Most absolute fool in Europe: Twisted Lip discussion

In this short story with a title straight out of a Western, Holmes hosts a sleepover and gives a man a bath. "The Man with the Twisted Lip" is perplexing not only for where it's ended up in our chronology, but for its red herring plot twist full of questionable decisions. What does the opium den represent in the Victorian imagination, and is it as racist as it sounds? How does this story explore the malleability of British social class and identity? Should the New Yorker unionize? And why on earth does everyone think Watson's middle name is HAMISH? All these answers and more in today's episode.  Content warning: This episode contains drug abuse and addiction, racism, and some particularly Doylish lies between husband and wife. A transcript of this episode is available here: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/transcripts Find recommended reading, more stories, info about the show and more on our website: https://www.howeverimprobablepodcast.com/ https://twitter.com/improbablepod