This scene shows how much Sherlock is like Moriarty. When Hope says "You'd do anything to stop being bored" that's how. They are both so intelligent they need to find ways to make life a challenge. That's why they need each other.
That's not quite true. Sherlock isn't like Moriarty, he would never kill innocent people. Moriarty is his absolutely arch enemy and counterpart, alone for this reason he can't be like him. Sherlock wouldn't do anything to stop being bored. He only need his work for that, meanwhile Moriarty build up a criminal network to stop being bored.
@@sauravraj5271 also the fact that Sherlock was too in shock to duck. By the time he moved, he realized he was stunned at killer could have shot him already if he wanted.
"I want a name" "No" "You're dying, but there's still time to hurt you. Give me a name" *Cabbie shakes head* "A name! Now!" "THE NAME!!" "BARTY CROUCH!!!!!!......Jr." *Cabbie falls dead* *David Tennant appears out of nowhere*
*Sherlock gets close to finding an actual entrance to the wizzarding world* *Doctor appears behind him* "Are you Mr. Holmes?" *Turns around slowly* "Depends who's asking. How did you find me here?" "Tracked you down with this. This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there’s stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I’ve learned to stay away from hens. It’s not pretty when they blow. " "What on earth are you talking about? Who ARE you?" "Oh sure, sorry. I'm the Doctor." "Doctor Who?" "Well that's always the question, isn't it? I believe you got yourself into something you were not supposed to" "Is that so? Well, Mr. "Doctor" - or whatever your name is, if you're taking interest in my doings, are you by any chance familiar with a person named "Barty Crouch Jr."?" "Unfortunatly not. But we may share the same face in this universe. I'm not sure yet."
Even with all the suspense this scene offers, the one thing I will never forget about it is the way Sherlock grinds his shoe into the cabbie's wound. Just shows how ruthless he can be.
for me it was the mass texting scene earlier in this episode. I was a fan of Sherlock Holmes back in my childhood. But that scene convinced me it is a modern take worth watching
I love Sherlock's face after he says "MORIARTY!" This is the first time we see him doubting his intellect, simply because he doesn't even have the faintest idea who that could be.
That scene where he stomps on the guy's bullet wound gives you a clue as to what this version of Sherlock is like. Short answer: Certainly not one of the angels.
I strongly believe Sherlock chose the right one. As soon as he made his choice, the man became a lot more agressive. He was desperate. He knew Sherlock won. Also, if Sherlock was wrong, the cabbie would have told him after that. He wouldn't have lost a chance to humiliate him. But he didn't.
RandomFandom no the cabbie wanted to make sherlock doubt his choice not because he was right but because he wanted to be smarter than him, and the only real way to prove himself smarter would have been by winning the mind game over sherlock.
Nah... Sherlock would be much more upset by never knowing if he got it right, than by learning he got it wrong. There truly isn't a canon based way to know if he got it right or not. I get that you need to know, but you can't.
He won't do that. Sherlock is a thrill seeker. He won't get it if he analyzed the pill first. The reason sherlock so eager to swallow the pill is because he gets excited over the idea of him betting his life in the game.
The truth is, There was no poisoned pill. Both were okay. Poison was in the water, but Moriarty didn't want to kill Sherlock So there was no water on the table this time
In the book when the dog ate the good half of the pill Sherlock got so pissed until the dog ate the bad half and died. Shows that Sherlock is totally the person to be challenged to this type of game. He cares about being right more than he does about bringing justice
Some say that the cabbie had the bad bottle. Look how his reaction changes after Sherlock takes his bottle. Before he was all high and mighty; he had no need for insults and mockery. Also, his hands are shaking when he takes the pill out of the bottle.
This soundtrack my goodness and those key indicators of suspense like John's theme with the piano amd the beginning instruments to the violin riff... pure musical suspense throlling genius only a genius like Sherlock would have as his background soundtrack to instill fear, dread, joy and ruthlessness all in one scene. One of the best in the series hands down
I believe it is a trick, perhaps as obvious as taking the antidote before. Moriarty put him up to it to test Sherlock, and he did fall for it: he wanted it to be clever, a weakness he exploited later. This made it possible for him to corner Sherlock (sort of).
Speculations about this scene so far: #1: The Cabbie is actually telling the truth, "like chess" he predicts which bottle is going to be picked so he knows which is poison and which is harmless (unlikely but possible with reverse psychology) #2: The Cabbie doesn't know which is which, and in reality relies only on luck (unlikely but possible, 3 times lucked out) #3: The Cabbie is lying, both contain same poison and he just pretends to swallow it, just like the gun is fake (possible) #4: The Cabbie is tricking everyone, the pills are both harmless but the poison is in the water (very likely, in this case Moriarty is only proving Sherlock's weakness - the desire to show that he's clever, 'cause otherwise Sherlock wouldn't die) #5: The Cabbie is using a blood thinner, which is deadly to everyone but himself because of his disease, both pills are the same (likely, matches the symptoms) #6: The Cabbie is only giving the illusion of choice every time - if the victim chooses right, he forces them to pick the other one with the gun (possible, he was making up his brilliance for Sherlock but it was all Moriarty) And finally #7: The Cabbie is cheating by taking an antidote prior, both bottles are poison (likely) What do you guys think? Any other speculations?
There would have been a simple trick to find out wether it's #1 or not; Take both viles, hide the them behind your back and swap them multiple times, and then offer the cabbie the choice which one to pick. That way, if one is harmless and the other isn't, neither party knows which is which. If the cabbie were using #1, that would have thrown him off his game, which would have made him hesitant. If he chose without hesitation, it would indicate that the game is rigged, so it would be one out of #2 - #5 or #7. #6 I find unlikely because in the case of a victim choosing correctly, he'd reveal the fact that it isn't actually a choice. At which point a victim would know that they're going to die either way and would probably try to flee. Which, as the cabbie would know, would be successful.
