Sherlock is actually a girl’s name.

 (Sherlock meta by notagarroter)

Can we talk about this moment a bit? I mean, really? I just finished watching my way through the entire series for the umpteenth time (really fifth, I think), and every time this scene makes me a little angrier.

I know the usual fandom reading. Everyone focuses on the previous line, “John, there’s something … I should say; I-I’ve meant to say always and then never have. Since it’s unlikely we’ll ever meet again, I might as well say it now.”

And they get their hopes up in whatever way suits them. I love you, I yearn for you, you complete me, you had me at “here, use mine.” Whatever they are picturing, it is not “Sherlock is actually a girl’s name." And so that statement is read as a joke and as a disappointment. And all the focus is on what Sherlock really meant to say.

Here’s the thing: I don’t think it’s a joke. And that makes this scene so much more heartbreaking for me.

In some sense, of course it’s a bit of a joke. But it’s not one Sherlock’s been planning for ages. It’s a response to what John said only moments earlier.

SHERLOCK: William Sherlock Scott Holmes.
JOHN: Sorry?
SHERLOCK: That’s the whole of it – if you’re looking for baby names.
(John chuckles.)
JOHN: No, we’ve had a scan. We’re pretty sure it’s a girl. (x)

Sherlock asked John to name his baby after him. And John said no, on an extremely flimsy excuse. So Sherlock asked again. And John laughed.

I don’t want to know what Sherlock "really” meant to say. I want to know, what was so damn funny about Sherlock’s request?

Of course we, the audience, know that Sherlock’s exile will only last five minutes, and he and John will be reunited shortly. But Sherlock doesn’t know that. Sherlock believes he is being sent to his certain death. And even if John doesn’t know that, Sherlock explicitly tells him “it’s unlikely we’ll ever meet again." Doesn’t that mean anything to John?

Sherlock has no children, and (there’s reason to believe) he never will. John is supposed to be the closest person in the world to him, and he has a baby on the way. Would it kill him to name this child after the most important man in his life? The man who sacrificed everything – up to and including his very life – to protect John, his wife, and his child?

Surely everyone knows that the gender argument is bullshit. My sister Karen was named for my mother’s uncle Charlie, who died in WWII. This happens ALL THE TIME. Especially after a war, many girl babies are named for recently deceased male loved ones, to honor their memory. Usually they are given feminine versions of the name – Georgina, Patricia, Josephine – but it’s not unheard of for parents to just flat out give a girl a traditionally male name, for rememberance.

And that’s not even to mention how many traditional boys’ names have been used for girls just out of fashion or whim. Paris, Dylan, Ashley. Nor to mention that "Sherlock”, being extravagantly rare as a name for any human, can’t seriously be said to have a strongly gendered association.

And then there’s Sheryl, Sherla, Sherleen, etc. if you insist on being REALLY gendered about it. Or take William and do the traditional Wilhelmina. There were LOTS of options.

Why won’t John give Sherlock this one thing? Forget the passionate kisses and grandiose declarations of undying love. This is what Sherlock asked for, and there’s every reason to believe it would mean a great deal to him. To be remembered, in a significant way, by the person he cares about the most. To have a small piece of him passed down to the next generation.

Goddammit, John. What’s the matter with you? Why won’t you name your daughter Sherlock?

I can’t even wrap my head around how wounded Sherlock must be that John laughs off his suggestion.

Naming the baby

 (Sherlock meta by notagarroter)

Q: Mary told John she gets to name their baby. Maybe he already suggested Sherlock and Mary vetoed it? That's why he's trying to play it off?

A: I assume this is a response to my earlier meta, Sherlock Is Actually a Girl’s Name.

What you suggest is possible, but… I don’t see any evidence for it on the show. Why would Mary veto the name? And why wouldn’t John just tell Sherlock that, if it were the case? It’s not that I can’t imagine plausible answers to these questions, it’s just that they aren’t in the show – it would be pure speculation.

It’s true that there is a scene in this very episode where John asks Mary for naming rights to the baby and is denied. So it’s not unreasonable to point to this as an explanation for why John laughs off Sherlock’s proposal in the tarmac scene – maybe John has no say in naming the baby.

But let’s look again at the dialogue between John and Mary.

image

JOHN: I choose the baby’s name.
MARY: Not a chance.
JOHN: Okay.

I’d say there’s more than one possible interpretation of this exchange. (Please indulge me in a bit of sarcastic hyperbole here.) Some fans read John’s line to mean, “I want a fair and equal part in raising our child,” and they read Mary’s response to John as meaning, “I hate you and am basically evil, and am therefore denying you any parental role at all. Also btw the baby isn’t yours, and I’m probably not even human, but an odious abomination released from the depths of hell for the sole purpose of thwarting pure, true, holy love such as that between you and Sherlock.” :P

There is another possible reading, however. Given the context of their relationship, and assuming neither person is angel or demon, but are complex, imperfect humans, we might conclude that what John means is, “I’m still really angry about your deception, so as payback, I’m demanding the right to name our child without consulting you at all, because I know that will hurt you.”

To which Mary quite reasonably responds, “Not a chance, we will name the baby together, and we both retain veto-rights over truly objectionable names. Your anger is fair, but it’s no reason to let our kid go through life with a name like Horsefeathers McMonkey just to spite me.” And John agrees to this.

If we assume the second scenario is more likely than the first, then the polite, grown-up response to Sherlock would have been, “I’ll talk to Mary about it.” Of course John shouldn’t unilaterally decide on a name without discussing it with the kid’s mother, but Sherlock wasn’t demanding a yes or no on the spot – he was just offering his name up as a suggestion. And given the precise situation (Sherlock sacrificing his freedom and possibly his life for their well-being), it seems likely to me that Mary would have agreed.

As it happens, I don’t believe Mary is the reason for John’s refusal to name the baby after Sherlock. I’m more inclined to believe (as many have suggested) that John simply isn’t comfortable with the larger implications, i.e. that Sherlock isn’t coming back (supposedly). It’s an emotionally-charged situation, and John isn’t handling it well. He is giggling and joking and relying on humor to get him through a difficult conversation, just as he did at the scene of his own murder. Sherlock, for his part, knows that’s all John is capable of at the moment, so he’s playing along with it.

Also it’s worth noting that Sherlock’s line (“That’s the whole of it, if you’re looking for baby names”) is a clear call-back to ASiB, when John offers up his whole name as a sardonic commentary on Sherlock and Irene’s flirting. Since the original line was a joke (albeit with an emotionally-charged undercurrent), it’s not surprising that John assumes Sherlock also intends the same line in a joking way. And I think Sherlock sort of does intend John to read it that way – he’s deliberately trying to keep the conversation light, and avoiding the kind of sentimentality that would make both of them uncomfortable.

But he’s not cracking just *any* joke. It’s my contention that Sherlock intends a serious undercurrent to his little joke – he brings up the baby names lightly, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t sincerely important to him. My best guess is that, however John reacts in the moment, Sherlock hopes that in a couple of weeks, when the baby is born and Sherlock has disappeared, John will think back on this conversation and reconsider whether he might want to honor his friend in this way.

[...]

Sherlolly in The Sign of Three

 (Sherlock meta by ladylillianrose)

Okay let’s discuss the various Sherlolly things in The Sign of Three shall we? [...]

Firstly, Archie. Yes, yes I know not technically Sherlolly, but come on. You can’t tell me he’s similar to what a child of Molly and Sherlock would be like. Stubborn, curly haired, interested in murder, totally could be their child. And he causes Sherlock to sort of look at children differently, his little “hmm” when Archie comments on the maggots in the eyes being cool. Almost as though he’s thinking, you know kids aren’t that terrible when they’re not screaming or misbehaving. AND he technically solved the murder!

Then there’s the weird photograph moment with Tom and Molly. Molly is clearly attempting to give him a proper kiss, he is her fiance and they are at a wedding. But Tom seems reluctant and more focused on the photographer taking their picture. Wedding photographers (even the murderous ones) like to take a variety of photos, so an engaged couple who are friends with the bride and groom, kissing would be a sweet photograph. It just bothers me that Tom seems to almost be pushing her away.

And then of course there’s Sherlock in the background keeping an eye on his pathologist. Thought we didn’t see you there did you?

The Speech/Telegrams. Molly seems to be the only one genuinely concerned about Sherlock having to give the speech to a roomful of people. She knows that it’s completely different from when he deduces people, deals with the press, etc. This speech requires sentiment and emotions, which while he’s gotten better about them over the years, are still not terribly easy for him to express. And certainly not to a large group of people about his best friend. Both Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson believe he’ll be fine because they’re assuming it will be just like when he’s explaining about a case. He’ll ramble on, but have no issue delivering it to a room full of people because he’s a show off. But this is far more personal, and Molly understands that. Which is of course why she’s so concerned. And of course the telegrams will be full of sentimental messages, which she knows he’ll have trouble dealing with the wording of them (full of sentiment and nicknames, etc.).

