Rewatching Sherlolly: The Blind Banker

 (Sherlock meta by justanotherfangirls)

 Another set of ramblings and speculations, this time on The Blind Banker. Here Sherlock shows off his fighting skills, John shows him how he can overlook the simple things, and we are introduced to some remarkable women. We also get Sherlock and Molly flirtation with confusing motivations. Everything’s good.

In this episode, we get to see a nicer side of Sherlock in varying levels of sincerity. He can appear innocent and foolish enough to lock himself out of his flat. He can also listen quietly and respectfully while a girl recounts the darkest moments of her life, never once interrupting because he is bored, or sneering at her sentiment and emotion. He can comfort a girl who had barely escaped a life-threatening situation. He can even flirt to get what he wants. For the first one he’s pretending. For the next two he seemed more sincere. But the last one, I can’t be too sure.

The first time I watched this scene with Molly, I easily dismissed it as him flirting with her to see the bodies, sort of like a comedic stunt throughout the series. Fast forward to the very last episode where he tells her she’s always counted. That was very clever indeed, and for me easily the biggest twist of the series, yet. There arises the question, So when does always begin? Maybe it’s somewhere along the way that the two became friends. But what if it means, from the beginning, like the actual definition of the word? This is my point in rewatching, actually. It just gives their scenes a different kind of light.

The scene starts with Sherlock approaching Molly with his attempts at small talk, jokes and flirtation. Of course Molly knows he’s doing it so she would help him, she said so in her blog. Explains her initial refusal. But Sherlock then pays her a compliment saying her hair suits her, which is just like saying he finds her pretty. And so she decided to give in. He is adorably awkward here, and so unlike his more assured, confident self when he talks deductions and logic. Not very experienced at flirting, then, despite being a good actor anywhere else. Safe to say Molly is one of the chosen few he treats this way. In the whole series she is the only one shown.

And because it is Sherlock, he drops his smile once Molly wasn’t looking, and checks his watch. In his logical mind his only goal is access to the bodies. But to start with, he lets Molly have her dinner (his first line was, what are you thinking, the pork or the pasta?). He evidently waits for her as they are together on the next scene. It can explain why he looked at his watch and frowned. It also didn’t show him leaving her there. I believe he sat with Molly while she ate, if only so that they could start as soon as she’s done.

Somebody had pointed this out already, but Sherlock’s intentions are, on second thought, less clear. Why would he make such an active effort to do something he is obviously not that good at when he could have other ways to convince her? He might just ask DI Dimmock to show his badge, it might even be quicker that way. He might deduce her or twist some words seeing that he’s good at acting. He did not even tell her the simple truth that two victims were murdered, they are connected, and he needs her help to prevent another one. Instead he says, 'you’ve changed your hair' and 'it suits you better this way'. It would not be so far fetched to think he enjoys this on some level.

In the next scene, we see that he has his full attention to her, stares at her smiling even when she’s not looking. He never once did look at DI Dimmock until after the tattoos were shown. Seems they had maintained that kind of atmosphere throughout dinner. Up until the moment she opens the body bag, he stares at her with a gentle expression on his face, almost with a smile. And I just think, well, maybe as early as here, she already counted.