The Blind Banker
Encyclopedia
The Blind Banker is the second episode of the television series Sherlock and was first broadcast on BBC One
and BBC HD on 1 August 2010.
), sees something that frightens her, and disappears. Meanwhile, John is having financial problems, and needs to find a paying job. Sherlock takes him to "the bank", which turns out to be a high-powered international finance house. There Seb Wilkes (Bertie Carvel
), an old university acquaintance of Sherlock's, asks for help, in return for a large fee. A break-in occurred in which nothing was taken, but an apparently meaningless pair of symbols were spray-painted onto an office wall. Sherlock realises that was a message meant for one man - Edward Van Coon of the Hong Kong desk - who hasn't come to work. Sherlock breaks into Van Coon's locked apartment and finds him dead. The police, under Detective Inspector Dimmock (Paul Chequer
), are prepared to regard it as a suicide, though Sherlock sees it as murder. Soon, journalist Brian Lukis (Howard Coggins) is also killed inside his locked apartment. Sherlock and John investigate, and in a library where Lukis had been they find the same mysterious symbols painted on a shelf.
Meanwhile, John obtains a job as locum
at a local surgery with Sarah Sawyer(Zoe Telford
). Sherlock and John discover a link between the two men; both had just returned from China, and both went to an oriental curio shop "The Lucky Cat
". There John discovers that the symbols are ancient Chinese suzhou numerals
. Sherlock breaks into Soo Lin Yao's flat, obviously empty for several days. At the museum they discover the same symbols on a statue. Then, with the help of graffiti artist
"Raz" (Jack Bence), Sherlock and John find more symbols painted on railway yard wall, and struggle to decode the message.
Back at the Antiquities Museum, Holmes discovers Soo Lin in hiding, who explains that the code is the work of the criminal "Black Lotus Tong
", of which she was once a member. Unfortunately before she can decode the message the assassin, who is revealed to be Soo Lin's brother, strikes again. Sherlock realises that Van Coon and Lukis were members of the Tong, involved in smuggling valuable antiquities from China to sell in London, and that they were killed because one of them stole something.
Sherlock knows that the message is in the form of a book cipher
, and he and John spend the night going through the first two victims' books trying to find the solution. John's first day at work does not go well, as having stayed up all night, he falls asleep in his consulting room. Sarah covers for him, and Sherlock arranges a date at a local circus, for the three of them. While John and Sarah enjoy the classic escapology
and acrobatics
acts, Sherlock snoops around backstage and is attacked, but with Sarah and John's help, they escape. While Sherlock Holmes continues to search for the solution to the book cipher, John and Sarah are kidnapped, Sarah is bound and gagged and then set in front of a giant crossbow that will soon shoot her. The villains believe that John is Sherlock, and that he knows the location of the missing "treasure". Fortunately Sherlock finds the solution to the code, reads the message, tracks down the villains to their hideout and effects the rescue of John and Sarah. He also realises that the elusive "treasure" has been in plain sight all the time: a jade hairpin being worn by Van Coon's secretary Amanda, who had received it as a gift.
and The Dancing Men
.
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
and BBC HD on 1 August 2010.
Synopsis
At the National Antiquities Museum, Chinese pottery expert, Soo Lin Yao (Gemma ChanGemma Chan
Gemma Chan is an English actress and former model. She is best known for playing Mia Bennett in the BBC's Doctor Who "The Waters of Mars" with David Tennant and Lindsay Duncan; Soo Lin in Sherlock, the modern day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes for BBC One with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin...
), sees something that frightens her, and disappears. Meanwhile, John is having financial problems, and needs to find a paying job. Sherlock takes him to "the bank", which turns out to be a high-powered international finance house. There Seb Wilkes (Bertie Carvel
Bertie Carvel
Bertie Carvel is a British actor.He received a first from Sussex University in English, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2003.-Theatre:...
