His Last Vow Sherlolly Analysis

 (Sherlok meta by coffeewithsugarplease)

[...]

The first instance of Molly in this episode is when John says he is going to ring her. Now, this was interesting. John now calls Molly by just “Molly”, instead of her full name like in previous episodes. They have spent more time together and they are more familiar with eachother. He relies on her to provide him with a proper test result, knowing she will do it well and won’t try to protect Sherlock. When John says he’s abut to ring Molly the camera shows us Sherlock and you can see his reaction. He seems like he’s annoyed that John is making such a fuss and now he’s gotten Molly involved. He’s almost cringing that Molly will have to get a way from work to handle his piss and she also knows then he’s been back on the drugs. He doesn’t want Molly involved. He doesn’t seem to care Mary is there, but he doesn’t want Molly to know.

Now, onto the lab. A drugs test can take hours, but that is only if they are looking for particular substances. Molly was just looking to see if there was anything in his urine. The time- passed isn’t that long as Mary is still wrapping up ‘Billy’s’ wrist. So I would say about 15-30 mins have passed while they are all in the room, as Mary would have had to find the bandage – perhaps Molly provided it after she found out what has happened.

Here is the good bits… You ready… I watched this on slow-mo to ensure I got it all right. This is MUCH better than I thought it was.

While Molly is doing the test, Sherlock is looking away from everyone. Now this man is high, quiet, looking and smelling worse for wear. He’s embarrassed it has come to this, and perhaps a little annoyed. He didn’t seem to mind John finding him on drugs (he introduced himself), he didn’t mind when Mary saw him… but now he minds. Because Molly is there. Molly is taking time out of her day to test his own piss for drugs and he hates it.

Molly is now visibly angry. By the way she answers John I would say he wasn’t just a little bit high, he had a lot in his system. She snaps off her gloves and strides over to him. She squares up to him. No longer is Molly afraid to be close to him. She is so angry, because she risked her job and her freedom (what she did was illegal) to save this mans life and he is throwing it away. She’s upset and furious. If you look at Sherlock here he doesn’t make eye contact. When John speaks about the test “Clean?” he looks at John, but then back at the floor. He doesn’t look at Molly. Not until she is right infront of him about to slap him. She squares up to him. The camera shows us both their stances.

The first slap takes him by surprise. In this shot we see them both.

Then the second time Molly licks her lips and slaps him again. It is interesting to note that we are shown Molly’s face when she slaps him, and his face afterwards. It’s all about her hitting him, and all about him receiving it and realizing something. If you look closely at his face after the second slap he doesn’t look as shocked as before. It’s like he’s realizing her slaps are bringing him out of his high a little. He’s focusing. (might be why she does it in the mind palace but more about that later). After the second slap though she STILL cannot look her in the eye. When his head comes back around his eyes either go above her, or down at her coat. He can’t meet her eyes.

We see John’s reaction now, John actually gulps after the second slap. The final time she slaps him we see her face again, but this time it’s not anger, it’s pain. Her face is different. Sherlock then decides he doesn’t want to be hit anymore and nurses his face. Stopping her from continuing. He’s trying to focus and make sense of things – he’s still high, he looks away blinking. But her expression is still firm. Still no eye contact. He’s uncomfortable because he’s hurt her. Molly is fierce and calls the shots. We see both of them again now. Sherlock is still leaning on the counter, rubbing his face and Molly is still standing unyielding and straight.

We then get another glimpse of John, he’s watching them, watching the obvious change in their relationship. Note that when we see them again John is in the foreground, he’s behind Sherlock. He could he shown to be in-between them, but they have decided to put him off to the side – Sherlock’s side. John is not getting between them.

Molly speaks now, “How dare you…” She uses strong words. Dare, betray. Demanding he says sorry. She is truly hurt he has done this to himself. She cares enough about him to behave like this. But then he goes on the offence.

Only here does he make eye contact… briefly. When he mentions her engagement, infact it’s even on the word “engagement” he looks at her and then proceeds to either look to the side or above her.

Now she is really angry, the pain has gone and she’s angry again. Her teeth are gritted, her eyebrows are dipped and her nose is scrunched up. That’s an angry face of ever I have seen one. Molly Hooper is not backing down.