And on the subject of her phoning Mrs. Hudson, she’s calling from work, her goggles specked with blood, in the middle of something (she still has one glove on and a tool in her hand) to discuss Sherlock and his role in the wedding. And then we of course see John talking to Sherlock about his role in the wedding, and what’s Sherlock doing? Experimenting with a blowtorch and a human eyeball. Please try and tell me they aren’t beyond fucking perfect for each other.

Then there’s the looks she keeps giving him throughout his speech. She’s smiling, biting her lips and fiddling with her engagement ring, all while looking at Sherlock and sitting a decent distance from Tom. She’s sitting closer to Lestrade than she is to Tom, which is incredibly unusual to be doing at a wedding when sitting with one’s significant other (unless you’ve had an argument or something, and this position is prior to Tom being a complete and utter idiot!).

Her face when he asks Lestrade about the murder, is priceless. She’s just trying to keep from laughing out loud because she knows Sherlock is teasing him and that Lestrade has given a ridiculous answer. And then Tom opens his mouth. The look on Sherlock’s face is one of polite behavior, almost as though he’s telling himself internally, “Be nice for Molly’s sake.” The minute he says anything Molly looks like she’s about to kill him. Firstly if Lestrade couldn’t come up with a decent answer she knows Tom’s answer is just going to be worse. And then he stands up awkwardly, so of course everyone sees and hears him, and gives his “meat dagger” theory. Which again has Sherlock refraining from making any comment apart from repeating “meat dagger” in a questioning tone and no. And poor Molly looks like if he weren’t standing she’d be giving him a swift kick to the leg. Her “sit down!” is totally in the tone of, “you’ve completely embarrassed yourself and me, so shut up and sit down.” Because we all know she’s an intelligent woman, so one would hope that she would find an equally intelligent significant other, which Tom is clearly not.

Then he goes to see her about the stag night. She thinks the murder scenes theme is odd, but then when she see’s what he means with the personal touch, she genuinely says “delightful.” She speaks/understands Sherlockease, so she gets that it’s meant to be a sentimental gesture. Hell if it weren’t a stag night Molly would probably be up for a pub crawl along the same theme. His coming to her about the “practical experience” is of course rubbish. She points out that he’s a graduate chemist, and we know he’s had a history with drugs (so of course he knows how substances and body chemistry work), so there’s no reason for him to come to a Pathologist for this data. And then when he fumbles about with Molly’s teasing (which I love that she’s able to do that with him) and then realizes that she’s teasing him he gets flustered. “You look….well,” was of course not what he was going to say. In the past he’d have complimented her in order to get his way, but he won’t do that to her anymore because she counts. And then there’s him actually making an effort to remember Tom’s correct name!!!! The man can’t remember Lestrade’s first name, and though it takes him a minute he remembers Molly’s fiance’s name because it’s Molly and it’s important to her. The not a sociopath comment is of course great, and I think people are misconstruing Molly’s comment of, “and we’re having quite a lot of sex.” It perplexes Sherlock, but it’s a connecting thought to the "not a sociopath", because Jim was a GAY sociopath. So she’s merely running with that theme. It’s just my theory, to be fair, but that was my first thought, Tom’s still not a sociopath, and she’s established that he’s heterosexual.

Then there’s when Sherlock realizes the Mayfly man is there. He says he’s come up with ways to kill friends and colleagues, and while he doesn’t mention Mrs. Hudson (because she’s like a second mom to him) he also doesn’t mention Molly either. Probably because he knows from first hand experience how Molly is capable of helping him fake his suicide so hiding a body or making a murder look like an accident would be simple for her. I see it as a compliment to her abilities and how highly he esteems them.

And Tom of course has to go and open his big mouth again, assuming Sherlock’s drunk. But apart from John, Mary (whom John told), and Lestrade (who had to be told by text), Molly is the only other one who gets that something related to the murderer is happening. Which of course is why she stabs Tom with her dessert fork, not even looking at him in regret (she doesn’t take her eyes off of Sherlock).

And finally there’s the reception. Molly doesn’t take her eyes from him the entire time he’s playing his violin, she’s in a spot close to the stage specifically for the best view of course. Then after he finishes his piece he tosses his boutonniere to Jeannine with Molly standing right next to her. She pulls a face, not the face of a woman who has a wonderful fiance (who she is standing far away from).

When Sherlock leaves, looking sad, as we’ve all of course pointed out the comparisons. Molly is of course the only one who sees. And you can see her struggling with whether or not to follow him outside (and oh how I wish she had!) but I think she reminds herself that she’s engaged, and continues dancing with Tom, almost sort of settling. She’d rather run after Sherlock and throw her arms around him, but she’s a good person and doesn’t want to hurt Tom and has decided to settle for less than what she deserves (not saying she doesn’t deserve to be happy, but come on we all know she is obviously not happy with Tom).

[...]

The Missing Reichenbach Solution 

 (Sherlock meta by notagarroter)

Moftiss et al love a cliffhanger, don’t they? It’s an old trick, beloved to writers and filmmakers since the early days of serial adventure dramas. In its most classic form, the hero is shown hanging off the edge of a literal cliff as the episode comes to a close, leaving the viewer desperate to find out if he will live or die in the next installment. Of course, the sophisticated viewer knows that the hero will almost always live (unless the actor’s contract has been canceled). But that doesn’t necessarily detract from the drama.

The last scene in The Great Game is a good example of this – our heroes are in a deadly situation, snipers behind them, explosives in front, and a semi-suicidal madman presiding over it all. How will they possibly get out of this? Tune in two years hence!

From a distance, the end of The Reichenbach Fall looks like another standard cliffhanger, the viewer breathlessly anticipating the promised resolution. But it’s doing something a bit different.

Contrary to tradition, this cliffhanger doesn’t end with our hero on the cliff. Instead, we get to watch him fall. We watch him hit the ground. And even more remarkably, we watch him come back to life.

Roll credits.

That’s not the usual order of things when creating a cliffhanger, but in this case it was necessary – this was a nod, of course, to the fact that the audience has known for over 100 years that Sherlock Holmes survives the fall. Moftiss have shifted our emotional energy from, “what is going to happen?” to “how did he do that?” That in itself is a neat trick, but that’s not all that’s happening here. Sherlock’s appearance at the end of The Reichenbach Fall marks a shift in the way this story is being told. A shift that was anticipated as early as the first episode, but is only now coming to full fruition. The Reichenbach Fall is a crucial moment not only in the narrative, but in the meta narrative of the show: Moftiss are forcing us to examine what it means to update this hero to our own era.

In the first season, it was possible to watch the show and believe that all you needed was a handful of mobile phones to bring the iconic Victorian detective into the modern age – very little else had to change.

But already in series 2, Moftiss started showing us the cracks that result from this uneasy melding of the old and the new: something about Sherlock Holmes doesn’t quite fit with our world. Mobile phone in hand, he nonetheless remains a bit of a throwback, not quite in step with the way we tell stories today.

Why is this? Season 1 Sherlock is the very model of the rational, coherent subject. This creature is a fantasy that has been with us since at least the Enlightenment, and was much beloved by Victorians as well. The rational subject may not have achieved complete mastery of the world around him, but he knows it to be possible. He (and he is always, necessarily a white male) believes in science and technology and progress, and that these tools will be enough to eventually unlock every mystery. The rationalist trusts his reason and he trusts his senses, especially vision – to properly see something is to understand it.

JOHN: Yes, how did you know? 
SHERLOCK: I didn’t know, I saw. 

Those who fail to understand have failed to see. The rational subject is also stable – he knows who he is, he understands himself, and he behaves predictably, reasonably, and coherently.

With the development of the Moriarty arc in season 2, we see that rationalist fantasy start to fall apart. We could argue the end of A Scandal in Belgravia marks the beginning:

The first sign of the irrational creeping into Sherlock. Then in The Hounds of Baskerville, we see a Sherlock who no longer understands himself.

He is not in control of his body, and can no longer trust his senses – particularly his eyes. He is becoming fractured, and he doesn’t handle it well. Then in The Reichenbach Fall, Moriarty, the imp of the postmodern, steals the show by deconstructing the mythology of Sherlock Holmes. Moriarty robs Sherlock of his good name, but even more damningly, demonstrates to him that his reason and intelligence cannot protect him.

Sherlock saw, but he didn’t hear – his reason failed when up against the clever, unpredictable madness of Moriarty.