), an old university acquaintance of Sherlock's, asks for help, in return for a large fee. A break-in occurred in which nothing was taken, but an apparently meaningless pair of symbols were spray-painted onto an office wall. Sherlock realises that was a message meant for one man - Edward Van Coon of the Hong Kong desk - who hasn't come to work. Sherlock breaks into Van Coon's locked apartment and finds him dead. The police, under Detective Inspector Dimmock (Paul Chequer
Paul Chequer
Paul Chequer is an actor most famous for starring in the British drama As If as Jamie Collier on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2004 and the BBC Three drama Sinchronicity, as Nathan, in 2006....
), are prepared to regard it as a suicide, though Sherlock sees it as murder. Soon, journalist Brian Lukis (Howard Coggins) is also killed inside his locked apartment. Sherlock and John investigate, and in a library where Lukis had been they find the same mysterious symbols painted on a shelf.
Meanwhile, John obtains a job as locum
Locum
Locum, short for the Latin phrase locum tenens , is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another. For example, a locum doctor is a doctor who works in the place of the regular doctor when that doctor is absent, or when a hospital/practice is short-staffed...
at a local surgery with Sarah Sawyer(Zoe Telford
Zoe Telford
-Television:Telford has appeared in the following:Absolute Power, Teachers, Agatha Christie's Poirot - Death on the Nile, Afterlife, Cutting It, The Golden Hour, Lewis, Agatha Christie's Marple - The Sittaford Mystery, as Eva Braun in Hitler: The Rise of Evil, as Abigail Thomas in The Palace, as...
). Sherlock and John discover a link between the two men; both had just returned from China, and both went to an oriental curio shop "The Lucky Cat
Maneki Neko
The is a common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner. The sculpture depicts a cat beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed—many times at the entrance—in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses...
". There John discovers that the symbols are ancient Chinese suzhou numerals
Suzhou numerals
The Suzhou numerals or huama is a numeral system used in China before the introduction of Arabic numerals.-History:The Suzhou numeral system is the only surviving variation of the rod numeral system. The rod numeral system is a positional numeral system used by the Chinese in mathematics...
. Sherlock breaks into Soo Lin Yao's flat, obviously empty for several days. At the museum they discover the same symbols on a statue. Then, with the help of graffiti artist
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
"Raz" (Jack Bence), Sherlock and John find more symbols painted on railway yard wall, and struggle to decode the message.
Back at the Antiquities Museum, Holmes discovers Soo Lin in hiding, who explains that the code is the work of the criminal "Black Lotus Tong
Tong (organization)
The word tong means "hall" or "gathering place". In North America a tong is a type of organization found among Chinese living in the United States and Canada. These organizations are described as secret societies or sworn brotherhoods and are often tied to criminal activity...
", of which she was once a member. Unfortunately before she can decode the message the assassin, who is revealed to be Soo Lin's brother, strikes again. Sherlock realises that Van Coon and Lukis were members of the Tong, involved in smuggling valuable antiquities from China to sell in London, and that they were killed because one of them stole something.
Sherlock knows that the message is in the form of a book cipher
Book cipher
A book cipher is a cipher in which the key is some aspect of a book or other piece of text; books being common and widely available in modern times, users of book ciphers take the position that the details of the key is sufficiently well hidden from attackers in practice. This is in some ways an...
, and he and John spend the night going through the first two victims' books trying to find the solution. John's first day at work does not go well, as having stayed up all night, he falls asleep in his consulting room. Sarah covers for him, and Sherlock arranges a date at a local circus, for the three of them. While John and Sarah enjoy the classic escapology
Escapology
For the Jessica Mauboy song, see Inescapable.Escapology is the practice of escaping from restraints or other traps. Escapologists escape from handcuffs, straitjackets, cages, coffins, steel boxes, barrels, bags, burning buildings, fish-tanks and other perils, often in combination.-History:The art...
and acrobatics
Acrobatics
Acrobatics is the performance of extraordinary feats of balance, agility and motor coordination. It can be found in many of the performing arts, as well as many sports...
acts, Sherlock snoops around backstage and is attacked, but with Sarah and John's help, they escape. While Sherlock Holmes continues to search for the solution to the book cipher, John and Sarah are kidnapped, Sarah is bound and gagged and then set in front of a giant crossbow that will soon shoot her. The villains believe that John is Sherlock, and that he knows the location of the missing "treasure". Fortunately Sherlock finds the solution to the code, reads the message, tracks down the villains to their hideout and effects the rescue of John and Sarah. He also realises that the elusive "treasure" has been in plain sight all the time: a jade hairpin being worn by Van Coon's secretary Amanda, who had received it as a gift.