I love how a man has just been shot, and Sherlock doesn’t know if the shooter is a freind or foe, yet he immediately goest to stare the new bullet hole in the window.
This sounds like a real classic battle of the wits or game of psychology but it's really just a 50/50. There are too many variables to consider to be able to predict which pill is poisonous, especially if you're using abductive reasoning.
Tbh I think only for SHERLOCK both pills were poisonous. Because he knew he couldn't outsmart him and would probably die, but also knew that when he did Sherlock would want to swallow the pill to see if he was right. But, unfortunately for him, Sherlock was too wrapped up in trying to get facts and didn't try the pill before John came
I'm sure Sherlock got the good pill. Look at how he grabs the bottle at 0:19: he first goes to grab the pill to the left, while keeping an eye on the cabbie's face. Being used to decypher emotions on people's faces, I guess Sherlock noticed a feeling of satisfaction/happiness on the cabbie's face. So he went for the other one. Besides, the cabbie looks quite terrified after Sherlock picks up the other pill.
*When I first saw the episode* Sherlock: You're dying, but there's still time to hurt you. Give me a name. Hope: No Sherlock: *Steps on Hope's wound* A name! Now! Hope: *Moaning in pain* Sherlock: *Torturing Hope more* THE NAME! Hope: Moriarty! Me: I KNEW IT!
Amber Rizzi My reaction was more like “Oh, already?” It’s an entertaining show but I thought they went into Moriarty far too early, the bulk of the first season should have featured more self contained episodes imo.
Government Shill no moriarty wanted to test whether or not sherlock was truly as smart as they say he is. If he failed then that would have been a 'No'. But I think the water was poisoned and the pills were placebos.
No, one is poison, watch the beggining scenes and see which hand the victim use. They all took the pill in front of them, only one was left handed and use the right hand to take the pill.
I have good and justifiable theory: Facts: There is a good bottle and bad bottle. Victim has to choose one and other be taken by the killer. Killer offers one bottle, still the victim can choose any one. The killer knows how people think, How people think he thinks. He judges the victim and maps about him in his brain. Killer further says, is it a bluff or a double bluff or a triple bluff. Two possible outcomes: 1. Victim choosing the bottle that killer offered. 2. Victim choosing the bottle other than the one killer offered. Three ways of thinking 1. Bluff: Victim chooses the other bottle thinking that killer made a bluff and offered the wrong bottle. Hence the poison is in the other bottle. Victim dies. 2. Double Bluff: Victim chooses the offered bottle thinking that [the killer thinks the right bottle is the other bottle.] Hence the poison be in the offered bottle. Victim dies. 3. Triple Bluff: Victim chooses the other bottle thinking that [the killer thinks that (victim thinks the right bottle is the other bottle.)] Hence the poison is in the other bottle. Victim dies. Note : Before offering the bottle the Killer knows how the Victim thinks. So, to win over the Killer, the Victim has to know how killer thinks about victim and then chose the correct one. Sherlock would also fail as per this theory. Sherlock chose other than the offered bottle. Cabbie thinks Sherlock as an outstanding guy, a super genius. So Cabbie would have categeorized Sherlock in the 3rd category and might have made a triple bluff. Cabbie offered right bottle -Sherlock thought [Cabbie thinks (Sherlock thinks the right bottle is the other bottle)] Sherlock has to outthink Cabbie and if Sherlock chooses the offered bottle he'd be safe. This is not entirely my theory. I had a help. What do you think?
I think the two houses symbolize the pills in a way. When John Watson arrives at this location, there's a good house and a bad house (however they are both identical in size, color, shape. etc., just like the pills). The good house would be the one where Sherlock is in, the bad house would be the one where Sherlock is not in. John picked the bad house but in a way he found a different solution to save Sherlock. Do you think there's any connection to the bad pill and the good pill?
no one sees it do they as Sherlock goes to grab the pill notice that he looks like he is going to go forward to take the offered pill and is looking at the facial expression of the cabbie. obviously it wasn't the pill Sherlock thought so he switched after reading the cabbies face simplicity its brilliant its also obvious by the way cabbie talked that he didn't want to take the death pill.
The fact that the cabby offers a bottle to his opponent, his "one move" is the key to the game. The cabby's special skill is to interpret how people think, particularly how other people interprets the way he thinks. He predicts which bottle they choose by reasoning whether his opponents believe he's playing a bluff, double-bluff, tripple, etc. If I were playing this game and I couldn't tell that the gun was fake, I would have grabbed both bottles and hidden them, tossed a coin and not let him see the result, shuffle the bottles, and place them back on to the table. That way neither of us would know the good bottle from the bad. I would tell him I won't take either bottle until he picks one and then it really would be 50/50 chance. He'd go for it if course because he's already dying.
Rahul Varma No, I think it's pretty clear from how frustrated he gets and how he throws away the bottle that he didn't think to test it. I guess maybe he just felt robbed of the intellectual challenge and wasn't thinking clearly.
Corthrovin I wouldn't deny that possibility. Also, there is also a case that as soon he heard about Moriarty, the capsule completely went out of his mind as he was caught up thinking about Moriarty.
Wasn't this about the first time he ever heard of Moriarty? I don't think the name would have meant that much to him at the time. It's probably just a minor oversight on the part of the writers; it happens. It's hard to write a character that's so much smarter than everyone involved and keep it believable.
I like the “Prince Bride” theory. They were both lethal, but he had built an immunity, had a natural immunity of some sort, or gave himself the remedy afterward.
Yeah, The Princess Bride. I like to think this was the solution too. Therefore so long as Sherlock plays the game at all, he loses. The only way that the cabbie looses is if he fails to entice Sherlock into playing, which is why he lures Sherlock back in with the question of which pill he would have chosen.
