The Final Problem

Well, I just watched this 1984 Granada production in October 2007 having read the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes in the late 1990's. And I must say that not only was the screenplay as faithful to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story as you could get - it was an absolutely faithful production. For anyone who has read "The Final Problem", you will know that this is a very special and perhaps the most significant Sherlock Holmes tale. To those who are unfamiliar with the story, I shall be careful not to convey spoilers which will diminish the key plot points for you. But let me say that this tale takes Holmes and Watson beyond the bounds of England to face a formidable enemy, and in doing so expresses the depths of the friendship between Holmes and Watson, while also showing some spectacular scenery. Every minute detail was vividly shown and expressed, and I ACTUALLY applauded Granada at the conclusion of this episode, because their standards of quality and faithfulness to every detail of the story and characters is absolutely flawless. Bravo Granada! Bravo!

Jeremy Brett will forever be the quintessential Holmes! He Is magnificent portraying the elusive genius of Holmes like no other! He lives on forever in the hearts of Sherlock Holmes fans!

Holmes is hired by the French government. The unthinkable has occurred: the Mona Lisa has been stolen from the Louvre. In his inimitable fashion, Holmes manages to solve the crime but this creates another problem: Professor Moriarty was behind the attempt to steal the Mona Lisa and is out for deadly vengeance. Moriarty may well be Holmes's final problem.

A fittingly gripping finale to the series. After being introduced to Professor Moriarty in the previous episode he now becomes the focal point of this episode. While Holmes is intellectually Moriarty's equal, if not superior, Moriarty has means at his disposal, violent means, that Holmes cannot counter. This makes for a very tense cat-and-mouse game and a thrilling conclusion.

The Mona Lisa is stolen, a crime orchestrated by Professor Moriarty to sell dozens of imitations for millions. When Holmes recovers the original, it urges the Professor to take the ultimate step to get rid of his rival.

Eric Porter is truly intimidating as Moriarty, and this final episode of the series is filled with great moments of delight. It's the last episode with David Burke as Dr. Watson, before he's replaced by Edward Hardwicke in the following series. This episode has some of the best scenery and score of the series. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes really ends on a high note.

There is a cinematic element to The Final Problem as Holmes faces grave dangers to his life from Moriarty's henchmen right from the beginning.

The Mona Lisa has been stolen and the French authorities have bought in Sherlock Holmes.

Moriarty plans to use the story of the theft to sell expertly forged copies. However his plans are scuppered by the meddling detective.

Holmes and Watson flee to the continent with Moriarty giving chase. There is an encounter between the two at Reichenbach Falls.

Looking back at this know it is astonishing how I have not got used to younger version of the characters in the modern take of Sherlock and the Robert Downey Sherlock Holmes films. Porter really does look old in the part and it shows when the two men grapple when the fight scenes should be more punchy.

Dr Watson breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience at the end of the episode.

Sadly this was David Burke's final episode as Watson. He decided to concentrate on theatre and spend time raising his young son. I always liked Burke's interpretation of Watson and preferred his version more than Edward Hardwicke's.