Sherlock, Season 2, episodes 2.2 and 2.3 were much better, IMHO, than 2.1 was. At the 1.1 and 1.3 level.
So... let the guessing begin. How did Holmes survive, or did he really?
OK, we're past spoiler time...he obviously did, as he was standing in the graveyard at the end. I've re-watched the final scene about five times, and I've read some online speculation, and I'm still not sure exactly how he pulled it off. I'll have to re-watch the whole episode again, but I think there are three likely possibilities.
First off, there are two extremely important events during the climactic final moments, and one just before the final confrontation:
1) Watson is knocked over by a guy on a bike and appears to suffer a mild concussion, after being told by Sherlock to stay exactly where he is.
2) A trash truck drives past during the fall.
3) We don't know what he asked of Molly before heading to the roof.
I'm pretty sure at least the bicycle incident, and probably the trash truck, were arranged by Sherlock and his network of homeless informants.
Sherlock falls perpendicular to the sidewalk, but the body is parallel to it when Watson runs up.
Options:
1) While Watson was disoriented, Sherlock shoved Moriarity's body off of the roof in Sherlock's coat and scarf. I think the hair rules this one out, Moriarity's is much shorter than Sherlock's.
2) Sherlock had Molly get a toxin that would slow his heart rate to simulate death and some blood in a plastic pack, he jumped into the trash truck, rolled out, and used the blood to make it look convincing to the dazed Watson. Molly (and possibly Lestrade and/or Mycroft) arranged for the paramedics to get him on the stretcher and inside quickly before anyone else realized what was happening, and take care of the paperwork to finish faking the death.
3) Sherlock had Molly arrange for a body that looked similar to Sherlock to be placed in the trash truck, Sherlock jumped in, put his coat and scarf on it, and pushed the body out. Dazed Watson only saw general appearance clues and concluded it was Sherlock. Sherlock rode away in the trash truck. Body removal same as #2.
There's always #4...something completely different. I'm sort of leaning towards #2, it's a rather Holmesian play.
I have a nagging feeling that Moriarity faked his death, too. Blanks, some blood in a bag, and an ability to lie very still would do it - notice that Sherlock never touched him to look for a pulse.
