Working on the premise that Moriarty is "An Organisation" like the Abominable Brides group. What the Bride group were apparently doing is springing up here there and everywhere committing murder baffling Scotland Yard and not all of those murders might have been the work of the Bride, anyone could commit murder and blame it on The Bride.

1. Possibly terrorism. Moriarty's plan to create mischief after he's gone. Leaving a legacy behind. Group A commits atrocity and blames Group B. Group A get away with it while everyone hunts out Group B.
2. Plot to throw Scotland Yard into chaos looking for a person called Moriarty responsible for crimes when it is anyone who invokes the ghostly spectre to conceal the real culprit. Criminals like the Waters gang get away with it while Police baffled.
Hacking might be too obvious literally an insertion of virus in the data, grit on the lens, fly in the ..putting a spanner in the works, threat of bringing down government too obvious?
 

Study in Pink has been the most watched - it's my other half's favourite episode and we watch all Sherlock Holmes eps and films together unless I'm taking "Sherlock"  screencaps for some reason.

tobeornot221b wrote:

Schmiezi wrote:

maryagrawatson wrote:

There were two Moriarities in the original Holmes stories (...)

Seriously? Mentioned where? 

Yes, there are two Moriartys - if not three:

"The stories give contradictory indications about Moriarty's family. In his first appearance in "The Final Problem", Moriarty is referred to as "Professor Moriarty" — no forename is mentioned. Watson does, however, refer to the name of another family member when he writes of "the recent letters in which Colonel James Moriarty defends the memory of his brother". In "The Adventure of the Empty House", Holmes refers to Moriarty on one occasion as "Professor James Moriarty". This is the only time Moriarty is given a first name, and oddly, it is the same as that of his purported brother; to wit The Valley of Fear (written after the preceding two stories, but set earlier), Holmes says of Professor Moriarty: "He is unmarried. His younger brother is a station master in the west of England."[12]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor_Moriarty

 

They could have Professor Robert Moriarty from William Gillette's stage play "Sherlock Holmes: a Drama in Four Acts" (1899)

SolarSystem wrote:

Then again, John had more or less just returned from Afghanistan, right? Do we know how long he's been there?

  I'd guess from his blog that BBC John was back in London in hospital for at least six weeks before 14th December and met Sherlock on 29 January.
 

I wonder if the Special is "to keep interest going" or a "reward their wait" sort of fan management strategy.

Yeah, curious stuff turns up.

Also both are first introduced to us with a riding crop he's using it for a serious purpose (alibi depends on it) on a dead body, she uses it for fun purpose on a live body.

"The Master Blackmailer" with Jeremy Brett as Holmes is one of my Granada favourites.
All the original stories to read can also be found on
http://sherlock-holm.es/stories/html/cano.html

I prefer 1 and 2 for being standalone with fuller case investigation though 3 has its merits it feels to me like we have had one half of the story. The only times a villain has been introduced is when they haven't been shown to be the big baddie - either it's a bait and switch with Mary being introduced as the big bad or we've got half a story.  I want to know what the word Guardian means and if it isn't a red herring who she guards is, hopefully, John but I would like to have done with John living away from 221B.

I'm pleased to report that the paper given by The Boss and myself appears to have been accepted for the final round of reviewing for publishing as a chapter in the book of the conference proceedings. A publisher has been found for it. Should our paper fail to be selected, however, a full copy and the slideshow will be posted for sharing.