What was Mycroft going to say?

  (Sherlock meta by penelope1730)

Q: In The Final Problem, towards the end of the ILY scene, Mycroft steps forward and says, "Sherlock, however hard that was..." What do you think he was going to say?

A: [...] Great question and one I’ve thought about a lot. I think there’s a multitude of answers that would fill in ‘the blank’ nicely. My initial thought when I first watched the scene is that Mycroft was going to offer words to console…perhaps something along the line of reminding Sherlock that Molly is alive and for now that’s what matters - he would be able to explain everything later and make things right.

That answer still makes sense to me because, in that moment, that’s what’s true and about the only thing Sherlock has control over. Mycroft can see that Sherlock’s been laid vulnerable and wants to help him regain some emotional balance. It’s interesting to watch that part of the scene, as John has been taken out of the frame leaving only Sherlock and Mycroft. Watching Mycroft’s reaction when Eurus tells Sherlock he “lost” is very telling - as though Mycroft now has a full grasp of Eurus’s end game.

I think it’s also important to consider what Mycroft knows, not just what he might have said. He’s learned that Sherlock and Molly love one another, but it was a forced acknowledgement, which left both in a place of emotional pain and uncertainty. For as tough and cold as Mycroft can be, we’ve discovered his soft side that allows romance and sentiment - especially where his family is concerned.

So, whatever Mycroft was going to say - I believe it was fueled with the knowledge that his brother is in love and that Molly’s loss would have been unbearable.

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