The Empty House

Three years after the fall at Reichenbach, Watson is getting on with it. He has a murder case of his own now, working without his friend, and he is doing a decent job of it until a stranger in the Coroner's court catches his eye. The man listens to every piece of evidence with an interest that goes well beyond idle curiosity. Watson does not know it yet, but he is watching Holmes. Three years is a long time in detective fiction, and the series asks the audience to be patient with it.

The return is handled with real restraint. Holmes explains how he survived the falls while Moriarty did not, and then the two of them get back to work, because there is unfinished business. Moriarty may be dead, but a partner of his is still walking around, and Holmes means to prove him a murderer. The plot against Holmes is already in motion, which makes the return feel earned rather than convenient. The partner is Colonel Sebastian Moran, played by Patrick Allen with the cold stillness of a professional soldier gone wrong. Colin Jeavons is back as Lestrade, and Eric Porter returns long enough to loom as Moriarty. James Bree, Richard Bebb, Robert Addie, Naomi Buch and Paul Lacoux complete the business.

There is also the small matter of the new Watson. David Burke has handed the part to Edward Hardwicke, and the handover is smoother than anyone had a right to expect. Hardwicke's Watson is steadier, slightly more tired. Three years of solo cases will do that to a man. It works from the first scene.

Howard Baker directs, with the script by Arthur Conan Doyle and John Hawkesworth. The episode has two jobs, bringing Holmes back and giving the audience a new mystery, and it manages both without cheating. The old partnership clicks back into place without fuss, which is the most reassuring thing the episode could offer. The series steps forward into its second act with its partnership, remarkably, intact.