Following a bumpy season premiere, the fourth and possibly final season of Sherlock just dropped a trailer for its third episode, “The Final Problem.” The ominously titled conclusion to the current series has more to do with a much longer arc co-creators and co-writers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat have been baiting fans with for years, though considering star Benedict Cumberbatch’s commitment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s a chance it may truly be final. Also, there’s a ridiculously gigantic explosion at the end of the 20-second spot.
In “The Final Problem,” the titular character’s “long-buried secrets finally catch up with” him and his partner in crime, Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman). Whether or not said secrets have to do with the fourth season’s ongoing fascination with the supposedly dead Moriarty’s (Andrew Scott) “long game” for his still-living rival, however, remains to be seen. American viewers still resolved to follow Gatiss and Moffat’s creation to its apparent conclusion — despite recent criticism of the show’s turn to James Bond-like escapades — won’t know until it airs Sunday, January 15th at 7 p.m. ET on PBS.
Seriously though, look at this explosion. It has all the hallmarks of a typical walking-away-from-an-explosion-shot in action movies in television shows, albeit with Holmes and Watson jumping instead of walking. While a cool addition to the trailer, however, this brief scene further adds to the possibility that “The Final Problem” may truly be that for Sherlock. (Not to mention the literal fuel it throws onto the Sherlock-feels-more-like-a-James-Bond-film criticism.)