I actually have a different theory about this. We unconciously tend to keep our good stuff into our "safe" pockets. We do that as to remind ourselves that in this pocket we've got something we got to be careful not to lose, or to distinguish our stuff between them (the good from the bad bottle for example). For most of us, the "safe" pocket is the one on the right, because the majority of us is right-handed and it comes out natural to keep our good stuff to the side where we feel more alerted and comfortable. In this case, the cabbie picked out the good pill from the right pocket and the bad from the left. We know he is right-handed because he held the gun with his right hand. If this theory stands out to be true, Sherlock indeed made the right choice.
@@zappynx2810 They are both equally important yes, but it would be unnatural if you kept switching them sides each time you put them in your pockets. That's just another way to know that, each time you wanna get your phone for example, you will unconsciously reach your right pocket to get it.
I dunno how I wound up here so many years later, but I get the vibe there’s no real right answer. Could be the poison is in the pill coating and the antidote is what’s inside that dissolves too late unless you bite it, antidote could be coating the vial that you swipe with your finger, or could be what I think - full on Princess Bride and both are the super strong opiates that the cabby has been taking being terminally ill. There’s more ways to rig it than not : O
@@Definitely_Rob That's a respectful theory! More likeable than mine. We deserved something more from this episode. Nevertheless a masterpiece as the rest.
GumGumOnigiri The 'rules' are that one bottle is poisoned, and one isn't. If both are, then Sherlock does indeed lose. But there's no real reason why that would be the case. The cabbie gets off on the fact that he proves he's smarter than everyone else. If there's no way to 'win' then he might as well just use an actual gun and shoot them.
MrSumphora Their is a way to win, if they're smart enough to figure out that the gun is fake then they should be smart enough to figure out that the whole thing is a big con and they don't have to play anyway.
that 4-note melody that plays while john is running through the halls just makes this whole scene way more focused and poignant than if there was some generic dramatic music
The cab driver keeps saying people are stupid throughout his talk with Sherlock if he really was that smart he could have screamed out any random name when Sherlock stepped on his wound . Heck he could have screamed out TOMMYYYYYYY!!!! .
This comment may be 6 years old but I'll try to answer this. Because it's pointless. Because that would defeat the purpose. Sherlock is obviously proud of his intellectual and advanced deductive reasoning. He likes being able to solve everything with the little "tells" people demonstrate. Here he's trapped in a 50/50 situation where no obvious "tell" presents itself. But Sherlock still tries to use his superhuman savant level of deduction to figure out the safe bet. He wants the validition of knowing he's still superior and got it correct. But having it analyzed shows a weakness. It demonstrates that he had reason to doubt. Uncertainty. He can't admit (at this point) that he would ever need help or outside confirmation.
Fun fact, Holmes erred in the original novel, "A Study In Scarlet". He couldn't tell the difference between two pills. We must not forget, the novel to which I have alluded to, marked his debut as a detective and he was still a bungler. It is plausible, that even in "A Study In Pink", Holmes is susceptible to inexpertise.
He was right, I think. The cabbie, when he's talking about his death, briefly looks at the pill on the right. Sherlock deduced from this that the harmless pill was on the left, hence why he chose it.
I have good and justifiable theory: Facts: There is a good bottle and bad bottle. Victim has to choose one and other be taken by the killer. Killer offers one bottle, still the victim can choose any one. The killer knows how people think, How people think he thinks. He judges the victim and maps about him in his brain. Killer further says, is it a bluff or a double bluff or a triple bluff. Two possible outcomes: 1. Victim choosing the bottle that killer offered. 2. Victim choosing the bottle other than the one killer offered. Three ways of thinking 1. Bluff: Victim chooses the other bottle thinking that killer made a bluff and offered the wrong bottle. Hence the poison is in the other bottle. Victim dies. 2. Double Bluff: Victim chooses the offered bottle thinking that [the killer thinks the right bottle is the other bottle.] Hence the poison be in the offered bottle. Victim dies. 3. Triple Bluff: Victim chooses the other bottle thinking that [the killer thinks that (victim thinks the right bottle is the other bottle.)] Hence the poison is in the other bottle. Victim dies. Note : Before offering the bottle the Killer knows how the Victim thinks. So, to win over the Killer, the Victim has to know how killer thinks about victim and then chose the correct one. Sherlock would also fail as per this theory. Sherlock chose other than the offered bottle. Cabbie thinks Sherlock as an outstanding guy, a super genius. So Cabbie would have categeorized Sherlock in the 3rd category and might have made a triple bluff. Cabbie offered right bottle -Sherlock thought [Cabbie thinks (Sherlock thinks the right bottle is the other bottle)] Sherlock has to outthink Cabbie and if Sherlock chooses the offered bottle he'd be safe. This is not entirely my theory. I had a help. What do you think?
To everyone in the comments section saying it was the water: THERE WAS NO WATER! Open your eyes! They always show scenes of relavance, they would include water if it were given to anyone
wait so was Hope actually a "true genius" like Sherlock and Myrcroft? he kept talking about how clever he was and how he fooled Sherlock, but at the same time he was being sponsored by Moriarty sooooo
manofthetardis I recon you are spot on there, Deffo in the water! as for 'micro movements' this could easily have been a double bluff as Moriarty would have prepared for this, knowing how 'Sherls' mind works.
The one you watched before was the unaired pilot. Originally the writers meant to have a 45 min. episode, in till it was commisioned for a 90 min. So the writers went back and re-did the scene. Thus, one from the original unaired, and this one is the professional aired 'finished product'
So the bullet from Watson's gun went through two glass windows and still somehow stayed on trajectory to hit the Cabbie in the chest/shoulder? That glass was fairly thick and even the slightest impact could have altered the bullet path.
The distance from John's shot to glass and from glass to the cabbie affects deflection due to arc-degree graduation also known as MOA: this means that under ideal conditions such as a lack of wind, match-grade ammo, clean barrel, steadiness of the shooter, etc, the gun is capable of producing a clean shot at the cabbie with glass doing very little to impede it's flight. In the military, sharp-shooters are trained to shoot objects beyond glass. Interesting that marksmanship would be added to Dr. Watson's resume, but there it is.
