The significance of Molly's jumper

 (Sherlock meta by kathleenkellly)

I made a comment on this before but I wanted to elaborate. I think it’s very significant that they had Molly [in the ILY scene] wearing the jumper from The Empty Hearse.

“You thought he was the one though, the love of your life.”

Sherlock’s thank you to Molly was a day solving crimes together. One of the cases just happens to be a man catfishing his own step-daughter and Sherlock, well aware of Molly in the room, unleashes on him. He will not tolerate someone playing with another person’s heart and by doing so he shows Molly that he values her love.

Then that hallway scene. He brings up her engagement at last. It feels like it’s supposed to be a goodbye. He’s happy for her because she deserves love and she lays out all the reasons why she should be happy, but it doesn’t really feel like she is. They walk away with what feels like a lot of things left unsaid, because they can’t.

And then Molly breaks off the engagement. It’s not over.

Fast forward to The Final Problem, she’s had a bad day and wearing the jumper again. They finally say “I love you”. We’ve known it about Molly all along, but to hear Sherlock say it, especially that second time - it’s real. Whether you see it as friendship or something more, it was real then and it’s real now.

He knew about the engagement ring

 (Sherlock meta by audreyagnes2)

There’s a haunting question among the sherlolly shippers: [Did] Sherlock know about the engagement ring before he mentioned its existence at the train guy's flat? 

I think yes, he knew it and I bet it was when he went to St. Barts after his reunion with John.

There are a couple of moments that can confirm my theory, but the only one that it’s in the same episode is the brief moment with the host in TEH.

 Remember when Sherlock stepped in to the restaurant and he barely saw the host? At [that] exact moment the words “expectant father” appeared on his shoulders and then he received a phone call.

In conclusion he actually observed, even if it was just a few seconds of sideways. (Nothing that you didin’t know before). 

My theory is, at the exact moment she entered in the lockers room, he could see the amount of gained weight she had (Sherlock pointed [out at] different [occations] to Molly and John, the amount of weight they gained by domestic bliss), and other things she added in to her life during his absence, including the engagement ring.

Why isn’t it showed at the moment? Well, the show needs the surprise factor (a regular basis in the show), but in this season we can see how much Sherlock learnt to be kinder with his friends and with Molly.

So, the look he gave to her when she asked “have dinner?” it’s a look of restriction and now fits perfectly.

“Molly, you’re engaged, you have a fiancé to think about before going out with me the love of your life”. 

You will ask: but what was the flirty look they shared in the train guy's flat? Sherlock was flirting with someone who was engaged? Remember: forbidden is tempting.

Maybe it was the next kick he needed to reach another step [towards] Molly, because he asked at the end of their day to go for fish and chips, and if she wouldn’t have asked him about [why he wanted to] work with her, we don’t know if they actually would’ve been eating fish and chips, because that talk lead to the engagement ring thing, and how wrong [it] was [for him to] ask her out for dinner, and obviously how dreadfully wrong she was accepting it, because they actually enjoyed their day working together more than they should. 

Maybe you will ask again: but, if he saw her ring before [he] asked her [to be his] crime solving companion, was [it not equally] wrong [for him to] ask her to go for Fish and Chips? Not necessarily. 

We saw his expression when she arrived to his flat and before he had turned around, [we saw] the face of someone who was aware of something, maybe nervous, but when he faced her, it [was] someone who *thought* he had everything in control.

Again, fits perfectly.

Maybe he was in control at that time or he thought he could control himself, but for sure he wasn’t expecting [to] enjoy the day with Molly.

The Empty Hearse

 A Meta By A Sceptical But Hopeful Sherlollian

 (Sherlock meta by barriss)

As many Sherlolly shippers out there, I was completely ecstatic over the multiple moments between the two in The Empty Hearse and, in the surge of the moment, was led to believe that ["my ship has sailed"]

Now, however, after rewatching their scenes for at least 30 times in the span of a few days, I have come to the conclusion that my previous thoughts were far too optimistic and blinded by the light of new content and material to be considered logical. Now, as I watch their scenes with a clearer head I can notice some things are in fact not what they may seem and have led me to become extremely skeptical that Sherlock’s new behavior towards Molly leans towards romantic, while still desperately holding on to that small hope that, in fact, it is.

Now, before anyone jumps on my ass, let me just mention that I am a complete Sherlolly fanatic. I have shipped it actively for quite a while now and I will ship it till my dying breath.

Secondly, I want you to know that I am an engineer. I am not a literary major, I don’t know how to write analyses, nor am I very good at picking up on things like how what someone’s wearing in the scene and how it affects them. I’m a logical person and I can only call it how I see it through these two eyes of mine. So I may be very incorrect about my assumptions in this meta, but for all intents and purposes, I think it’s not a bad thing for someone like me to give it a go, if only for others, who are better at this than I am, to compare their own theories with mine and perhaps reevaluate or rethink theirs under a new light.

Now, enough rambling from me, let’s get this show on the road.

Obviously, major spoilers for The Empty Hearse below, so thread with caution if you haven’t watched it yet, though who are we kidding, you probably have already. Also, all GIFs and Edits are mine and have not been stolen from anyone. 

Let’s begin with the beginning.

We’ve all been going completely GA GA over the bond-esque Liplock moment between Sherlock and Molly from Anderson’s overly exaggerated scenario.

[Yes, this is Liplock. Use the term as you see fit.] 

Fake as it was, it led me to remember a very important quote from the show’s producer, Sue Vertue, at the Sherlock Comic Con panel in 2013 regarding the Sherlock/Molly relationship:

“It’s not going to go the way Tumblr thinks it’s going to go." 

I firmly believe that this scene is what Vertue was hinting at. Sherlolly happened, in a way we completely did not expect, while in fact didn’t happen at all. Sly, evil bastards!

Nevertheless, the fact that Molly was used for such an intense and expectantly iconic moment leads to believe that the writers do indeed acknowledge the Sherlock and Molly relationship and its following, even though it was meant as a bit of a joke and blatant Cumberbatch fanservice.

I also want to point out the fact that Molly was present during each and every scenario, even the one with the almost Sheriarty kiss, even though she legitimately had no business being in the headcanon of some random slash fan who probably didn’t even know she existed. This again could be considered as a nod to Molly’s importance in the show and in Sherlock’s not-death.

