The Mystery of Sherlock's Fake Death Clue

The Clue Everyone Missed

The BBC series Sherlock brought to life Sherlock Holmes' fake death, and there’s one clue everyone missed in that specific episode. The Great Detective has been adapted to different types of media for decades, with some of them giving the character and his cases a twist and bringing them to the modern world. Among the most successful modern adaptations of Sherlock Holmes is the BBC’s Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the famous detective and Martin Freeman as his best friend and partner, John Watson.

Sherlock Benedict Cumberbatch episode 1 Reichenbach Fall

Sherlock brought the detective to modern-day London and adapted some of his most famous cases from the books to then-current social issues and the technology available at the time of the show’s release. Among the stories adapted in Sherlock was that of Holmes’ fake death, the result of a confrontation with his archenemy, Professor Moriarty. Just like in the books, Holmes was brought back in the series, but the explanation of how he faked his death was disappointing and controversial – and to further add to it, there was a clue that 'everyone missed' in the episode of Sherlock’s supposed death.

Moriarty (Andrew Scott) smiling at a serious Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Sherlock season 2 episode The Reichenbach Fall

The Teased Clue

Steven Moffat Teased A Clue Everyone Missed In 'The Reichenbach Fall'. The audience had to be the detectives in 'The Reichenbach Fall'. Moriarty’s (Andrew Scott) presence in Sherlock was teased at the end of the series’ first episode, but he didn’t make his official debut until the finale of season 1. Throughout season 2, Moriarty served as the main antagonist, with his and Sherlock’s story reaching a critical point in season 2’s finale, 'The Reichenbach Fall'. In it, Moriarty went to extremes to destroy Sherlock and his reputation, pushing the detective to his limit and leaving him with a 'final problem' that had only one solution.

Sherlock Anderson in The Empty Hearse

However, Sherlock found one flaw in Moriarty’s plan that would have saved him, but Moriarty killed himself on the rooftop of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in order to leave Sherlock with no other option than to do the same. With no other solution to save his friends, Sherlock called John to say goodbye and jumped off the roof of the hospital as John watched from a distance. John later approached Sherlock’s body and checked his pulse, but the detective was already dead – or, at least, that’s what he made John and the audience believe.

Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) falling to his death from St Bart's Hospital in Sherlock season 2 episode The Reichenbach Fall

The Hidden Clue Revealed

In the two years that passed between season 2’s finale and season 3’s premiere episode, viewers came up with several theories on how Sherlock faked his death. These theories were further fueled by Sherlock co-creator, Steven Moffat, saying that there was 'a clue everybody’s missed' (via The Guardian), even mentioning that many people had been theorizing about Sherlock’s death online, yet they had missed that one clue.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty on a rooftop in Sherlock's "The Reichenbach Fall"

In a separate interview with RadioTimes, Moffat added that the clue was 'something that Sherlock did that was very out of character', essentially turning viewers into detectives. Even after the reveal of Sherlock’s survival, Moffat didn’t reveal what the clue was, but viewers seem to agree on what it was.

Moriarty (Andrew Scott) dead next to a Sherlock mask in Sherlock season 3 episode The Empty Hearse

The Controversial Explanation

Sherlock’s Missing Clue Is (Probably) The Ball. The ball would have been key to Sherlock faking his death. Among the most popular theories found on social media and forums were those that explained that to stop his pulse, Sherlock used a small ball under his arm, and even supported the theory with a scene from the show The Mentalist where this was explained. In Sherlock season 3’s premiere episode, it’s mentioned that Sherlock placed a small ball under his arm to stop his pulse long enough for John to check it, and Sherlock was seen bouncing a small, black ball in 'The Reichenbach Fall', while he waited at St. Bart’s hospital.

BBC Sherlock Benedict Cumberbatch sitting on the floor holding a small black ball

Other viewers believe the clue was the ambulance house blocking John’s view at a very strategic point, allowing Sherlock to do whatever he needed to to fake the scene – however, taking Moffat’s comment of the clue being something 'out of character' into account, the ambulance house can’t qualify. Bouncing a ball isn’t exactly something out of character either, but the camera work of the scene made sure that the audience paid attention to the ball.

The Unsatisfying Explanation

How Sherlock Actually Faked His Death In The BBC Series. Sherlock failed to give a satisfying answer to its biggest mystery. To the audience’s surprise, Philip Anderson (Jonathan Aris), who never liked Sherlock, became the biggest conspiracy theorist after Sherlock’s 'death', even leading a group where people shared their theories on how Sherlock survived. At the end of season 3’s 'The Empty Hearse', Sherlock himself gives Anderson a detailed explanation of how he faked his death, beginning with him and Mycroft having a plan for every one of the 13 possible outcomes of Sherlock’s meeting with Moriarty – all Sherlock had to do was text a code word to his brother.

The members of the Homeless Network then rolled out an inflatable mattress and posed as bystanders. These people applied faked blood to Sherlock and the detective hid the above-mentioned ball under his arm to stop his pulse. Even though this was the explanation Sherlock gave and thus the one the writers wanted the audience to believe, the veracity of this scene is debated as Sherlock suddenly disappeared when Anderson pointed out the flaws in his plan.