S04.E24: A Difference in Kind

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

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Holmes and Watson's lives are threatened by an influential, worldwide criminal network connected to the murder attempt on Morland Holmes. Also, Sherlock's grievances with his father threaten their alliance to bring their mutual adversary to justice.

Promo:

[Kathira]

Wow, that was one intense episode! I'll put more coherent thoughts together later. Random comments: I love love love Morland and Sherlock together. Considering how poorly they handled Mycroft, this turned out just about perfect. I was afraid they were going to give us a cliff-hanger season ender, even though that's not this show's tradition. At least Sherlock and Joan won't have to worry about getting money by taking private cases, once they sell that apartment! And Joan's black pants and gorgeous blouses game is totally on point. Love it.

Edited May 9, 2016 by Kathira

[Gregg247]

I'm glad they finished the big "mysterious cabal" storyline they've been doing.  Hopefully, they can now go back to interesting whodunits next season.  I love trying to figure out the case-of-the-week before Sherlock and Joan (well, that happened-once!). haha

[Primetimer]

And Sherlock must ask himself if his presence is truly a threat to the safety of everyone he loves.

View the full article

[Vermicious Knid]

So Morland takes the reigns of the evil, shadowy cabal ostensibly to dismantle it from the inside.Hmm, not sure he's going to actually get that done without being caught up in the challenge and intrigue of running another global organization.

Did everybody else get that bottom of the screen promo with the giant animated ant?! Gah!

[GaT]

They made the story so convoluted that I honestly have no idea what happened. Too many people, too many plots. If the show comes back for another season, I hope they simplify it & bring back more crime of the week, Mrs Hudson, Alfredo, & (I know this won't be popular) don't bring back Morland. I think he takes away from the premise of the show & sort of forces the storyline into things like this past season.

[thuganomics85]

In the end, Viknar shows himself to not really be in Moriarty's league, by getting betrayed and killed, and Morland taking over the organization.  But Morland only did this to protect Sherlock and Joan, and is planning on destroying the organization from the inside.  Or at least that's what he is saying.

Compared to last season, this was actually a quieter finale.  I did briefly wonder if they were actually going to kill Morland, but I figured he had to have another angle, and wouldn't just sacrificing his life like that.

No Gregson and barely any Bell made me sad.

I'm with Sherlock at the very end: why would Joan inflict her sister on poor Bell?

[pancake bacon]

"I defy anyone to go twenty-four episodes per season for four years and keep it as sharp as this writers' room."

Thanks Allison Lowe Hufff! This is exactly why Elementary is an exceptional Sherlock Holmes adaptation, and why I care about the show.

[Athena]

4 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I'm with Sherlock at the very end: why would Joan inflict her sister on poor Bell?

One of the worse ideas Joan has had on this show. Bell deserves more and I don't see that. Sweet safe house apartment though.

I liked Vikner and it's too bad he went down, but now Morland is the new Moriarty. I didn't like that they did try to harm Joan and Sherlock. What's the point of having Jamie's Untouchable rule then? Blah.

Well at least Morland can come back later, but as the head of an evil cabal.

[shrewd.buddha]

from the recap : 

Quote

In fact, I still can't say I fully understand what the flip just happened, or at least I can't understand why it happened, from a storytelling standpoint.

I think things would be more clear, for me at least, if we were shown things happening instead of being told everything. So many killings and backstabbings are done off-screen and then recounted by Sherlock ... it's hard to piece all of that together. And the off-screen stuff just doesn't have as much gravitas, so I lose track of who did what to whom. 

While I am happy to have a break from the 10-step meetings and addiction drama, I am really not a fan of the ever-expanding-never-ending conspiracy story lines. (You can thank X-Files for that burn-out.)  It also doesn't make Sherlock look very mature to be all snotty about his father but continue to enjoy the fruits of his father's business (in other words, shut up or move out of your million dollar NY house). 

Edited May 9, 2016 by shrewd.buddha

[johntfs]

11 hours ago, Athena said:

Well at least Morland can come back later, but as the head of an evil cabal.

Well, he was already the head of an evil cabal of corporations.  Now he's just the head of a slightly more evil cabal.

Edited May 10, 2016 by johntfs

[DeLurker]

Is it more evil or just more direct/honest about it?