Next in the scenes I would like to talk about is the one in the food joint, after Sherlock reveals himself to John and Mary and they are discussing those who knew of his survival.

When asked who else beside Mycroft knew, while being very awkward and visibly guilty, Sherlock blurts out ‘Molly.’ He only says her full name the second time, after being asked by an incredulous john ‘Molly!?’ He instinctively calls her by her first name and is one of the very few people Sherlock does this with, the others being John, who is his best friend, and his brother, whom he can’t very well call ‘Holmes’, can he? He always calls Mrs. Hudson, Mrs. Hudson, and after all these years he still can’t remember [...] Greg’s name. She is named several times throughout this scene, twice by Sherlock and twice by John, while Mycroft, who was the only other known person in on it is only named once. Again, a nod to Molly’s importance.

Now, I don’t believe there are any romantic implications in this scene, as the way she is mentioned is devoid of any gravitas and more in an ‘I’m sorry she knew and you didn’t’ kind of way.

Next is the moment when John and Mary drive away and Sherlock is left alone, slightly taken aback by Mary, [...] because she’s just so frickety frackity awesome, and we see him walking away all alone. This is the moment he decides to go to Bart’s and see Molly.

He looks down and then slowly turns, his body is relaxed and his head held low as he walks towards the hospital (even though he really should keep it up to stop the blood from flowing down his chin.) Perhaps the image of Mary, a woman and a significant other to someone prompts him to go to Molly. This could be believed to be a parallel between the two pairs, one departs together, while the other is destined to meet.

What’s interesting here, and slightly fangirlish squeal worthy, is how the scene fades from Sherlock walking away from the camera to Molly walking towards it.

Though this could be a random way to fade to a scene, since we get a different one from where the scene switches from Molly to Lestrade and we see Sherlock in the back walking in perfect synchronicity with the DI.

Also, as many other metas have pointed out, the fact that Sherlock went to see Molly first is extremely important. Besides John, he went to see Molly before all of the others who were known to be held dear by him and who were among the ones targeted by the assassins in The Reichenbach Fall. 

He waits for her in the locker room and remains silent, watching her and waiting for Molly to be the one who acknowledges him first. We could go ahead and say ‘oh he totes wanted to look at her a bit more and also he was shy and didn’t have the guts to call out to her because he’s emotional’ and whatnot, but I think that’s just wishful thinking and it was nothing but a way to make the scene more interesting. Him appearing in the mirror was a pretty cool effect and probably nothing more.

I am not the only one who noticed the similarities between this scene and their last during The Reichenbach Fall. Molly walking in the room, tired and strained from work, to be surprised and made to jump around by Sherlock, who was standing behind her. I thought it was an awesome addition and an obvious imply that he is back and everything should go back to normal.

Now, some have been speculating that the fact that he does not smile until she turns around is a +1 for the good ship Sherlolly, but I disagree.

His stance is cold and his face shows no expression as he watches her and it is only when she gasps and whirls around that he smiles, amused by her reaction. The smile, although blurred, gives off a conspiratorial vibe, and he nods at her in greeting. He is implying: ‘We did it, Molly. The plan worked.’ He playfully smiles at her like she is his partner in crime.

Molly, in turn, is surprised by his presence, as she should be, but it is not overwhelming shock like with John, Greg and Mrs. H experience. Molly knew it was only a matter of time before she saw him again, and if anything she is pleased and relieved that he is safely home. Her eyes and the breaths she lets out speak volumes in this shot and I believe it’s in this vulnerable moment that we see her feelings for him spill out. She is not guarded like the next time they meet, now, she is overwhelmed and happy and beside herself.

Now, we get to the good parts.

I think it’s extremely interesting how fidgety Sherlock is just before Molly’s arrival.

In the first pane, he could be looking at her as he enters 221B. His lips look like they are mumbling words and he looks like he is mentally rehearsing something.

Then, the moment she enters the door and very sweetly asks ‘You wanted to see me?’, we get a glorious close-up of his stupid, pretty, stupid face, and we see he is wary, afraid even.

This moment could be very easily misconstrued. Many believed this to be Sherlock being nervous in Molly’s presence, and indeed, he is about to do something he has never done before and he knows how very easily he could fuck it up. I don’t think he’s nervous because she is there per say, or because he’s about to make some sort of declaration to her, but because the following hours will be very delicate and he needs to be on his best behavior.

I think he’s been planning this for a while, this day where he pays Molly back for everything she’s done. It’s an effort for him, he doesn’t seem very eager, nor excited, but he wants to thank her and he wants to do it right. He’s not wary of her, he’s wary of himself.

He turns around and lets out an artificially excited ‘Yes!’ 

Now, as I did my best not to stare at Sherlock’s newly evolved pectoral muscles, this shyness of his as he prepares to ask her The Question had me a bit confused. I honestly don’t know if this was genuine or just Gatiss pulling our leg or Ben exaggerating on the acting and all was nothing but a bit of a joke. The music and the overall ambiance of the moment leans towards the wishfully romantic side, yet the exaggeration of Sherlock’s behavior makes me skeptical about this scene. It’s just so out of character for him and so completely random.

What we do know is that this was definitely not an easy thing for him to ask of her, judging by his apprehension prior to her arrival and his behavior during his speech. He is asking her to replace John, he is asking her to be his partner (again), he is asking her for help, all the while doing this for her.

It’s a wonderfully sweet moment between them that’s cut short by her blurting out ‘have dinner’ at the same time as his ‘solve crimes’. The very similar faces they make are priceless and it’s a very funny moment that’s just begging to be screencaped.

[Haha, u sillies!]

But let’s be serious for a bit. I think this is excellent proof of Molly not having in fact gotten over Sherlock. Besides the fact that she practically asked him out to dinner (a nod perhaps to Irene Adler and her double entendre, but with definitely a much more innocent connotation, as in going out to eat, and NOT going out to eat *winks*), Molly seems genuinely very happy to meet up with him again.

This also leads me to believe that his request wasn’t actually him asking her out on his version of a date, as the prospect of an actual date left him confused, bothered and bewildered.

Now, let’s get on with their first client.

Judging by her sitting position, Molly is at first stiff and uncertain and the atmosphere is uncomfortable.

