Mycroft's attempted sacrifice

  (Sherlock meta by almecria and thecutteralicia)

almecria:

I’ve been reading lots of reviews for TFP these past few days, some with very valid points, and others that make me think we didn’t see the same episode.

One of them is a theory claiming that Mycroft decided to sacrifice himself because he knew Sherlock would always choose John over him. I have to respectfully disagree with that statement (sorry).

In my opinion (which I share with myself), the situation at that point of the episode is more complex than that.

- Mycroft knows his brother, whatever people can think. Maybe not his little habits (that knowlege, one can only acquire by living in close quarters with another person), but he knows how Sherlock functions, and how he typically reacts.

He knows that, despite the barbs, the insults and the threats, Sherlock loves him almost as much as he loves his baby brother. Let’s not be mistaken, Mycroft is a deeply flawed character, the epitome of emotional constipation, but there is no doubt he did the best he could to keep his brother safe (and let’s be honest here, with Sherlock Trouble-Magnet Holmes, it must not have been an easy feat).

So he knows that Sherlock loves him. He also knows that Sherlock loves John. He knows Sherlock is at his most vulnerable, Euros has been relentless in her mental torture game, and the conversation with Molly was the final straw. His brother is barely hanging there, and he is once again presented with an impossible choice: to kill his blood, or to kill his adopted family. I don’t think he feels like his brother will betray him for John, I think he knows it will be impossible for him to choose (Mycroft is his brother, but John is his friend. Mycroft saved his life countless times, but so did John. Mycroft looked after him for years, but if John dies what will happen to Rosie? etc., etc.).

- In addition to that, every new torture designed for Sherlock must feel like a brutal punch in the gut for Mycroft, because this is all his fault. The whole Moriarty debacle, the two years away, all the deaths Euros caused in the facility, every bit of Sherlock’s suffering… All. His. Fault. 

He was the one who couldn’t stay away from Euros in the first place (I’ll even theorise that these puzzles he brought her were his misguided attempts to steer her back into the Light, like he did with Sherlock), the one who agreed to bring her treats. And now, he who is never wrong, the great strategiser, is faced again and again with the consequences of his utter failure. In normal circomstances, it must be extremely difficult to get a Holmes brother to admit that he is wrong. But in these desperate circomstances, it must kill him.

- We know Mycroft never goes in the field (except this one time in TEH), and there’s a great difference between ordering assassinations from afar or sending men to war “for the greater good”, and actually seeing men get killed right in front of his eyes. Sherlock may be at his most vulnerable during the episode, but so is Mycroft.

So, as a way to atone for his many sins, as a way to save his brother from further heartbreak (and probably as well, because John has a child to come back to, and that John would be able to help Sherlock cope with his grief better than him, his own brother, if the situation were reversed), he decides, as usual, to take matters into his own hands, and to make the choice for Sherlock. It’s incredibly selfless, it’s the ultimate proof of love, and I refuse to see it reduced to simply “he knew Sherlock would always choose John over him”. It’s an insult to the character of Mycroft, and he deserves better.

Sorry for the rant, I had to get it off my chest.

thecutteralicia:

Wonderfully said. I think Mycroft also saw how John emotionally held up Sherlock through the ordeal. If Sherlock had shot John, there is no way Sherlock could continue, either there or in life. I don’t think Mycroft believed he could ever help Sherlock through that, but was confident that John could help Sherlock overcome Mycroft’s death.

I will quibble with one thing: I don’t think - at least until this episode - that Mycroft knew how much Sherlock loved him. The brief scene where their mother chews Mycroft out and Sherlock defended him was introducing a new facet to their relationship.

I think Mycroft believed Sherlock needed him and was dependent on him, but not loved him truly. I think we caught a glimpse of the Holmes family dynamics and why Mycroft probably grew up believing that no one truly loved him, but needed him for his function. Therefore he became the most efficient thinking machine he could.