I re-watched last week's ep right before this one so that flowed nicely for me.  I was worried that someone was going to go after Joan or Fiona (although they would have spent more time on her) if they were angling for someone Sherlock loves.  Glad the writers heeded my warning not to touch Clyde and the bees (sounds like a big band).

Very intense ep.  I approve.

[Driad]

Could someone please remind me how Mycroft and Morland get along?  I remember Mycroft calling Morland at the end of an episode.  And we are unlikely to see Mycroft again, right?

[33kaitykaity]

Two nitpicks.  That blood on the knife would've had EDTA or other preservative -- thanks, OJ -- in it.  Sherlock should've addressed that in his plotting.  And two, I very much wanted to see Fiona again.  

Edited May 9, 2016 by 33kaitykaity

[WendyCR72]

*Whispers* Don't care for Fiona. Was glad not to see her. (I'll show myself out.)

[shapeshifter]

When Sherlock was being warned about the one he loved most being in danger, am I correct that it is Joan and not Fiona, based on how the rest of episode played out (Sherlock offering her her own multi-million dollar digs)?

[WendyCR72]

11 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

When Sherlock was being warned about the one he loved most being in danger, am I correct that it is Joan and not Fiona, based on how the rest of episode played out (Sherlock offering her her own multi-million dollar digs)?

Well, he does love Joan deeply as a friend. And Fiona is still "new", sort of. So Joan may still rank higher as of now.

[tennisgurl]

I wonder what Vikners score on Rate My Professor is like?

Moreland and Sherlock are great together. I have loved John Noble this season, and he was a great addition to the show. I am glad that we are moving on from shadowy cabals for a bit. Lets focus on something else for awhile, beyond conspiracy's and shadowy people who presumably sit in poorly lit rooms and rule the world. 

I hope we never see Joans awful sister again. How could you try to push her on poor Bell? Speaking of, I liked this, but it sucks that Gregson and Bell weren't around this episode. 

[HawaiiTVGuy]

I thought Holmes didn't kill Oscar, I thought he only beat him senseless?  I could be mistaken, but I thought that was the case.

Nice finale, so glad to watch this after TGW, which was a wreck.  And unless Morland is totally playing the long con here, I really think Holmes has been a horrible judge of character when it comes to his father.  I also think that Morland, in his success, has shown that there can be profit for all made without the violence, and I am sure that this is something he is going to strive to change within the Moriarty organization, not really dismantle completely.

I also wonder if Holmes is changing his attitude regarding Morland, his first instinct was that Morland was going to give himself up to be killed, mine was that he had struck a deal to set-up Vickner and ascend to the top.  And I LOVED how Holmes showed how emotionally vulnerable he was regarding his father and how concerned he was when he took a full two second pause when the call came over the radio that a body had been found and both the FBI Agent and Watson had already started walking toward the scene.

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I wonder what Vikners score on Rate My Professor is like?

In truth, what little we heard of his lecture was bang on.

[dargosmydaddy]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

When Sherlock was being warned about the one he loved most being in danger, am I correct that it is Joan and not Fiona, based on how the rest of episode played out (Sherlock offering her her own multi-million dollar digs)?

I definitely saw it that way. Joan is the most important person to Sherlock, and in a completely platonic way. I love their relationship.

I was kind of hoping that Morland would turn out to be truly evil rather than just awful, so that was disappointing. All in all a "meh" finale for me (and doubly disappointing because not so much as a mention of Clyde!), but I still love this show.

[MisterGlass]

I liked the resolution with Morland.  This was a relationship that was never destined for a happy father/son ending.  There is more respect and understanding than there used to be, and that's something.

I think Morland will end up rolling a fair amount of the organization into his more legitimate one, making this something of a corporate takeover.  They can spin off the seedier parts and focus on the real money.  Sherlock may think he'd be a failure but he managed to depose Vikner with the right connections.

2 hours ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

I thought Holmes didn't kill Oscar, I thought he only beat him senseless?  I could be mistaken, but I thought that was the case.

You're correct, Oscar survived. 

[Vermicious Knid]

No Clyde, but we know the bees are okay.

I imagine Jamie is delighted and charmed at the idea of Sherlock's father taking over her organization.

