Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3 ending explained: Do Holmes and Moriarty form an alliance?

Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3 was released at 9 pm ET on May 7, 2025, on The CW in the United States. Titled Partners in Crime, the episode is co-written by Shelly Goldstein and Brendan Foley and directed by Bryn Higgins.

In the show's fourth chapter, Sherlock and Amelia dive deep into the mysteries of the powerful crime syndicate behind the red thread. After reaching out to Jim Moriarty in prison, the former enemies team up to expose the mysterious organization that has taken over Moriarty's criminal business in recent times.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3.

Holmes and Moriarty face a common enemy in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3

Blu Hunt stars as Amelia Rojas in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3 (Image via X/@The CW)

Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3 begins with Holmes releasing Amelia from the Bow Street police station. Furious at being arrested, Amelia decides to pack her belongings and leave for California. But Holmes convinces her to stay by inquiring about the red thread he found in her room.

Amelia shares that the thread was tied to the knife used to stab her mother, Lucia Rojas, to death. She adds that several map cases containing her mother's old mechanical drawings were stolen from the crime scene. It dawns on Holmes that the same organization that was behind Clara's kidnapping also had a hand in Lucia's murder.

Holmes and Amelia follow their two biggest leads separately. He visits the Newgate prison to collect evidence from the coachman Charlie, who was arrested for abducting Clara. Meanwhile, he instructs Amelia to pay a visit to the Anderson household to speak to Clara.

Amelia agrees to work with Holmes on the condition that he will help find her mother's killer and bring them to justice.

David Thewlis as seen in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3 (Image via X/@The CW)

At the Newgate prison, Holmes first meets his former nemesis, Professor James Moriarty, who continues running his criminal empire from behind bars. He tells Holmes that his business of gambling, opium, and fraud has suffered a huge hit recently due to the shady group behind the red thread.

They find common ground as both have been affected by the mysterious group's actions and decide to form an unlikely alliance to expose them.

Next, Holmes meets Charlie Holroyd in his prison cell, disguised as a fellow cellmate and member of the Red Thread group. Charlie reveals that Clara's kidnapping was intended to coerce her father, Paul, into cooperating in a hidden scheme and handing over certain keys holding great importance.

Charlie tells Holmes that his accomplices took away the jewels and escaped with the hostages, Watson and Mrs. Hudson, when policemen were alerted to their presence. However, Holmes counters that his accomplices and hostages have been missing since then and were likely burned alive in the coffin factory while he escaped.

Also, Moriarty seeks help from Holmes in finding his missing son, Dan, who was arrested for petty theft at age 10 and sent away to Australia. He has reason to believe that Dan has returned to London and wants to meet his son before the sinister group can harm him. Holmes agrees before leaving prison, and passes through Charlie's cell on his way out to find that he has killed himself.

Also read: Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 1 ending explained: Is Sherlock Holmes being blackmailed?

What happens to Amelia in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3?

An image of Clara Anderson as seen in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3 (Image via X/@The CW)

In Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 3, Holmes instructs Amelia to pay a visit to the Anderson household under the pretext of bringing back Holmes' horse Chance, who was used to take Clara home after her rescue.

Amelia notices a man following her but stays calm, following Holmes’ instructions. Clara’s mother warmly welcomes her and offers her a job as Clara’s chaperone. In private, Amelia warns Clara that her father filed an insurance claim for the missing jewels, prompting a private investigator to look into it.

When the investigator, Bertram Birtwistle, arrives, he questions why the jewels weren’t kept in a bank, why the family delayed reporting the theft, and how Charlie got into Marjorie’s room.

When he asks Clara directly about her kidnapping, she claims to have no recollection of how she was transported out of the house and into the coffin. When he insinuates her culpability, Amelia comes to Clara's defence. Birtwistle is left impressed with Amelia and offers her a portion of his earnings if she can help him solve the case.

As she returns to 221B Baker Street with the horse Chance, Amelia stops at a park and confronts the man who has been tailing her all along.

Watch the latest episodes of Sherlock & Daughter season 1 on The CW every Wednesday at 9 pm ET.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

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Edited by Divya Singh