Mycroft striding round the desk to tower over the little boy.
MYCROFT
You are a very stupid little boy,
and Mummy and Daddy are very cross –
because it doesn’t matter about the
gun.
LITTLE SHERLOCK
Why not?
MYCROFT
You saw the whole room when you
entered it – what was directly
behind you when you were murdered?
LITTLE SHERLOCK
I’ve not been murdered yet.
MYCROFT
Balance of probability, little
brother.
Little Sherlock starts to turn his head –
CUT TO:
INT. MAGNUSSEN’S SUITE – NIGHT47 47
– now on adult Sherlock, turning his head to look at what is
directly behind him –
– a mirror. Mycroft is reflected in it.
MYCROFT
A mirror, exactly. If the bullet
had passed through you, what would
you have heard?
SHERLOCK
The mirror shattering.
MYCROFT
You didn’t – therefore?
SHERLOCK
The bullet’s still inside me.
Molly and Anderson now circling frozen Sherlock, appraising
him.
ANDERSON
So we need to take him down
backwards.
MOLLY
I agree. Sherlock, you need to fall
on your back.
EPISODE 3 BY STEVEN MOFFAT – FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT – 09.09.13
57.
CONTINUED:46 46
(CONTINUED)
ANDERSON
Right now, the bullet is the cork
in the bottle –
MOLLY
The bullet itself is blocking most
of the blood flow.
ANDERSON
But any pressure or impact on the
entrance wound could distort the
primary cavity, dislodging the
bullet, accelerating blood loss.
MOLLY
Plus, on your back, gravity is
working for us. Fall now.
The whole room starts to lean. Sherlock’s knees start to
buckle – in agonising slow motion he starts to fall
backwards.
– and then it’s like every klaxon and alarm is going off at
once. His face twists, wincing at the terrible noise –
CUT TO:
INT. BARTS MORTUARY – NIGHT48 48
Sherlock stumbles violently against the wall of body
cabinets, clutching his head, trying to block out the
terrible din –
SHERLOCK
What is that, what’s happening??
Sherlock’s impact with wall, causes one of the long drawers
to slide open –
– inside it is Sherlock himself.
Now Molly is there.
MOLLY
You’re going into shock. It’s the
next thing that’s going to kill
you.
SHERLOCK
What do I do?
Cutting back to Molly, it’s not Molly any more, it’s Mycroft.
MYCROFT
Don’t go into shock, obviously.
Must be something in this
ridiculous memory palace that can
calm you down. Find it.
EPISODE 3 BY STEVEN MOFFAT – FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT – 09.09.13
58.
CONTINUED:47 47
(CONTINUED)
Now Sherlock is stumbling through one of the doors, out of
the room –
MYCROFT
The East Wind is coming, Sherlock.
It’s coming to get you!
CUT TO:
INT. MAGNUSSEN’S SUITE – NIGHT49 49
– on Sherlock, falling backwards, surreal slow motion, the
klaxons and alarms still clamouring –
CUT TO:
INT. SHERLOCK’S MEMORY PALACE CORRIDOR – NIGHT50 50
A long, slanting, surreal corridor, lots of doors. Sherlock
racing along it, throwing open each door as he passes it –
– and there’s Mary, gun leveled, firing at him –
– throws open another door: this time Mary dressed as a
bride, firing at him –
– another door: Mary, dressed as she first met Sherlock,
firing at him –
The alarms and klaxons louder and louder –
CUT TO:
INT. MAGNUSSEN’S SUITE – NIGHT51 51
– Sherlock, falling back and back, mouth open in a silent
scream –
CUT TO:
INT. SHERLOCK’S MEMORY PALACE CORRIDOR – NIGHT52 52
Sherlock, on his knees, clutching his head, too loud, too
loud –
– now, another noise, scampering, whimpering –
– he looks up.
At the other end of the long, mad corridor, a dog – a red
setter. It’s terrified, cowering.
Sherlock clearly recognises it.