[Athena]

41 minutes ago, Vermicious Knid said:

I imagine Jamie is delighted and charmed at the idea of Sherlock's father taking over her organization.

Me too. I remember speculation that Jamie's mentor could have been Morland. It's unlikely now, but that would have been interesting too.

Sherlock's father now heads an evil criminal organisation founded by his son's ex girlfriend and nemesis. When you look at that way, this show is a soap opera.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

2 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I definitely saw it that way. Joan is the most important person to Sherlock, and in a completely platonic way. I love their relationship.

I was kind of hoping that Morland would turn out to be truly evil rather than just awful, so that was disappointing. All in all a "meh" finale for me (and doubly disappointing because not so much as a mention of Clyde!), but I still love this show.

Was he ever shown to be "just awful"?  I really didn't see any of it, all the "awfulness" seemed to be through the biased lenses of Sherlock.

Interesting thing is that in spite of Morland's connections, it seems like he still doesn't know that Irene Adler = Moriarty.  I wasn't sure if he did know but it was obvious he didn't because at the end when Morland was counseling Sherlock about the family curse of having loved ones, he specifically mentioned Adler as someone dying who was close to Sherlock.

[catrice2]

So glad Moreland is gone...I hope the show survives another year and gets back on track. 

[johntfs]

4 hours ago, catrice2 said:

So glad Moreland is gone...I hope the show survives another year and gets back on track. 

Why do you think he's gone?  John Noble was made a regular this season.  If anything, he'll likely show up even more next season.  Which is awesome news to me.

[WendyCR72]

15 minutes ago, johntfs said:

Why do you think he's gone?  John Noble was made a regular this season.  If anything, he'll likely show up even more next season.  Which is awesome news to me.

TV Line announced John Noble is not going to be a regular for Season 5.

[LisaM]

While I liked seeing John Noble on screen - and love the way he speaks - I'll be glad to be finished with the father/son drama for now and get back to the normal case of the week with Bell, Gregson and Sherlock's band of assistants. 

[Lee4U]

Missed seeing Gregson (can do without Bell) - and, Fiona.  

I love J. Noble but did assume it was an arc this season and when he said he was leaving NYC in the scene on the roof, I figured he was gone as a regular. Maybe he will show up a few times or we will just hear about him or something.

I didn't see him do anything awful - but it doesn't mean he hasn't been doing some awful things that we didn't see.  I kind of wish he had been played so similarly to Walternet - I wish they had given him more zing or something - we know he can do it because his portrayal of Walter was divine and hilarious.  

Just because someone is supposed to be a serious badass doesn't mean they have to behave so stiffly and serious every single second.  There are loads of ways to play scoundrals - just wish they had portrayed Moreland differently and I, for one, will miss Noble. 

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

TV Line announced John Noble is not going to be a regular for Season 5.

 

9 hours ago, LisaM said:

While I liked seeing John Noble on screen - and love the way he speaks - I'll be glad to be finished with the father/son drama for now and get back to the normal case of the week with Bell, Gregson and Sherlock's band of assistants. 

I agree, John Noble does tend to dominate the space. I hope he might make a couple of quick guest appearances next season.

 

18 hours ago, Athena said:

Me too. I remember speculation that Jamie's mentor could have been Morland. It's unlikely now, but that would have been interesting too.

Sherlock's father now heads an evil criminal organisation founded by his son's ex girlfriend and nemesis. When you look at that way, this show is a soap opera.

Soap opera and/or Shakespearean. I've never watch GoT, but I understand they have a lot of intra-familial drama too.

[dargosmydaddy]

18 hours ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

Was he ever shown to be "just awful"?  I really didn't see any of it, all the "awfulness" seemed to be through the biased lenses of Sherlock.

Perhaps, but I think a lot of his interactions with Sherlock were pretty awful (and that was me seeing them, not hearing about it secondhand from Sherlock).

[HawaiiTVGuy]

42 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Perhaps, but I think a lot of his interactions with Sherlock were pretty awful (and that was me seeing them, not hearing about it secondhand from Sherlock).

In what ways?  I am really trying to think when it was so bad.  Sherlock with his bias didn't really seem to make their interactions the most "comfortable".  I don't think they were able to be together for longer than 10 seconds before Sherlock made a snide remark about Morland's domain in Hell.

