The scene with Mycroft and the gun

 (Sherlock meta by dragonsbain and enigmaticpenguinofdeath)

dragonsbain: The scene with the gun. I've seen every possible variation on the Mycroft does not have the stomach to kill someone joke. I was having a hard time believing Mycroft has never killed someone. Being affiliated with MI-6 and all. Until I really looked at his face. He is horrified. Why is he horrified? Eurus has killed. Sherlock has killed. If he kills as well, what would he become? I'm sure that's what he was thinking. What do you think?

I think the gun scene shall forever be a topic of debate! Because there’s no right or wrong answer, it’s all just how you see the character and speculative justifications. The short answer is just the writers wanted to have John presented with a need to shoot an innocent(ish) person and refuse; to mirror the choices in the different games and bring it back around to being all about him (as ever) Sherlock needed to pick who did it, and this way we got to develop Sherlock & Mycroft’s relationship some more in the process. Sherlock assumes Mycroft should be able to take care of the problem - and that he would do it to spare the more overtly emotional about such things John from having to do it. But Mycroft lets him down, and a bit more faith in Big Brother solving his problems gets chipped away.

I’m pretty sure Mycroft has killed, or caused deaths anyway - certainly indirectly, and certainly on his say-so. That’s what his job would involve, making the sorts of decisions that lead to terror cells being snuffed out, and prioritising one need over others, finite resources and all. He used to use AGRA and they didn’t go around tickling hostage takers to release prisoners. There are many logical reasons why someone could be content to take a life in one situation and not another. That’s exactly what John did - he shot the cabbie, and refused to shoot the governor. Who’s to say Mycroft hasn’t killed when the need arose, but equally refused to kill an innocent man in cold blood, under duress, when flooded with guilt for causing the whole situation and in the midst of the worst family reunion since that time Mummy kept telling him off and got potatoes on his v important laptop, Sherlock drugged him then shot someone in the face.

And after all Mycroft would have shot that clown in self defence if the gun still had bullets in it. That clown totally deserved it too.