SHERLOCK
Here boy. Come on, come to me, it’s
okay.
EPISODE 3 BY STEVEN MOFFAT – FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT – 09.09.13
59.
CONTINUED:48 48
(CONTINUED)
The dog whines, starts cautiously forward. The alarms and the
klaxons quieten slightly.
Cutting back to Sherlock – he’s the little boy Sherlock now.
LITTLE SHERLOCK
Come on! Come on, it’s all right,
it’s me. Come here, just come here.
The dog approaching, closer. The klaxons and alarms, slowly
fading, fading.
And now the dog is licking Little Sherlock’s face.
LITTLE SHERLOCK
That’s it, good boy, clever boy.
Stroking him, hugging him. And now it’s adult Sherlock again,
so pleased, so fond.
SHERLOCK
Hello again, Redbeard. They’re
putting me down now. Not much fun,
is it?
CUT TO:
INT. MAGNUSSEN’S SUITE – NIGHT53 53
Now, in the same agonising slow motion, Sherlock is slamming
down on to the carpet, a terrible impact.
CUT TO:
INT. SHERLOCK’S MEMORY PALACE CORRIDOR – NIGHT54 54
The dog is gone now, as Sherlock convulses and spasms in
pain.
The lights in the corridor, buzzing, flickering.
And there’s Molly at the far end of the corridor, standing a
few feet in front of a pair of double doors.
MOLLY
Without the shock, you’re going to
feel the pain.
The double doors behind her are starting to burst open.
MOLLY
There’s been a hole ripped through
you, massive internal bleeding.
And now surging through the doors a river of blood, in super
slow motion, cascading towards Molly, to engulf her.
MOLLY
You have to control the pain!
EPISODE 3 BY STEVEN MOFFAT – FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT – 09.09.13
60.
CONTINUED:52 52
(CONTINUED)
And she disappears into the flood.
CUT TO:
INT. MAGNUSSEN’S SUITE – NIGHT55 55
On Sherlock’s face, mouth twisting open in a silent scream of
pain.
CUT TO:
INT. SHERLOCK’S MEMORY PALACE – NIGHT56 56
On Sherlock now hurrying down a flight of steps.
Now down a spiral staircase. Another flight of steps, down,
down!!
Now bursting through a door, into –
CUT TO:
INT. DUNGEON – NIGHT57 57
A dungeon, like at the very depths of a castle. A figure is
chained to the wall, hunched, hiding his face.
SHERLOCK
You never felt pain. Why not? Why
don’t you feel it??
Silence – then a familiar voice from the hunched figure.
MORIARTY
You always feel it, Sherlock …
Jim Moriarty erupts out of the shadows, lunging at Sherlock –
the chain yanks him back, not long enough.
MORIARTY
… but you don’t have to fear it!
The lights flicker. With a gasp and cry, Sherlock is on the
floor again.
MORIARTY
Pain, heartbreak, loss, death –
it’s all good.
Moriarty now looming delightedly over Sherlock, who’s in
agony on the floor.
MORIARTY
You’re going to love being dead,
Sherlock – nobody ever bothers you.
Take it from someone who knows – a
bullet through the brain solves
everything!
EPISODE 3 BY STEVEN MOFFAT – FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT – 09.09.13
61.
CONTINUED:54 54
(CONTINUED)
JOHN
(V.O.)
Sherlock!!
CUT TO:
INT. MAGNUSSEN’S SUITE – NIGHT58 58
Now back in the real world.
John is crashing through the door –
– to find Sherlock shot on the floor, and a recovering
Magnussen. Mary is gone.
JOHN
Sherlock – what happened??
He’s straight to Sherlock’s side.
MAGNUSSEN
He got shot
JOHN
Sherlock, can you hear me,
Sherlock! Who shot him?
The corner of Magnussen’s mouth just twitches. His eyes gleam
behind the spectacles.
MAGNUSSEN
He’s losing an awful lot of blood,
isn’t he?