[dargosmydaddy]

29 minutes ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

 

1 hour ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Perhaps, but I think a lot of his interactions with Sherlock were pretty awful (and that was me seeing them, not hearing about it secondhand from Sherlock).

In what ways?  I am really trying to think when it was so bad.  Sherlock with his bias didn't really seem to make their interactions the most "comfortable".  I don't think they were able to be together for longer than 10 seconds before Sherlock made a snide remark about Morland's domain in Hell.

 

I'll say upfront that I have a horrible memory for specifics, and I know there were M/S scenes that left me feeling bad for Sherlock that I can't remember in depth now. And I'm sure I am somewhat biased toward Sherlock, since he's the hero of the show, and of course the mileage of "awful" can vary greatly from person to person. If you don't think he's awful, that's fine. But to me, he seems shady in his business dealings (yes, we hear about most of them from Sherlock, but even with bias surely there are some grains of truth... plus his attempted manipulations of Joan were pretty shady, including showing up to confront her in the brownstone in a way he knew was hella intimidating, plus the lady from this episode saying that everyone wanted him to be the evil overlord instead of Vikner implies that he's ... done some pretty evil things) and he is a pretty shitty father (Yes, Sherlock plays a large role in the animosity of their interactions nowadays, but sending his grieving young son to boarding school without any kind of emotional support-- and yes, I know he had his reasons (if we believe his side of the story, which may be just as biased as Sherlock's), but that's still awful-- and there are some things he said to Sherlock this year that were awful things for a father to say. Overall he's someone who comes across as enjoying being intimidating for his own gain, and even if this intimidation is an act and he's not actually doing anything that terrible, to me that qualifies him as a mean/ awful person.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

1 hour ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I'll say upfront that I have a horrible memory for specifics, and I know there were M/S scenes that left me feeling bad for Sherlock that I can't remember in depth now. And I'm sure I am somewhat biased toward Sherlock, since he's the hero of the show, and of course the mileage of "awful" can vary greatly from person to person. If you don't think he's awful, that's fine. But to me, he seems shady in his business dealings (yes, we hear about most of them from Sherlock, but even with bias surely there are some grains of truth... plus his attempted manipulations of Joan were pretty shady, including showing up to confront her in the brownstone in a way he knew was hella intimidating, plus the lady from this episode saying that everyone wanted him to be the evil overlord instead of Vikner implies that he's ... done some pretty evil things) and he is a pretty shitty father (Yes, Sherlock plays a large role in the animosity of their interactions nowadays, but sending his grieving young son to boarding school without any kind of emotional support-- and yes, I know he had his reasons (if we believe his side of the story, which may be just as biased as Sherlock's), but that's still awful-- and there are some things he said to Sherlock this year that were awful things for a father to say. Overall he's someone who comes across as enjoying being intimidating for his own gain, and even if this intimidation is an act and he's not actually doing anything that terrible, to me that qualifies him as a mean/ awful person.

Oh OK, I was thinking I had missed something specific that was said or shown.  I totally buy he isn't a "good" guy, as I have mentioned before, I am thinking he is the corporate fixer type, who will bribe and blackmail to get what is needed to be done, and probably has a wide breadth as to what type of person or entity is a worthy client. 

[MisterGlass]

Morland is a deeply gray character.  Sherlock portrayed him as evil and negligent in past seasons, but I thought they showed a fairly balanced take in this season.  He really is a lot like Sherlock.  He likes to win.  He cares about a few specific people.  He isn't bound by the law.  He's manipulative.  He doesn't give up.

He tried to make amends with Sherlock, and when that didn't work he tried to spite him with the truth about Sherlock's mother.  That didn't work either.  He seemed to settle into the idea that they would never be close, but still doesn't want to see Sherlock harmed.

I think he embodied Sherlock's description of him as a shark.  I'd like to check in on him and his new position in the future.

[emma675]

Quote

I imagine Jamie is delighted and charmed at the idea of Sherlock's father taking over her organization.

And I wonder if she is or not? I also wonder how she's reacting to Vikner being killed, he was the father of her daughter, after all. Jamie is just so complicated I feel like she could react any which way.