I believe the cabbie won. My reasoning is as follows: In order for us to believe the cabbie won, we need to believe the cabbie is as good at understanding minds and playing mind games as he says. So do we have any evidence that he is aside from his previous victories? Yes. The cabbie demonstrates that he understands how Sherlock thinks by convincing him to follow through with his decision and take the pill (only stopped by Watson). If the cabbie was able to do this then it stands to reason that he could also determine which bottle Sherlock would pick and knew just what to say and how to act in order to induce it. Sherlock being the loser here also fits dramatically with Watson's rescue (otherwise it was not a real rescue). The point being that Sherlock has flaws (like overconfidence) and needs someone like Watson watching over him in order to stay somewhat grounded.
I always thought they should have had Sherlock analyze the two pills to see if he was right. It could have been just a background shot that the viewer wouldn't know the result of.
You can make all kinds of guesses as to the details of how he did it, but there's no way it's really a fair game with true choice between life and death if he's survived 4 times. Either choice results in the victim dying and the killer surviving. It's a classic Princess Bride situation, the only way to win is not to play.
This scene shows how much Sherlock is like Moriarty. When Hope says "You'd do anything to stop being bored" that's how. They are both so intelligent they need to find ways to make life a challenge. That's why they need each other.
Austin Boylan isn't that also why the 'burning' of Sherlock by Moriarty sounds so probable?
That's not quite true. Sherlock isn't like Moriarty, he would never kill innocent people. Moriarty is his absolutely arch enemy and counterpart, alone for this reason he can't be like him. Sherlock wouldn't do anything to stop being bored. He only need his work for that, meanwhile Moriarty build up a criminal network to stop being bored.
I Have A Very Psychotis side of always wanting a good opponent as well just because of my ego
*shot is fired through a window*
Everyone: *ducks to save ones life*
Sherlock: *looks through the bullet hole*
Haha....
Becuz the bullet shoted directly to the man.... which means somebody wants to save him... & he's a genius....
makes senes to me
@@sauravraj5271 also the fact that Sherlock was too in shock to duck. By the time he moved, he realized he was stunned at killer could have shot him already if he wanted.
why is no one talking about how loyal john is EVEN THOUGH HE JUST MET HIM LIKE IDK A DAY AGO!!?!?!?
Good flatmates are hard to come by.
@@westwoods7675 sherlock is as bad as a flatmate gets 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀
"I want a name"
"No"
"You're dying, but there's still time to hurt you. Give me a name"
*Cabbie shakes head*
"A name! Now!"
"THE NAME!!"
"BARTY CROUCH!!!!!!......Jr."
*Cabbie falls dead*
*David Tennant appears out of nowhere*
"So... Who's Barty Crouch Jr.?"
"No idea... yet."
*Sherlock does research and discovers the wizard world*
I want this crossover.
+SherlockInaTARDIS Doctor who?
"Hello father!" (lip licking)
*Sherlock gets close to finding an actual entrance to the wizzarding world*
*Doctor appears behind him*
"Are you Mr. Holmes?"
*Turns around slowly*
"Depends who's asking. How did you find me here?"
"Tracked you down with this. This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there’s stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I’ve learned to stay away from hens. It’s not pretty when they blow. "
"What on earth are you talking about? Who ARE you?"
"Oh sure, sorry. I'm the Doctor."
"Doctor Who?"
"Well that's always the question, isn't it?
I believe you got yourself into something you were not supposed to"
"Is that so? Well, Mr. "Doctor" - or whatever your name is, if you're taking interest in my doings, are you by any chance familiar with a person named "Barty Crouch Jr."?"
"Unfortunatly not. But we may share the same face in this universe. I'm not sure yet."
melody xx This made me laugh more than it should've HAH 😂😂
Even with all the suspense this scene offers, the one thing I will never forget about it is the way Sherlock grinds his shoe into the cabbie's wound. Just shows how ruthless he can be.
This scene right here convinced me that this show was my favorite.
SPOILERS FOR THE REICHEBACH FALL
How about the one when Moriarty pretends to be Brook and he can barely hold back laughter?
@@koliko987 I'll go rewatch it !!!
for me it was the mass texting scene earlier in this episode. I was a fan of Sherlock Holmes back in my childhood. But that scene convinced me it is a modern take worth watching
"They were both poisoned. I spent a few years developing an immunity from Iocane Powder."
Literally what I think every time.
Of course this is the answer.
He only did it after cancer wasn't planning it
"GIVE ME THE NAME!!!!"
"MARIACHI!!!!!!!!!"
this comment now ensures each time i watch this scene, i laugh out loud as a man dies. shame on you!
hahaha i didnot realize it while saw your comment
its moriarty
TuNa r/woooosh
El Mariachi
I love Sherlock's face after he says "MORIARTY!"
This is the first time we see him doubting his intellect, simply because he doesn't even have the faintest idea who that could be.
I love how the lighting is really low in this whole scene so Sherlock's pupils are extremely dilated. Makes him look like a cat ready to pounce.
That scene where he stomps on the guy's bullet wound gives you a clue as to what this version of Sherlock is like. Short answer: Certainly not one of the angels.
I strongly believe Sherlock chose the right one. As soon as he made his choice, the man became a lot more agressive. He was desperate. He knew Sherlock won. Also, if Sherlock was wrong, the cabbie would have told him after that. He wouldn't have lost a chance to humiliate him. But he didn't.
RandomFandom no the cabbie wanted to make sherlock doubt his choice not because he was right but because he wanted to be smarter than him, and the only real way to prove himself smarter would have been by winning the mind game over sherlock.
Nah... Sherlock would be much more upset by never knowing if he got it right, than by learning he got it wrong. There truly isn't a canon based way to know if he got it right or not. I get that you need to know, but you can't.