Given this deconstructive narrative, what kind of “solution” to The Reichenbach Fall could we possibly have expected? As viewers, we like to imagine that we would have been satisfied with a single, coherent, perfectly explicated solution. But I’m arguing that such a solution would have been a betrayal of the larger critical work the show is doing, and would have been a disappointment in its own right. Many fans wished for a solution that brought us back to S1 Sherlock, perhaps to reassure us that reason will triumph over madness, and Sherlock Holmes may once again be the iconic, crime-solving master. But that was never really possible, nor should we want it to be – any more than we should want to return to the simplistic, dishonest, phony rationalism of the Victorian era.

Instead, Moftiss challenged us with a series overlapping, contradictory and unresolvable explanations for Reichenbach. We are teased with two that seem patently ridiculous before getting a third which *seems* like it will satisfy our yearning for a simple, straightforward “truth”.

And left unexamined, it does – a casual viewer can walk away from The Empty Hearse feeling like he got the answer to the problem.

But anyone who looks more closely will discover that even the third solution, in all its wondrous complexity, simply doesn’t work. The S1 fantasia of a Sherlock who can always explain what happened with perfect, rational precision has been broken down into fractured perspectives, a tension between public and private truths, logic that isn’t logical, mania (in the form of Anderson) that may be quite sane… Everything Moftiss taught us to trust about this universe has been questioned and unsettled.

Which brings us to the fourth Reichenbach solution – the one that was right in front of us all this time, but is rarely recognized or acknowledged:

Of all the solutions, this is the only one that “works”, but it’s anything but rational. And what’s most telling about this solution is something that happens only a few moments earlier:

In this moment, Sherlock is dwelling in undecideability. He doesn’t like it, he tells us he doesn’t like it. Rationalist that he is, he wants there to be answers. And yet, in this moment he is acknowledging that there aren’t always answers. Not merely that he hasn’t figured out the solution yet, but that the truth may not be certain – that there may not even be a single, coherent truth.

And so it’s no surprise that when John finally demands to know what really happened when Sherlock jumped off the roof, the answer is both impossible and inevitable – what we didn’t want to accept and yet knew all along: Sherlock Holmes is indestructible. Even his own creator couldn’t kill him. And writers like Moftiss, and like me, and like you, will keep reviving him until the end of time.

An in-depth analysis of the Mind Palace sequence in HLV and what it means for Sherlock and Molly

 (Sherlock meta by creamocrop)

I got carried away in analyzing Sherlock’s mind palace and Molly’s presence in it.

Yes, it has been pointed out again and again that Sherlock envisioned Molly, a pathologist who works with the dead, as his saviour when he could have imagined John who is actually an army doctor and who, I imagine, has more practical experience with bullet wounds, because of you know…being from Afghanistan! 

So going by the fact that his mind resorted to an image of Molly rather than someone who is an expert in dealing with life and death situations, he clearly feels something for her. Right? right? Because you know…he associates her with safety and survival. -

[...]

But I don’t think that’s just it - although to be honest, associating someone with safety is actually kind of a big deal, but let me just backtrack a little.

I might just be over-analyzing things but I have always been fascinated with the concept of mind palaces so I am just going to go ahead and give a little analysis.

The first thing I noticed when she entered was that she wasn’t immediately all sciencey, which is what I expected at first because it was after all, Sherlock’s analysis of his own wound and he is merely projecting people in his mind - basically he is just speaking to himself. If he was as ramrod-straight-purely-logical human being, as he always claims, Molly would have immediately launched an explanation and formulated a course of action, but instead, she opened with stating how it’s not like the movies. Notice how she was moving in true Molly fashion - wriggly, quirky and lively. This, I think, is a wonderful way of introducing her as part of Sherlock’s mind palace, because I can see this scene as a parcel of Sherlock’s memory wherein they had discussed a bullet wound while they were in the morgue. In short, he wasn’t just projecting a Molly-the-pathologist-who-has-seen-a-lot-of-bullet-wound-and-knows-how-it-causes-death, he was remembering Molly.

He was dying and the first thing he sees is a memory of Molly.

What was that they say about seeing your life flash before you when your dying? Yeah, I think this is a form of it. I once read that this flashes are all usually happy memories because it is the brain’s way of comforting the body as it goes through a traumatic experience. This is the first sign that confirms how Sherlock’s consciousness associates Molly with safety.

The next scene was more Sherlock. 

(Before we move on, let’s just appreciate the fact that Sherlock’s mind palace includes a morgue.) 

Anyways, as I said, the next scene in the-too-bright morgue has more Sherlock element in it. Now this, is Sherlock analyzing his body. Molly was talking faster, was more serious and is delving into more sciencey stuff, talking about the physics of the bullet and how it could affect his body. She concludes by saying that he’s almost certainly going to die. Notice how she became fuzzy all of a sudden before she said this? It was his body showing him that death is near but he needed Molly to say that to him in the face. Her stating it, allowed him to move past the first stage: denial.

So, if your body is already saying bye bye using the face of someone you know deals with death, what happens next?

You panic.

And so he does, which is why Molly told him to focus. Que the slapping. Twice. By now, I bet slapping is already the rig of our little ship-that-could, and so it should be, because it clearly made an impact with Sherlock. He retained the memory of Molly slapping him and he associated it with maintaining focus. In real life, Molly slapped him three times because she wants him to remain focused with all the beautiful things he has - his born gifts and his friends. Although he had been a bit of a douche afterwards - not really saying sorry in the way she wants him to - and being seemingly unaffected by the slap by making a joke about how he’s glad that she did it without a ring, his mind palace clearly showed us that the slapping had made its mark - can I say pun intended in this part?. Anyway, I bet from now on, when he needs to focus, he’ll just see Molly slapping him, instead of having to slap himself like the way he did in The Sign of Three. 

Speaking of The Sign of Three, remember how Mycroft was there in Sherlock’s mind palace to talk him through solving the case? Oh look, Molly was talking him through staying alive! Parallels, anyone? See, the importance of this is that if Sherlock sees Mycroft as his equal (or greater than, based on how he is on a pedestal and Sherlock has to look up to him) when it comes to thinking logically, enough that he seeks him out when trying to solve a case, then clearly he also sees Molly as an equal when it comes to medical and science knowledge, enough for him to discuss with her how he is dying. Take that, people who thought she was just a lab tech/assistant - which she really isn’t for she’s a Specialist Registrar, and from what I’ve read so far, we should probably kowtow to her for being that. 

Going back, the following scenes however, highlights the contrast between how Sherlock sees Molly and Mycroft. If we put his interaction with them side by side, we’d see a lot of differences. His subconsciousness always put Mycroft on a pedestal. First, in The Sign of Three where Mycroft was in the judge’s table, high above where Sherlock was. Now in His Last Vow, Sherlock reverted into his younger self and the camera angle shows him looking up to Mycroft. With Molly however, they were always equal - except maybe for that time when he was lying on the slab and she was looking down at him, which I think does not connote any feelings of inequality because as said earlier, that was the time when he was panicking and his consciousness acknowledging the fact that when it comes to death, Molly has the authority.

Another difference, is that If Sherlock associates Molly with the too-bright morgue, he places Mycroft in a dark, shady office where his intelligence was belittled. Molly’s presence was comforting, and although they were both analyzing what he should do, there was no restrictive atmosphere. She allows Sherlock to come to his own conclusion and there were no insults involved. With Mycroft however, even though Sherlock’s also consulting with him, our dying consulting detective reverted into being that kid who thought he was an idiot. 

Really, the whole mind palace sequence was a gold-mine! I’m quite glad they added this because it allows us a peak in the complex mind of Sherlock.

I’m just going to fast-forward to their next interaction -which is also one of my favorite in the whole sequence - wherein Sherlock now has to decide which way to fall. Oh hi, Anderson!. You see, I love how they added Anderson in the whole element simply because his presence and actions highlighted something important - probably the most important thing and the one I really want to emphasize in this post: Sherlock’s trust with Molly.

Before, when they were discussing how he should fall, Anderson was behind Sherlock while Molly was in front of him, but when it was time to fall *ahem The Reichenbach Fall ahem* , they switched places! It was almost as if Sherlock was about to perform a trust fall with Molly (again) - which in essence is actually what he was about to do. He was putting all his trust in his and Molly’s analysis that falling on his back will save him.

Oh The Reichenback Fall, it was almost as if it was just yesterday… 

So he falls…and goes into shock.

But he did not recognize it at first. You know, for a genius like him, one would think that he would know what happens next, but he didn’t! He had to ask Molly what was happening! This is another significant development because Sherlock, in real life, doesn’t always ask the opinion of others. He just assumes that he knows and that he is correct. In his mind palace, at the moment when his mind is having a hard time focusing and getting the answers right (as was demonstrated by his and Mycroft’s talk about the gun and the exit wound), he finds the right answer with Molly! This shows the reason why Molly is Sherlock’s pathologist.

