Written by Hannah Rummel

(You can read about the best quotes from A Study in Pink here.)

It seems that when a Sherlock fan is asked which episode is their favourite, this is the normal response: “I don’t know. They’re all really great, but I definitely know it’s not The Blind Banker.” Despite the negative responses to this episode, though, I know that I personally enjoy The Blind Banker every time I watch it. With it being only the second episode, it’s helping introduce us to John and Sherlock as we see just how the two interact in their newly established lives together. And, as such, it gives us some great quotes from the pair of them.

Although there are many brilliant lines in this episode, I’ve tried to narrow it down to the most notable and quotable five.

5. “I need to get some air. We’re going out tonight.” – Sherlock Holmes

John: Actually I’ve got a date.
Sherlock: What?
John: It’s where two people who like each other go out and have fun.
Sherlock: That’s what I was suggesting.
John: No it wasn’t. At least I hope not.

Can John ever catch a break from Sherlock when it comes to his dating habits? At this point in the episode, Sherlock has already worked John to the point of exhaustion to where he falls asleep at work. Wanting a simple break from the case, he asks Sarah, his new supervisor at work, out for a date. Of course when John informs him that he will be out for the night, Sherlock doesn’t comprehend it at first. However, Sherlock later proves he totally understands how dating works when he gets John and Sarah tickets to the Chinese circus… and then invites himself.

4. “God, I need to sleep.” – John Watson

Poor John. As mentioned above, Sherlock really pushed John’s physical limits on this case. While the consulting detective can simply ignore such things – as he says in the pilot, everything apart from his brain is “just transport” – and focus on the case, John is more human in the respect that he needs a decent amount of sleep every night.

3. “Shh! John, concentrate! I need you to concentrate. Close your eyes.” – Sherlock Holmes

John: What? Why? Why? What are you doing?
Sherlock: I need you to maximize your visual memory.

It always cracks me up when I watch this episode and see how uncomfortable John looks in this situation. Imagine it yourself: You’ve just moved in with a man that you’ve literally just met. His brother has tried to pay you to spy on him and the police force believes he is secretly a murderer. (He also lets you go on cases with him though and you enjoy that.) All in all, you know that your new flatmate is not a people person – then suddenly he grabs you by the shoulders (you’ve never even seen him touch anyone before!) and spins you around in circles. Can you imagine all the thoughts going through John’s head?

2. “What does it tell you when an assassin cannot shoot straight? It tells you that they’re not really trying.” – General Shan

I think this was one of the most intense moments in this episode. General Shan has just abducted John and Sarah from 221B. John wakes up, disoriented from being banged over the head, and finds a gun pointing directly at his head. When Shan pulls the trigger and the gun simply clicks instead of firing, John is greatly relieved, as would anyone in that situation. When Shan cocks the gun again, John knows now that it is serious business and that the next pull of the trigger will not be a dry fire.

1. “I’m Sherlock Holmes and I always work alone because no one else can compete with my massive intellect!” – John Watson

John: You’ve gone all croaky, are you getting a cold?
Sherlock: *wheezing* I’m fine. 

Personally, I think this is one of the most quotable lines in the entire series let alone this episode. This scene has an excellent clash of sarcastic and drastic, a theme set up from the beginning when we saw John arguing with a chip and pin machine while Sherlock was fighting an armed swordsman. The sarcasm kept the attitude light, despite the dire situation – a combination that makes for a standout Sherlock moment.

Bonus moment: The Infamous Pen Toss

Fun Fact: Ben and Martin actually accomplished this epic toss using a mirror on the first try, however there was a technical malfunction with the camera so they had to do it over again.

Did we miss your favourite quote? Leave it in the comments below!