Sherlock

Increased hits on fanfiction website Archive of Our Own. Red eyes from gazing upon Tumblr blogs too long. Spontaneous imitations of posh British accents. Coat collars flipped up dramatically. A renewed obsession with hats with earflaps and scarves.

My deductions lead me to one answer: the return of BBC’s “Sherlock.”    

We last saw the irritating but beloved consulting detective tiptoeing on the ledge of a building, leaving his suicide note via phone call before jumping to his death.

As we sobbed and rode out the tsunami of emotional trauma, time elapsed to weeks later and the camera found John Watson standing before Sherlock Holmes’ headstone. He delivered a speech that twisted the knife already plunged into our hearts.

And then, plot twist: Sherlock is yards away, listening in. Alive.

“The Empty Hearse” opens too quickly, and bring us up to speed.

Sherlock has spent the past two years traveling the world, dismantling the network of his deceased arch nemesis, Moriarty. But when a terrorist group threatens the safety of Britain, Mycroft Holmes steps in to bring his younger brother home.

Back in London, John is just moving on from the shock he suffered two years ago with the help of his girlfriend, Mary Morstan. But it’s obvious he’s still haunted, as he has acted out in the worst possible way: he’s grown a horrid mustache.

But no worries — it doesn’t last long.

Sherlock and John are reunited. It’s a violent reunion, but nevertheless a spark of life shows in John once again and, most importantly, the mustache vanishes.

Peace is never given the time to settle. John is kidnapped, and whoever is behind it is also responsible for the terrorist threat Sherlock is supposed to be working on.

Written by Mark Gatiss (who plays Mycroft Holmes) “the Empty Hearse” is a rush of wit, action and mustache jokes.

The episode does a fantastic job of integrating social media.

Detective Anderson (Jonathan Aris) embodies Sherlock fans on Tumblr and elsewhere in his crazed attempt to solve how Sherlock must have lived. The almost-kiss between Sherlock and Moriarty has AO3 written all over it.

The use of the hashtag #sherlocklives was trending in reality even before it flashed across the screen.

The acting was flawless. Benedict Cumberbatch didn’t miss a step walking back into the role of arrogant Sherlock Holmes, bringing the perfect amount of social awkwardness and biting disdain of people.

Martin Freeman plays a conflicted John Watson, who evolves from a depressed husk of a man to a furious ticking time bomb and back to the content, slightly stressed dear Watson we know best.

Two episodes remain in the series. You can bet with Steven Moffat behind the scenes more heartbreak is inevitable. But at this point, we practically live off the pain. It’s elementary.