The Final Problem
“It has been a duel between you and me, Mr. Holmes... You hope to beat me. I tell you that you will never beat me. If you are clever enough to bring destruction upon me, rest assured that I shall do as much to you.’”
The end of an era. From The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, this is "The Final Problem" - read by Greg McClure. This extraordinary story introduces Holmes’s two greatest nemeses - criminal mastermind Moriarity, and his own creator. Doyle was eager to move on from Holmes - but in pitting his detective against a surprise supervillain and bringing him to a sudden end, he created the perfect environment for Holmes to live forever.
In this episode, Marisa & Sarah discuss the highs and lows in the plot of this dramatic tale, the deeply touching connection between Holmes and Watson, and Doyle’s feelings towards his creation and the unprecendented response from fans of his stories. We’re saving a deep dive into adaptations of Moriarity for a special case file, coming up next!
Listen to our narration of the story:
This story was published in 1893 - and it was the last Holmes story Doyle published for 10 years.
Further reading/watching:
“How Sherlock Holmes changed the world,” Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
The Great Detective: The Amazing Rise and Immortal Life of Sherlock Holmes by Zach Dundas
“An Empty House,” from The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay Faye
Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World by Anne Jamison
Sherlock's Sisters, Joseph Kestner
Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, and also the film The Silence of the Lambs dir. Jonathan Demme, and also Hannibal the TV show, dir. Bryan Fuller
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn and also the film, directed by David Fincher
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, and also the musical
Killing Sherlock: Lucy Worsley’s Holmes vs. Doyle