He believes in her analysis - and he doesn’t question it.

(While we’re at this, let us take a moment to remember how he - a chemistry graduate- asked her help to develop algorithms to ensure that he and John would have a nice stag night, when he could clearly do it by himself.) 

Okay, fast-forward a little bit and we see Molly telling him to control the pain. Again, Molly sets him straight. In fact, for the entire episode, this is what Molly does - showing him what he really needs to see and telling him what he really needs to do.

You know what that makes Molly?

His ego.

She is the perfect balance between logic and sentiment and no matter what he had said and done to her before, I think that Sherlock knows this too. It is why in the moment when his body (sentiment) and his mind (logic) were both vying for control over him, it was Molly that he saw.

It was Molly that he needed.

Sherlock theory 

 (Sherlock meta by theoneandonlytruejack, mae-jones and cassbel5)

theoneandonlytruejack:

The more I watch Sherlock, and the more I think about the characters and their interactions, the more I become CONVINCED that Sherlock and Molly slept together. Specifically between 3x02 and 3x03.

I’m not saying that as a fanboy or a shipper or whatever. I legitimately think they’re interactions are written to give that impression.

Why Molly and Sherlock’s attitudes towards each other change after 3x02 [TSoT], why Molly and Tom suddenly split, the comment about Sherlock liking her bed, why Molly suddenly features prominently in Sherlock’s mind palace, the slap [HLV], his sudden guilt over his treatment of her [TAB], the seemingly random sexual joke he makes towards her [TLD], and of course the I love you scene [TFP].

Seriously, re-watch 3x03 - 4x03 with this idea in mind. Everything just clicks.

mae-jones:

Yes, definitely something happened. Their relationship became much more intimate. There was something more in Molly’s slap besides the fact that she was mad about the drugs - there was an entitlement about her attitude and an extra level of anger. She wasn’t just chastising him as a friend but more like a spurned lover.

I think they had a one night stand too and Sherlock did NOT handle it well. I think he most likely pulled a Houdini and probably slipped away while she was sleeping. Molly’s anger to me seemed like a message, like, “I am fucking mad at you for what you did.” Sherlock replied with his infamous line, “Sorry your engagement’s over …” but what he really meant was, “I know why you’re angry but I am definitely NOT sorry about what happened between us.” Molly returns with, “Stop it, just stop it!” which to me sounded like, “DO NOT let what we did slip out in front of everyone!” 

It makes perfect sense when you think about his reaction. He let her slap him because he felt like he deserved it.

cassbel5:

Can I jump onto this train just because the whole intimacy-tension dynamic between them is so interesting to me although I have a different HC as to the sex bit? I agree that something happened during S3, but I’m kind of with @jennifer-lily in believing that it didn’t involve actual sex. But the effect I’m thinking of would be similar.

Taking a step back away from all the details and just looking at the prevailing atmosphere of their relationship, what I see in S3 and S4 is definitely a growing intimacy but also growing tension, on and off. And I believe this is because of

a) Sherlock’s changing feelings for her and the fact that he doesn’t actually fully recognize, understand and accept them,
b) the fact that these feelings nevertheless lead him to a certain kind of behaviour (which he often rationalises) and
c) this behaviour affects her attempts to move on and helped end her engagement.

If I was Molly, after the hallway scene I wouldn’t be standing there saying „Maybe it’s just my type” but probably „Why is he doing this to me?“ He knew she was engaged from the start, nobody will convince me he didn’t. He knew she still had feelings for him. And he still invites her to spend the day with him, flirts with her and invites her for dinner. Then when SHE puts a stop to all that, he talks to her in his softest voice and approaches her like he’s going to kiss her and then gives her that look and that „friendly“ kiss. Then he comes to her to ask for help with alcohol quantities. Really? A graduate chemist (and junkie) – as she points out herself. And then he probably turned up „needing“ to use her place as a „bolthole“ and „needing“ to sleep in her bed. See all the quotation marks? It’s these I think that Molly is frustrated with. The way he’s actually moving closer to her but rationalising his behaviour, holding her close but also holding her back.

I’m not saying he’s a dick, because I feel that he really can’t be any different at this point. I think she knows it too but this gets frustrating and painful, probably worse than pure unrequited love, which is a clear cut situation you kind of learn to live with. But this, this can be frustrating and confusing and tiring…

And I’m glad someone mentioned The Abominable Bride because I think this really plays out there. To me there is a very interesting aspect of Hooper’s anger. It’s been said that Sherlock sees Hooper as angry because of the drugs situation in His Last Vow. Agreed. But also, Hooper specifically points out a certain aspect of Holmes, two times, and seems especially resentful of this. First she asks him whether he’s come to „astonish them with his magic tricks“. I remember that „magic tricks“ is the expression Sherlock used when he was on the roof in The Reichenbach Fall trying to convince John he was a fraud, that he’s actually an ordinary man who has tricked them, rather than the great Sherlock Holmes John thinks he is. „It was just a magic trick“ he told John. The second time is when Hooper points out the expression „feature of interest“ that Holmes uses in Watson’s stories and a discussion ensues of whether he actually uses this expression irl or if it’s just Watson’s portrayal. Sherlock’s Hooper seems resentful that there are two versions of Holmes – the real one and the one with the „magic tricks“, the one the world sees, the one he let’s the world see. What I see here is Sherlock feeling Hooper is angry and resentful because he is hiding a version of himself, from the world and largely also from himself. There is a Sherlock that she knows is there that he hides or at least doesn’t embrace.

Now, I don’t think that real life Molly is as resentful as Sherlock’s Hooper about this. I do believe though her relationship with Sherlock has progressed beyond the „just friends“ stage but is at a place where he’s rationalizing a lot of that away and isn’t able to deal with it. So it may seem like he’s playing with her when in fact he is kind of struggling himself. I actually believe that Molly understands this, she knows him well, but sometimes it gets too frustrating and she breaks. And when she breaks she may feel he is playing with her.

I’m even more convinced of all this because of the church scene in The Abominable Bride where the tension between Holmes and Hooper finally disappears. This happens only when Hooper is finally revealed by Sherlock’s mind to be a woman. He sees her here as a sensual woman, there are clear romantic/erotic overtones in the way his mind has dressed her, made her hair, in the way she is lit, in her expression and voice, and the way she looks at him as she whispers his name. So, only when he allows himself to fully see her this way, when the masks are gone, does the tension stop.

So, some time during S3 I think a line was definitely crossed. Maybe not sex, but definitely increasingly intimate and maybe ambiguous moments. I don’t think it was just seeing him and realising she still loves him that ended Molly’s engagement. I believe something in his behaviour – of which we got clear hints – helped this along and something about the way their relationship was generally developing. I am convinced they are much closer than the other characters realise. And closer in a different way than a definition of friendship would cover. Except he can’t fully face this yet. Amanda said: He can’t really do without her, even though he doesn’t know it. Kind of sums up this phase for me.

Thoughts On Molly

 (Sherlock meta by johns-posh-boy)

Let me put this out there, I LOVE MOLLY HOOPER. All I want for her is to move on from Sherlock and find some happiness. However, I’ve been feeling annoyed with Molly for awhile, and I think it started with her striking Sherlock for doing drugs in His Last Vow. 

Molly did not have the right to do that. Sherlock is a grown man who has the right to make his own decisions, even if they’re the wrong ones. Sherlock didn’t ask for her input. Not even John did, only for her to analyze his urine sample. You could argue that Molly is acting out of anguish that someone she cares about is hurting himself, but you didn’t see anyone else physically assaulting him. Not even John, who is closer to him than anyone in the world and is known for having a violent temper. If Molly truly cared that Sherlock was harming himself, she’d have tried reasoning with him. She didn’t even try to understand why Sherlock would do this. Instead she just wanted to act self-righteous and insert herself in Sherlock’s affairs.

Same with the “anyone but you” scene from The Six Thatchers. I respect that John is hurting right now and Molly sent Sherlock away per John’s request (that time she had the right to get involved), but she didn’t necessarily have to use the most hurtful words possible to make Sherlock leave. Even if she was quoting John. She could’ve been more compassionate toward Sherlock, if she “loves” him so much. Instead, I think that tiny part of her that resents Sherlock for not reciprocating her feelings, wanted Sherlock to feel even worse about the situation.

The problem with Molly is that she makes the same mistake normal people do when they’re infatuated with someone - they gain a sense of entitlement to that person. Even if that person has made it plain that they will never reciprocate their feelings. Sherlock owed Molly gratitude for assisting him in faking his own death, which he paid back by bringing her along on cases for a day. But beyond that, Sherlock owes her nothing, because Molly’s given him nothing, except unwanted attention.

