Why I think Eurus knew that Sherlock was in love with Molly

 (Sherlock meta by cherish--these--times)

I think we can all agree on the fact that Eurus had no interest in hearing Molly Hooper say the words ‘I love you’.

She wanted Sherlock to say it. Like Mycroft says: ‘This is all about you. Everything here’. She went as far as engraving the words on the coffin, placed artfully in the middle of the wall for all to see. Like the title at the top of a music sheet. Not so dumb an image. In that room, I felt that she played Sherlock like she would an instrument (the countdown set up the pace of her musical composition and, like a true conductor, she would be in charge of the tone of the piece ”Softer, Sherlock”).

But I digress. As I said, the lid of the coffin is a dramatic way of announcing what was to come. This was more than an I Love You scene. This was The I Love You Test.

Sherlock’s test.

Now. And this is where it gets quite good.

If hurting both Sherlock and Molly by making her believe that he was in love with her but actually wasn’t was the purpose, Eurus could have just urged him to say the words to save her life by changing the deal to:

Molly must say ‘I love you too’.

In fact, that would have been ideal. Sherlock would have been horrified at the prospect. Perhaps once and for all associating love with destruction and it being the ultimate emotional manipulation. He would have said 'I love you', we know he would have. He would have done anything to save her, as we all witnessed.

Three possible outcomes:

1. He says it and doesn’t mean it: Molly is happy and says the words back. She’s saved. But Sherlock loses her forever in the aftermath. 
2. He says it and doesn’t mean it. Molly doesn’t believe him and therefore doesn’t say it back. More likely since she can see ‘through his bullshit’. As we know, there was no bomb. She is still saved. But Sherlock loses her forever in the aftermath. 
3. He says it and means it and Molly says it back. They live happily ever after and have plenty of babies.

Actually, I’m fine with option 3.

But no.

Eurus didn’t do it like that. She sees things ´beyond the scope’. She knew Molly would want Sherlock to say it first. Say it like he means it. As many of you noticed, Eurus aka The Therapist heard John mention that Molly would be able to tell. Eurus doesn’t understand love, or what it looks like. Unlike Molly, I am personally unaware if she is able to see through Sherlock’s acting skills at first glance.

Choosing Molly is a smart choice.

Not only because I truly believe Eurus suspects she is Sherlock’s hidden heart, his overlooked pressure point, but also because Molly would be the only one able to confirm if yes or no, he really meant it. Or at the very least sounded like he did. Molly Hooper is Eurus’ very own living and breathing lie-detector. Perfect to confirm her suspicions. If the cameras have been there for a while, she probably witnessed Sherlock coming in and out of Molly’s house and take her bed. That enigmatic out-of-the-blue anecdote finally makes sense if you see it that way. She suspects that Sherlock is in love with Molly Hooper. He just doesn’t know it yet. The I Love You Test, him saying the words, is evil and perfect for her emotionally constipated brother to come to the same conclusion.

In fact, when Molly orders him to say the words first, Sherlock does a double take and turns automatically to his sister. As if to say: So this is what you were after.

From a villain’s perspective, this is by far the best option for Eurus to spread havoc in her wake and make her point. As we could see, both parties ended up miserable. Molly thinks Sherlock made fun of her and Sherlock must now deal with waaay more feelings than he thought he had before entering the room. Not to mention the fact that he hurt a very dear friend and perhaps lost the woman he might just be in love with. A love hidden in plain sight. Well, he always misses something, doesn’t he?

And worse? It was all for nothing. His sister knows this is the best way to get to him. Push the right buttons. Break the walls he so carefully constructed around himself ever since Redbeard. A point of no return.

Mark Gatiss said it: Molly is ‘very Key’. The one person that mattered, that counted, that could ultimately make Sherlock Holmes scream in despair. Destroy a coffin with his bare hands out of helplessness, rage, confusion, sorrow.

The coffin is a nice analogy, actually.

By breaking the coffin, by tuning out everything else and expressing his agony over hurting someone he deeply cared about, he marked the demise of his former self. Forever gone is the High-Functioning Sociopath, for all the world to see. Molly is The Key. Eurus opened him up with it. With her. Vivisection. You go, Eurus. You’re horrible. But thank you .

Lastly, I will add that yes, I do believe he does love her in a romantic way. Why?

From a pure storytelling point of view, suggesting otherwise would mean Eurus (and the writers) have been staging the hell of a show just so he would admit to something that everybody already knew. That he loves her as a friend. ‘You’re my friend, we’re friends.’ Would be a bit anti-climatic, don’t you think?

If anything, I think this episode was about confirming as well as exposing Sherlock’s love in every shape or form to the audience.

Familial = > Mycroft (last test of Sherrinford), Rosie (proud, tender and playful godfather at the end of the episode) and Eurus (Seek my Room).

Friendship = > John (the well), Mrs. Hudson, (whom he wants to protect from the explosion at 221B), Victor (he had a best friend in his early years and loved him very much), Lestrade (he calls him Greg).

Sexual History (perhaps romantic?) => Irene (the music he composed for her on his violin).

Romantic love => Molly (I love you).

I will conclude with BC’s words that sum up Sherlock’s growth quite well throughout The Final Problem. And in hindsight, what ‘Sherlock’ has been about since Day One:

Love Conquers All.