CUT TO:
INT. DUNGEON – NIGHT59 59
Sherlock crouched whimpering on the floor, Moriarty mocking
him.
MORIARTY
(Singing)
It’s raining, it’s pouring
Sherlock is boring.
CUT TO:
EXT. CAM TOWER – NIGHT60 60
Blue flashing lights, police cars, an ambulance. Sherlock
Holmes is being stretchered out of the doors, John racing
along next to him.
CUT TO:
EPISODE 3 BY STEVEN MOFFAT – FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT – 09.09.13
62.
CONTINUED:57 57
INT. DUNGEON – NIGHT61 61
Moriarty, singing – Sherlock still on the floor.
MORIARTY
I’m laughing, I’m crying
Sherlock is dying.
CUT TO:
EXT. LONDON STREETS – NIGHT62 62
The ambulance tearing through the London streets, siren
blaring.
CUT TO:
INT. AMBULANCE – NIGHT63 63
The medics, working frantically at Sherlock, John helping.
JOHN
Sherlock, come on, we’re losing
you!! Sherlock!!
CUT TO:
INT. DUNGEON – NIGHT64 64
Moriarty, satanic, over Sherlock. The room is now flashing
blue, like the light on the ambulance.
MORIARTY
Come on, Sherlock, just die, why
can’t you. It’s easy, make an
effort. One little push and off you
pop. (Sings)
A bullet through the brain
Stops all that horrid pain.
And as he says this, the single tone sounding through the
dungeon of a heart monitor with no reading …
CUT TO:
INT. OPERATING THEATRE – NIGHT65 65
From above, Sherlock Holmes dead on the table. The tone
continues, the surgeons are stepping back from the table.
It’s all over, no hope.
CUT TO:
EPISODE 3 BY STEVEN MOFFAT – FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT – 09.09.13
63.
INT. DUNGEON – NIGHT66 66
Moriarty exultant, Sherlock still and cold.
MORIARTY
Oh, Mrs. Hudson will cry. And Mummy
and Daddy will cry. And the Woman
will cry and John will cry buckets
and buckets. It’s John I feel sorry
for – that wife of his, whatever
she’s up to. He’s the one you’re
letting down, he’s definitely in
danger.
Close on Sherlock’s face. At this, his eyes snap open!
CUT TO:
INT. OPERATING THEATRE – NIGHT67 67
Close on the heart beat monitor. The line bounces – a
heartbeat!!
CUT TO:
INT. DUNGEON – NIGHT68 68
With a mighty effort, Sherlock raises a fist, slams into the
floor. On the impact we
CUT TO:
INT. OPERATING THEATRE – NIGHT69 69
– the monitor – a heartbeat!
CUT TO:
INT. DUNGEON – NIGHT70 70
Sherlock lurching drunkenly to the door.
MORIARTY
Oh, what are you doing now? Are you
getting better? What did I say
wrong?
Sherlock slams the door open.
MORIARTY
Bullet through the brain – it’s all
you ever need!
CUT TO:
EPISODE 3 BY STEVEN MOFFAT – FINAL SHOOTING SCRIPT – 09.09.13
64.
INT. OPERATING THEATRE – NIGHT71 71
– again on the impact, the heartbeat flickers across the
monitor.
Wider – the surgeons, reacting.
SURGEON
He’s coming back. Jesus, he’s
coming back!!
CUT TO:
INT. SHERLOCK’S MEMORY PALACE/STAIRS – NIGHT72 72
Sherlock, climbing the stairs – dogged, determined, heroic.
Every few steps he stops, he slams a fist against the wall,
like he’s trying to stay, willing himself back to life.
On each impact we cut to:
The heart monitor – a heartbeat flickers across it.
Again! Again! Again!
CUT TO:
INT. OPERATING THEATRE – NIGHT73 73
The surgeons, working like crazy.
Close on Sherlock’s face. Suddenly, impossibly, his eyes snap
open.
He’s back!!
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/documents/sherlock-s3-ep3-his-last-vow-steven-moffat.pdf)