Let me explain using a personal example:

In high school, I had a huge crush on this boy. I would have done anything to be his girlfriend. He was always very nice to me, but he made it clear to me that he’d never return my feelings. Still, I clung onto my feelings for him, in hopes that one day he’d wake up and realize that I was the one for him. It made him feel uncomfortable. Over time, my unrequited feelings turned into bitterness, and I acted antagonistic toward him, blaming him for my feelings instead of myself. I still wanted him, but a part of me despised him for not wanting me back. I knew I should just let go of my feelings for him, but I couldn’t. And I ended up estranging him from myself entirely. Looking back now, I wish I could have put my feelings aside, because I missed out on a potentially great friendship.

And that’s exactly what Molly is doing.

I didn’t write this to tear Molly down, because like I said, I like her a lot, and because she has great potential to be a strong character. But she needs to let go of her crush on Sherlock to be able to grow. (Also, Sherlock is gay, honey. I think deep down, you know that.)

Storytelling and the Sherlock x Molly Relationship 

 (Sherlock meta by strawberrypatty)

Okay, so I’ve been talking about Sherlock and Molly a lot in the past few days and of course I’m TERRIBLY biased because I’ve shipped them for a long time, but I really think that it makes sense based off the story we’ve been presented from them that Sherlock romantically loves Molly and tells her so in The Final Problem. 

The story between Molly and Sherlock has always been one with romantic overtones. In their very first scene together, Molly asks Sherlock out on a date and he is completely oblivious to the implications, because at this time, Sherlock is socially incapable of understanding that sort of thing.

Series One is primarily about Sherlock not understanding Molly’s emotions and her feelings for him. But those feelings are ever-present in their interactions. Romance plays a part in every scene they’re in. In A Study in Pink, Molly is asking Sherlock on a date and he doesn’t get it. In The Blind Banker, Sherlock flirts with Molly in order to receive access to the morgue. In The Great Game, Sherlock coldly dismisses Molly’s romantic interest in “Jim”, trying to be kind to her, but mucking it up horribly, because, well, Sherlock.

Their dynamic changes in A Scandal in Belgravia. It is only then that Sherlock realizes the depth of Molly’s feelings for him. She is actually in love with him. He does not reciprocate them, but we’ve reached a point where he doesn’t want her hurt.

In The Reichenbach Fall, Sherlock tells Molly how much she means to him. This is a huge moment. Sherlock is honestly telling someone their value to him. It is not just because she’s useful, but because he trusts her because of who she is. She has surprised him by being able to understand what he is going through and he chooses to trust her above everyone else in his life.

In Series Three, Molly has attempted to move on from Sherlock and he wants her to be happy. I’ve written a lot of meta about the hallway scene and how both Benedict and Loo play it. There is a melancholy in Benedict’s performance that indicates he might not be happy with the idea of Molly moving on. At the end of the scene, we hear Molly say “Maybe it’s just my type.”, telling us her feelings for Sherlock remain. When we meet Tom it becomes a certainty that she’s still hung up on Sherlock. Their relationship is continued to be framed in a romantic light. Molly turns Sherlock down for dinner because she’s engaged. This has heavy romantic implications on both sides.

The Sign of Three doesn’t have a lot of Molly in it, everything is incredible subtle, but is textual none-the-less. We see how she’s become unhappy with Tom, but she tries to show that she’s happy with him (her repeatedly kissing him and telling Sherlock they’re having quite a bit of sex comes off as overcompensation). Molly is the only one who notices Sherlock leave at the end, but she doesn’t go after him, because she’s trying to move on.

In His Last Vow, Molly becomes angry at Sherlock’s abuse of drugs. She has no problem yelling at him for hurting himself and those around him. It shows that Molly’s feelings for Sherlock are not romantic fantasy. She loves him, but she’s realistic about it. She loves who he is, but she’s also not going to put up with his crap.

When we see Molly in Sherlock’s Mind Palace, she is the only one who is HELPING Sherlock. She is telling him what he needs to know and is providing him some level of comfort. Mycroft is mocking, while Anderson is just reciting facts. While Molly is not what pulls him from death (it is the idea John is in danger) she plays an absolutely key role. Molly is utterly important to Sherlock. We still don’t know to what extent and as The Final Problem reveals that’s because Sherlock himself doesn’t know.

Molly’s part in The Abominable Bride is interesting. This is the only time we ever really see her in opposition to Sherlock. This is likely because of her angry at Sherlock (there had been no resolution to Sherlock’s drug use) and Sherlock’s guilt over hurting her repeatedly.

There isn’t a lot about Molly and Sherlock’s relationship early in Series Four. This is because Molly’s part was WOEFULLY underwritten, but there are still things we can glean. Molly is no longer the Morgue Mouse who squeaks “okay” if Sherlock insults her. She’s able to criticize him and when she tells him to do something, he does it. She makes him better.

Molly and Sherlock’s relationship in The Lying Detective is interesting because most of the salient details don’t actually come from their interactions, but from John. Yes, they do have moments together, but it is largely a retread of what we saw in His Last Vow. Molly is concerned about Sherlock’s self-harm.

But John’s comment on Molly is incredibly telling, “The one person who— unlike me— learned to see through your bullshit long ago.” It is a huge compliment to receive. Now I don’t think it’s true that Molly is the one person (I think Sherlock has an affinity for women who can do this. Look at Irene and Mary.). Molly is able to see past Sherlock’s charm and sees him for what he is. But we still see how much she cares for him.

At the end of that episode, we get a speech from John. The speech is primarily about John’s relationship with Mary and is framed as being about Sherlock and Irene, but it can be applied to Sherlock and any woman. John’s not preferential as to whether or not Sherlock is with Irene. He just wants Sherlock to find happiness with someone, because John has been robbed of it with Mary’s death.

I’m not trying to defame the ship of Sherlock and Irene, but in terms of the show itself Sherlock dismisses Irene as an option. He admits he texts Irene, but says it’s a “Bad idea” and he “Tries not to”. Even after John gives his speech, he doesn’t believe he wants to go down that path with Irene because that is not the type of relationship they have.

While initially Sherlock tries to brush aside John’s speech about romantic entanglements, saying they’re not for him, once John gets into it, he stops protesting. He listens to everything John has to say without comment. And there are some very important things John says:

“She thought that if you put yourself in harm’s way I’d … I’d rescue you or something. But I didn’t – not ’til she told me to. And that’s how this works. That’s what you’re missing. She taught me to be the man she already thought I was. Get yourself a piece of that.”

This is a huge scene in the episode and is textually about John and Mary, but as it is framed as a speech to Sherlock to find himself someone who would make him a better man. As I’ve already pointed out, Molly has been portrayed as this type of person since the beginning.

Another line from John’s speech which is incredibly important:

“That chance doesn’t last forever, Sherlock. It’s gone before you know it. Before you know it.” 

None of this relates to Molly, but it does relate to Sherlock. The issue of Molly and Sherlock’s relationship isn’t just one of will-they-won’t-they, it is Sherlock being emotionally ready and willing for a relationship with someone. This speech— given by one of the people most responsible for Sherlock’s emotional development— is important to him as a character. Sherlock also says that emotional entanglements are not for him and in the next episode, we find out why.

Welcome to The Final Problem.

In the beginning of the episode, Mycroft says that Sherlock had been an emotional child. He only cut himself off from that because of the extreme trauma he had suffered from his sister murdering his best friend. It’s not that Sherlock doesn’t feel anything, he feels TOO MUCH. He can’t deal with it, so he locks it away.

Eurus exploits Sherlock and Molly’s relationship. Here is my problem with the idea that Sherlock doesn’t love Molly: Eurus wouldn’t have an interest in her otherwise. She is entirely focused on hurting Sherlock, John and Mycroft, with most of her focus on Sherlock. She wouldn’t be content hurting Sherlock by having him hurt Molly. It’s not enough. I’ve written on this before, so I won’t rehash everything here.

The moment Sherlock sees the “I Love You” on the coffin, he knows who it is meant for. Yes, he has already made the basic deductions about the coffin, but it’s an abstract. When he sees the words he absolutely knows who the coffin is for, because he knows Molly has always been in love with him. Benedict plays it as a devastating discovery, closing his eyes and turning himself away from the words. He starts to blink a lot, generally becoming agitated.

This moment brings all of the previous Sherlock and Molly moments into focus. Everything is stripped down. There are only a few minutes to get everything done. Sherlock is fighting against the clock (“That chance doesn’t last forever, Sherlock. It’s gone before you know it. Before you know it.”) The scene is entirely between them. They aren’t interrupted by text alerts or fiances. They finally have the chance to be honest.

