How conventional is the narrative structure of Sherlock?

The BBC flagship series of Sherlock created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, both challenges and stays in
the confines of conventional narrative structures used in the crime genre. The USP of the narrative -
being the use of science and forensics - has been replicated in such programmes like CSI, rather than
gut instinct.
The opening scene of the series final The Reichenbach Fall begins with Watson and his
psychiatrist with higher focus on both his psychiatrist and himself than the rain outside. The rain is a
narrative code as it provides the audience with Watsons emotion, a technique called pathetic
fallacy. The camera then uses a close up of Watsons face showing his emotions. Immediately these
two codes provide a sense of enigma to the audience. Sherlock Holmesis dead. Is followed by the
title sequence which is then followed by a flash back which indicates that the narrative has gained a
non-linear addition. This is clearly anchored by the subtitle 3 months earlier.
In the scene where Moriarty breaks into Pentonville Prison, Tower of London and the Bank of
England, the audience is directly positioned with Moriarty but his movements are very enigmatic.
The classical music adds to this enigma as well as the computer code that flies on to the screen. This
computer generated effect of zooming into the binary code is not a conventional feature of crime
genres, but this adaptation of Sherlock has been modernised to display twenty first century
technology. For example, the use of a smartphone and apps is another unconventional feature.
The final scene in which the antagonist (Moriarty) and protagonist (Sherlock) both meet which is
conventional of the crime dramas. The use of St Barts Hospital is an indexical code as it is the oldest
hospital in London, the indexical recognition within the episode is shown using iconic landmarks of
the city. This is conventional of crime dramas as it allows the viewer to have a cultural capital and
provides those specific viewers with the ability to display foreknowledge. The lexis used within the
dialogue at last or the final problem coupled with the violin scores are key signifiers of a
crime drama. Throughout the final scene, the frequency of close ups and extreme close ups
increases which show the emotions of the characters, particularly Sherlocks. Another key
convention is the ultimatum that was set by Moriarty, which creates a kill yourself to save your
friends situation for the protagonist.
The phone call at the end where Sherlock leaves his note is a very typical convention where the
dialogue is directly tapped into the call and allows the audience to have a first person perspective,
however the text messages that they exchange about their rendezvous on St Barts rooftop is
directly shown on screen. This allows the audience to see Sherlocks thought processes directly and
gives the audience a path to follow. That is a modern addition to the story of Sherlock Holmes.