EPISODE

3. His Last Vow

Sherlock goes after publishing magnate and blackmailer Charles Magnussen, one of the most despicable criminals that he has ever encountered.

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THIS ENTRY’S STORY

Plot summary and ending

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Complete story — includes the ending

Stolen letters lead Sherlock into conflict with Charles Augustus Magnussen, "the Napoleon of blackmail" who knows the personal weakness of every person of importance in the Western world. During the investigation Sherlock is shot and nearly killed by Mary, who is being blackmailed by Magnussen. After waking up from near-death, Sherlock escapes the hospital and lures Mary to an abandoned building, where he tricks her into revealing her false identity and attempted murder while John is listening nearby. Months later, Sherlock drugs everyone at the Holmes family Christmas party and steals Mycroft's laptop full of state secrets, and he and John take the laptop to Magnussen to trade for all of the files on 'Mary Morstan'. It is revealed that Magnussen keeps no files; it is all in his near-perfect " mind palace ". To protect John, Mary, and their forthcoming child, Holmes kills Magnussen in front of Mycroft and several other witnesses, and as a result is sent off on a suicidal assignment overseas. However, he is brought back almost immediately because of a video being broadcast all over England with Jim Moriarty's face asking "Did you miss me?" The title is based on Doyle's short story " His Last Bow ", whereas the plot contains elements of two other short stories, " The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton " and " The Man with the Twisted Lip ".

Sources and content license

Source and revision history · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, List of Sherlock episodes. HTML formatting and reference markers removed. · Content license