John then chimes in, we see Sherlock once again looking above Molly and not at her. Then Sherlock makes eye contact with John, then to the floor, then to Molly’s coat. Only for a few moments of John talking he gets frustrated. Now Molly had a go at him for a lot longer. Sherlock closes his eyes and gets visibly angry, then he turns to John (with his eyes still closed) and opens them on John and releases his anger on him, NOT Molly. They bicker for a bit and Molly seems surprised Sherlock can still deuce I this state.

Another good moment was when Sherlock got a text message he looks at his phone as says “finally”, then Molly asks “finally what”. Billy then says “good news?” Sherlock replies to Billy not Molly by saying “excellent news” and looking at him. He only looks at Molly again when he says “excuse me” Molly is the last person he sees in the room, as he gazes over her last. Then flings “for a second” into the air above them.

Ahhhh the mind palace…

I had this thought. “Betray the love of your friends”. When Mary shoots him, he feels betrayed. Might mean something, might mean nothing – but who said that to Sherlock… Molly. Then all of a sudden we see her. It’s also good to note that Sherlock only looks at her once during his mind palace scenes. Just once also.

Molly pops up with humor. In her coat. Ready for business. Behind him – always behind him. She’s got his back. Wearing the SAME CLOTHES as she was when she slapped him, wearing the same hair style and the same lipstick. It was THAT MOLLY that engraved it’s way into his mind. They have known each other for years, and she has worn some pretty colorful stuff in the past. But he didn’t want to remember those moments of Molly – He wanted to have THE moment of Molly, when she stood up to him. When she showed she was no longer a mouse. As seen here.

It goes all white and she gets serious and sciencey, Sherlock is on the table, but she is talking to the standing Sherlock. She is telling him about the wound. Then she starts talking to the Sherlock on the table. It goes all blurry when she talks to the table Sherlock. She slaps him to make him focus. Then a second time. She notes she’s in his mind palace, then tells him how much time he has. This is the 2nd time he makes eye contact in the whole episode. When he NEEDS her. She is standing over his body and talking to his standing self.

Then she’s asking the questions. But when she tells him he’s right about the blood loss, he looks surprised she’s there. She’s supportive when she’s asks about the exit wounds. Mycroft isn’t, he’s logic in Sherlock’s mind. Molly is reassuring him, asking him questions and keeping him focused. Mycroft is smarmy, insulting and belittling him too. Molly tells him to fall on his back, then she and Anderson swap.

Molly is once again behind him as he falls. Like a trusting exercise. Molly is calm, when he goes into shock. Sherlock s not. Once again Mycroft is smarmy “don’t go into shock, obviously”.

Then he starts to fit and MOLLY is in the same place as Redbeard. When he went to the dog it was some sort of corridor. That was him finding something to relax. Then he starts to lose his cool and he falls onto the carpet in the room. But then Molly shows up in the same ‘lets be calm, think of something calming’ corridor and instructs him again, once again behind him.

When Moriarty is in that little room, he tells Sherlock about the people who will cry. He mentions, Mrs. Hudson, The Woman, Mary and John. No mention of Molly.

I’m not sure why, but it’s something I picked up.

Then onto the bolt hole…

Right after his Brother, we see Molly. She was the next person to go to after his own brother. She has a sandwich, Satsuma, coffee and no ring. It's not known who is talking to her. But her hair is off to the side. Her fingers are fidgeting.

“Just the spare bedroom, well my bedroom. We agreed he needs the space.”

This is after he is shot. So it’s natural she is worried about him. The only bolt hole she might now of is her room. When she mentions her room she get a mixture of seriousness and fangirling. She then takes a drink to stop herself saying anymore and looks off into the distance, trying not to make eye contact with whoever is interviewing her.

Now I took this as Sherlock might stay over [at] hers, but he might kick her out of her room, or use it when she’s [working] nights. I don’t think it means they share a bed platonically. It also might mean that she knew about Janine and that Sherlock needed to escape from her now and then, and felt jealousy towards Janine. Again I don’t know for certain. Perhaps you can shed some light on it.

I personally think it’s telling he made minimum eye contact with her. He was clearly ashamed of how she saw him. Considering during the first episode before she comes over he is tidying himself up the mirror for her arrival at 221b. Now he looks like shit and she is seeing it.

Well there you go. [...]