They also mentioned Jamie and Vikner's daughter quite a bit these last few episodes. I wonder if we'll see her next season?

[rubyred]

21 hours ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

In what ways?  I am really trying to think when it was so bad.  Sherlock with his bias didn't really seem to make their interactions the most "comfortable".  I don't think they were able to be together for longer than 10 seconds before Sherlock made a snide remark about Morland's domain in Hell.

Morland has always seemed to be trying really hard to bite his tongue despite Sherlock's sniping goads, and he mostly succeeds, but a couple of instances come to mind: last episode, when he flayed Sherlock (with words) when Sherlock wouldn't tell him who murdered Sabine, and earlier in the season, with the "btw, your mom was a junkie" reveal. When Morland's control snaps, you could see immediately why their father/son dynamic is so damaged. What made those moments even more poignant (for me) was Sherlock's complete lack of surprise at his father's vitriol.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

4 hours ago, rubyred said:

Morland has always seemed to be trying really hard to bite his tongue despite Sherlock's sniping goads, and he mostly succeeds, but a couple of instances come to mind: last episode, when he flayed Sherlock (with words) when Sherlock wouldn't tell him who murdered Sabine, and earlier in the season, with the "btw, your mom was a junkie" reveal. When Morland's control snaps, you could see immediately why their father/son dynamic is so damaged. What made those moments even more poignant (for me) was Sherlock's complete lack of surprise at his father's vitriol.

Totally my impression.  IMO, Sherlock and Morland have a dysfunctional relationship cemented in years of emotional detachment and mistrust, but I never felt that Morland was a particularly "bad" person and that most, if not all, of Morland's biting comments to Sherlock were warranted or typical emotional reactions of anyone (as in the case of wanting to know who Sabine's killer(s) was/were).

[iMonrey]

I tend to agree it's time to put Morland on a shelf for a little while. I thoroughly enjoyed the long arc he played a part in this season but having him around on a regular basis changes the dynamic on the show and makes Sherlock and Joan feel like underlings. I look forward to seeing them work on some new cases that have nothing to do with Morland.

I also agree the whole case became somewhat confusing because so much of it is exposition delivered by Sherlock. For that reason, I tend to find myself rewinding and replaying several conversations because all the little plot points and details are tied up in those conversations. Once I had a grasp on those details it didn't feel like the plot was overly complicated, but it's so easy to lose the thread if you don't pay attention to everything Sherlock is explaining to Joan.

And finally, I found the ending to this episode very sweet without being sappy. That's tough to pull off.

[7-Zark-7]

I'm trying to figure out Sherlock and Watson have stayed alive so long, considering they just answer their front door without the first clue who is on the other side, despite knowing that people occasionally want to kill them.  You'd think they'd set up a video camera by now.

[jhlipton]

On 5/10/2016 at 6:35 PM, Vermicious Knid said:

I imagine Jamie is delighted and charmed at the idea of Sherlock's father taking over her organization.

On 5/9/2016 at 2:51 PM, HawaiiTVGuy said:

I also think that Morland, in his success, has shown that there can be profit for all made without the violence, and I am sure that this is something he is going to strive to change within the Moriarty organization, not really dismantle completely.

Not only is Morland taking over Jamie's organization, but he plans to legitimize it as well. I wonder what she'll think of that!
 

[roseha]

I think I need to re-watch the finale, since I watched a recording of it with the picture and sound going badly out of sync half way through, but a couple of things made me wonder.  Did Morland know that Vikner was going to be murdered, would he be considered on some level responsible?  And also, while Sherlock didn't want to involve Gregson or Bell in the intended frame up, would they ever find out what really happened?  Would this remain an unsolved case to them?

I was glad they didn't end on a cliff hanger this year; and I think the season kind of came full circle with Joan reaffirming her loyalty to Sherlock in refusing to move out.   The idea of matching up her sister with Marcus seemed a way of providing a bit of a light-hearted last line for Sherlock I think (!)

[Athena]

45 minutes ago, roseha said:

I think I need to re-watch the finale, since I watched a recording of it with the picture and sound going badly out of sync half way through, but a couple of things made me wonder.  Did Morland know that Vikner was going to be murdered, would he be considered on some level responsible?  And also, while Sherlock didn't want to involve Gregson or Bell in the intended frame up, would they ever find out what really happened?  Would this remain an unsolved case to them?

