Young Sherlock ending explained: What happened with Silas Holmes?

*Warning - contains full spoilers for all eight episodes of Young Sherlock.*

Following a twisting, turning eight episodes, the first season of Young Sherlock came to close, with the titular detective wrapping up his first case – one which became incredibly personal.

Sherlock discovered that a web of murder led back to his own father Silas, and a deadly nerve agent which he had been attempting to sell on, bringing danger and chaos to the globe.

But what was Silas actually doing, how did Sherlock's long-dead sister Beatrice factor in and what happened to Princess Shou'an, who had been out for vengeance.

Read on for everything you need to know about the ending of Young Sherlock.

Young Sherlock ending explained: What happened with Silas Holmes?

Throughout Young Sherlock, it became clear that Sherlock and Mycroft's father, Silas, wasn't all he appeared to be. In actual fact, while suffering from money troubles some years prior to the series taking place, he had had his wife Cordelia committed to an asylum, in order to stop her from separating their finances and leaving him penniless.

He had also become wrapped up in a scheme to create and sell a deadly nerve agent, which had been cooked up at Oxford University and tested on a Chinese village.

The programme was paid for by the British government and run by Bucephalus Hodge, but the nerve agent's creator Professor Malick, had turned on Hodge and killed him, in order to sell it to the highest bidder – Silas.

While Silas planned to sell this first back to the British government on an exclusive basis, he also intended to double cross them, selling it on to governments around the world - anyone who would pay.

In the finale, Shou'an blew up Silas's stockpile of the nerve agent, before she, Sherlock and Beatrice hunted down Silas. Beatrice and Shou'an wanted to kill him, but Sherlock resisted their calls for his death, saying British justice should prevail.

However, as he bled out from a bullet wound, Silas embraced Sherlock, before throwing himself off a cliff to his death.

Why did he fake Beatrice's death?

Silas had faked Beatrice's death and stowed her away so as to drive her mother and his wife, Cordelia, mad with grief. Silas then used this as an opportunity to have her committed to an asylum, meaning he could take power of attorney and take control of the family finances.

Beatrice had lived with an adoptive family for some time, until she had become curious and been introduced to her real father. After that, Silas took her under his wing, seeing a ruthlessness and intelligence within her.

He had told her that her mother had been abusive due to madness, explaining why she had to be taken away. However, Cordelia later managed to convince her of the truth, turning Beatrice against Silas.

What happened to Shou'an?

Having killed those who were behind the massacre of his village and the death of her parents, and witnessed the death of Silas, the fake Princess Shou'an found peace, and wished Sherlock success in his future endeavours.

She returned to China, and in the last moments of the finale was seen tearfully reuniting with her friends and family, telling them that she had accomplished her duties.

Where did we leave Sherlock, Moriarty, Beatrice and Mycroft?

At the end of Young Sherlock, Sherlock himself was seen working out a code his father left him, leading him to a key. Mycroft urged him to leave it be, which Sherlock said he would do.

Later, he met up with Moriarty, who unbeknownst to him was in a relationship with his sister Beatrice. Moriarty and Beatrice had agreed to keep in touch and work together, before she snuck out of view so Sherlock didn't see her.

As the finale came to an end, Mycroft revealed that he still had the formula for the nerve agent. He told Sherlock that he had kept it so that he could make an antidote, should the nerve agent get out into the wider world. However, Sherlock appeared to be having some early doubts about his friend.

As the finale came to a close, Sherlock chose not to divulge that he had found his father's key (and taken it, against Mycroft's wishes) - with cracks starting to show in their friendship and their trust between one another.

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