On Mrs. Hudson’s Assumption

 (Sherlock Meta by norwegianpornfaerie)

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the “I’m not gay” scene between John and Mrs. Hudson. It bothered me from the get-go, because it didn’t make sense. Yes, the show is soaked in queerbating to the eyeteeth, but even in that context it didn’t make sense - it simply doesn’t work as a joke. We know for a fact that Mrs. Hudson knows John and Sherlock were not a couple. We know that she’s known about John’s girlfriends - she set out food for John and Sarah on their date, invited girlfriends to Christmas parties, etc. etc. In A Scandal in Belgravia, she and John have a discussion about Sherlock’s relationship to Irene, wondering about the nature thereof, and pondering Sherlock’s past relationships and orientation. She knows all of these things, and she’s not portrayed as an idiot. Nor is the scene played like ‘ditzy old woman is a bit batty’ - Una Stubbs plays the scene very (sorry) straight; if anything, she seems concerned for John. There is a hint of nervousness about her, as though she’s afraid of saying the wrong thing. She’s careful, and tries to make light of things. Why? What’s going on?

Here’s my theory: Mrs. Hudson genuinely thinks John and Sherlock are closeted queer men.

Note: Not OPENLY gay; closeted. And queer, not gay. Someone will have to correct me if I’m wrong here, but throughout the show, Mrs. Hudson never uses the word ‘gay’ to refer to John or Sherlock. Mrs. Hudson lives in the world we see portrayed in the show. She sees the exact same things we see, and her conclusion is that John and Sherlock are in love. This is significant: What Gatiss, inadvertently or not, is saying here, is that a sensible person who lives with John and Sherlock for years, naturally assumes they are queer, and in love.

Anyone would worry about John getting married so soon after Sherlock’s death, no matter what they thought about his sexual orientation and relationship to Sherlock - John suffered a massive trauma, which is not exactly an ideal time in which to form a long term relationship. If we suppose that Mrs. Hudson thinks John had a romantic and/or sexual attachment to Sherlock, again, her actions make sense: She tries to make light of things. Put yourself in her situation - wouldn’t it be easy to assume that John has panicked and is diving head-first into a relationship that won’t make him happy?

(Do I think this is the intended reading? Probably not. But it’s not impossible. And beyond anything else, it’s a very plausible reading, as I say, regardless of what is intended. And an important one, IMO.)