For all Sherlock claims not to lie, he’s never had a problem with bending the truth in order to get what he needs, especially in a life or death situation. There were a lot of ways he could’ve gotten Molly to say the words I love you. Hell, he could’ve asked her to sing the third verse of The Beatles’ “Michelle” and they would’ve been done in five seconds. But he can’t imagine Molly saying those words without it being a declaration of love to him. 

But Molly doesn’t want to to say it.

“Because it’s true. It’s true. It’s always been true.”

She also knows that Sherlock knows she’s in love with him. Their relationship has always been one with romantic elements, albeit heartbreakingly unrequited.

When Sherlock tells her to say it anyway, Molly tells him to say it first.

Like I said: Sherlock has never had a problem with lying. And as Molly said, she doesn’t want to say it because it’s true. Molly’s life is on the line and Sherlock doesn’t want to say the words, not because it’s a lie, but because he feels something for her and he’s still emotionally constipated from the trauma of Victor’s death.

But Sherlock struggles to get out the words. He isn’t able to look. And once he does get the words out, Benedict’s body language completely changes. Sherlock’s body relaxes and he opens his eyes and looks at the camera image of Molly while he says the words for a second time with no hesitation. Benedict acts like a dam has broken in Sherlock.

As stated in The Lying Detective, Molly is the one person who can see through Sherlock’s bullshit. If she didn’t think that he meant it, she wouldn’t have said it in return.

In the end, Eurus mocks Sherlock for it. Emotions are foolish and he’s stirred so many of them up. She’s been able to destroy both Sherlock and Molly by confusing them.

I’ve seen people critical of the scene between Molly and Sherlock in The Final Problem, but most of those are from people who don’t think Sherlock meant the second 'I love you'. They feel it’s just toying with Molly’s emotions yet again. But if Sherlock does truly mean what he says then it is the culmination of four series of back and forth between them.

Them admitting their feelings also fits with a lot of the tone of this episode and that is Sherlock letting go of the pain of his past, which will finally allow him to grow as a person. He has reached the point where he CAN admit he loves Molly, really and truly.

So… Why isn’t there any follow-up at the end? Well, I think part of that comes from the fact this scene was written very late in the process. The original scene sounds like it cut out any of the emotions, making it just about a puzzling where Molly was in danger. Mark and Steven liked that scene, but everyone else hated it. I’m betting Sue was a big opponent of it (as they have pointed out, Sue is the real boss). As I said, they needed to address Molly and Sherlock’s relationship with each other, because it has been a reoccurring element since Sherlock’s very first scene in the series.

The other reason we don’t get any follow-up is because… Well, it’s not about that. There was so much in this episode, it would’ve been incredible awkward to fit a scene in where Molly and Sherlock hash out what their actual feelings are. Sherlock might not even be entirely sure yet (Which is how Benedict played it). But the thing is, if Sherlock isn’t sure… That means he probably DOES have romantic feelings for Molly. It definitely means he does love her. He wasn’t just lying. A lie wouldn’t need any time to unpack. Also, if he just had platonic feelings for her, it wouldn’t be so complicated. But romance is something that is foreign to him so something he has to think about for longer.

By the end of things, we do know that everything is all right between Molly and Sherlock. Molly shows up at 221B, smiling and happy. They have been able to sort themselves out.

While canonically, it might be ambiguous, there is a clear thread throughout the series from the first moment in A Study in Pink. Sherlock and Molly have come a long way and they do have an ending in The Final Problem. Sherlock absolutely does love her.

Sherlolly: A Male Newbies Perspective Part 2

 (Sherlock meta by penelope1730)

The guys still have to finish watching His Last Vow, which will probably happen at some point this weekend. But, thought I’d finish by sharing their comments on The Sign of Three. 

First though, I forgot one important thing they mentioned about The Empty Hearse. I’ve been speaking with Cumberbabeusa, so she’s been hip to these conversations, which we’ve talked about with more detail.

One of the reasons all the guys think most of the 1st reveal is true is because of something Lestrade said, in the beginning, while talking with Anderson:

“Molly? Molly Hooper laid him out. He’s dead” (I’m paraphrasing)

But, what the guys noticed is that “laying someone out” is a funeral phrase. It implies there was an open casket funeral for Sherlock. Molly must have done an amazing job for everyone to believe it was him. (How the hell did I miss this!????)

So, according to them, it really could have been Jim Moriarty’s body in the casket, wearing a mask – just like the first reveal showed us. And, the news broadcasts that Lestrade and Anderson are watching never say Moriarty is dead, but that he was a fraud and Sherlock’s vindication came too late.

They feel Molly’s importance to Sherlock was emphasized by the writers by having her name mentioned no less than 7 times with respect to Sherlock’s fake death.

Anderson: 4 in total: 3 times to Lestrade; and 1 to Sherlock asking him to verify Molly’s role.

Sherlock: 3 times in total: 2 to John; 1 to Anderson

This was their “I told you so” to me.

They maintain that Molly is Sherlock’s “woman.”

The Sign of Three:

The guys solved the case almost immediately, leaving me feeling like an idiot. They recognized the photographer and put it together lightening fast.

Over all, they laughed - a lot. They lost it over the midget in the Poison Giant case. I had to pause to let them finish laughing.

My son would love to give that Best Man speech for a wedding coming up in September…not possible though.

They noticed Sherlock “dissing” Molly and wondered how Molly could still be with her “fugly dude.” They’re still pissed off with her for dumping Sherlock and refuse to see it any other way.

They thought it hysterical Sherlock came to see Molly to help with calculate alcohol intake. But then thought her comment:

“We’re having lots of sex” was her way to mess with him, even though she was smiling.

Me: “What? It’s just Molly. Certain things pop out of her mouth before she thinks. She’s just sharing because they’re friends.”

Guys: “Sherlock isn’t her girlfriend, you don’t say stupid shit like that to a guy who’s professed his love to you.” “I hate it when chicks make you beg.”

Me: laughing - “Sherlock isn’t begging, wth, you guys. It’s my turn to ask what show you’re watching.”

Guys: “Shut up, Penelope, yes he is.” “Ugh, that’s just sad. Don’t do it, dude.” “Yeah, but he still wants her. That’s why he’s there.” “Just don’t guzzle your brewskis.” “Let her sweat, she dumped you.” “He’s gonna lose it or take up with some skank.” “Does Sherlock lose it?” “Sherlock Holmes shot up heroin in the books.” “I thought it was coke?” “No, Freud was a coke head, Holmes shot heroin.” “Yeah, he’s like Jimmy Morrison, a rock star, of course he’s gonna shoot up.” “That’s gonna be bad ass.” “He’ll royally fuck someone up while he’s tripping.”

One of the guys starts strumming “This Is The End” on his guitar.

(sidenote: Watching this show has never been so much fun. Just sayin’.)

They take a break to say they really don’t like Mary because she’s screwing John over by hiding who she is. They thought her appearance in John’s life was too convenient. They noticed ALL the stuff - the skip code, telling Sherlock she can tell when he’s lying, lack of people for her side of the church, remembering Sholto’s room number. They have a running bet she’s an Assassin, CIA, MI-6. But, they also think Sherlock knows and is just letting things play out.

I didn’t say a word. But, I have come to the conclusion they can see all this stuff because of years playing video games. Good to know my investment of thousands of dollars in games has paid out equally with college….

Stag night - needless to say this got the most laughs, and whatever calculations / program Molly made went right out the window due to John spiking their beers with shots.

They loved the nurse case and Sherlock’s emotive reaction. Believing, of course, that he was empathizing with being “dumped.”

They thought Sherlock picked on Tom purposely to show Molly she was with an idiot. It was his righteous slap. The guys were high 5'ing Sherlock. Whatever.

In the end, when Sherlock left, they were pretty much in agreement that it was sad:

“Dude, he left early.” “This shit is gonna mess with his head.” “He’s too left brain cerebral, his brain isn’t wired for that stuff.” “Who is Redbeard?” “Damn, he called his brother. He’s totally fucked.”

To be continued….

It Comes Back To Reichenbach

 (Sherlock meta by Ivy Blossom)

 It seems to me that how you understand S4 comes back to how you understand Sherlock’s fake suicide in The Reichenbach Fall. What actually happened there?

Sherlock prepared a number of different scenarios. He was concerned that he would not survive. He knew John, Lestrade, and Mrs Hudson would be at risk. He knew he had to play along.

He was not required to make John a witness to his fake suicide. He was not required to keep John in the dark about it, either. Not for two years. That was Sherlock’s decision, against the advice of his brother.

