We open on a man, Van Der Hoff, [played by Byron Jennings] asking his secretary, Beverly, to remind him about a meeting. He thanks her and Beverly leaves. Then, we see another man is in the room with a laptop. Van Der Hoff then clutches his chest, as if he’s having a heart attack, but then the attack stops. He sees the man with the laptop and asks who he is. The man, “The Actuary,” [played by F. Murray Abraham] just tells Van Der Hoff that he’s been “studying” him for the past seven years and knows he’s dependent on his pacemaker. Van Der Hoff goes for his cell but “The Actuary” hits a button on his laptop and Van Der Hoff clutches his chest again and then the attack stops again.
“The Actuary” then tells Van Der Hoff that he’s the one causing his chest pains by meddling with his pacemaker via his laptop. Van Der Hoff then begs the man to stop and asks him what he wants. “The Actuary” replies, “Nothing, really. I’m just happy watching you die” and goes on to say that Van Der Hoff’s death will look like a heart attack and that he’s “not representing my own interest tonight. Cast your ballot.” “The Actuary” tells Van Der Hoff to revoke his vote and he’ll leave him alive. Van Der Hoff agrees, gets out his tablet, logs in and votes no on restoring an old speakeasy. He then shows the vote confirmation to “The Actuary,” who thanks Van Der Hoff but hits the button on his laptop anyway, killing him.
Shoot to a prison. Inmates are all sitting in a room and Moran [played by Vinnie Jones] comes in, handcuffed. He sits down with the other prisoners as they all listen and watch the television. Moran orders another inmate to change the channel to football, the inmate moves to comply. The other inmates protest, but Moran yells at them to shut up. The inmate goes by the news trying to locate the football match Moran wants but then Moran tells the inmate to go back to the news, which was reporting on Van Der Hoff’s death.
Shoot to Holmes’ brownstone. Holmes’ screaming causes Watson to come downstairs. She finds him trying to escape from a straightjacket. Holmes tells her he was screaming because he was trying to reset his dislocated shoulder. She can’t believe he dislocated his own shoulder. Holmes successfully extricates himself from the straightjacket but his shoulder is still dislocated. Watson attempts to help amidst Holmes’ screams. She painfully gets his shoulder back into place as he takes a call from Gregson. Watson goes to get Holmes some ice for his shoulder as Gregson tells Holmes that Moran said that he wants to tell confess the names of other people Moriarty ordered him to kill before he was caught. But, he’ll only tell Holmes!
Shoot to Holmes visiting with Moran in prison. Moran tells Holmes that he has more information about Moriarty and the other people he ordered Moran to kill. Moran says he wants to bring Moriarty down for setting him up to be caught by Holmes and he knows Holmes wants to get Moriarty for killing Irene. Moran then informs Holmes that he can find what he's looking for by first locating the man who killed Van Der Hoff and has the guard give Holmes a newspaper article he asked him to rip out about Van Der Hoff’s death. Then, Moran tells Holmes to keep quiet about what they discussed since Moriarty has “eyes and ears everywhere,” then Moran attempts to kill the only guard in the room before being dragged off.
Shoot to Holmes and Watson in Gregson’s office. Holmes is telling Gregson his visit with Moran, including Moran telling him to be quiet about what they discussed but Holmes wouldn’t tell Gregson what they discussed. Outside Gregson’s office, Watson questions Holmes as to why he didn’t tell Gregson what he discussed with Holmes. Watson reminds Holmes that the last time lied about Moran, he was planning on torturing and killing him. Holmes insists that isn’t the case now and he’s just sharpening Watson’s deductive skills. Holmes then pulls out the article Moran gave him and shows it to Watson, adding that he intended to show her the article after they left the station. Holmes then tells Watson that since Moran’s ranting have proven to be unreliable in the past, he wanted to substantiate the information he gave him before mentioning anything to Gregson.
Shoot to Holmes and Watson breaking into a mortuary in order to check Van Der Hoff's body. They find marks on Van Der Hoff’s wrists, indicating that he clenched his fingers tightly, which isn’t consistent of a heart attack, but is consistent with someone who’s been struck by lightning, notes Watson. Holmes then wants Watson to perform an autopsy, but she initially refuses. It is not until Holmes attempts to inaccurately do it himself that she intervenes. When Holmes complements Watson’s skill with a scalpel, she replies, “We’re dissecting a body in the middle of the night. We are not having a moment.” Watson notes that Van Der Hoff’s blood seems to have boiled, which is consistent with possible electrical shock.
