The importance of Molly's absence in THoB

 (Sherlock meta by kathleenkellly)

There is not much written about THOB that is Sherlolly related, which makes sense since Molly does not appear. I think, however, that Molly’s absence from the episode actually reveals a lot about Sherlock and Molly’s relationship that carries over into TRF.

During the scene in the Baskerville lab, Sherlock is analyzing the sugar looking for the presence of a drug. He gets extremely frustrated. Dr. Stapleton and John are talking to each other and are of no help to Sherlock. He’s all on his own looking for the answer and ends up throwing the slide at the wall in frustration, something I don’t see him doing in Molly’s presence.

Sherlock is missing Molly at this point. He needs his lab partner. Like John, Molly is someone Sherlock needs to test his theories on, someone knowledgable enough to provide feedback. While John is helpful in other areas, chemistry and lab work are not his strengths.

In TRF when he needs to analyze the footprint of the kidnapper, Sherlock immediately goes to Molly. “I’ve got a lunch date.” “Cancel it. You’re having lunch with me.” He simply won’t do the analysis without her. When they start working, they’re a team. Molly keeps him calm and focused.

Sherlock calls her 'John', but John is important to his work. The fact that he confuses her says a lot. In the lab, Molly is his John, his crime-solving partner. Right after this, Molly blows Sherlock’s mind by correctly deducing him, something John has never been able to. Sherlock suddenly looks at Molly in a whole new light. This woman sees right through Sherlock and knows exactly what’s going on. He doesn’t fool her. She asks him what he means when he mumbles “I owe you”. He tries to blow it off, but Molly won’t let him. She proceeds to let him know that she is aware that something is going on and that he should tell her because she can help him. From this point on Sherlock knows that Molly is the one person that matters the most to him, the person he can turn to in his darkest hour.