In the third season of BBC’s Sherlock, fans saw Watson (Martin Freeman) get married to Mary Morstan (Amanda Abbington). Watson may have found love but Morstan’s character could be in danger in the upcoming season.
In the original books, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Morstan dies. The modern adaptation has taken creative liberties with the story arch, hinting that Mrs. Watson may have a chance of surviving.
“While we play fast and loose with the original stories, we generally follow the trajectory of what Conan Doyle did," said Freeman to the UK's Telegraph. "So he [Watson] gets married, and then Mary dies - so at some point presumably she’ll die."
Adding fuel to fire is a previous interview with showrunner Steven Moffat, who calls the new episodes “devastating.”
“We have a plan to top it," said Moffat to Entertainment Weekly. "And I do think our plan is devastating. We’ve practically reduced our cast to tears telling them the plan … we’re probably more excited that we’ve ever been about Sherlock .”
“We’re certainly going to put them through the mill,” added Moffat. “It’s going to be more of an emotional upheaval.”
Abbington’s character should be okay for the time being, as she is pregnant with their child and Freeman, himself, admitted in the Telegraph interview that Mary will be back “for the foreseeable future.”
Season 4 will likely be addressing Mary and Watson’s journey into parenthood and how the two will cope with the added responsibility.
"On the one hand, they’d probably be reckless because they’re both quite psychopathic," said Abbington to Vulture. "But I think an assassin and an army doctor who loves trouble, I mean, that kid has got nothing to worry about. Screwed up mentally, of course, but if there’s any bullying on the playground, we’re covered."
BBC’s Sherlock will begin filming later this year and the most recent reports suggest that season 4 will be released in January 2017. While an official date has not been announced, Paula Kreger, President and CEO of PBS, revealed at the 2016 TCA winter press that season 4 will be arriving next year.
“We do have the next Sherlock announced, that is coming up about a year from now,” said Kerger to Zap2it.
