Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7 ending explained: What is Dan Moriarty's grand plan?

Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7, The Great Fleece, was released on June 4, 2025, on The CW. It is directed by Bryn Higgins and written by Shelly Goldstein.

Holmes and Amelia successfully rescue Watson and Mrs. Hudson at the start of the episode. They dig deeper into the Red Thread gang's operations to find several prominent figures helping the criminal organization commit the 'crime of the century.'

Dan Moriarty is revealed to be the face of the crime syndicate and his grand plan involves freeing all the British colonies from the Empire's rule.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7.

What does Holmes discover in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7?

David Thewlis seen as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7 (Image via The CW)

Sherlock's plan from the last episode works as he is able to rescue Watson and Mrs. Hudson while they are being transported from the dowager Duchess of Lincolnshire to Kensington, Duke of Leicester.

His plan also exposes Whitlock as the corrupt official from Scotland Yard working for the Red Thread gang.

After his rescue, Watson reveals that the criminal group is planning to steal gold from the Bank of England, sending the detective on a mission to stop the robbery in time.

The Bank of England recently received a large shipment containing 8000 ounces of gold bars from South Africa. Inspector Bullivant personally oversaw its transfer from the wharf to the bank via carriages.

However, Holmes finds gold dust in one of those carriages, as it was also used to transfer Watson and Mrs. Hudson.

He concludes that the gold held in the bank's vault is fake and visits the bank to confirm his suspicions. He tells Whitlock and Bullivant that the coachmen hired to load the gold bars into the bank's vaults worked for the Red Thread gang.

They replaced the crates of real gold with lead bars painted in fake gold that were hidden in the false bottoms of the carriages.

Holmes wonders aloud whether the criminal gang strategically placed clues along his path and wanted him to expose the bank robbery for their benefit.

News of the robbery is reported in The Daily Chronicle newspaper, and it soon crashes the stock market.

The American ambassador, Paul Anderson, comes to the rescue as he arranges investors to buy the plummeting shares and stabilize the stock market.

Dan Moriarty as seen in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7 (Image via The CW)

At the end of Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7, Holmes deduces that the Red Thread gang had planned the whole ordeal to buy shares for pennies. The ambassador himself made £10 million from an investment of £50,000.

Furthermore, Holmes and Amelia figure out that the missing jewels were given to Whitlock as bribe for his involvement with the crime syndicate.

After connecting all the dots, the duo realizes that the stolen gold is hidden at the Withersea coffin factory and successfully retrieves it.

Holmes also makes the startling discovery that Dan Moriarty orchestrated the series of events that led him to expose the robbery and he unwittingly played along.

His objective was not the gold itself but the money made through the market crash.

Dan all but confirms it during his visit to his father at the Newgate prison. He reveals that he is the mastermind behind the Red Thread gang. Dan siphoned funds from Jim's criminal enterprise and made a fortune when the market crashed.

His ultimate goal, however, is to free the British colonies under the empire's oppressive rule. Armed with the financial funds and the weapon, he declares that he is ready to start a revolution against the Crown.

Lady Violet reveals her true motives in Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7

An image of Lady Violet from Sherlock & Daughter season 1 episode 7 (Image via The CW)

Lady Violet heads to the ambassador's residence late at night to meet Paul Anderson, while Amelia secretly tags along. As she waits for him to return from the embassy, Lady Violet calls Whitlock and asks him to get rid of Amelia.

She considers the young American a threat since she knows that her mother's weapon designs were stolen by Lady Violet.

Their conversation also reveals that the socialite killed Emma just to make space for Clara's debutante ball.

As Amelia and Clara eavesdrop on her conversation with the ambassador, they are shocked to learn that Clara's father also works for the Red Thread gang with Lady Violet.

She orchestrated Charlie's romance with Clara, which culminated in her kidnapping, to force the ambassador to hand over some mysterious keys.

Furthermore, Lady Violet is determined to improve her financial status and plans to auction off Lucia Rojas's blueprints at Clara's ball, which will be attended by foreign diplomats, for a huge sum of money.

American audiences can watch all episodes of Sherlock & Daughter season 1 exclusively on The CW.

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.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande