausting and dull. And Joan just listens, responding in the best way not only as a sober companion but also as a friend: asking him if there's anything he'd like her to do for him, and saying she'll be there for him. Also doubles as Tear Jerker.
12 - The Illustrious Client/The One That Got Away
- Joan immediately leaving her first day at her new job to help Kitty out because in her own words, she was someone she considered family. When Kitty expresses surprise at seeing Joan at the Brownstone on said first day Sherlock reveals he asked Joan to be there, obviously recognising how hard the news of the attack would be for Kitty and that she should have as much support as possible.
- After Kitty has tracked down and kidnapped Del Gruner, the man who raped and tortured her, she's about to begin her torture of him when Sherlock arrives. Sherlock, being familiar with the situation, tells Kitty that no matter what she does that she will always be special to him and she will always be his friend. This causes Kitty to spare Gruner's life. However...
- Kitty is forced to flee after burning Gruner's face with a corrosive, but calls Sherlock to give him a platonic Anguished Declaration of Love.
- The final scene of the episode reveals how Sherlock managed to resist the temptation of heroin from the last season. It was thanks to Kitty.
- Joan offers to take a leave of absence from the department to avoid backlash against Gregson. Gregson's response? "Screw that."
- In flashbacks, Sherlock is able to solve a case thanks to something Kitty noticed. He brings her to the station to show her that, thanks to her, a young boy is home safe. He doesn't hesitate to tell her that she has the potential to be a Great Detective, and invites her to work with him.
- During the flashback, when Sherlock bumps into Kitty for the first time, outside a police station, she is just in his way as Kitty had thrown a tablet on the floor in anger, and their inital interaction is a little frosty. However, Sherlock must have realised she was frustrated about something involving the police station and asked around about her, ultimately talking to the police officer on the case, reviewing her notes and view on the case and then going to her place so they could work on it further (while making it clear that if she wants to keep the knife pointed at him to make her feel safe, she can do so). Given he wouldn't have known anything about her or where it would have gone, his inital decision to ask around was merely him seeing if he could assist a complete stranger.
13 - Hemlock
- Joan spends a late night at the Brownstone and is woken up in a familiar way by Holmes—with food and clothes. Not only is this a touching reminded of how close they were as roommates, Joan is surprised she left clothes—and Holmes explains she didn't. He bought her new ones, just in case, and she thinks they're great. This is the platonic version of keeping your ex's favorite food in your house just in case they drop by—at once slightly presumptuous, overly forward-minded, and deeply caring: Sherlock to a T.
- In the same episode, it's revealed that the murder victim used to be a debt collector. But, upon getting to know one of the people he was trying to collect from, he had a change of heart. In fact, he did a complete 180, befriending the guy and deciding to completely forgive his debt. When Sherlock tells the victim's estranged wife this, she's clearly touched, and doesn't take on the "mother lode" of debt — which, if worked properly, could make her millions. Instead, she allows Sherlock to shred it, effectively freeing the debtors.
- Sherlock gives Joan (and Kitty) the finest compliment any Socially Awkward Hero could give his friend: "You're not people."
14 - The Female of the Species
- After Holmes consistently calls Detective Bell by his title and surname, despite being asked not to, since they're doing work together after hours, he ends by calling him "Marcus" and saying it was a great pleasure to work with him.
- Earlier in that episode, Holmes outright says that he and Bell are different than most people. This gives a clear idea of the respect he has for him.
- Throughout the episode, Holmes is quietly supportive of Watson, bringing her food and keeping her company, but respecting her wishes and not pushing her to talk unless she wants to or encouraging her to come back to working cases until she decides she's ready.
- In a creepy way, Moriarty killing off Joan's nemesis when the latter makes a threat to kill Joan. As Moriarty puts it, Joan's too vital a part of her game to lose. Even if it doesn't involve any actual feelings like normal people, sociopaths like her still have people they care about. In a similar vein, she tells Joan that she's sorry about Andrew's death. Since it's doubtful that Moriarty cares an innocent man is dead simply because, well, an innocent man is dead, that leads to the conclusion that she means it in a "I'm sorry my Worthy Opponent has been hurt" way. For Moriarty, that's huge.
- Joan decides to move back into the Brownstone. In the next episode, he's visibly smiling when he refers to the Brownstone's basement as "our basement."
17 - T-Bone and the Iceman
- He does it in a typically Sherlock way, but Sherlock helping convince Joan's mother to see a neurologist after Joan encounters her mother's developing memory issues. Especially heartwarming after he spent the entire episode trying to convince Joan that her family's problems are not her problems, and she should cut the cord of obligation between them.
