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Sherlock – Season 4, Episode 2 The Lying Detective

Play trailer Sherlock – Season 4, Episode 2 The Lying Detective Aired Jan 8, 2017 Adventure Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 32 Reviews
Sherlock faces perhaps the most chilling enemy of his long career, the powerful and seemingly unassailable Culverton Smith, a man with a very dark secret.
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Sherlock — Season 4, Episode 2

Sherlock — Season 4, Episode 2

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Critics Consensus

"The Lying Detective" is a return to true Sherlock form -- with a strong mystery for its two leads to solve, and the enticing introduction of a new villain.

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Cast & Crew

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Benedict Cumberbatch

Sherlock

Martin Freeman

Watson

Una Stubbs

Mrs Hudson

Rupert Graves

Inspector Lestrade

Mark Gatiss

Mycroft Holmes

Amanda Abbington

Mary Watson
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Sherlock — Season 4, Episode 2

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Critics Reviews

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Sophie Gilbert The Atlantic 04/12/2019
The Lying Detective was really an example of Sherlock at its best, interweaving a case-of-the-week storyline with subplots about John's grief and Sherlock's relapse into addiction, all while setting up Eurus as a larger presence in the next episode. Go to Full Review Aja Romano Vox 04/12/2019
3.5/5
The real star of this episode is co-creator and co-showrunner Steven Moffat's script, which carries Sherlock convincingly through a drugged-out long con to catch Smith in the act of serial killing. Go to Full Review John Nugent Empire Magazine 04/12/2019
[Toby] Jones adds acting chops to a show not short on high-level thesps, while the last-minute Eurus [Holmes] twist pulls the rug from under everyone's feet. Go to Full Review Emmet Asher-Perrin Reactor 08/03/2020
[This] weakness of plot takes away one of the main things that has made Sherlock such a fascinating show: its ability to upgrade Holmes canon with fun, modern twists. Go to Full Review Akhil Arora Gadgets360 07/03/2020
It's as if the show can't be bothered to provide reckoning for its titular character, simply because it would become too much of an inconvenience. Go to Full Review Louisa Mellor Den of Geek 04/12/2019
Overall, it was ninety minutes with two villains, thirty-six twists, roughly eleven endings and a creeping sense of finality. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Episode Info

Synopsis Sherlock faces perhaps the most chilling enemy of his long career, the powerful and seemingly unassailable Culverton Smith, a man with a very dark secret.
Screenwriter
Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss
Network
BBC
Rating
TV-14
Genre
Adventure, Crime, Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Jan 8, 2017