I absolutely love how supportive and encouraging Sherlock is with her during this scene. Molly believes she is there as nothing but a replacement for John, someone to keep him company while he mourns the loss of his real partner, but this is not the case. He genuinely tries to make her at ease, lets her do what she wants and says probably the nicest thing he could ever say to her:

“You’re not being John, you’re being yourself.” 

*takes a moment to clutch at her heart at how revolutionary this moment was* 

Look with how much ease Sherlock says this to her. He sounds impatient and even frustrated by her believing she is John’s replacement and her actually trying to become it. This is not what he wants. He wants Molly to be Molly and he wants her to be her own person around him. He wants her there with him, not John, nor anyone else…. Aaaaand there I go giving myself feels again.

[Pretty bby!]

And look how visibly pleased and relaxed Molly becomes. That nod of the head is very important, as she realizes that Sherlock isn’t looking for another John, but merely for another partner. This makes her happy, and she in turn acknowledges that Sherlock has changed. She’s pleased and gains a whole new level of confidence.

The next client is a woman whose pen pal (LOL, do people even say pen pal anymore?) stopped sending her emails. Sherlock is surprisingly kind with her, patting her hand [...] and being all nice, which is, again, a massive sign of change in his personality.

Molly is behind him, taking notes, looking much more relaxed and now wearing only a blouse. This shows she’s now more at ease and has melted into her role.

The next moment is, I find, a very heartbreaking one. Sherlock says to the woman: “And you really thought he was the one, didn’t you? The love of your life.”

He then turns very slowly towards Molly, who briefly looks up though not seeming to realize anything out of the ordinary.

At first, in my blind optimism, I had held the hope that this implied that Sherlock heard the words ‘The love of your life’ and was unconsciously prompted to look at Molly, because ‘love of his life’… but no, I was wrong. I think Sherlock in fact saw Molly in this poor, broken woman in love. This means he acknowledges Molly’s love for him and this could very well be another hint at Molly not yet being over Sherlock.

*sobbing* 

Sherlock is uncharacteristically angry with the piss pot step dad. He is angry with the piss pot for breaking a woman’s heart, for fooling her into a doomed love that would never be and for being a piss pot, because he sees a bit of himself in the piss pot as well.

*SOBBING!* 

Before we move on to the fake crime scene, I think I need to point out that both of these cases are about broken romances. An affair, an imminent divorce and a hopeless love with someone who never was what they appeared to be.

Just fuck everything! 

Now, at the crime scene, I really like how excited Molly seems. She’s in her element, as in death, bodies and murder. Good for her!

We see here that, in the darkness, in the face of actual death, Sherlock once again begins missing John’s presence. It’s here that we realize that it’s still John Sherlock wants to be out with, and his subconscious is blatantly telling him, and us, so.

Molly, in turn, seems enchanted by Sherlock as he works, as she should be. He is majestic when he deduces and she is visibly impressed.

“This gonna be your new arrangement, is it?” Lestrade asks skeptically, to which Sherlock distractedly replies: “Just giving it a go.” 

As I try my hardest not to make dirty jokes on this innuendo, I notice that, with another person present, Sherlock is much colder towards Molly, barely acknowledging her presence and even looking fairly dejected when Lestrade asks about John.

He is much more distant with her in this scene, barely looking at her and giving her very curt replies.

Something that made me smile widely was the sight of the two of them looking the corpse over, deducing it in tandem and Sherlock finishing Molly’s sentence in excellent synchronicity… oh the person I’ve become.

Sherlock, though in his own element, wants to get away from there as soon as possible, he is distracted and being in a dark crime scene without his main wing man affects him deeply to the point where he finally slips up and as tactless as a bulldozer calls Molly ‘John.’

This understandably hurts and disappoints Molly, and I think the previously warm moments between them are bludgeoned out the window for her, and she once again closes up in front of him.

For the time being, at least, because in the next scene, when they go vising Train Guy they seem to be in pretty high spirits, fooling around and just being a couple of adorable fucking dorks that would look much better holding hands.

This is actually the first time, if I’m correct, where we see Molly touching Sherlock (not counting the A Scandal in Belgravia kiss), and she does it with extreme ease and playfulness. This is not something one does with a person they are not completely comfortable with and you can very plainly see that they are perfectly comfortable with each other in this scene.

This leads me to believe that they went on several more cases between the crime scene and this one, and thus have gotten closer and more familiar with each other.

We see Sherlock making fun of Train Guy because LOL even I find it hard to believe he has a girlfriend and I’m analyzing ships from a TV show, and he turns to Molly, expecting her to laugh along with him, but instead she gives him a ‘bad Sherlock!’ kind of look and he immediately shuts his pie hole.

This means he listens to her and understands her even without any words said between them, a very important development, since we don’t see him do this with anyone else other than John, and maybe Mycroft.

Another thing that caught my eye was how beautifully they matched and how pretty they looked together.

Look at the contrast between them. She, all colorful and warm, with her long pink scarf untied and falling loosely down her front, he, cold and neutral, with his short blue scarf tied neatly around his throat. They are perfect opposites yet they complement each other perfectly.

I am not one to put much weight on stuff like this, since I genuinely don’t think this has anything to do with anything, but the image of it is interesting and quite simply, beautiful, so it deserved to be mentioned.

Again, Sherlock acts playful around her and even tries to make her laugh. I adore how warm he is towards her in this scene and how he fishes for smiles as well as the prolonged, conspiratorial, childish and pleased look he gives her when he succeeds.

After they watch the tapes and Sherlock becomes intrigued, the what I like to call ‘hopefully-maybe-flirting’ ends abruptly and his focus in now fully on the case.

He does, at one point, seem to glance her way and so does she, except in his case it’s brief and fleeting, while hers is extended and lasts until he speaks to her and actually asks for her opinion, which is another thing I really liked in this scene, that she snaps out of her ‘Sherlock’s face’ induced daze.

The look he throws her now is colder and slightly impatient, as he probably acknowledged the fact that she was enraptured with him again, and Molly now looks disappointed in herself for slipping up.

After the Mind Palace scene, we see Sherlock standing at the top of the stairwell, in a trance and Molly looking up at him in concern, because that shit would freak anyone out, let’s be honest.

After he orders ALL the maps, Sherlock then invites Molly out for dinner, echoing her wish from earlier that day. He asks her without looking her in the eye and I noticed that he seemed slightly awkward as he passed her by on the stairs.

