Monday, Monday: Why trust that day? [Sherlock Holmes]

[DomaDoma]

As this regards The Final Problem, the Doylist answer to that question is well-known and not very interesting. Watsonian takes only, please.

So, Holmes' entire scheme against Moriarty hinges on Monday, April 27, at which point everyone involved can be apprehended at a stroke. Moriarty knows this (and Holmes knows it), but it is nonetheless unavoidable, and even a surprise that Moriarty himself manages to escape it. However, acting prior to that Monday would be catastrophically premature. And let us assume for the sake of argument that no magical notebooks are imposing time windows.

What are some possibilities that could make this specific date so special?

[comicshorse]

Most of Moriarty's minions are common crooks and men of low caliber. Obviously they spent the weekend getting insensibly drunk. So come early monday morning they will all be in bed, sleeping it off. So easily found, unprepared and likely crippled by hang overs

[Hopeless]

Someone Moriarty normally relies upon has taken that day off due toa family commitmment he can't avoid.
Contrary to his nature Moriarty takes time off to insure those duties are observed by the underlings he has to rely upon and in the process escapes the net as it launches.
Shocked that merest chance allowed him to escape such a cunning plan he reasons who was behind it and using what details he has on the detective's activities decides to confront him.
Of course Sherlock evades him until he reaches THAT location.

[Tvtyrant]

As this regards The Final Problem, the Doylist answer to that question is well-known and not very interesting. Watsonian takes only, please.

So, Holmes' entire scheme against Moriarty hinges on Monday, April 27, at which point everyone involved can be apprehended at a stroke. Moriarty knows this (and Holmes knows it), but it is nonetheless unavoidable, and even a surprise that Moriarty himself manages to escape it. However, acting prior to that Monday would be catastrophically premature. And let us assume for the sake of argument that no magical notebooks are imposing time windows.

What are some possibilities that could make this specific date so special?

The Queen will be in town on that day. While the Queen is in town a minor crime Moriarty's men are committing becomes a major crime, but then goes back to being minor the next day when she leaves. She is arriving by train, so Moriarty takes refuge in having tea with her while his organization is being arrested.

[Sermil]

Oh, Holmes forgot to mention to Watson that Moriarty is 17. (Yes, he's a professor; he's really brilliant.)

If you arrest him when he's 17, he goes to juvie for a few days and he's out. April 27 is his birthday when he can legally be charged as an adult.

However, what even Holmes had no way of knowing was that Moriarty was born at 11:30PM. He was arrested 10 minutes shy of being 18 years old, and therefore all the charges were thrown out.

[Hopeless]

That was Moriarty's son or nephew you can never be TOO sure with him, THE Moriarty was actually a teacher of Sherlock Holmes when he was still at school...
Still that just means he inherits whats left of his father's or Uncle's Criminal Empire and starts rebuilding it...

[Fyraltari]

This was Sebastian Moran's birthday party and the whole criminal network was invited.

[comicshorse]

This was Sebastian Moran's birthday party and the whole criminal network was invited.

And that would be EVERYBODY. You don't want to piss off the good colonel by not attending his party

[Hopeless]

Except it turned out he wasn't invited to his own party... Sherlock Holmes cunning plan worked in a fashion!

Didn't stop Moran trying to shoot Sherlock Holmes afterwards mind you, I guess when he found out he immediately queried what cake was ordered...

It apparently wasn't pineapple, he wasn't happy!