Bruh, the cabbie probably had one antidote pill - both of the pills are likely poison, but only he has the antidote. It's why he always won
@@ag5768clearly not if its never mentioned after he threw it away
Random but fun thought what if both of them are poison but it's just the caby has grown immune or resistant
Why does John's scream of "SHERLOCK!" still give me shivers up to this day?
Why not just keep the pill and have it analyzed in a lab to see if you won?
Yeah was actually pretty stupid from Sherlock
He won't do that. Sherlock is a thrill seeker. He won't get it if he analyzed the pill first. The reason sherlock so eager to swallow the pill is because he gets excited over the idea of him betting his life in the game.
Because he doesn't actually care.
this is what i was thinking too
Exactly my thought haha
"So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me!"
"You're not bored now, are ya?"
Watched this a decade ago and still hear this line in my head
The truth is,
There was no poisoned pill. Both were okay.
Poison was in the water, but Moriarty didn't want to kill Sherlock
So there was no water on the table this time
He also took the pill(according to the killer), so he also would need to drink water to swallow the pill
But he means that the water glass of the victim would be poisoned not his own glass of water
So you take brightside riddles too? I see
what if both pills where bad and only him could survive the poison?
@@mrillenium6221 both pills are bad, the cabbie has one antidote pill in his pocket - that way, he can always win while the other side always dies
In the book when the dog ate the good half of the pill Sherlock got so pissed until the dog ate the bad half and died. Shows that Sherlock is totally the person to be challenged to this type of game. He cares about being right more than he does about bringing justice
Some say that the cabbie had the bad bottle. Look how his reaction changes after Sherlock takes his bottle. Before he was all high and mighty; he had no need for insults and mockery. Also, his hands are shaking when he takes the pill out of the bottle.
Tbf him looking scared would give the other person more confidence in their choice
This soundtrack my goodness and those key indicators of suspense like John's theme with the piano amd the beginning instruments to the violin riff... pure musical suspense throlling genius only a genius like Sherlock would have as his background soundtrack to instill fear, dread, joy and ruthlessness all in one scene. One of the best in the series hands down
I believe it is a trick, perhaps as obvious as taking the antidote before. Moriarty put him up to it to test Sherlock, and he did fall for it: he wanted it to be clever, a weakness he exploited later. This made it possible for him to corner Sherlock (sort of).
Speculations about this scene so far:
#1: The Cabbie is actually telling the truth, "like chess" he predicts which bottle is going to be picked so he knows which is poison and which is harmless (unlikely but possible with reverse psychology)
#2: The Cabbie doesn't know which is which, and in reality relies only on luck (unlikely but possible, 3 times lucked out)
#3: The Cabbie is lying, both contain same poison and he just pretends to swallow it, just like the gun is fake (possible)
#4: The Cabbie is tricking everyone, the pills are both harmless but the poison is in the water (very likely, in this case Moriarty is only proving Sherlock's weakness - the desire to show that he's clever, 'cause otherwise Sherlock wouldn't die)
#5: The Cabbie is using a blood thinner, which is deadly to everyone but himself because of his disease, both pills are the same (likely, matches the symptoms)
#6: The Cabbie is only giving the illusion of choice every time - if the victim chooses right, he forces them to pick the other one with the gun (possible, he was making up his brilliance for Sherlock but it was all Moriarty)
And finally #7: The Cabbie is cheating by taking an antidote prior, both bottles are poison (likely)
What do you guys think? Any other speculations?
Personally, I like theory 1 most and I think it was true, but 3, 4, 5 and 7 aren´t bad neither.
What water?
paul Wang Yep. That's the reason why I still doubt that #1 is accurate.
'The poison is in the water' Wow thats really clever I didnt think of that option. I reckon its that one.
There would have been a simple trick to find out wether it's #1 or not; Take both viles, hide the them behind your back and swap them multiple times, and then offer the cabbie the choice which one to pick. That way, if one is harmless and the other isn't, neither party knows which is which. If the cabbie were using #1, that would have thrown him off his game, which would have made him hesitant. If he chose without hesitation, it would indicate that the game is rigged, so it would be one out of #2 - #5 or #7.
#6 I find unlikely because in the case of a victim choosing correctly, he'd reveal the fact that it isn't actually a choice. At which point a victim would know that they're going to die either way and would probably try to flee. Which, as the cabbie would know, would be successful.
I love how a man has just been shot, and Sherlock doesn’t know if the shooter is a freind or foe, yet he immediately goest to stare the new bullet hole in the window.
if they were gona shoot him he’d be shot
@@nickfrison9716exactly!!
Still amazed that John made a shot like that with a handgun.
Admit it, your heart was pounding the entire time during this scene.
This scene was a brilliant performance. The cab driver's last moment and Benedict when he mouthed "Moriarty" some reason I found that brilliant
amazing episode and show.well done
This is my favourite episode of the whole show :)
This sounds like a real classic battle of the wits or game of psychology but it's really just a 50/50. There are too many variables to consider to be able to predict which pill is poisonous, especially if you're using abductive reasoning.
Tbh I think only for SHERLOCK both pills were poisonous. Because he knew he couldn't outsmart him and would probably die, but also knew that when he did Sherlock would want to swallow the pill to see if he was right. But, unfortunately for him, Sherlock was too wrapped up in trying to get facts and didn't try the pill before John came
Or the water was poisonous and it was never the pills to begin with.
not true, there are people who can make you choose what they want. psychology is a great thing.
I Think they just want to prove that sherlock needs John!
I'm sure Sherlock got the good pill. Look at how he grabs the bottle at 0:19: he first goes to grab the pill to the left, while keeping an eye on the cabbie's face. Being used to decypher emotions on people's faces, I guess Sherlock noticed a feeling of satisfaction/happiness on the cabbie's face. So he went for the other one. Besides, the cabbie looks quite terrified after Sherlock picks up the other pill.