He seems to try to keep his distance from her, completely avoids eye contact by purposefully glancing in the other direction as he passes her and the discomfort her closeness brings is evident in his features. I don’t know if this is him being uncomfortable with his personal space being breached, since she did touch him earlier and he didn’t seem bothered, him trying to keep his distance after realizing she still has a thing for him, thanks to the drooling staring at him previously, or just him being a shy because he lurves her, but something is definitely up with him now and he’s trying to distance himself from her, even though he kept rambling on about French fries.

When Molly asks if the extra chip portions are because he got the owner off a murder charge, leads me, and many others, to believe that he had shared the story of Angelo with him, which isn’t implausible, since it has been hinted they sometimes chat (the time Molly mentioned Sherlock complained about John leaving to his sister’s for Christmas in A Scandal in Belgravia), which shows in the ease with which they talk and that they don’t shy away from informalities, like when Molly calls out to him, and he replies with a simple ‘Hm?’ – I actually liked that a lot.

Again he jokes with her, trying to keep the atmosphere light, but like a wrecking ball, she comes in and finally addresses the elephant in the room and asks what the whole day had been about.

He doesn’t hesitate in telling her it was to thank her. He is earnest and eloquent as he speaks, while she begins stuttering and shying away from him. She slips back into the old, lovelorn Molly Hooper from Series 1, but Sherlock doesn’t let her, and keeps the speech going.

And then this happens:

“Moriarty slipped up, he made a mistake. It was the one person he thought didn’t matter at all to me, was the one person who mattered the most. You made it all possible.” 

This is a direct follow up of the ‘You do count’ scene in The Reichenbach Fall, but it’s more sincere, more heartfelt, and more appreciative, now that she helped him, that she risked herself for him and did her job well.

But he also points out that she can’t do this again.

This seems to hurt her, and even though she smiles and claims she had a lovely day, the smile doesn’t show in her eyes. In my opinion, she seems resigned. She knows Sherlock doesn’t feel anything for her, she knows they can be friends and nothing more, and she accepts it, but it pains her nonetheless.

When Sherlock acknowledges the engagement ring on her finger and congratulates her with a smile that also doesn’t spread to his eyes, she bows her head awkwardly and fucking sadness all around.

Then she tells her that the fiancé is not a guy she met at work. He genuinely smiles at this, at the fact that all the known men in her life, her last boyfriend, aka crazy, psycho Jimbo, as well as Sherlock himself was met on the job, and this could only mean good things. He might be relieved and maybe even proud of her for this.

[Ow, my heart, that face!]

She goes on a long winded ramble about boring boyfriend who is nice and has a dog and goes to pubs on weekends, and even she acknowledges the fact that there should be no point telling Sherlock any of this, yet she still does and wants him to know that she is, as she claims, happy.

I think Sherlock here tries to push her a little bit from behind, like he’s trying to make her realize that she does deserve all the happiness and discreetly tries to make her understand that said happiness can’t be found with him.

I think he knows she’s not over him and this saddens him.

Now, my words fail me at explaining what I deduced from the next bit, so I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

[Pic1: Sherlock approaches and gauges Molly’s reaction.]

[Pic2: Yeah, she loves him.]

[Pic 3: Poor, sweet, darling, foolish Molly. He’s happy she loves him, but he wishes she didn’t.]

[Pic 4: This is him saying he cares lots about her, is grateful to her, and genuinely wishes her all the best.]

[Pic 5: Yeah, Sherlock did more damage than good. Totally not over him.]

Without so much as a goodbye or a look back, Sherlock leaves, and Molly stays back to recover from the kiss of death, and with slightly red eyes acknowledges that sociopaths just might be her type, which they totes are. Again, she seems resigned and aware that this is probably all she’s ever gonna get, which is why she doesn’t follow him, instead going in the other direction after glancing at his retreating form, looking perfectly intent to move on and live her life.

I think Molly has come a very long way since the second season. There’s no more wishful thinking and dreams and hopes. These two years away from him seemed to have done her good, although I believe that what she feels for him is too strong to be simply pushed aside.

Molly still loves Sherlock, I genuinely believe this, but no longer will she pursue him like she did before.

Fast forward to the get-together at 221B. Here, we finally get to meet boring boyfriend Tom, aka Fakelock.

I found it interesting that we can hear Molly’s exactly at the moment Sherlock expressed his dislike of weddings.

Also, another thing that’s interesting is the fact that Sherlock seems averse to weddings in the first place. Yes, he’s definitely not the wedding type, we can all agree to that, but I also think it might be due to he now finding himself losing two of the most important people in his life to holy matrimony.

So, Molly and Fakelock arrive.

I love everyone’s reaction to Tom. John seems completely dumbfounded and we even see him briefly glancing at Sherlock. Lestrade gives a very awkward ‘Hi’ and John seems to not know whether to laugh or just keep gaping.

Sherlock doesn’t acknowledge Molly immediately and decides right then and there that he’s ready to go out and meet the reporters. Now, lots of people claim he didn’t acknowledge her at all, but he does, and quite sweetly at that, as he flashes her a very affectionate smile.

And then his eyes fall on homeboy Tom, and he’s shocked.

[That is the face of a man who has seen true horror.]

He glances Fakelock up and down and immediately realizes what’s up. Molly has found herself nothing but a cheap replica of himself, not only in the clothes, which are scarily similar to his own, but even in the facial structure and hair. And he’s mortified.

I don’t think he’s jealous or angry, I think if anything, he’s embarrassed.

John looks between the two men and you can tell he’s totally expecting Sherlock to burst and just tear the new guy apart, but we’re once again shown his growth and maturity when he cordially shakes the man’s hand and walks away without a single word.

Lestrade comes up and asks Molly whether she and Tom are serious, to which she happily replies:

[And in that moment I swear we were all Lestrade.]

I’m glad that Molly believes she’s happy, I really am, but this whole thing feels like a joke to me. It’s clearly unhealthy and while I’m sure Fakelock is nice and all (in the case he’s not another psycho or anything), but I genuinely don’t think this relationship is good for her. IF they’re gonna find her a man, I want it to be someone that doesn’t reek of Sherlock replacement.

Though once again, I think it’s safe to assume that she has, in fact, not moved on.

Outside, Sherlock still feels uncomfortable, and we can see it when he tried to tie his scarf.

