It’s interesting to note that… (Regarding Sherlock's type)

 (Sherlock meta by justaminion, mychakk and theleftpill)

justaminion:

When Eurus wanted John’s attention, she impersonated a vivacious, confident woman who found him attractive.

When Eurus wanted Sherlock’s attention, she impersonated a slightly awkward, pretty, but vulnerable woman who needed him to save her.

What, therefore, might we deduce about Sherlock’s “type?”

mychakk:

Wow, that’s a pretty interesting observation. Meta bunnies attack, sorry, they make my hijack this post….

Notice that the description of the woman Eurus impersonated for John fits Mary exactly to the bone. She was John’s type through and through. Warstan <3

Also, which other woman on the show fits that description? A certain Dominatrix. But instead of John, she finds Sherlock being attractive. And since John wants Sherlock to be happy, what does he do? He shoves Sherlock toward her. In John’s mind it’s a perfect match, but in reality, it’s him himself who subconsciously finds her attractive. He’s projecting his own type onto Sherlock when he thinks of his best friend in a relationship with a woman. That’s why John’s first thought is Irene when he makes his speech in TLD, why he thinks of her first when they deduce the coffin. She’s [...] John’s type. It’s also why, Molly never crosses John’s mind.

For all his consideration, John has never found Molly attractive, she’s too stammering and stuttering, too eager to please, too shy for his liking. He’s always dismissing her importance, because subconsciously she’s not the type of woman worth his noticing. It may sound harsh, but it’s simple rules of attractions I suppose. And, like I said, John has never been attracted to Molly that way. Well, except that one Christmas, when Molly dolled herself up projecting false confidence. Both John and Lestrade drolled over her while it was the only time Sherlock openly disliked what he saw regarding Molly. Because the thing is, that’s not what Sherlock actually finds attractive.

I’m probably in the very minority of our fandom, but I’ve never seen any attraction toward Irene on Sherlock’s part. That’s was my very first impression when I watched ASiB, then I went online and was bombarded with all the Adl0ck stuff, even in the Sherlolly stories/posts and it made me start doubting myself. Must have missed something, I thought. It took me a while to rewatch ASiB, as I needed to brace myself for all the supposed Adl0ck there, and surprise, surprise, my first impression was only confirmed on my second and third viewing.

I will never deny that Sherlock was very intrigued by Irene and fascinated by her intelligence, brainy is the new sexy indeed, but she was intriguing only as a case. She’s not his type, so while it stroked his ego, her obvious attraction to him, he wasn’t moved that much by it. I do think that by the end of the episode, he was seriously entertaining the thought of giving it a go with her, but then she showed him her cards when they met in the plane - she had ruthlessly played him in order to get to Mycroft for Moriarty.

I think in this moment Irene herself destroyed any future possibilities for Adl0ck. Her betrayal was like a bucket of cold water that allowed Sherlock to crack her pass code. She was a worthy and capable, not-to-be-underestimated adversary and having her in his corner owing him her life was too much an opportunity to pass up, so he saved her in Pakistan. Plus, no matter what, he’s a caring man, and she was vulnerable and in need of being saved.

Do I think they did the deed in Karachi? No. He denied her once again. She betrayed his trust, and trust is something he values very much. Was it hard for him to turn her down? Definitely. Like I said, she was vulnerable and in need of being saved, and that IS his type.

Now what is really Sherlock’s type? A slightly awkward, pretty, vulnerable woman who needs him to save her. But that’s only the surface. Notice, that Eurus impersonated a woman with morals stronger than family bonds, a woman strong enough to do what’s right no matter the cost and consequences for her (she was supposedly betraying her own father). That takes courage, inner strength, and determination. And that’s even more attractive to Sherlock than the initial description.

We all know who fits that bill. Molly. Time and time again she has proved to him her strength, resilience, her determination. She has stood by him, catered to him, but has never been afraid to stand up to him, even back in season 1 she called him on his behaviour when Jim was introduced. Even back then she was quite determined in asking him out. And courageous. On top of that she’s awkward and pretty. And yes, Sherlock has always found Molly pretty – you do not notice lipsticks, pounds gaining, breasts, etc, just because. And even if you do, you do not point it out loud. Sherlock finds Molly physically attractive, her character traits are also ones he values much (those can also be applied to John, Lestrade, Mrs. H), and she’s the most trustworthy person he knows. And this is the final seal on the deal.

I mentioned above that trust is something Sherlock values very much if not even the highest. Irene destroyed any possibilities for any future Adl0ck by betraying Sherlock’s trust. And I think Sherlock is incapable of being intimate with someone he cannot trust. Molly on the other hand is someone who saved him, his friends, and maybe even England. Molly took all in stride and for two years harboured his secret. Molly welcomes him at Barts trusting him with her work place, welcomes him at her own home, trusting him with her private life. And Sherlock trusts her in return, with his life, with his plans, with his vulnerability. It’s canon he trust her more than he does even John.

Molly’s always been his type, Molly's always been the one.

theleftpill:

I disagree with your take on Adl0ck - while I do agree that the attraction isn’t an emotional one, I do think Sherlock is physically and definitely intellectually attracted to her. My pov is that Irene opens the door to the possibility of connection and attachment for him; she’s a safe person to experiment with, to indulge with, because there are no stakes attached. I agree that she’s destroyed any trust he could have in her, but that wouldn’t preclude him from exploring the involvement. (And I don’t feel Irene has a problem with this.) She definitely echoes for him - appearing in his mind palace, the picture in the Victorian watch, still texting after all these years. There is something there that can’t be dismissed.

But your observation about John is a revelation - yes, [...] I completely see Mary in Elizabeth. But wow, John - It makes perfect sense that John would encourage Sherlock to go after a woman he felt was attractive. And why he doesn’t see Molly.

But Sherlock does. You’ve nailed that completely.

mychakk:

It’s fine to disagree, I know I’m in minority on this Also formulating reply clarifies my own views. I definitely see your point, especially if your take on Sherlock is that he can be intimate without a shared trust. I can’t. And I just realized it ties up with my view of him being unable to find himself worthy of love in any form. I explained this in one of my earlier posts, just don’t know how to link it here yet… But I definitely agree with you about Irene opening Sherlock to a possibility - I also wrote that in the post I cannot link here. But to me Irene opened Sherlock to the possibility of being attractive to someone the way he is (brilliant, passionate, driven etc, not just for his looks), she finally managed to convince him, and then she betrayed him. (Also Molly does exactly the same thing in her quiet unassuming way - she shows her attraction to him, except she doesn’t betray him, and later on in The Reichenbach Fall she proves to be trustworthy like no one else). I think that Irene is a double edged sword in Sherlock’s Mind Palace - on one hand she represents a captivating woman being attracted to him, his indulgence in being attractive to someone (The Sign of Three) on the other hand she’s a harsh reminder of sentiment being a disadvantage that can kill you (the locket in The Abominable Bride). But that’s me. The best part in fandom is we can have different opinions.

justaminion:

I’m so glad my little post helped start this insightful discussion! (and that people can disagree so politely, Sherlollians are the best).

I like the Steven Moffat quote about Sherlock and Irene’s idea of a night of passion being to meet up every so often to rescue the other one and then run off again.

Regarding intimacy and trust, I agree with you. I think it’s interesting that the “I don’t count scene” with Molly demonstrates that Sherlock already lets Molly see his vulnerabilities, which he hides even from John. He doesn’t make the conscious decision to trust her, he just does.