You solved it 🤠
Both pills are poison, but the cabbie has one antidote pill in his coat - one person lives, one person dies (not the cabby). It's why he always won
*When I first saw the episode*
Sherlock: You're dying, but there's still time to hurt you. Give me a name.
Hope: No
Sherlock: *Steps on Hope's wound* A name! Now!
Hope: *Moaning in pain*
Sherlock: *Torturing Hope more* THE NAME!
Hope: Moriarty!
Me: I KNEW IT!
Amber Rizzi My reaction was more like “Oh, already?”
It’s an entertaining show but I thought they went into Moriarty far too early, the bulk of the first season should have featured more self contained episodes imo.
While I watched this I was saying, "No, don't take the pill, you idiot!"
Am I the only one who still reeeeeaaaaaallly wants to know if he was right? I would've picked the same bottle and it's still bothering me *sigh.
it took me 3 years
but
both pills are sugar the poison is on the water
Government Shill no moriarty wanted to test whether or not sherlock was truly as smart as they say he is. If he failed then that would have been a 'No'. But I think the water was poisoned and the pills were placebos.
No, one is poison, watch the beggining scenes and see which hand the victim use. They all took the pill in front of them, only one was left handed and use the right hand to take the pill.
nerdydude 1.8 what water?
I have good and justifiable theory:
Facts:
There is a good bottle and bad bottle.
Victim has to choose one and other be taken by the killer.
Killer offers one bottle, still the victim can choose any one.
The killer knows
how people think,
How people think he thinks.
He judges the victim and maps about him in his brain.
Killer further says, is it a bluff or a double bluff or a triple bluff.
Two possible outcomes:
1. Victim choosing the bottle that killer offered.
2. Victim choosing the bottle other than the one killer offered.
Three ways of thinking
1. Bluff: Victim chooses the other bottle thinking that killer made a bluff and offered the wrong bottle.
Hence the poison is in the other bottle.
Victim dies.
2. Double Bluff: Victim chooses the offered bottle thinking that [the killer thinks the right bottle is the other bottle.]
Hence the poison be in the offered bottle.
Victim dies.
3. Triple Bluff: Victim chooses the other bottle thinking that [the killer thinks that (victim thinks the right bottle is the other bottle.)]
Hence the poison is in the other bottle.
Victim dies.
Note : Before offering the bottle the Killer knows how the Victim thinks.
So, to win over the Killer, the Victim has to know how killer thinks about victim and then chose the correct one.
Sherlock would also fail as per this theory.
Sherlock chose other than the offered bottle.
Cabbie thinks Sherlock as an outstanding guy, a super genius. So Cabbie would have categeorized Sherlock in the 3rd category and might have made a triple bluff.
Cabbie offered right bottle
-Sherlock thought [Cabbie thinks (Sherlock thinks the right bottle is the other bottle)]
Sherlock has to outthink Cabbie and if Sherlock chooses the offered bottle he'd be safe.
This is not entirely my theory. I had a help.
What do you think?
I think the two houses symbolize the pills in a way. When John Watson arrives at this location, there's a good house and a bad house (however they are both identical in size, color, shape. etc., just like the pills). The good house would be the one where Sherlock is in, the bad house would be the one where Sherlock is not in. John picked the bad house but in a way he found a different solution to save Sherlock. Do you think there's any connection to the bad pill and the good pill?
Probably
“GIVE ME THE NAME!”
“RATIGAN!”
no one sees it do they as Sherlock goes to grab the pill notice that he looks like he is going to go forward to take the offered pill and is looking at the facial expression of the cabbie. obviously it wasn't the pill Sherlock thought so he switched after reading the cabbies face simplicity its brilliant its also obvious by the way cabbie talked that he didn't want to take the death pill.
The fact that the cabby offers a bottle to his opponent, his "one move" is the key to the game. The cabby's special skill is to interpret how people think, particularly how other people interprets the way he thinks. He predicts which bottle they choose by reasoning whether his opponents believe he's playing a bluff, double-bluff, tripple, etc. If I were playing this game and I couldn't tell that the gun was fake, I would have grabbed both bottles and hidden them, tossed a coin and not let him see the result, shuffle the bottles, and place them back on to the table. That way neither of us would know the good bottle from the bad. I would tell him I won't take either bottle until he picks one and then it really would be 50/50 chance. He'd go for it if course because he's already dying.
I love the music. subtle, but electric
All the pills are harmless. It's the water that the cabbie offers to the victim that actually kills them (he dry swallowed his own)
THE NAME, GIVE ME THE WRETCHED NAME!
BARTY CROUCH! *dramatic pause*... Junior
Ngl the gun shot gave me a heart attack idk y tho 😂😂😂😂😂 but i love this show so much! ❤️
My mouth is literally watering at the glorious HD
I like the music they play in scenes like this.
This just occurred to me now; why didn't he keep the pills and test them to see which was poisonous?
Maybe he did and it was never showed.
Rahul Varma
No, I think it's pretty clear from how frustrated he gets and how he throws away the bottle that he didn't think to test it. I guess maybe he just felt robbed of the intellectual challenge and wasn't thinking clearly.
Corthrovin I wouldn't deny that possibility. Also, there is also a case that as soon he heard about Moriarty, the capsule completely went out of his mind as he was caught up thinking about Moriarty.
Wasn't this about the first time he ever heard of Moriarty? I don't think the name would have meant that much to him at the time. It's probably just a minor oversight on the part of the writers; it happens. It's hard to write a character that's so much smarter than everyone involved and keep it believable.
Corthrovin I disagree. He seemed very intrigued by the name as he even excitingly expressed this to John later in the episode.
12 years later and this question is stilled in my head:
DID SHERLOCK WIN?
Poison is in water
@@rinazmobhani6374 What water?
I like the “Prince Bride” theory. They were both lethal, but he had built an immunity, had a natural immunity of some sort, or gave himself the remedy afterward.