Source material
This episode takes the concept of coded messages from The Valley of FearThe Valley of Fear
The Valley of Fear is the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story was first published in the Strand Magazine between September 1914 and May 1915, and the first book edition was published in New York on 27 February 1915.- Part I: The Tragedy of Birlstone...
and The Dancing Men
The Adventure of the Dancing Men
"The Adventure of the Dancing Men", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 13 stories in the cycle collected as The Return of Sherlock Holmes....
.
Cast
- Benedict CumberbatchBenedict CumberbatchBenedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking ; William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace ; the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy ; Paul...
– Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve... - Martin FreemanMartin FreemanMartin John C. Freeman is an English actor. He is known for his roles as John in Love Actually, Tim Canterbury in the BBC's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Office, Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. John Watson in Sherlock and Mr. Madden...
– Dr. John Watson - Una StubbsUna StubbsUna Stubbs is an English actress and former dancer who has appeared extensively on British television and in the theatre, and less frequently in films. She is particularly known for her roles in the sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and Aunt Sally in the children's series Worzel Gummidge.-Film and...
– Mrs. Hudson - Zoe TelfordZoe Telford-Television:Telford has appeared in the following:Absolute Power, Teachers, Agatha Christie's Poirot - Death on the Nile, Afterlife, Cutting It, The Golden Hour, Lewis, Agatha Christie's Marple - The Sittaford Mystery, as Eva Braun in Hitler: The Rise of Evil, as Abigail Thomas in The Palace, as...
– Sarah Sawyer - Louise Brealey – Molly Hooper
- Gemma ChanGemma ChanGemma Chan is an English actress and former model. She is best known for playing Mia Bennett in the BBC's Doctor Who "The Waters of Mars" with David Tennant and Lindsay Duncan; Soo Lin in Sherlock, the modern day adaptation of Sherlock Holmes for BBC One with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin...
– Soo Lin Yao - Al WeaverAl WeaverAlex "Al" Weaver is an English actor.Weaver studied acting at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His first paid theatre role was in Trevor Nunn's 2004 production of Hamlet, at the Old Vic theatre in London...
– Andy Galbraith - Bertie CarvelBertie CarvelBertie Carvel is a British actor.He received a first from Sussex University in English, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2003.-Theatre:...
– Seb Wilkes - Daniel PercivalDaniel PercivalDaniel Percival is an English television, theatre and film actor born in 1980 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. He has brown eyes and black hair, is 5' 10" tall, and is not to be confused with Daniel Percival, the British writer and director....
– Eddie Van Coon - Paul ChequerPaul ChequerPaul Chequer is an actor most famous for starring in the British drama As If as Jamie Collier on Channel 4 from 2001 to 2004 and the BBC Three drama Sinchronicity, as Nathan, in 2006....
– Detective Inspector Dimmock - Howard Coggins – Brian Lukis
- Janice Acquah – Museum Director
- Jack Bence – Raz
- John MacMillanJohn MacMillanJohn Stewart MacMillan is a retired a Canadian ice hockey forward.MacMillan began his National Hockey League career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1960. He would also play with the Detroit Red Wings. Macmillan left the NHL following the 1965 season and retired from hockey altogether in 1971...
– Community Police Officer - Olivia PouletOlivia PouletOlivia Poulet is an English actress. After studying drama at Manchester University, she has had roles on stage and in television and film. Her most recent productions include Day of the Flowers, Sherlock, Dappers, The Thick of It, Reggie Perrin and Outnumbered. She recently appeared in the feature...
– Amanda
External links
- Sherlock at Hartswood FilmsHartswood FilmsHartswood Films is a British television production company, founded and run by producer Beryl Vertue. The company is noted for its sitcom output, which includes Men Behaving Badly, Is It Legal? and Coupling...