21 - Under My Skin
- Sherlock fires Alfredo as his sponsor so he can be his friend. And he humiliates the car alarm company that fired Alfredo by stacking a car elevator full of their cars, but only after arranging for Alfredo to have a solid alibi.
Season 4
- "Hounded":
- After questioning a homeless man on potential leads on the episode's case, Joan helps him get to a homeless shelter as the night was going to get cold. When she returns to the brownstone, Sherlock doesn't even blink at the extra time she took to help the man get settled at the shelter.
- Sherlock showing genuine concern and working to reach out to Hawes, who's been struggling since a bomb was detonated in the morgue in an earlier episode. What's more, he knows Hawes is reacting not to the bomb itself, but the death of a co-worker who he had asked out literally right before she was killed. Sherlock does this because he can see where ignoring that pain can lead, and Hawes eventually realizes that Sherlock is right and he needs to heal, so he takes a sabbatical.Sherlock: You are standing on a precipice and I will not watch you tumble over, mate. I refuse to.
- "Turn it Upside Down": Sherlock discovers that his father intends to use a ring formerly belonging to his mother as a bribe. After explaining his focus on "umwelt" to Watson by revealing that his mother, too, was an addict, he offhandedly offers the ring to her. As this article puts it:"The context isn’t romantic; their conversation about Morland’s cruelty and Sherlock’s struggle with addiction is the opposite of pillow talk. But the image is deliberate. He’s low to the ground, offering the ring to a standing Joan, and that framing is deeply recognizable regardless of context —- it’s an offer. It’s an offer here, too, though not of marriage: marriage is a product of passion. It’s something even rarer for Sherlock: an offer of intimacy."
- In "Murder Ex Machina", Sherlock meets a woman named Fiona Helbron, with whom he eventually begins a romantic relationship. As Fiona is "neuroatypical" (her word for being on the Autism spectrum), Sherlock does considerable research on the subject in an attempt to become a more suitable partner. In "Ready or Not", she breaks up with him because she feels that he is treating her differently on account of her condition. Later in the episode, he invites her to his home and informs her of his previous relationship with Moriarty, explaining that while he did make an extra effort with her, it wasn't because he saw anything wrong with her. It was because he doesn't normally see the point in romance, but considers Fiona worth that extra effort. This prompts her to take him back.
- In "Art Imitates Art", Sherlock berates a lab techincan, when they realise she was merely affirming the DNA matches the police's suspicions instead of testing genuine DNA results, because it resulted in an innocent man going to prison.
- Any moment during the episode when people are still accusing the innocent man who is in prison, Sherlock is visibly annoyed they are still accusing him and belittles them for their actions that caused his imprisonment.
- When the evidence results in the murderers' arrest and it would result in their children having no parents to look after them, Sherlock sincerely states "Fortunately for them, we understand they have very loving grandparents" showing he does care about the children affected by their parents' actions.
- When the friend of the deceased woman is asked if she was jealous of the deceased being interested in a man she reveals that the deceased was a lesbian and because her family was super religious and she had never got around to telling them that, after she was killed they decided it wasn't their place to tell anyone and would respect her wishes. They had in fact kept her secret so well for three years the police investigation into the reopened case did not find out she was a lesbian until she told them.
- In "A Difference in Kind", Morland takes on a new mastermind position in an evil empire as it is the best way to keep Sherlock and Watson safe.
- Sherlock deliberately gives the fabricated evidence to the FBI instead of the police because he did not want to implicate the captain and the 12th precinct in a frame up he created that they could get into trouble for.
- Agent Gary Burke calls Watson to his office to personally tell her that the suspect she told him about has disappeared and there is clearly more to him then, so that she should be careful despite them being more acquaintances then friends.
Season 5
- In To Catch a Predator Predator, when Sherlock realises the murderer in the case is a rape victim he met earlier in the episode, who didn't come forward for 6 years (after been told no-one would believe her), he is upset she is the murderer because he liked her.In the murderer's confession, the murder victim, before he died, realised that his kidnapper was a victim of a predator he shamed, who wanted justice that he inadvertently robbed her of, and he was genuinely trying to sympathise with her and help her. Her killing him was an accident.At the end of the episode Sherlock realises the predator and rapist of the murderer and rape victim in the episode had fled to Bali and is now in a country with no extradiction treaty and cannot be brought to justice in the US. As a result Sherlock arranges with friends in law enforcement in Bali that they will find 10 kilograms of (planted) uncut cocaine in his home (a severe crime that would result in the death penalty in real life, despite the show stating life imprisonment), Sherlock stating he doesn't like using such measures but the individual is a danger to young women wherever he resides and needs to be behind bars for their safety. He also confirms he has made friends in law enforcement in multiple similar countries with no extradition treaties so criminals who flee justice can still be deat with.
