Is Sherlock a compulsive liar?

 (Sherlock Meta by Ivy Blossom)

tykobrian:

Is Sherlock –for a lack of better term- a compulsive liar? I mean the way Sherlock was focusing on the importance of serviette making in criminal (?) investigation instead of answering Mary’s question rang a few bells. And before Mary pointed out that his fibbing won’t work on her like John (?) it didn’t even occur to me that he would be exaggerating for this simple matter. I mean Mary was already impressed to begin with! And so what if he did learn it from youtube, it’s still cool! Thoughts?

Ivy Blossom:

A Sherlock is not a compulsive liar. What he is, most definitely, is a man with a big ego and low self-esteem. He knows that John thinks he’s dashing and brilliant, as well as charming, dangerous, and sexy with his flipped collars and his cheekbones.

Of course sharp-as-a-tack Mary can see right through Sherlock the way that John can’t; John sees Sherlock through the buttery light of his intense adoration. John expects Sherlock to have an amazing story about how he learned to fold napkins. He can’t conceive of Sherlock as an ordinary man, because to John, Sherlock is always, always extraordinary. Either he’s extraordinarily terrible (”You machine!”) or he’s extraordinarily spectacular (most of the time). An ordinary person learns to fold napkins on youtube. Sherlock Holmes would not be so ordinary!

Sherlock Holmes is indestructible, unflappable, untouchable, and emotionless. He wants to be a high-functioning sociopath, probably never more so then right then. Sherlock has an appearance to keep up, but only for John.

Especially just then.

Sherlock might be married to his work, but he doesn’t care about cases or criminals while he’s folding napkins. At that moment, he’s terrified that he’s only got John back in order to lose him again to his impending marriage. He’s having a serious emotional crisis and is trying to act like he isn’t, wouldn’t, and couldn’t. He’d just learned how to not be alone, and suddenly he’s about to be alone again. He’s in an absolute state, but he’s trying to make sure John doesn’t notice.

Is that a lie? I suppose so. But it’s not compulsive. He’s doing it for a good reason.