Masterpiece Mystery's Sherlock: "The Reichenbach Fall"

We've just finished watching the third episode of the three-episode PBS Masterpiece Mystery series Sherlock, Series II, titled "The Reichenbach Fall" the episode written by Steve Thompson who also wrote "The Blind Banker" episode of Sherlock, Series I. (We call our readers' attention to the last graf of our above linked review of that episode even though what's suggested there doesn't quite play out fully in the present episode but will play out, we're all but certain, in the series's final dénouement, perhaps in Sherlock, Series III, scheduled to begin shooting in early 2013 according to RadioTimes.) We won't say anything more about this third and final episode of Series II (and no, we've no solid idea (as opposed to a guess or two) as to how Sherlock managed you-know-what) except to say that in our considered estimation "The Reichenbach Fall" is to the world of the reimagined 21st-century Sherlockian pastiche as is the Chaconne of Bach's Partita No. 2 to the world of the solo violin, or Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro to the world of opera, or Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 to the world of the symphony, all of which is to say "The Reichenbach Fall" is a singularly sterling achievement and, from top to bottom and beginning to end, as nearly perfect as perfect can be.

"The Reichenbach Fall" can be seen in full here. If you missed this brilliant and moving episode we suggest you click on over and avail yourself of the online video before it becomes unavailable (19 June 2012).