Shoot back to Holmes’ brownstone. As Watson washes her hands, Holmes confirms that it is possible to hack the pacemaker Van Der Hoff was wearing with a bit of online research. Holmes also finds online that the world’s largest manufacturer of pacemakers just posted a press release on their work on a pacemaker that is hack proof. Holmes then notes that with a pacemaker’s specific ID number someone could make that pacemaker do whatever they wanted it to do…like deliver a massive electric shock. Holmes then tells Watson that they are no longer investigating if Van Der Hoff was killed but WHO killed him!
Later, Holmes is listening to Big Band music and burning a doll at the stake in his fireplace. Watson asks why he’s doing both and Holmes replies by asking Watson what she knows about Prohibition. Her reply, “The normal amount,” “Just the broad strokes then,” says Holmes, who then dives into a quick history of Prohibition and the existence of “speakeasies.” He then tells Watson that Van Der Hoff was a member of New York City’s Landmark Protection Council, and says the 11 people on the council were evaluating the possible landmark status of the Taggart Speakeasy Museum. Holmes notes that the site’s owners wanted its landmark status revoked so they could use the space for more profitable endeavors. He adds that they’ve applied three times to get its landmark status revoked and each time, more Council members changed their vote, inching the owners closer to their goal. Holmes then tells Watson that after some research in the public records, he found that each time a member changed their vote, they applied for a home remodeling permit soon after. All of those renovations were handled by Robert Bauman. Watson remembers seeing his picture in the paper. Holmes adds that this man who builds skyscrapers also handles piddling home redos? He figures it’s a bribe. Holmes then says that Van Der Hoff’s vote was the last one Bauman needed to get the museum’s landmark status revoked and the last thing Van Der Hoff did before he died was cast his vote. Holmes then tells Watson he wants to go see Bauman and confront him.
Shoot to “The Actuary” and a hooded individual in an apartment. “The Actuary” fiddles with an air conditioning unit in a window as Bauman is crossing the street below talking on his cell. “The Actuary” then takes out a stopwatch and watches as a woman nears Bauman with a cup of hot coffee. The woman bumps into Bauman with the coffee and “The Actuary” pushes the air conditioning unit out the window onto Bauman, killing him.
Shoot to Gregson and other cops, roping off the scene as Watson and Holmes arrive. Holmes notes that Bauman’s skull was crushed by the falling air conditioning unit. Holmes notes the odds of such a thing happening and Watson can’t believe it was a planned murder.
Shoot back to Holmes’ brownstone. Watson is in her room folding laundry when an air conditioning unit falls outside her window. Holmes appears and notes his precision on his first try while Watson yells that he could have killed someone. Holmes says he checked the courtyard first and it was surprisingly easy to do. He then obviously deduces that Bauman was not part of the scheme to revoke the Taggart Museum’s landmark status but probably “facilitated the introductions by the scheme’s mastermind since he was in big real estate.” Holmes then deduces that Bauman had a cut in the profits from what the Taggart’s future profits and someone didn’t want to share. Holmes then adds that the shell corporation that owns the Taggart Museum is untraceable and Holmes tells Watson that he’s now convinced that one of Moriarty’s agents was behind both murders. Watson then asks Holmes how they catch the agent. Holmes reply, “I have to clean up the air conditioner then…we’re going to plan a murder.”
Shoot to Holmes and Watson watching an interview with Hillary Taggart, an attorney, talking about the preservation of the museum as a city landmark. Holmes notes that Hillary is the “last living relative of Al ‘The Prawn’ Taggart, owner of the grocery store that housed the eponymous speakeasy. She’s an advocate for keeping the Taggart Museum just as it is. The only advocate as far as I can tell.” Holmes notes that Hillary has gone on television each time the museum’s landmark status has come up for review, putting out press releases, etc. Holmes then wonders how Hillary will react the latest vote. Watson correctly deduces that Holmes thinks she’ll be the next target. Watson thinks they need to warn Hillary but Holmes replies, “We’ll do no such thing. We’ll study her. Our mission is to study her in her natural habitat. The best way to keep her safe is to find out how to kill her.”