I think Morland knew that Vikner would be killed when he took the offer to be new CEO of Evil Inc. You can't really have competitions. Besides, Morland didn't weep over it especially since Vikner put the hit on Sabine and Morland. I don't think it was the first time Morland was indirectly responsible for someone's death.

The case was solved or went cold when Vikner was killed. It does appear fishy to probably Gregson and Bell, but what can they do really.

[jhlipton]

3 hours ago, Athena said:

The case was solved or went cold when Vikner was killed. It does appear fishy to probably Gregson and Bell, but what can they do really.

What case is there. really?  They caught the guy who bombed Morland's office, and Vikner will have left a note at his office that he's left for Nepal or the like. 

[fauntleroy]

I would like to have seen how Vikner was killed. Not the gory bit, I mean plot-wise. Wasn't he surrounded by his henchmen? Was every single one of them bought out? That seems unlikely/preposterous.

ETA: ...or were all simultaneously informed they had a new boss, without him getting a whiff of something being up? Assumes 100% loyalty by henchmen to organization rather than individual which again, seems counter to human nature so hard to believe.

Edited May 25, 2016 by fauntleroy
additional thought

[HawaiiTVGuy]

21 hours ago, roseha said:

I think I need to re-watch the finale, since I watched a recording of it with the picture and sound going badly out of sync half way through, but a couple of things made me wonder.  Did Morland know that Vikner was going to be murdered, would he be considered on some level responsible?  And also, while Sherlock didn't want to involve Gregson or Bell in the intended frame up, would they ever find out what really happened?  Would this remain an unsolved case to them?

I was glad they didn't end on a cliff hanger this year; and I think the season kind of came full circle with Joan reaffirming her loyalty to Sherlock in refusing to move out.   The idea of matching up her sister with Marcus seemed a way of providing a bit of a light-hearted last line for Sherlock I think (!)

I don't think Morland is someone who would have absolute moral qualms to killing, like Batman, but I don't think he is the immoral monster that Sherlock believes either.  Given the choice of Vikner's life and his own/Sherlock's well-being, Morland is not the type to lose any sleep over the decision.

11 hours ago, fauntleroy said:

I would like to have seen how Vikner was killed. Not the gory bit, I mean plot-wise. Wasn't he surrounded by his henchmen? Was every single one of them bought out? That seems unlikely/preposterous.

ETA: ...or were all simultaneously informed they had a new boss, without him getting a whiff of something being up? Assumes 100% loyalty by henchmen to organization rather than individual which again, seems counter to human nature so hard to believe.

My feeling is that the henchmen were "organization" henchmen, and that they had no direct loyalty to Vikner himself, once Morland accepted the position, the rest of the organization that was seeking to replace Vikner gave the necessary orders.

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

...My feeling is that the henchmen were "organization" henchmen, and that they had no direct loyalty to Vikner himself, once Morland accepted the position, the rest of the organization that was seeking to replace Vikner gave the necessary orders.

You mean like from Moriarity?

[jhlipton]

6 hours ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

I don't think Morland is someone who would have absolute moral qualms to killing, like Batman, but I don't think he is the immoral monster that Sherlock believes either.  Given the choice of Vikner's life and his own/Sherlock's well-being, Morland is not the type to lose any sleep over the decision.

My feeling is that the henchmen were "organization" henchmen, and that they had no direct loyalty to Vikner himself, once Morland accepted the position, the rest of the organization that was seeking to replace Vikner gave the necessary orders.

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

You mean like from Moriarity?

Or the Iranian woman.  (I think Sherlock cracked her "impossible code".  I noticed he was analyzing it intently.  We may find out next season.  Or not.)

[HawaiiTVGuy]

15 hours ago, jhlipton said:

Or the Iranian woman.  (I think Sherlock cracked her "impossible code".  I noticed he was analyzing it intently.  We may find out next season.  Or not.)

Yeah I was thinking it was the Iranian woman, she seems to be an obviously high-ranking member of the organization who obviously did not want Vikner at the head of the organization and was part of the lobbying group for Morland.  The interesting thing is that Vikner obviously did not have the bubble of protection that Moriarty had over Sherlock and Watson.