- In the two-parter Wrong Side of the Road and Fidelity, after realising how hurt Sherlock was by her radio silence for the last two years, Kitty gives him a heartfelt apology, tells him that she sees him as family, and makes it official by making him her son's godfather. Also, Sherlock's Adorkable anxiety about getting something wrong during the ceremony.Sherlock: Would you believe I've never been a godparent before?
Kitty: Don't take this the wrong way, but yeah, I would.- In his first scene baby Archie is wrapped in a blanket with bees on it, no doubt a nod to Sherlock's beekeeping.
- When Sherlock meets Archie for the first time, he is visibly shocked by the news and a phone call interrupts the meeting, but when Sherlock walks away to answer the phone call, he has a massive smile on his face.
- Sherlock's obvious respect for and admiration of Marcus; at one point he puts on a ski mask and attacks a known wife-beater whom Marcus suspects of brutally beating his own girlfriend, just to ensure that Marcus doesn't do it first.
- Marcus later admits that he was close to crossing the line, and thanks Sherlock for stopping him.Holmes: I stopped you from beating Ukhov because I didn't want you to throw away your career, but more importantly, I didn't want you to throw away yourself. I mean, I might be this extraordinary detective, but you are an extraordinary man. And that's a far, far more precious thing, isn't it?
Season 6
01 - An Infinite Capacity For Taking Pains
- After Sherlock informs Joan that he's been diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome she walks around the table, tells him to stand up and then hugs him. He jokingly reminds her that he doesn't like hugs...but he also doesn't stop her doing it.
- During an interrogation, a suspect jumps off the building. We cut to a scene of Sherlock visiting the injured man in the hospital.Suspect: They told me you spent the night here, I guess we never finished our talk.
Holmes: No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.- This episode also had some touching moments between Joan and her half-sister Lin, with some highlights below:Lin: You’re not upset because you violated some sacred trust between you and your psychiatrist. You're upset because someone you liked and respected and admired – someone whose job it was to help people figure out their lives - thought you should be a mommy….You’re strong, smart, funny, driven, compassionate, she added all that up, and somehow she came up with the one thing you were not – a mom. I’m sorry, but I think that stinks. Everything that she saw in you, all your best qualities, they’re not the things that would make you a great mother, they’re what makes you a great detective, a great friend and a great sister.
- This episode also had some touching moments between Joan and her half-sister Lin, with some highlights below:
- After learning about his daughter’s alcoholism, the last thing Gregson wants to do is talk to Sherlock. Sherlock reminds him that this is not about him or Gregson, it’s about Hannah and her sobriety.Holmes: Worrying about the origin of her issues is counterproductive. In doing so you risk making her substance abuse about you, when in fact your energy and hers are best spent focusing on her recovery.
Gregson: You think I don’t know that?
Holmes: I think that you’re in pain, and despite our recent troubles, that bothers me. Look, my father was an abject failure as both a parent and a human being, but when it came to my own struggles he did one thing right: He kept my recovery about me. You’re ten times the man he is, so if he can do right by me, I’m confident that you can do right by Hannah, but only once you move past blame.
- When Sherlock deduces who the murderer is (who is linked to 12 murders of women), the in-universe hacking group Everyone, who are a loose coalition of anarchists who normally do favours for Sherlock in exchange for an act of humilation on Sherlock's part, completely waive the humilation and assist Sherlock immediately with his attempt to bring the killer to justice and behind bars. (They also assist Sherlock when he reappears in a later episode, again with implications of their assistance being humilation-free and doing more to assist than the FBI are able to.)
- Although polite, the pregnant young lady staying with Joan first seems judgmental of Joan’s lifestyle. She later describes how her pregnancy came completely unexpected, her dating life didn’t start until college and her conservative parents practically threw a party when she decided to give the baby up for adoption. Hearing how Joan gave up her life as a doctor, reconciled with her parents, and having a partner like Sherlock describe how amazing Joan was, made her realize that she wanted to keep her baby despite the sacrifices she would have to make.
- Sherlock does not understand Joan’s interest in a child, but is willing to support her because she is worth it. He tells her that he is willing to make adjustments, even offering to move out of their home as he is well aware living with a former addict will ruin her chances. Joan assures him that is not what she wants.