Shoot to Watson watching Hillary through binoculars as she’s jogging as Holmes tells Watson that Hillary “is unmarried, spends half the day at the Legal Aid Clinic and the remainder of her time in devoted to various volunteer efforts.” Holmes hears buzzing, then looks behind Watson, thinking he saw something odd, but then he dismisses it and continues telling Watson about Hillary’s daily routine. Watson then notes that Hillary is wearing a MedicAlert bracelet and notes the medical conditions she could have. Holmes hears the buzzing again, praises Watson for noting the bracelet then tells her to follow him. Holmes then asks Watson what types of allergies would require one to wear a MedicAlert bracelet. Watson replies, “Anything that could bring about anaphylactic shock, certain foods, medicines and the like.” Holmes then tells Watson he thought he saw an African honey bee in the park. Watson questions what that bee would be doing in New York. Holmes finds a bee’s nest in a nearby tree and deduces the bees were brought there to be placed on a jogging route Hillary is known to frequent. Watson questions Holmes’ theory of “murder by bee” but then Holmes shows Watson a “flourishing” bunch of bees’ right in Hillary’s jogging path. Watson then notes if Hilary is allergic to bee stings, she have an EpiPen on her but Holmes mentions that would help for one or two stings, not for an “army of bee assassins.” Watson then notes that the person who wants to kill Hillary should be coming there soon. Holmes agrees since the bees’ sugar water supply, which makes them multiply faster, was running low. Watson feigns delight at having to stake out a bee hive.
Shoot to later that evening. Watson brings food for Holmes and herself while they sit on a park bench and wait. Watson then asks Holmes their plan to catch this man. Holmes says he doesn’t plan to turn him over to the police, “I intend to find who murdered Irene and once I find the person responsible. I will not be employing the techniques I used against Sebastian Moran.” Watson asks what’s different now. Holmes notes their partnership, which he tells Watson he’s found very rewarding and says, “The thing that’s different about me…is you,” “That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me,” replies Watson. Holmes then says he’d like to promise Watson that he won’t hurt those responsible for Irene’s death once he finds them, just like if he found a syringe of heroin, he wouldn’t plunge it into his arm, but he can’t so “for the meantime, you’ll just have to trust my intent.” Holmes then sees the “beekeeper” approaching. Holmes approaches the “beekeeper,” who turns out to be “The Actuary.” Holmes tells him he’s with the NYPD and needs to look at the notebook he’s carrying. “The Actuary” demands the notebook back. Holmes then tells him that they won’t take him to the police but to his employer. Holmes then Tasers “The Actuary.”
Shoot to Holmes’ brownstone. Holmes has “The Actuary” in his straightjacket sitting in a chair. He tells “The Actuary” that he knows what his real name is and various other facts about him. “The Actuary” then tells Holmes that he’s only seen Moriarty once, when he first recruited him. “The Actuary” then confesses to killing 31 people. Holmes then finds a series of coded messages on “The Actuary’s” phone and sends a message back to who he assumes is Moriarty, asking to meet with him. The man on the other end of the phone agrees to meet.
Shoot to Holmes spying on the man he is to meet, but the man removes a wig and drives off, reaching the other side of some train tracks just before a train arrives. Watson has followed behind, but there's no way to get to the other side of the tracks before the train passes. Holmes then gets out and takes a series of photos. Later, Holmes is able to piece together the photos to find the face of the man he assumes is Moriarty. “The Actuary” then confirms that the image belongs to the man who recruited him.
Shoot to Holmes finding the man on his own, but he claims that his last name is Douglas, not Moriarty. Douglas says he knew why Holmes’ beloved Irene had to die, but that he wasn’t the one who killed her. Then, Douglas is shot dead by a sniper before he can tell Holmes anything else.
Shoot to Holmes receiving a new code. He brings it to Moran for deciphering. Moran appears to be concerned but claims not to understand the code. Holmes later deciphers the code after realizing Moran had been continuously looking at his watch, because the time the codes were sent was the encryption key. But it's too late. Moran slams his head against a mirror until he kills himself in an effort to save his sister. The message was to Moran, informing him that either he or his sister had to die.
Shoot to Watson realizing that through it all, it’s been Holmes, himself, that is Moriarty's "game." At that moment, Moriarty calls Holmes with the message, "We are overdue for a chat."
image: CBS