The game is on.
Welcome to WatchMojo UK and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Genius
Scenes in “Sherlock”.
For this list we’re looking specifically at
the cleverest and most ingenious scenes from the popular BBC show, demonstrating the sheer
power of Sherlock’s mind and his amazing deductions.
So, grab your deerstalker, let’s unlock the Mind Palace
Introduced in Series four, Toby Jones’ Culverton Smith cuts a shifty and suspicious kind of
character from the off, despite his philanthropic and entrepreneurial reputation.
And it didn’t take Sherlock long to twig Smith’s true villainy, capturing his confession
with a perfectly laid trap.
Thanks to Watson’s predictable nature (and a cleverly planted recording device in his
walking stick), Smith incriminates himself beyond dispute.
Of course, much hinges on John arriving to save Sherlock so that the confession can be
released - but that was never in doubt, either.
First impressions are everything, and Sherlock knows that better than most.
Here he runs into a supposed super-fan, but he immediately works out the ruse.
Kitty Riley’s in fact a journalist, looking for the latest scoop on one of the UK’s
most elusive characters.
Of course, Sherlock never takes too kindly to the press, and he promptly puts Riley in
her place - with some typically astute comments on her look and demeanour.
The whole scene sizzles with intensity, as each tries to outplay the other.
But, there’s only one winner here.
After a break-in at a bank where all the assailants did was leave graffiti on a painting, Sherlock’s
asked to investigate - and the trail soon leads him to break into Edward Van Coon’s
flat, where he finds Van Coon dead.
Watson and the rest of the police rule suicide, until Sherlock deduces otherwise.
The super sleuth explains how Van Coon’s apparently obvious left-handedness makes it
very unlikely that he shot himself, rattling through a list of simple-but-brilliant observations
to back his theory up.
And there’s some trademark sarcasm, just for good measure.
Sherlock’s got one hell of a memory (on top of everything else), which he uses to
solve this case in the show’s very first episode.
Chasing a taxi through the streets of London, with Watson just about keeping up, he employs
a photographic knowledge of the city, including the latest roadworks and diversions, to eventually
catch his target.
The scene does leave one question unanswered, though.
Why does Holmes use cabs as frequently as he does, if he can travel just as quickly
on foot?
Seems like a waste of fare money.
We’re picking apart passwords next, as Sherlock’s faced with the four-digit code to Irene Adler’s
infamous phone.
And with apparently endless combinations in front of him, we spend the entire episode
trying to figure out what it is.
As usual, the actual solution is so painfully simple that we’re kicking ourselves for
not realising it sooner, as Sherlock’s thrown into an unexpectedly emotional exchange.
The ‘I Am Sherlocked’ line quickly became a mantra for the show, and understandably
so.
Sherlock’s no stranger to injury, but he usually escapes fairly unscathed - until Mary
shows up, that is.
Just as we find out Mary isn’t all she claims to be, she goes and shoots our gifted detective.
But things are never simple with this show, not even point-blank bullet wounds.
Time seems to stop, and Sherlock has seconds to determine how to fall to reduce the damage
done.
An ultra-intense moment, with viewers begging him to think fast, Holmes’ ability to make
the right call was never really in doubt, was it?
Seeming like an ultra-logical superpower, Holmes’ Mind Palace stores all of his memories,
and every piece of seemingly pointless information he’s ever encountered.
Quite unbelievably, it’s actually a legitimate memory technique, although Sherlock’s is
much bigger, more effective and more extravagant than anyone else’s could ever be, naturally.
Tapping the Palace for this scene, it takes him mere seconds to solve a huge piece of
the Hounds of Baskerville mystery - shining light on significant details his brilliant
brain has always had access to.
He just needed to cut through the chaos.
A huge moment at the start of the series, this scene establishes the Holmes/Watson friendship.
Serving as our introduction to both characters too, it’s where we learn John’s backstory
and it’s when we get a first look at just how brilliant Sherlock really is.
Watson arrives and Sherlock instantly deduces that he’s an army man with family issues.
Later, John’s bemusement turns to amazement, when Sherlock explains exactly how he came
to those near-perfect conclusions.
We can forgive him that brother/sister slip-up - he’s still human, after all.
For one
of the biggest surprises in the entire show, Sherlock jumps to his death at the end of
series two.
Or he seems to, at least.
We soon learn that the sleuth’s still alive, but how did he do it?
Fans had to wait two theory-filled years to find out, with the first episode of season
three proposing multiple possibilities - including a plan involving a Sherlock mask, Derren Brown
and a bungee cord, and another hinging on a giant crash mat.
It’s all about the ambiguity here, though - with some fans still unconvinced by Sherlock’s
version of events.
What do you think?
It’s not often that Sherlock shows his emotions, but here his straight-faced facade slips just
for a second - so he starts to question his most valuable asset, his mind.
But just because he’s scared doesn’t mean he’s not still brilliant, and he proves
it by deconstructing a random couple nearby.
Revealing everything from their familial relationship to the breed of the lady’s pet dog, he’s
very clearly still in control, turning simple observations into spectacular details.
In case we didn’t know it by now, nothing phases this guy - not even a supposedly supernatural
killer hound.
The solution is always within his grasp.