- It quickly becomes a Tearjerker later in the episode, but Sherlock's choice to let go of his old grudges against Mycroft and to reach out to him, now that there's no longer a threat to his life and thus no longer a need for Mycroft to remain in hiding. He even says "I'll have my brother back" when explaining the decision to Alfredo, who's had problems with his own brother in the past.
- On the same vein: Alfredo guiding Sherlock towards that choice, even with a brief altercation.
- Sherlock's father returns to the show to deal with the fallout of Mycroft's death. Despite their mixed views of their relationship, with Morland even admitting Mycroft was previously his sole heir, both are making effort to reconcile.Holmes: I always thought he would outlive us both. The fact he has preceded both you and I to the grave despite our more dangerous paths speaks to the inherent injustice of the universe, or its love of irony[…]I discovered Mycroft was dead because I was seeking him out to heal our rift. Now I won’t have the chance. But it made me realize that grudges are pointless and that people who hold them are petty and small-minded; I am neither of those things.
- Sherlock choosing to let go of his substantial inheritance to charity, and Morland respecting his wishes even with reluctance. He's just glad that Sherlock's wishes will be met when his inevitable passing comes.
- Later, when Sherlock notices a suspicious man eying Morland from across the street while they're talking, he tells his father he'll wait with him for his car to arrive before parting ways. Morland's surprised smile, unaware of the stalker, and the way he plays off that surprise is hard to go unnoticed with the audience, given that he has just lost a son and is carefully trying to rebuild his relationship with the other. He also mentions that he's grateful Sherlock made the time to come to the attorney meeting (to rewrite his will) with him.
- Apparently Sherlock's protectiveness and supportiveness over Joan (and her wish to adopt) is so apparent that Joan doesn't tell him about her problems with her adoption attorney, Gary, because she knows he "will want to go nuclear on the guy" before she can even decide on how to proceed.
- And before that, Sherlock's eager activism on making the brownstone presentable and baby-proof in preparation for a visit from the adoption agency case worker. He even looked up brands of baby-proofing locks and made his own judgments of them. Inadequate, all of them!
- Sherlock respects Joan's wishes to stay out of the situation with Gary to the tee. He simply uses his extensive connections to help her: not to interfere, but instead to present Joan with a fresher set of options on how to tackle the problem.
- Joan states that she doesn't expect Sherlock to be involved in the adopting and raising of a future baby, not because she doesn't think he could or that she doesn't want him to, but because she doesn't want him to feel pressured into co-parenting. At the end of the episode, Sherlock makes it clear that, short of dissolving their partnership, he wouldn't be capable of not being involved. (And the above informs the audience he would be more than happy to be involved at all.)Holmes: Not as the child's father but as the mother's friend. I mean I'd lay down my life for you. So if you succeed in adopting a child I'd lay down my life for him or her, it's as simple as that.
Joan, visibly touched: Have you thought about what you'd want to be called by my kid?
- When investigating a Guatemalan brewery company's involvement in a recent murder, they also look into a woman, Valentina Durand, whom the main murder victim had communications with. It was previously suspected that the same company had kidnapped (and possibly murdered) Valentina as she had been travelling to New York with the intent of unionizing the company, with the help of an American non-profit. It turns out that she is actually alive (and pregnant) the whole time. She had dropped off the grid because she had simply wanted to escape to New York to have her out-of-wedlock baby in peace. She discreetly tries to help Sherlock and Joan with the main murder mystery, throwing a bottled message through their window in an effort to remain anonymous, though they eventually find her. In the episode's closer, Joan answers the door to an apologetic Valentina insisting on paying them back for the broken window, and it turns out Joan had bought two whole bags of baby supplies for Valentina. It's a sweet ending to help us forget the gruesome murder at the beginning of the episode.
- Sherlock reveals that shortly after they formed their partnership he changed his will so that in the event of his death Joan gets everything he owns. After a mishap with his trust fund he decides to change the will again. While Joan still gets the brownstone (and Sherlock's brain), the bulk of his money now goes to charity, primarily to organisations Joan supports, and he starts a gun buy-back program in her name.
- When Gregson states that he can't condemn Hannah for killing Michael because she is his daughter, Holmes simply affirms in turn that Watson is his best friend.
- It is also confirmed that the main reason Hannah kills Michael is because he killed her best friend.
- The garbage truck driver who assists Hannah with moving Michael's body, is the father of a wrongfully convicted man for one of Michael's previous murder victims. He outright states that the person who killed Michael is a hero and because his son went through hell, he won't help anyone to convict Hannah, not in a million years. When Sherlock starts to press him, his loyalty shines through and he becomes equally combative in conversation.