Yeah, The Princess Bride. I like to think this was the solution too. Therefore so long as Sherlock plays the game at all, he loses. The only way that the cabbie looses is if he fails to entice Sherlock into playing, which is why he lures Sherlock back in with the question of which pill he would have chosen.
I actually have a different theory about this. We unconciously tend to keep our good stuff into our "safe" pockets. We do that as to remind ourselves that in this pocket we've got something we got to be careful not to lose, or to distinguish our stuff between them (the good from the bad bottle for example). For most of us, the "safe" pocket is the one on the right, because the majority of us is right-handed and it comes out natural to keep our good stuff to the side where we feel more alerted and comfortable. In this case, the cabbie picked out the good pill from the right pocket and the bad from the left. We know he is right-handed because he held the gun with his right hand. If this theory stands out to be true, Sherlock indeed made the right choice.
Havent observed this personally, im right handed but I keep my phone and wallet, arguably same level of importance, in opposite pockets
@@zappynx2810 They are both equally important yes, but it would be unnatural if you kept switching them sides each time you put them in your pockets. That's just another way to know that, each time you wanna get your phone for example, you will unconsciously reach your right pocket to get it.
I dunno how I wound up here so many years later, but I get the vibe there’s no real right answer. Could be the poison is in the pill coating and the antidote is what’s inside that dissolves too late unless you bite it, antidote could be coating the vial that you swipe with your finger, or could be what I think - full on Princess Bride and both are the super strong opiates that the cabby has been taking being terminally ill. There’s more ways to rig it than not : O
@@Definitely_Rob That's a respectful theory! More likeable than mine. We deserved something more from this episode. Nevertheless a masterpiece as the rest.
both pills are bad, the cabbie has one antidote pill in his pocket - that way he always survives while the other dies
I say they were both poisoned and the cabbie took some sort of antidote before he started the game.
I had thought of that too...
In which case how does he prove he's smarter? The game's no fun if it's rigged.
MrSumphora Rigged? You have to have rules for something to be rigged. It's Sherlock's fault for not figuring it out.
GumGumOnigiri The 'rules' are that one bottle is poisoned, and one isn't. If both are, then Sherlock does indeed lose. But there's no real reason why that would be the case. The cabbie gets off on the fact that he proves he's smarter than everyone else. If there's no way to 'win' then he might as well just use an actual gun and shoot them.
MrSumphora Their is a way to win, if they're smart enough to figure out that the gun is fake then they should be smart enough to figure out that the whole thing is a big con and they don't have to play anyway.
I've just realized that he could keep this tablet under his tongue.
I'm kinda mad at Watson for doing that. The tension was at a high point and I almost screamed at the loudness of the shot. Great show.
that 4-note melody that plays while john is running through the halls just makes this whole scene way more focused and poignant than if there was some generic dramatic music
The cab driver keeps saying people are stupid throughout his talk with Sherlock if he really was that smart he could have screamed out any random name when Sherlock stepped on his wound . Heck he could have screamed out TOMMYYYYYYY!!!! .
But then it was not interesting..
But Sherlock would have know if he was lying by his facial actions and keep doing it
Tommy Wiseau?
TheMudkipdudechannel definitely. I mean people in the real world half as smart as sherlock can tell if someones lying just by watching them.
Yeah but then again like he said, some people are stupid and forget this is a drama tv show
The way i see it, both are poison. He just talked his victim into actually downing the pill before he does.
The music is so great in this series
OK BBC, you made us addicted to Sherlock. Time for MORE. You're overdue!!!!
Can we all take time to appreciate how attractive both Sherlock and Watson are? They are both attractive and good looking!
For some reason I love how the first thing that come of sherlock's mouth after the cabbie dies is "did I get it right?"
Plot twist, both bottles contained poison and the cab driver was immune to it.
Addicted to the puzzle. Dr House is a perfect American interpretation of Sherlock.
Why the hell couldn't he just take the bottle he chose and analyze it to see if he was right?
Because he's Holmes. He's unpredictable and unreasonable like that.
Coral Roper
Actually he is completely reasonable...
probably he did so and we just never got to know
Yeah, maybe.
This comment may be 6 years old but I'll try to answer this.
Because it's pointless. Because that would defeat the purpose. Sherlock is obviously proud of his intellectual and advanced deductive reasoning. He likes being able to solve everything with the little "tells" people demonstrate. Here he's trapped in a 50/50 situation where no obvious "tell" presents itself. But Sherlock still tries to use his superhuman savant level of deduction to figure out the safe bet.
He wants the validition of knowing he's still superior and got it correct. But having it analyzed shows a weakness. It demonstrates that he had reason to doubt. Uncertainty. He can't admit (at this point) that he would ever need help or outside confirmation.
Fun fact, Holmes erred in the original novel, "A Study In Scarlet". He couldn't tell the difference between two pills. We must not forget, the novel to which I have alluded to, marked his debut as a detective and he was still a bungler. It is plausible, that even in "A Study In Pink", Holmes is susceptible to inexpertise.
This scene made me a fan for life!
They lifted this scene from "The Princess Bride"
Nobody going to mention Watson's hella good aim?
One shot with a pistol at that distance?
Not impossible but damn good no doubt!
I still wonder if he was right or not
He was not.
Blackgarden241810996 And on what basis would you conclude that?
***** He was arrogant/narcissistic. Games are for kids...
He was right, I think. The cabbie, when he's talking about his death, briefly looks at the pill on the right. Sherlock deduced from this that the harmless pill was on the left, hence why he chose it.
I have good and justifiable theory:
Facts:
There is a good bottle and bad bottle.
Victim has to choose one and other be taken by the killer.
Killer offers one bottle, still the victim can choose any one.
The killer knows
how people think,
How people think he thinks.
He judges the victim and maps about him in his brain.