This is the point where I think either you agree that Sherlock’s fucked up badly, or you think he sacrificed himself for the greater good and should be praised for it. Either John has a right to be deeply hurt and angry, or John should be thanking Sherlock for his noble sacrifice.

Many fans are deeply invested in Sherlock having been required to lie to John in The Reichenbach Fall because so much depended upon it, including John’s own life. We wanted that hurt to mean something big and emotional, but what we learned from The Empty Hearse is that it meant nothing. It was just a miscalculation.

That’s why Sherlock can arrive back in John’s life making jokes and being jolly. He didn’t understand the hurt he caused; it never crossed his mind that he had torn John to shreds. He had no idea he was loved. It was an emotionally tone deaf, cruel mistake, one Sherlock learns from in S3 and will not make again.

With the perspective of S4, we can say that S2 Sherlock didn’t believe he was capable of having a friend who cared so much about him. He’d believed his whole life that that would be impossible, he was unlovable, only entertainment at best. He constructed a self-image where he wouldn’t and couldn’t have friends who could be taken from him and hurt, and he didn’t know why.

Knowing what we know now, It looks as if he might have deliberately destroyed his extremely close relationship with John out of some kind of subconscious fear of loss and pain, out of fear that someone would take his beloved friend and kill him just to watch Sherlock squirm. But he doesn’t know that he’s reliving a traumatic memory from his past. And that means he doesn’t really understand why he’s crying on the roof before he jumps.

Either you believe Sherlock is emotionally aware and noble at the end of S2, or you think he fucked up. Which side you land on may determine how you read S4.

Molly doesn’t want a “normal” relationship

 (Sherlock meta by vesperass-anuna)

Q: I always thought ‘Tom’ was to show that Molly could never actually be in a normal relationship. That even when she got everything she supposedly “wanted” and “needed” - it wasn’t her type of thing. Just saying.

A: I’m in a rambly, meta-y mood, and I’ve seen [the] entire [s1-3 of] Sherlock like three weeks ago, and then rewatched most of it and ended up shipping Molly and Sherlock, like, A LOT and this is one of the things I’ve been thinking about -

To me it wasn’t “Oh poor Molly can’t have a (normal) relationship” (I’m sure there are people who see it like that; I however don’t). Maybe it’s my ship tinted glasses (d'oh, of course it is), I agree - Molly doesn’t want a “normal” relationship. In regards to “normal” I think she might be like Sherlock - normal is dull, it’s boring. Why else would she have a crush on a man who does mad science and bizarre experiments and requires dead bodies for it? Sherlock is interesting, and exciting - because he’s smart, he’s different, he defies societal norms (and so does Molly, her clothes illustrate that rather vividly), and I doubt mister meat - dagger - Tom is her idea of happiness. Sherlock is a catalyst of things. He pushes (sometimes too much), he says inappropriate things, he’s a challenge, and considering Molly’s change through [the first three] seasons of the show, it’s a challenge she can handle. Not only that, she pushes back, ever since she told him ["you always say such horrible things"] Sherlock was an absolute ass to her, and she was there in her pretty dress, and didn’t try to hide anything, instead she shows him she’s hurt, and that’s something that affects him. The fact that she doesn’t shy away in embarrassment shows that she’s strong. The fact that she doesn’t start hating him, even after all the awful things he’s said speaks enough of her character. She’s not a person who simply allows the big bully Sherlock to do what he wants, she calls him out on things which aren’t okay, and teaches him something. As a result he changes. That’s the challenge. Someone who provides a push and pull sort of dynamic, and is also interesting and smart and defies the rules.

There’s a sceencap of them that I love, walking through the hall of St Bart’s next to each other - him wearing the coat - the coat he’s always wearing, and if that’s not weird I don’t know what is - and her wearing a potpourri of colors; clothes that would look horribly mismatched on anyone else, but on her they just work. In that aspect they’re similar. They don’t belong to the side of predictable and routinely boring. They’re both wierdos in a way - so no - Molly can’t have a “normal” relationship, and doesn’t want one (although she would enjoy some aspects of it, like going out on weekends) - not when she spent years being fascinated with [the] weirdest guy you can imagine.

Finally, what comes to mind is that essay from one or so years ago - Don’t date a girl who reads - which basically says, a girl who reads doesn’t want a life that’s dull and ordinary; she wants a life worth of being storied, and I feel that’s also true for Molly. She doesn’t want normal, she wants extraordinary - just like she is extraordinary.

"You're suicidal, you're allowed chips"

 (Sherlock meta by anarfea and notagarroter)

anarfea:

Also consider that we see Sherlock eating chips by himself in The Empty Hearse when Mary comes to him with the skip code.

notagarroter:

True, but I’m hesitant to read *too* much into that.

I mean, there’s a lot of exciting stuff one could draw from it, if so inclined – that sherlock is suicidal because John isn’t speaking to him, for one. Or, since the previous scene was Sherlock and Molly coming to some understanding about her engagement, maybe Sherlock is suicidal about that! Or, since he invited Molly out for chips in the first place, maybe he thought she was suicidal.

None of those possibilities particularly rings true for me in that scene. And I think, in the grand scheme of things, even if you generally avoid chips because they are bad for you/you’re watching your figure, everyone is entitled to indulge now and then without being put on suicide watch. ;)

Just my personal read on it, ymmv.

anarfea:

I agree that Sherlock asking Molly for chips is unlikely to mean he thinks she’s suicidal. But it does suggest that he was maybe feeling down. I’ve always seen Sherlock’s day solving cases with Molly during The Empty Hearse as one of the saddest sequences in the show. It’s not just that John isn’t speaking to him. It’s that when he makes his deductions, he hears John’s voice in his head making fun of him. It’s a real turning point in John and Sherlock’s relationship, IMO. John goes from being the one person who thinks his deductions make him brilliant instead of a freak to just another one of the chorus of voices saying he’s an arsehole.

As for Molly, she tries to do her part and be John. And Sherlock doesn’t want her to feel like a John substitute and tries to tell Molly that she isn’t John, she’s herself. But he fucks up and calls her John anyway, which hurts her feelings. And then he asks her out for chips, she turns him down, and they agree that Molly isn’t going to go out solving cases with him again because she’s engaged. And I’m not arguing that Sherlock is suicidal about Molly’s engagement in and of itself. But John’s engagement, Molly’s engagement, these are both reminders that his friends moved on while he was away, and he’s not the most important person in their lives (or possibly he doesn’t even have a place in their lives) anymore.

Anyway, I’m just saying that Sherlock’s comment to Faith had me re-think the scene where he’s eating chips when Mary comes looking for him, because I read that as a point in his life where he was probably especially low. It would not surprise me at all if he were contemplating suicide at that point. Especially because people who have had long term depression/suicidal ideation (which I think Sherlock absolutely does; that’s established in A Study in Pink when he considers taking Jefferson Hope’s pill because he’s bored), tend to think about suicide a lot. So yeah, I absolutely think that Guy Fawkes night was a Danger Night for Sherlock. And I’m happy to know that sometimes he got chips instead of taking drugs.

Even in Sherlock's mind, Moriarty always underestimates Molly

 (Sherlock meta by creamocrop)

Q: Loved your analysis of the Mind Palace! What's also interesting is that when his "Moriarty" (extreme crazy id?) tells him who will be crying for him, he never mentions Molly: even in Sherlock's mind, Moriarty always underestimates Molly: the one who always counts.

A: Thank you very much! Now, you hit this one on the spot! Moriarty in strait-jacket, wrapped in chains and locked in a padded room is arguably one of the scariest scenes in Sherlock so far. Props to Andrew Scott! 

Now on to the fact that Moriarty missed Molly again! When he was actually listing the possible reactions of the people who cared for Sherlock if he dies, I was actually crossing my fingers and was hoping that he would forget Molly again - and boy was I glad that he did.

Because, you see for me, mind-palace-Jim remaining clueless about how vital Molly is in Sherlock’s life, is very important! The mere fact that this Jim still has no idea about what Molly did for Sherlock, means that even though our dear consulting detective is scared of him (why else would he place Jim in such a secluded and heavily secured place, if he wasn’t), his ability to compartmentalize and keep his mind palace objective and organized remains top-notch. He did not let his fear of Moriarty rule him and leak a very vital information.

Even in his mind palace, Sherlock knows that he is safe from Moriarty as long as the consulting criminal remains in the dark about the woman who mattered the most. See, this again shows how Sherlock associates Molly with safety and survival.

She is the barrier between Sherlock and Moriarty.

She is the barrier between Sherlock and his fear.

