SHERLOCK - How could Moriarty come back from the dead?

So there we were, story done, Sherlock flying off to a new assignment that will lead to his likely death (yeah, right), would he ever see John again? (yes, season 4 is on it's way), cue the theme music, HANG ON, Mr Moffat tried to pull a fast one on us! There's more...

"Did you miss me?"

In what is surely the biggest TV shock of the year (yes we know it's only mid-January!), Andrew Scott's Moriarty is apparently alive and has taken over the airwaves to let the world know of his immortality.

“That’s not possible… That is simply not possible!”, said Mycroft. But is he correct?

We've been riding the #MoriartyLives train for a while now, after all the last song we heard him play on his iPod was 'Stayin' Alive', how many more clues do they have to give us???? So naturally we were over the moon to think that Andrew Scott might be coming back in more than just flashbacks or Mind Palace visits.

But just how can Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss explain this one? Let's look at some possible theories regarding Moriarty's resurrection at the end of Sherlock, His Last Vow.

Moriarty is alive!
After the credits did roll, Moriarty took one last look at the camera and said "miss me". Now was this a question, as in miss me? or a statement, miss me! Did the bullet miss him? Is Moriarty alive and well and living in Milton Keynes? It's possible, but we think not.

Alternatively did Moriarty also fake his death up on the roof of St. Bart's? After all, we're still not sure Sherlock has given us the actual events of his 'fall'. We never saw Moriarty's autopsy, all we heard was a bang, that could've been from a fake gun or a blank bullet. Combine that with a concealed blood pack to complete the illusion and Moriarty is alive and well and living in Milton Keynes.

Or was there some Hound Gas involved in all the roof shenanigans? Meaning that none of the events we witnessed actually took place, we saw the drugged up hallucination, the images on screen were all illusion and Moriarty is alive and well and living in Milton Keynes.

We think the chances of Jim Moriarty being alive is probably the least likely explanation (and if he was why is he in Milton Keynes?). Largely because it would be a real stretch for Moffat and Gatiss to bring back two people who supposedly killed themselves in the same episode, it's not impossible, but quite unlikely. The other reason is, it leads to the possibility of this being true...

...what would Mrs Hudson say?
 

It's Moriarty from beyond the grave!
We're not saying he's a ghost or using some kind of medium (although the idea of a possible Broadchuch crossover episode with that psychic Will Mellor played would be interesting), rather that this is something Moriarty put in place before he died. It could all be recorded messages leading Sherlock through one final Moriarty mystery, a gift from beyond the grave.

It could all be implemented by one of Moriarty's lieutenants who Sherlock failed to get rid of, or someone else he had influence over. After all, the game is never over!

Someone really wants to keep Sherlock in London
If there was one thing that could keep Sherlock in London it's the return of a massive public threat like Moriarty. Instantly his face appeared the plane was ordered to turn around, 4 minutes in exile is all he got!

So who could be pulling off a stunt like this?

Suspect number 1: Mycroft Holmes. Could he be looking out for his little brother? Saving him from certain death? Quite possible, after all when he said "your loss would break my heart" we believed him and we're sure it wasn't just the 'punch' talking.

Suspect number 2: Mary Watson. After all, as an ex-secret service assassin she has to 'know people' who could do something like this. Maybe she's simply trying to pay Sherlock back for; a) shooting him, and b) because without his words it's unlikely John would've taken her back. We think Mary is just as likely as Mycroft, maybe even more so, or possibly both of them in cahoots.

Suspect number 3: Sherlock Holmes. Could he have put this plan into place? Did he leave instructions with his protege Wiggins? Does he want to stay in London to honour his last vow and be there for Mary, John and the Baby? Well we're sure he does but he's probably not behind this stunt, it seems below him.

Suspect number 4: Someone else. OK, that's a bit inclusive, so let's narrow it down. Could someone else have a need to keep Sherlock in good old Blighty? It's quite likely that it's not Moriarty at all but another fiendishly evil villain who is making people believe Moriarty is alive as a means to his ends, and he wants Sherlock in London. There is no other way to explain the timing of it all, we don't believe in co-incidence.

Of all the things we've considered and deduced this is the one we lean towards the most, and it fits in nicely with our last suggestion...


Season Four's Big Bad
Whoever it is that is behind Moriarty's reappearance, could that someone turn out to be the big bad for the next season of Sherlock? Very likely we think.

We know that Moffat and Gatiss have mapped out season 4 and 5, we just don't know what they've got planned for Sherlock. But it's a safe bet that there will be a story-arc with an overall villain to combat. But who could that be?

Molly's boyfriend.
Let's face it, it wouldn't be the first time! That Molly sure does pick 'em. He was absent from His Last Vow, was the deliberate?
We admit that this is a real 1000/1 long shot, but maybe worth a punt at Ladbrokes.

The other Holmes brother.
Mycroft teased him, "Don't be absurd. I'm not given to outbursts of brotherly compassion. You know what happened to the other one." It's unlikely it was a random mention. Could he turn out to be a worthy nemesis for Sherlock? Could he be played by Matt Smith? We like this idea, but have to admit that the most likely explanation of all is...

Another Moriarty brother.
Jim Moriarty was just one of the Moriarty brothers. In the Conan Doyle books there is evidence of a total of three Moriarty brothers, and at least two of them are named James.
Could it be his twin? Or could they just be using his image and a Die Hard With A Vengeance type thing goes down over season 4?
Either way, if they are looking for potential Moriarty brothers then they only need to change the channel to ITV...

We always though that Andrew Scott looked a lot like the love child of Ant & Dec!
We're not the only ones...

This may be jumping the shark a bit!
Let's just stick with the brother/twin idea.


Whatever happens, we truly do hope we get to see more of the supremely talented Andrew Scott and his Moriarty, and hopefully we won't have to wait two years to find out what's going on.

We did miss him, and if he is coming back from the dead, we’d better wrap up warm, there’s an east wind coming!