He makes a gesture that expresses how distraught and clearly displeased with the situation he is. He feels so frustrated that he doesn’t even feel like tying his scarf the same way again.

Sherlock promises John not to say a word, even though they both realize how completely ridiculous the whole situation is, and again, kudos to him. He really does want Molly to be happy and I think the fact that he won’t interfere shows a great deal of maturity and kindness on his part.

I think he has come a long way from the man who so callously used to criticize every little thing about Molly Hooper and everyone around him. Sherlock has grown up, and I couldn’t be more proud.

Conclusion time! 

Even though [...] I still ship Sherlolly to hell and back, I genuinely don’t see it ever becoming canon.

Which is not unexpected, I don’t think any serious Sherlolly shipper has ever held on to such a belief, Sherlock Holmes not being a character made to be in a relationship or to love.

Still, there are many scenes in this episode that does make you go: ‘Just maybe.’ 

Molly is clearly not over Sherlock, that I don’t think anyone could argue with me. [...]  I think, after everything is said and done, there is one universal truth that is just as strong now as it was before this episode premiered:

There’s always hope for Molly. 

And that’s what makes it cruel.

Why did Sherlock call Molly “John”? 

 (Sherlock meta by gaelitabis)

This post came out longer than I had expected. Sorry.

Cumberbabeusa commented on my previous post: “So why in the hell did he call her John? I did not care for that part of the scene at all.”

These are my thoughts:

The scene ends with Sherlock dashing out of the crime scene and calling Molly “John”. What happened here?

Well, Sherlock has called her “John” before. He gets oblivious when he is working… But this is different.

During the fake crime scene Sherlock was clearly freaking out. So much that he literally had to run away from the room. The voice in his head was growing too loud. It was all too much.

I think he simply got carried away with the audible hallucination and started talking to John in his head. John is a friend who also provides comfort and guidance in times of need. Specially on things having to do with social interactions.

Sherlock didn’t simply misname Molly this time. He actually answered to the voice in his head. The man was f-r-e-a-k-i-n-g out.

But why was this so? That is the interesting question. What on earth could have possibly made Sherlock so distressed?

And the answer is: (drums) Molly!!!… being with her, enjoying her company, and knowing she is now off limits.

It is simply too much.

Lestrade’s presence in the scene made Sherlock feel on the spot. Not that Lestrade did anything to make him feel this way (he was being his usual adorable self). But his presence triggered Sherlock’s own feelings of inadequacy (Lestrade did question why Molly was tagging along and Sherlock felt put on a hot spot).

Sherlock found in Lestrade a clear reminder, first, of how Molly is perfectly capable of attracting other males’ attention (we all saw Lestrade gaping at her in the Christmas party), and, second, of how little Sherlock thinks of himself.

Sherlock has got the emotional skills of a small boy and his experience with women is… well… ZERO! So he’s freaking out when he has to face the fact that he has feelings for Molly, but she has finally moved on.

So has his best friend.

Both Molly and John have now got romantic partners. Unlike himself, who is alone. He is scared and hurt.

Even devoted Molly outgrew her crush on him. To his eyes, this proves that he *is* unlovable, after all. A freak. Meant to be forever alone. And why would Molly have ever wanted to be with someone like him, anyway?! She really didn’t (Sherlock is a bit of an asshole not being able to realize Molly is still attracted to him). So Sherlock freaks out in a “Poor little, me. Boo-hoo” fit.

However (and this is important), as soon as they leave the supposed crime scene things get better. They are on their own again and Sherlock gets his shit together. Of course, he’s put a sting on Molly (having called her John), but he is perfectly unaware of it.

Pay attention to the fact that he didn’t ditch Molly right there on the spot, like he has often done with John. He stuck with her. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with her. So they carried on and went to visit the next client, train-boy.

When they arrive to the train-boy apartment we see them in a very cheerful mood. Sherlock has got his shit together. No Lestrade around to make him think those stressing thoughts. Just Molly and a non-threatening stranger. Sweet Molly.

He will just enjoy being near her… as long as he can.

The Sherlock/Molly crime solving scenes in TEH

 (Sherlock meta by the-angelsong)

I just watched the Molly Sherlock scenes in The Empty Hearse again. [...]

Okay, collecting my thoughts. I’m going to break it down as I see it. Note* this is just my opinion/interpretation of those scenes… I do not pretend to have any clue as to the motivations of the writers or actors during these scenes.

1. Sherlocks welcome back: Sherlock goes to Molly right after he sees John. Why is this significant? Well, Molly knows that he is alive, so she shouldn’t be a high priority on his back from the dead tour, but he goes to her straight after John. (I’m even toying with the idea that he sees her first… see bottom of post for more on this.) We have all seen the gif (I don’t know how to make it or find it or I would add it lol) when they first see each other at Barts in the locker room. The focus is on Molly but you can still see him smile in the reflection of the mirror.

2. When he is waiting for her to come over to ask her to go crime fighting: he is nervous. You can see him mouthing words to himself. (Figuring out how to ask her?) note* at this point I think he already knows about her engagement, I think he knew that from their first meeting.

3. That whole scene when he asks her: like omg! When have you ever seen him be so diplomatic? It reads so much like him attempting to ask her out I’m not surprised she thought he was. And when she finishes his sentence for him, the look he gives her! His eyes! (Okay at this point my nose was literally an inch away from the screen as I watched on slow motion) he looks at her like: well, yes. Obviously.

4. The cheating husband case: “Your not being John your being yourself.” [...] She is sitting next to him! John always sits opposite him, and the clients sit on the desk chair and get judged. This time the client sits in John’s chair with her husband standing next to her. Sherlock is deliberately creating changes to his routine so not to make Molly feel like she is a substitute.

5. The catfish case. Again, Sherlock seats the clients in another part of the room. Look at his history people! Every case, he always sits them in the same spot. Except for when he is with Molly… not only that but look at his face as he holds the client’s hand. [...] Could you get more out of character? This case is a 2 at best, but he looks so much like he cares. Why would he do that? Why would he waste time talking to the client, she is obviously upset and irrational. Traits that Sherlock detests, and yet there he is. “And you really thought he was the one didn’t you…. the love of your life.” *looks straight over to Molly* Even as he explains the truth to Molly he does it quietly, with caring in his voice. Rather then his usual MO of just blurting it out… (also notice that all these cases are around lovers, cheating or not being what they say they are. Like maybe he wants her to think about her relationship…) And then he serves up the clients dad. Which again is out of character, he wouldn’t care.

