Rat — Wedding — Bow — Hints to Sherlock Season 3

Last year Steven Moffat hinted at the titles of the three episodes that would be part of the second season of Sherlock with these three words: "Woman. Hound. Fall." It turns out, of course, that the episodes aired were based on, respectively, "A Scandal in Bohemia" (the "woman", as in Irene Adler); The Hound of the Baskervilles (the "hound"); and "The Final Problem" (which took place on Reichenbach Falls).

A couple of hours ago the series creator teased fans with three words for next season: "Rat. Wedding. Bow."

Almost certainly "rat" is in reference to "The Giant Rat of Sumatra", an unpublished adventure. In "The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire", Holmes mentions to Watson the case of the Giant Rat of Sumatra, referring to it as "a story for which the world is not yet prepared".

"Wedding" could refer to "The Noble Bachelor", a bride who disappears on the day of her wedding to the titular character. Of course it could also refer any of several stories involving Watson's own marriage plans.

Finally, and possibly most sadly, "bow" most probably refers to "The Last Bow", the last story in which Sherlock Holmes appears. If so, it would also mark the end of this television series, which given the increasingly hectic film schedule of star Benedict Cumberbatch, seems more and more likely.

Sherlock hasn't begun production on its third season yet, and it isn't expected to air until Fall 2013.