Killer further says, is it a bluff or a double bluff or a triple bluff.
Two possible outcomes:
1. Victim choosing the bottle that killer offered.
2. Victim choosing the bottle other than the one killer offered.
Three ways of thinking
1. Bluff: Victim chooses the other bottle thinking that killer made a bluff and offered the wrong bottle.
Hence the poison is in the other bottle.
Victim dies.
2. Double Bluff: Victim chooses the offered bottle thinking that [the killer thinks the right bottle is the other bottle.]
Hence the poison be in the offered bottle.
Victim dies.
3. Triple Bluff: Victim chooses the other bottle thinking that [the killer thinks that (victim thinks the right bottle is the other bottle.)]
Hence the poison is in the other bottle.
Victim dies.
Note : Before offering the bottle the Killer knows how the Victim thinks.
So, to win over the Killer, the Victim has to know how killer thinks about victim and then chose the correct one.
Sherlock would also fail as per this theory.
Sherlock chose other than the offered bottle.
Cabbie thinks Sherlock as an outstanding guy, a super genius. So Cabbie would have categeorized Sherlock in the 3rd category and might have made a triple bluff.
Cabbie offered right bottle
-Sherlock thought [Cabbie thinks (Sherlock thinks the right bottle is the other bottle)]
Sherlock has to outthink Cabbie and if Sherlock chooses the offered bottle he'd be safe.
This is not entirely my theory. I had a help.
What do you think?
They are both lethal. The other guy just has an antidote
To everyone in the comments section saying it was the water: THERE WAS NO WATER! Open your eyes! They always show scenes of relavance, they would include water if it were given to anyone
MORIARTY!!!!!
This guy has super powers to survive every time ^^
There are still lot of Sherlocks in the comments.. So much of talent we can see in the comments to decipher this "which bottle"?
Seemed really clever until you realise the answer to the riddle is in the Princess Bride
wait so was Hope actually a "true genius" like Sherlock and Myrcroft? he kept talking about how clever he was and how he fooled Sherlock, but at the same time he was being sponsored by Moriarty sooooo
Sherlock and moriarty are the smartest ever but not the only geniuses. Others are different also this comment is 4 years old I know
This is a great series,intelligent and exciting;more,more,please!
You have a promising career ahead of you my friend
The name that is only whispered in dark corners and forgotten places...
manofthetardis I recon you are spot on there, Deffo in the water! as for 'micro movements' this could easily have been a double bluff as Moriarty would have prepared for this, knowing how 'Sherls' mind works.
Hes a pretty solid actor to be fair.
They don't broadcast it anymore until at least late 2013, but you can buy the series on DVD.
The one you watched before was the unaired pilot. Originally the writers meant to have a 45 min. episode, in till it was commisioned for a 90 min. So the writers went back and re-did the scene. Thus, one from the original unaired, and this one is the professional aired 'finished product'
I was practically shouting at the TV during this scence, yelling "It's the Battle of Wits!"
"which one is the bad bottle"
both bottles are bad, the cabbie however has one antidote pill - one side always dies, the other always survives
So the bullet from Watson's gun went through two glass windows and still somehow stayed on trajectory to hit the Cabbie in the chest/shoulder?
That glass was fairly thick and even the slightest impact could have altered the bullet path.
It wouldn't have had a massive effect.
The distance from John's shot to glass and from glass to the cabbie affects deflection due to arc-degree graduation also known as MOA: this means that under ideal conditions such as a lack of wind, match-grade ammo, clean barrel, steadiness of the shooter, etc, the gun is capable of producing a clean shot at the cabbie with glass doing very little to impede it's flight. In the military, sharp-shooters are trained to shoot objects beyond glass. Interesting that marksmanship would be added to Dr. Watson's resume, but there it is.
"Give me the wretched name!"
"James Moriarty...Jr.!"
*Gasps*
This scene alone is not enough to tell you about the entire series.
So like the hunger games and the berries...
"Trust me." My two obsessions combined!
there was so much suspense in the bottle scene, I was wiping of sweat and leaning closer to the screen the whole time :P
brilliant actor
I LOVE seeing Jon take action when need be....
I believe the cabbie won. My reasoning is as follows:
In order for us to believe the cabbie won, we need to believe the cabbie is as good at understanding minds and playing mind games as he says. So do we have any evidence that he is aside from his previous victories? Yes. The cabbie demonstrates that he understands how Sherlock thinks by convincing him to follow through with his decision and take the pill (only stopped by Watson). If the cabbie was able to do this then it stands to reason that he could also determine which bottle Sherlock would pick and knew just what to say and how to act in order to induce it. Sherlock being the loser here also fits dramatically with Watson's rescue (otherwise it was not a real rescue). The point being that Sherlock has flaws (like overconfidence) and needs someone like Watson watching over him in order to stay somewhat grounded.
I just got "locked" just because of this scene! brilliant!
It made me lol when he mouthed 'MORIATY' at the end. Dunno why!
I always thought they should have had Sherlock analyze the two pills to see if he was right. It could have been just a background shot that the viewer wouldn't know the result of.
The battle of wits has begun!
omfg this is the first time i actually hear him say: "MORIARTY!!!"
The cabbie is very clever!
He manged to trap Sherlock just before Watson shoots him.
That's when I realized that this is a great show.
@SharpThePen That's really awesome!!!! Thank you for that bit of knowledge :)
This is so Princess Bride I was half expecting the cabbie to come out with 'Inconceivable!' at any given moment...
Not bored now!
You can make all kinds of guesses as to the details of how he did it, but there's no way it's really a fair game with true choice between life and death if he's survived 4 times. Either choice results in the victim dying and the killer surviving. It's a classic Princess Bride situation, the only way to win is not to play.
Nice shot, doctor.
"A Study in Scarlet" is the original that this episode is based on.
I know it would've been murder, but Sherlock could've given the cabbie the pill he choose to see if he was indeed right.