Let us never forget a very simple, very textual fact

 (Sherlock meta by theleftpill)

Anonymous: Let us never forget a very simple, very textual fact. After remaining composed upon learning he had a psychotic sister, after watching 5 people die a senseless death, after 4 seasons of mostly managing to remain composed and focused in the face of death, danger and betrayal, our haughty, superior hero needed to be calmed down by others FOUR times within the span of a just few minutes because of Molly. All three people witnessing his call to Molly had to intervene to calm him down at some point.  

theleftpill: What was the word he used to describe the experience? Oh yes - “vivisection.” Being flayed alive. He didn’t say that when he was forced to shoot John or shoot Mycroft; it wasn’t vivisection when forced to choose between murdering his friend or his brother. It was vivisection when forced to reveal his feeling for Molly. 

And keep in mind the basic storytelling element of escalation: the conflict gets bigger the further you go. The ultimate horror would be Sherlock killing himself. The next worst horror would be Sherlock murdering his friend, then his brother. Where does Molly fall in the arc? Right near the top. It’s not the first test, it’s not even in the middle. It’s the second most horrific test Sherlock could be made to face, and it’s the one that breaks him. 

Tell me again how “I love you” was all just a lie.