Understanding John’s forgiveness of Mary 

(Sherlock Meta by anotherwellkeptsecret)

Question by bbenedicted:

I want to see what your opinion is on something from His Last Vow- When John was accepting Mary back on Christmas, did that seem ooc to you at all? I mean, there have been several times when John killed a man because Sherlock was about to be killed (Ex. A Study in Pink) and offered to give up his life so Sherlock would live (Ex. The Great Game). Sherlock would have died when Mary shot him is John didn't come. I know Mary is his wife, but I just thought it was a bit odd of him compared to S1 and S2.

Answer by anotherwellkeptsecret:

Of course it seems OOC. And there’s a very good reason why.

The show time-skipped the six months between John discovering that Mary isn’t the Mary he thought he knew and accepting the Mary he’s come to know. Six months. Wherein he doesn’t speak to her, apparently. Possibly doesn’t live with her, as evidenced by Sherlock’s preemptive redecorating of the flat.

Remember what John said to Mary after Sherlock reoriented him in the living room of 221B? He told her that THEY would decide whether they wanted her or not. He’s putting a shit load of faith in Sherlock at this point because he feels like he can’t trust himself, I think. He values Sherlock’s opinion even when Sherlock’s opinion doesn’t jive with his own. Sherlock is his ballast, just as John is Sherlock’s conductor of light.

So six months. Weighing the hardest decision of his life. And we see none of it. It’s reasonable that the experience has changed John. And hurt him far more than we can tell. Because the two people he loves the most have both lied to him and what does that leave him with?

I know people are upset about John taking Mary back. I understand why. But the fact remains that we have no idea how Sherlock influenced him or why Sherlock vouches for Mary despite the fact that she nearly kills him. Sherlock is ridden with guilt. He loves John Watson more than he loves himself. And he mistakenly believes that John Watson’s love for him is a human error, regardless of how much he’s moved by John’s affection. He’s coming to terms with letting John go. Letting him go to Mary. And something about Mary must inspire Sherlock to determine that Mary will protect John with her life, her everything, and she proves it to his face. Or to his chest. Too soon?

So we’ve got John, hurt beyond my imagining, and Sherlock, who probably knows how the encounter with Magnussen will end, more than likely rooming together again and feeding off each other’s greatest hopes and worst fears. Sherlock encouraging John to stay with Mary. Because who is going to take care of John when he’s gone? And dead?

John is not the same John we know. Not after everything.