Sherlock Series Three: Rat. Wedding. Bow.

Although we still have a long while before Sherlock series three hits our screens, showrunners Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have today revealed the three teaser words that sum up the three new episodes coming next year. Last year it was 'Woman. Hound. Fall' and this year... well, now is the time to avert your eyes downward.

Wow. I know. What can that mean? A rat? Who's wedding? And is that 'bow' as in 'how' or 'bow' as in 'tow'? Well, that's what this post is all about. Just what do those mean for Series Three?

Rat

As a Sherlock Holmes fan, the first thing that came to my head when seeing this was the Giant Rat of Sumatra, the most famous of the hints of untold adventures that Conan Doyle used to drop into his stories. The name comes from this extract from The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire:

''Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson,' said Holmes in a reminiscent voice. 'It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.'

On the other hand, another proper Holmes story has another reference to a rat. The Boscombe Valley Mystery features a murder victim's last word being 'a rat.'' However, without spoiling the story, its not exactly what it seems...

So, if this guess is right, the first episode as well as featuring Sherlock's return proper in the life of Watson may include either the great detectives going on a boat trip and facing a giant rat or a more straight-forward (if there is such a thing on Sherlock) adaptation of a classic Holmes story. Only time will tell! Who knows, it could be neither!


Wedding

Oh-hoh this one's got fans got fans going. Is Sherlock getting married? To whom? To Irene? To John?! The most likely answer to me is that it will be John getting married, just as the original character did in The Sign of the Four to Miss Mary Morstan. Steven Moffat has spoken before about the fact that most adaptions ignore the fact that a great deal of the Holmes canon involves Holmes and Watson living apart and called these versions lazy for not tackling it. Who knows how this will affect the modern Sherlock and John's relationshp...
Of course, there's also the question of who John will marry. Fans are suggesting Molly Hooper, the Sherlock-infatuated pathologist at Bart's Hospital, may switch her affections to the good Doctor.


Bow

Now what could this mean? Will the final episode of the series focus on Sherlock starting to wear bow ties? I think it refers to Holmes' final case before he retires His Last Bow which sees him up against German spies on the eve of the First World War.
How could this translate to 2013? Will it really be Sherlock's last case? Your guess is as good as mine here.

Well, there we are. None of ths may be true but at least it's giving me (and hopefully you) something to chew on until the series itself emerges. How are we going to last till next year?! Bring on 2013!