- Sherlock meets with Hannah Gregson for her to confess everything and obtains the murder weapon. While he easily could have then turned on Hannah to clear Joan's name and clearly wants to do so, he honours Joan's wishes to protect both of the Gregsons and instead cashes in a favour with the UK government/[MI6] and confesses to the crime himself and flees to the UK, with any return to the US now resulting in his immediate arrest.
- With Sherlock having no option to move to the UK he says a heartfelt thank you to Joan for helping him in everyway since their first meeting and in his eye saving his life. When Joan says they are partners, Sherlock confirms they are better than that, they are instead two people that love each other and always have been. Obviously, Joan then moves to the UK to be with Sherlock.
Season 7
08 - Miss Understood
- Cassie, the Little Miss Con Artist from "Miss Taken", returns to engage Holmes and Watson in a case. Since she is a con artist, they're naturally suspicious of her motives, especially since it turns out that she researched the case beforehand and used it as an excuse to hire them. Sherlock quickly deduces that her true motive was to form a connection with him, since she was lonely and advises her to overcome her loneliness by using her talents to contribute to society. At one point during the episode, it looks like she might indeed be up to something when she tries to blackmail the suspect for 2 million dollars, but in the end, she turns out to be on the up and up. The blackmail was her ploy to lure the suspect into a trap for the police. The episode ends with Sherlock bringing her a name change application, so she can pick her own name (as she had revealed earlier that she never knew her last name).
- Given that this is the series finale, the culmination of what we've seen with Joan and Sherlock's partnership over the span of seven whole seasons, there's plenty of heartwarming to go around.
- Sherlock is fond of Joan's adopted son Arthur from the get-go, despite never having properly met him. He calls Arthur "remarkable" from just passing him by on the street, notes that Joan is clearly happy from all the pictures of Arthur on the fridge, and when he unexpectedly does meet Arthur he's very gentle, saying that it's "truly an honour". Later, when he tells Joan he intends to leave New York once more the next day, he suggests that they and Arthur have dinner together before his departure. He looks and sounds extremely hopeful when he does.
- It's clear that Sherlock has had Arthur in his thoughts long before he even gets to meet him. He confesses to Gregson later that he had relapsed while he was away, nearly dying as a result. He had used again because he missed everything he had in New York, including his companionship with Joan, but ultimately refused to let himself return because right after the relapse he was told that Joan's adoption of Arthur was imminent. What stopped him from buckling and returning to his old life was the thought of Arthur having to deal with his addiction. He really meant it in the last season when he said he would lay down his life for Joan's child, just as he would lay down his life for Joan herself.
- Bell mock-rebukes Arthur for calling him "Captain Bell" instead of his correct title, "Uncle Marcus".
- Blink and you'll miss it, but there's a photo of a grinning Marcus posing with Arthur in an oversized police hat on the fridge. Can we get a awwwwwww for Uncle Marcus?
- While Joan and Marcus are in his office discussing the information she had acquired from one of Moriarty's operatives, we get a shot of Arthur interacting with an officer at their desk and clearly having a good time. In an earlier scene, our first shot of Arthur is him poking at a machine under another officer's watch. His nanny apologetically tells Joan that "he had been begging to come all morning" and adds to Marcus that "he loves this place". It's sweet to imagine Joan spending enough time around the 11th precinct with her son that everyone there is used to his presence, probably more than happy to keep an eye on him while Joan is working.
- Gregson giving Sherlock a big ol' hug at seeing him again. Sherlock even reciprocates, in his Sherlock-y way, with a pat on the back.
- Doubles as another Tearjerker: Sherlock finds out from Gregson off-screen that Joan has cancer and is starting chemo in a few days. He's also upset by the idea that she was going to let him leave again without telling him. Joan tries to argue that she'll be fine and she's going to make it through this and Sherlock's response is to hug her. (This is, it's worth noting, the first time that Sherlock has initiated anything like it.)Sherlock: I'm staying.
Joan: Sherlock.
Sherlock: I'm staying. Of course, I'm staying.- And he doesn't let her go. Joan also hugs him back.
- Prior to this, Sherlock had already made the decision to leave once again. He doesn't even have to think twice about staying after The Reveal. Word of God has clarified that Sherlock also gave up detective work during that year to support Joan and help take care of Arthur.
- And he doesn't let her go. Joan also hugs him back.
- One year later, after Joan's completed her chemotherapy and has been declared cancer-free and they're going to ask Bell (now the captain) if they can start consulting again. They debate details back and forth about it and it ends with this exchange, which happens to be the last words of the show:Joan: What if he says no?
Sherlock: He won't say no.
Joan: But what if he does?
Sherlock: Well... As long as we're together, what does it matter?