6. The case with Lestrade: he is totally showing off for her! Okay head cannon, John talking to him? That’s his own self doubt sneaking in. Eg. [Molly]: “Your on to something aren’t you?” [Sherlock]: “Maybe.” John’s voice: Show off… He is actually showing off. Then Lestrade asks him about Molly and he says he is giving it a go. He says that because it’s not his choice if this continues, it’s hers. When Lestrade asked him about John he answers diplomatically and walks over to stand near Molly. *Note: The ongoing proximity thing, he continues to stay by her side the whole day. So then she goes over to the body and he heads straight over next to her again, she notices he proximity and steps back apologising. He reassures her and John tells him he is jealous. Jealous of what I ask you? How does that work any other way? He is jealous because she steps away, because she is with someone else. That’s why he’s jealous. When he picks up the manifesto he blows the dust off away from Molly, just another little thing I noticed that shows he cares. He also shows it to her first before Lestrade. When she tells him it’s impossible, he leans in and says “welcome to my world”. The intensity in his eyes is just fantastic! Then John calls him a smart arse. This is because Sherlock is trying to get Molly excited by the work, like he did with John. Because having her around solving case with him is the closest thing he can get to being with her. Then John tells him he forgot to put his collar up, he forgot to look cool so she would want him. Then he accidentally calls her John, well he’s done that before. Plus he has John in his head at the time. (I don’t really have anything for this if anyone else wants to add in their own head cannon I would love to hear it)

7. The train case: so much flirting! [...]  He spends the whole time paying more attention to Molly than he does the case, eg. the girlfriend joke. Someone posted on here once that they were surprised that Sherlock didn’t pick up on the missing car straight away. This is because he’s not looking at the footage, he’s looking at her. I watched like 6 times. (I know I’m totally obsessed!) but he really does, you can actually see him looking at her not the tape.

8. When he comes out of his mind palace: he talks about maps, but as he goes past Molly he changes the subject and asks her out. Yes he was asking her out, it’s Sherlock. He is the master of subtly….. This is the moment where he sees if he has managed to sway her. This whole day, the cases he chose, the showing off. All of it was to show her that he was better than the man who gave her that ring. So he makes his final play and asks her out. But it doesn’t go well does it. She calls him out on the day. Molly Hooper is not an idiot. She knows what he is doing and she asks him point blank about it. He knows he lost the game so he does one more very unsherlock type thing: He tells the truth. “The one person he thought didn’t matter at all to me, was the one person who mattered the most.” He never breaks eye contact here. And then, he lets her go. His face when she starts to talk about Tom, that wistful smile. [...] He tells her he is happy for her, that he wants her to be happy. He didn’t even do that for John with Mary! But lets just take a look at that for a second shall we. It’s established that Sherlock hates change. He has always found fault with every relationship around him, John’s girlfriends, Molly’s boyfriends. Even mrs Hudson’s relationships are not off limits. When he met Mary he deduced her and found her acceptable. But he has never met Tom. He would never let his friend date someone without judging them first. But he lets her, because he doesn’t think he deserves her. And then [...] the kiss, right up until his lips hit her cheek you cannot be sure he isn’t going to kiss her properly. His face is completely open and without manipulation, he never breaks eye contact. How could anyone see that moment and not realise he loves her? How?

Okay back to my head cannon that he goes to Molly before John. First of all, his nose is fine, if he went straight after John it would have at least been red, but it wasn’t, and then there’s the cut on his lip, the obvious cut on his lip. Also missing. and then there’s the lighting. We know that it was late at night when he saw John but it was bright at the hospital. You can see the light coming in from the windows hitting the lockers. But when he goes to see Lestrade it’s dark again. Therefore he goes to see Molly first.

Ok so that is my head cannon break down of Molly and Sherlock in TEH let me know what you think! Do you agree, disagree? Have anything to add? Did I get anything wrong?

Sherlock and Molly in S3 

(Sherlock meta by kathleenkellly, sherlollymouse and doctor-molly-hooper-holmes)

kathleenkellly:

Interesting you would say this, Sherlock, because you have just spent the day:

• hinting that Mycroft is lonely right before Molly is set to arrive 
• asking Molly to join you solving crimes, the thing you love the most 
• telling Molly not to be John, but to be herself 
• being extra harsh to a man that posed as the love of his step-daughter’s life in front of Molly 
• smiling at Molly and giving her flirty looks 
• asking Molly out to dinner 
• telling Molly she was “the one person that mattered the most”, that she “made it all possible”, and that the whole day was about thanking her for everything she did 
• congratulating Molly on her engagement and telling her she deserves to be happy 
• giving Molly a genuine smile with a hint of sadness
• kissing Molly tenderly on the cheek 

Not all the men Molly falls for turn out to be sociopaths, because Sherlock is NOT a sociopath.

[...] So Sherlock has just spend the day showing Molly how he is not a sociopath (whether intentionally or not) and thanking her for “everything” that she did for him (which I think indicates that Molly did a lot more for him than we’ll probably ever know, but that’s another story).

Then he brings up her engagement and says “but you can’t do this again can you”. It shows that Sherlock considers this a date. He seemed nervous when he was originally asking her and now he’s treating it as something more than just a day spent solving crimes. If he doesn’t consider it a date, then why do they have to end it? They would simply be two friends spending the day working on a case. There’s nothing inappropriate with that. Why is he suddenly feeling guilty about spending the day with an engaged woman? Because he has feelings for her. Feelings that are potentially growing stronger as they spend more time together. Feelings that scare him and that he can’t share with her now she’s with someone.

Molly then describes Tom making him seem the opposite of Sherlock: “he’s nice, he’s got a dog, we go to the pub on weekends”. Tom is “normal”. Sherlock makes the sociopaths comment. He mistakenly thinks that this is what Molly wants: a normal man with a normal life. The funny thing is during the rest of S3 we are shown that Sherlock shares some of these characteristics, just in his own unique way. He had a dog he once loved. He goes to the pub with John. He has loving parents and a group of friends.

