The Second Stain

Entertaining episode from the Granada series with clever mystery and great performances. Holmes is requested by the Prime Minister and a British diplomat to recover an important document that if disclosed, could lead to war. Further complications arise when a man is murdered with a blood stain on the floor that doesn't correspond to the one above on the carpet. The story moves at a good pace and at the end the mystery is neatly solved. The excellent supporting cast includes Stuart Wilson, Yves Beneyton, and Colin Jeavons, returning as Inspector Lestrade. Jeremy Brett shines once again as Sherlock Holmes, and Patricia Hodge is captivating in her performance. Particularly noteworthy is the compassion Holmes extends to Lady Trelawney Hope, as well as his effective and sometimes amusing interactions with Watson and Lestrade. Well worth watching.

The very best of all the episodes. The story is intriguing yet easily solved and has Jeremy Brett at the peak of his artistic powers. Every moment of his acting is a bliss to behold.

It has the most funny Lestrade encounter in the series. And all is supported by a great cast: especially Stuart Wilson as the Prime Minister and Yves Beneyton as Eduardo Lucas.

It also succeeds on audiovisual level. There is a nice lighting and music undertones well one of the most cheerful episodes.

The positive feeling comes not only from Watson's support but also from Holmes' approach. Even though, the matter seems almost unsolvable at first, he is driven by it and even claims that it may become one of his greatest triumphs. This very scene is concluded by burning newspapers wonderfully showing Holmes' almost bohemian approach to life (though based on strict logic).

There are many great episodes, The Red Headed League or Silver Blaze come first to mind, but this ones stands atop.

PS: This episode bears similarities with two others: The Naval Treaty and Bruce Partington Plans. All having a spy theme and important documents suddenly gone missing.

The Second Stain is another great episode from an incredibly strong series. The story is full of intrigue, the performances are captivating, it's basically forty five minutes of blissful drama. Edward Hardwicke slotted seemlessly into the role of Watson, I'd never choose a favourite between him and Burke, but his character is so thoughtful and measured, the chemistry with Brett, just staggering.

So many wonderful scenes, my favourite being where Holmes gives the Prime Minister the cold shoulder, Harry Andrews is superb, but even he isn't a match for Brett, who genuinely is at the height of his brilliance. Sumptuous settings and costumes, terrific production values, and a beautiful, wonderful Patricia Hodge make The Second Stain a true classic. 9/10

This is another story about a document that has great political implications. It has disappeared and Holmes has been brought in as a last resort. The keeper of the document (as is nearly always the case) has been careless and overconfident in his own abilities to maintain secrecy, and falls victim to those who would feast on his carelessness. The second kicker is the young woman, who has fallen victim to blackmail because of exposing herself through correspondence. We are not let in on the specific details of her plight, but we know that she is implicated in some pretty serious business. A well known spy/thief has been murdered and during the investigation a blood stain is found on a carpet. Oddly, the blood has not seeped through to the floor, at least in the current position of the rug. However, there is a second stain at another corner. This leads Holmes to realize that a police detective has screwed things up, allowing the strong box which contained the important document to be compromised. The lady is involved but probably didn't know the gravity of the situation. The task is simple: Recover the document and save the lady's honor. Some are unsatisfied with the conclusion. I tend to applaud it as quite satisfying. We must remember that Holmes often plays by his own rules. What I really liked about this series is that as quirky as Jeremy Brett's portrayal was, he had a soft spot for some of the victims and felt he could set aside his indifference at times.

Some document has disappeared and if it falls in the wrong hands, it could easily spell war. However, exactly what is written on it is something Holmes is never told and he walks into the situation a bit blind. However, soon after receiving a visit from the Prime Minister about this, a woman appears and asks Holmes to divulge everything the Prime Minister and her husband (who was with him) said. Naturally, Holmes refuses as it's a matter of national importance. Later, Holmes would realize that this woman knows more about the missing paper.

To me, this was a weak episode for two reasons. First, it was an awful lot like an earlier Holmes story, "The Naval Treaty". Second, the Holmes protected the woman involved with the theft and to me, he should have turned her in because she was a major liability to the Empire. An okay story....nothing more.