Mary's Attitude in The Christmas Forgiveness Scene 

 (Sherlock meta by incurablylazydevil, theoklahomos and theleftpill)

incurablylazydevil:

 How do people watch that ‘oooh we’re doing conversation today it really is christmas’ scene and go ‘look how sweet and snarky Mary is, what a nice character’ while i’m sitting here trying to calm down my gag reflex?

theoklahomos:

SAME it’s like bitch you killed literally the most important person in your husband’s life and that was just the cherry atop the massive shit sundae you’ve served him up and now - now! - you have the nerve to act like HE’S being unreasonable for not having spoken to your bitch ass for a few months what the actual fuck Mary is horrible!

theleftpill:

I hold the opinion that people who react this way to the Christmas/Forgiveness scene have never been in a mature, respectful relationship. Those who have understand that 1. she’s not sweet and snarky - she’s scared and frustrated, and 2. because she might very well have reason to “act like HE’S being unreasonable”. The way they interact with each other tells us a great deal about what’s happened in the last few months without actually seeing it. “We’re doing conversation today?”: how many times has Mary tried to talk to John, to make things right, to correct the mistakes she’s made, and John has completely shut her down? “Months of silence, and we’re gonna do this now?” Her frustration and anger radiate off the screen; this is something she’s tried to work out before and has been completely rejected, but instead gets ambushed at a strangers’ home by her silent husband. Wouldn’t you be a little pissed off?

We have no idea what John has put Mary through for the last few months. We do know John has a nasty temper and we know he’s a complete dickhead sometimes. So maybe Mary has a reason to be snarky and angry and in pain and flat-out terrified when her husband finally approaches her. Yes she shot Sherlock but this moment isn’t about him; it’s about their relationship. About her secrets and his forgiveness. And yes, in a healthy relationship, it is possible to forgive.

Things aren’t so fanfic-black-and-white when you’re dealing with another real-life person. Sometimes you don’t like the person you’re in love with. Your partner can get angry, can get sad, can get frustrated with you and in a healthy relationship, you realize that maybe they have a reason to feel that way. John & Mary embody this dynamic beautifully in this scene, and it’s one of the reasons I love it so much, how utterly real their relationship is, and how much is revealed about their relationship in their exchanges. In this moment, I don’t see Mary as “nice”; I see her terrified. I see her protecting her heart by being defensive and sharp. And in a real relationship, that’s allowed.

And that complexity makes me curious to see what happens next.

She can’t sit there 

 (Sherlock Meta by sherlockmeta, fkef.tumblr and theleftpill)

sherlockmeta:

So, I haven’t seen anyone mention that in His Last Vow, when John sees that Sherlock has moved his chair–doesn’t it seem like that was another adjustment Sherlock had made as part of his ruse relationship with Janine?

He went to all the trouble to allow her into his living area, and let her be physically close to him (to an extent)…but the one thing he couldn’t bear was to have her sitting in John’s chair. Because moving it to his own bedroom wouldn’t have kept it out of Janine’s way, I assume he carried it all the way upstairs to John’s old bedroom, to ensure it wouldn’t be violated. Lugging a bulky armchair up a staircase, by himself…quite a bit of effort to go to, and not the type of thing I see Sherlock doing if he’s simply trying to cut John’s place out of the flat in retaliation for his marriage.

No. His relationship with Janine was an elaborate performance, requiring sacrifices of his personal comfort in order to play the role to the hilt…but he was, in the end, unable to countenance the thought of allowing Janine to sit across from him, in the space that was rightfully John’s. And as soon as he’d got Janine out of the way, he immediately brought the chair back…

theleftpill:

It’s possible that this was Sherlock’s motivation, but by making Janine the reason he lost the chair and her absence the reason he brought it back, you lose not only a pretty big plot point but also the stronger symbolism connected to John’s absence and return.

John’s missing chair is a lovely physical, non-verbal, passive-aggressive, pity-party tantrum of a metaphor. Sherlock Removed The Chair. And then he didn’t re-arrange the furniture to balance out the room, he didn’t shift things around to better utilize his living space; he left a huge gaping hole in the middle of the floor. One you can’t possibly hope to miss. And when called on it, he gives such a lovely bullshit response. The removal is used as another metaphor for Sherlock’s inability to cope with John’s absence.

The chair returns to signal John’s “beginning of the end” of his trust in Mary. It’s Sherlock’s way to break the news gently to John that he’s soon to move back in, along with the perfume bottle working as the clue as to why. The chair’s return communicates that Sherlock is prepared to take John back, that John is welcome back, and neither of them have to discuss it. The trust and support is inherent and explicit. You know how these men hate to directly address all this touchy-feely stuff. It works beautifully.

If Janine is Sherlock’s motivation for losing the chair, you lose all of that metaphor. It’s not gone because of Sherlock’s pain; it doesn’t return because of Mary’s betrayal; it comes and goes because of the presence of this woman (whom Sherlock invited into his home, as the OP points out.) The chair then signifies John only peripherally. Janine also is made into a stronger force than John. Sherlock can cope with the empty chair: “Yes the chair brings fond/painful memories, but I can experience them and move on.” But put Janine in it: “But when this harpy comes in and tries to sit down well we need to put a stop to that. Sore feet is what she deserves.” This idea raises Janine’s emotional importance to Sherlock above John’s, and that’s just not this show.

It further reduces the gesture to an act of hostility towards a woman he’s using for a purpose. Sherlock is rarely (ever?) hostile without a reason - either manipulation to get what he wants or emotional retaliation. He has no reason to be vicious to Janine; she’s there because he wants her to be and he genuinely likes her. The chair’s return furthers the petty motivation and discards its use to forward the plot; it wasn’t there to tell John gently that he’s soon to move back in, it was already there for some other reason and John sat in it out of habit.

Sherlock’s inability to bear Janine in John’s chair can’t be the reason Sherlock lost it, if you want to keep the symbolism of the loss of John and how it works in the plot. It is a nice headcanon layer though.

And don’t forget that if she doesn’t have a chair to sit in, then she’s forced to sit in Sherlock’s lap. And that’s a bonus he probably didn’t mind having.

fkef:

I always find it incredibly interesting that people forget that Sherlock used Janine. And didn’t let her know what was up. Because he didn’t trust her. No, he didn’t like her. We saw his fake smile fall as soon as she left the apartment. Do we just all see Sherlock let a woman sit in his lap and all go, [OMG Sherlock in love]?

Jesus christ. I don’t think Sherlock liked her. He knew from the start that she was of use to him, and so he carefully nurtured that relationship. If Sherlock knew of Mary’s ex-boyfriend before meeting him, what makes you think he didn’t know where Janine worked before meeting her?

Sherlock calls himself a high-functioning sociopath (and we see that it’s pretty true until we meet Redbeard), and that means he manipulates people; he uses people. People are means to his ends (which, because he’s on the side of the angels, are “good” according to us).

The chair has nothing to do with Janine and everything to do with John. Janine was simply a key to Magnussen’s office.

theleftpill:

Of course he wasn’t in love with her; he was absolutely manipulating her by staging that “relationship.”  But that doesn’t exclude him liking her.  It’s most succinctly shown in their delicious “So we’re good?  Of course” moment.  That moment is genuine camaraderie; he respects her and enjoys her company.  The Sign of Three is rife with great Sherlock/Janine moments.  I mean jeez, the guy spends the whole day trying to find her a guy she can hook up with.  This is Sherlock; why in the hell would he waste his time like that on someone he doesn’t like?  He confesses his love of dancing to her.  He searches her out to dance with.  Yeah, Sherlock likes Janine.  It’s all in the show.

I don’t think he “knew from the start that she was of use to him.”  Until His Last Vow, Magnussen wasn’t on his radar: it was Lady Smallwood’s request of Sherlock to be a go-between that motivates his cultivation of their “relationship.”  It was a “stroke of luck” that she happened to be the maid of honor (as far as Sherlock knew at the time.)

Sherlock knew about Mary’s ex because he’s seen the guy’s tweets and cropped Facebook pictures, because Sherlock is friends with Mary and he notices these things.  Not because he’s been researching random people in the hopes that they someday might have use in a case.

Sherlock calls himself a sociopath. Sherlock is a crap sociopath. (I have a great gif set idea for this; anyone know how to build those?) We see it’s pretty not true; hugging and kissing Mrs. Hudson, revenging Mrs. Hudson, showing true remorse and apologizing to Molly, do I really need to list the proofs with John to you? Sure he manipulates people.  He also is capable of liking them and having friendly relationships with them. One of the great dichotomies of his character is that he does both at the same time to the same person. Sherlock is a complete shit to the people he loves.  I love that complexity.

So I’m sorry if it upsets you, but Janine is truly and canonically more than simply a key to Magnussen’s office. She caught Sherlock’s attention. She earned his respect. You can’t reduce that richness of character to a mere prop. (Well, you can and did, but that doesn’t make it accurate.)