Sherlock doesn’t hear Molly’s comment at the end “maybe it’s just my type.” He doesn’t know that she considers Sherlock to be her type. Molly just spent an enjoyable day with Sherlock and sees what life with him would be like. She now realizes that life with Tom pales in comparison. She doesn’t want normal. It may have seemed okay when Sherlock was gone, but he’s back now and so are her feelings.

Moffat said after S3 that Molly is “fascinated by (Sherlock), but she knows that’s not who she actually wants to end up with.” If this is really the case, then why does S3 end with Molly breaking her engagement? They had Molly get engaged to someone only to realize that Tom is not what she wants, Sherlock is what she wants. They showed how important Molly is to Sherlock as she appears in his mind palace. They showed us how developed their relationship has become when she slaps him for using drugs. And then S3 ends with a subtle “oh yeah by the way he’s slept in her bedroom” revelation. Moffat even said in that same interview that Sherlock loves Molly. Why spend so much time on their relationship if it’s not going anywhere?

sherlollymouse:

Precisely, it’s nice to see him nervous around her, too. He makes that excuse to see her in TSoT and she calls him out on it, even pokes fun and teases him. I’m convinced she was FLIRTING with him and it was adorable. I would like to know, though, how Moffat wants to explain S3 if Molly doesn’t want Sherlock anymore.

doctor-molly-hooper-holmes:

In response to Moffat’s comment about Molly: I always took that to mean that she doesn’t idealize him anymore. For a while, it seemed like she had a crush on her fantasy version of Sherlock, not the actual man. I believe that all changed during the Christmas party in ASiB, when Sherlock finally turned his cruel deductions on her (it’s my head canon that this was the first and last time he did so). She was forced to see all of Sherlock, flaws included. I think this is when she first really began to fall in love with him.

It’s been seen many times on the show that Sherlock is awful at hiding his emotions around Molly (TRF, TEH, etc.). The lab scene in TRF revealed that she sees through him anyway, so why put forth the effort to hide them? In my opinion, Moffat was just stating that Molly doesn’t want to end up with her idealized version of Sherlock, because she now knows and loves the real Sherlock.

Sherlock and Molly's relationship in s3

 (Sherlock meta by fuckyeahsherlolly)

Q: [...] Is there meta in which every line of [the TEH Sherlock/Molly hallway] scene is dissected? I'd forgotten about "you can't do this anymore." What does her engagement change, on HIS end? I get it from hers. Does he understand her that well by now? On another note, how "I don't count" affected him. Those three words got a far more significant reaction than three slaps to the face. That scene is in my top three because of his reaction to that and to "I know you don't." He's like, "tha fuck just happened?"

A: There probably is a meta out there, but I’m frightfully lazy when it comes to scrolling through the tag, though I hope someone will point out their own fleshed out version of it (hint, hint, I’m a lazy bugger).

A part of me, despite myself, because I am just easily one who submerses in pain – thinks that Sherlock knows that Molly is still in possession of feelings for him at this point.

Waiting for the very last minute to breach the topic of her engagement, and then she goes ahead explaining her and Tom’s relationship, like a reminder to herself – that that’s what she wants, except nobody who is truly happy needs to remind themselves in such a way really.

Possibly the ‘you can’t do this anymore’, if one puts emphasize on the fact that he says ‘you’, and the fact that he’s talking about chips right before means that he’s alright with the arrangement, but…the way she pauses, asks what the whole day is about – means that she can’t do this without old feelings resurrecting.

Perhaps Sherlock understands this, it seems he does, since he understands that she has feelings – look at how he reacts when she suggests dinner, and when he catches her looking at him, phasing out from the moment entirely.

He knows and he does her a favour by stepping back, even avoiding later on to point out Tom’s – appearance – shutting up for once.

A great leap for him really, wonderful even, and the interaction between the pair of them in The Sign of Three is certainly different. The thing is I’m not saying that Sherlock doesn’t feel something for Molly, since he does, but not in the way that we perhaps want – right now. But the man does indeed care for her – “you do count, you’ve always counted and I’ve always trusted you.” She is a friend, and he has few friends, but she is one, and he can count on her and trust her.

He dares be honest with her, showing his emotions, as he knows that she won’t judge, she just cares.

When she said, “I don’t count,” he’s shocked, because he thought she knew, that she knew they were friends, but it’s apparent she doesn’t. And he corrects her, he lets her see his heart on his sleeve, like he constantly by now sees hers. Since from A Scandal of Belgravia he knows about her feelings, properly the extent of them, and then he tells her of his feelings. It doesn’t need to be romantic, for him it probably isn’t anything but the plain truth.

She is important and she does matter.

He couldn’t have done anything without her so he thanks her in his special way.

But it’s from the easy conversation in The Sign of Three where she’s more or less leading, joking with him, and making him certainly uneasy by the way she talks (with all intention of doing so) – to the complete – and utter tension that is filled in the last episode of series three. It’s such a curious development, because we saw her jealousy in the second episode, staring at him and Janine, and then her being the only one who notices that he left.

But she didn’t follow.

That in my eyes is fantastic. I know you’re probably going but “whyyy? how can this be good?” For her development it is stunning and I’m so happy about her being absolutely angry with him in the last episode, telling him off. He is anxious going to see her, because he knows she’ll be disappointed, and she is obviously one he doesn’t want to disappoint. John will swallow up “it’s for a case,” but not her, she won’t believe that. And then he comes back with the “sorry for your engagement ending” (paraphrasing like hell), which there is no proper point for him to come with in fact, except to obviously make her upset, which he hasn’t been trying to do of late. But she’s still angry, vaguely interested when he mentions the case, but still won’t be deflected to her own self for once.

He doesn’t see her after this point, since we don’t exactly see her popping up again with him, until UNTIL she does in his head. There she is, telling him to focus, slapping him to his senses in his own head, which was obviously something he needed.

Now – that – is huge. Who does he go to first in his head? Her. 

Mycroft interrupts so does Anderson, but it’s mainly her running the show, telling him to focus.

[...]

Some thoughts on The Empty Hearse

 (Sherlock meta by justanotherfangirls)

 I wanted to do rewatching Sherlolly posts for season 3, but to do that I have to watch the episodes several more times and spend days on end contemplating about them. Regretfully I cannot do that anytime soon. I however rewatched TEH, specifically the Sherlolly working together scenes a couple more times and I can’t deal with all these feelings.

I will never get over the fact that Sherlock had planned this whole day for Molly, to “thank her” for her help. Yes, he absolutely did. It was terribly sentimental and he never does that for just anyone. In fact, I believe he never does that for anyone else. But consider this. He properly thanks her after two years had passed since her helping him. He had too much time alone, to reflect on his previous life and realize how valuable the people around him are. How much he is grateful (and sorry) to all of them. And he decides to do something about Molly. It was a perfect plan that took perhaps two years in the making. That is why he is all nervous and waiting for her to arrive when the whole plan was finally in motion. And what does he give her? A date. Yes, it was a date, Sherlock style. It was not a proper crime investigation, because as people pointed out, the cases involves romance and drama, perhaps what he thinks Molly would be interested in because after all she is a girl. They never involved danger or running away, unlike his cases with John which were full of adrenaline, action and death defying acts. John can handle himself, but he needed to protect Molly because she doesn’t have the training or experience for these. He chose all their cases, all the while thinking that he’s doing this with Molly. His main purpose was not to solve crimes, because he could have chosen more interesting, less emotional ones. But he liked crimes, and Molly would like these. It is a compromise for things they both liked so that they would do things that they would both enjoy. A date. He even tells her at one point, Welcome to my world. He lets her in, tries to impress her, wants her to be part of it. Wants her to stay.

More supporting evidence for this was, I think I already read somewhere, the scene before. When Sherlock was talking to Mycroft about why anyone would mind that hat person being different? Here he is acknowledging himself as someone able to have functional relationships with other people. Something that sadly does not seem to ring true in HLV anymore.

There were much, too much subtext, subtle glances, exchanges, and flirting all throughout these scenes. Yes this is most definitely a date, and a romantic one at that. Even an offer to dinner from Sherlock himself to cap it off. And a sincere confession with zero ulterior motives. You are the one person that mattered the most. And then he selflessly lets her go for her happiness, right after he tells her she is the one that mattered the most to him. Because she deserves to be happy, and he thinks he can never give her that, he is not good enough. He had prepared so well and given so much of himself away, but it was not good enough. He was too late. And it’s so sad and heartbreaking and I cannot unsee all these things now. I just knew they were setting us up for angst because they had generously given us a very sexy albeit fantasy kiss; but I do believe that plus the miles closer to canon sherlolly is (even if it’s uncertain it would reach that) would still be well worth the heartbreak.

Why does Sherlock show Molly affection?

 (Sherlock meta by fuckyeahsherlolly)

Q: Why does [Sherlock] show Molly affection in that way [in TEH]? Why did he care that he hurt her on Christmas [in ASiB] ? He's upset people in the past and not thought about it twice. John's teacher girlfriend, Hudders and the flour, Lestrade... Always. Why apologize at all, and furthermore, why was he actually upset (enough) that he'd hurt her? I understand the day they spent [in TEH] was a thank you. He was kind, cordial, accepted her help. That's a lot from him. So why say all of the things he said? Why chips? Why kiss? [...]

A: For me it has a lot to do with the fact that he truly and utterly cocked up. Sherlock wasn’t being ‘cruel’, he was 'teasing’, but he didn’t understand the weight of his words until he saw what everyone else already knew, that the gift was for him, that she cares for him. He doesn’t understand that, in the same way that he didn’t understand that John saw him as his best friend - he’s at a loss, because he doesn’t see himself as a person who is worthy.

I think a lot of what he does try do to in series 3 is to show that he’s much more receptive, not afraid, but it’s more the - “you can’t do this anymore” that gets me really. It’s not supposed to mean anything, is it?

Then why say it, why not go for chips?

The kiss is almost like a goodbye, like this was their first and last time doing anything like this, because she is engaged.

And then there’s the fact that she slaps him in the later episode, and tension is high, and I’m basically on the edge of my seat wondering what the hell is going to happen between the pair of them in series four.

Whatever it is, I’m ready (not really).

Sherlock Series Three: A Study in Relationships

 (Sherlock meta by strawberrypatty)

This series of Sherlock is different than previous ones in that is it not mystery focused. Yes, mysteries do happen… But they are backdrop to the characters and their relationships. Please note, when I say “relationships”, I mean in the broadest sense of the word. I mean platonically, fraternally and romantically.

There are four relationships (well, three and half) that are really the core of this series. They are the ones that evolve and develop over the three episodes. While there are other relationships present, there is not much change from what we’ve seen before.

SHERLOCK AND JOHN (AND MARY) 

As with every series of Sherlock, this relationship is the most significant. As it should be. Holmes and Watson are timeless companions. Without them, there is no show.

The first episode of the series is about Sherlock reintroducing himself to John and regaining his trust. John has spent two years thinking Sherlock is dead. It is implied in the dialogue that it’s only been in the last six months that John has been able to truly move on. While no doubt he had recovered somewhat before he met Mary, during John’s aborted proposal, he says that Mary is the best thing that could’ve happened to him and that the last few years had not been easy for him. He was deeply affected by the loss. He has cut himself off from people he knew along with Sherlock like Mrs Hudson and has only recently become comfortable reacquainting himself.

Going through all of this, John has difficulty letting Sherlock back into his life. Naturally, he feels betrayed. It is not just that Sherlock lied to him. He is angry that other people knew. He lashes out at Sherlock when he discovers that Mycroft, Molly and members of the Homeless Network knew. For everything they went through, Sherlock didn’t trust him to keep the secret. Sherlock says this outright. He thought that John might say something indiscreet.

The first episode makes clear that while these two men mean a lot to each other, they are not each other’s entire worlds. John is happy working as a General Practitioner. Sherlock is taking cases. However, they are on each other’s minds. I really think what is preying on them is the fact they’re trying to ignore the other. They haven’t been able to get to the point where they can go off and have an adventure together and then go their separate ways. This is what they need to get to. They get to it in episode two and are quite happy. However, the danger of the Magnussen case– and the upcoming baby Watson– means Sherlock is shutting John out. This is to the detriment of both of them. They are stronger together.

But that doesn’t mean they have to be with each other every moment of every day. John loves Mary and he does love the life they’ve made. But he still has to have that connection the danger of being with Sherlock Holmes. Meanwhile, Sherlock does like doing cases with Molly. But he’s stuck on the fact that John is angry with him at the time and he doesn’t think John will ever forgive him.

The plot of this relationship is what exactly they mean to each other. The first episode centres around what Sherlock means to John and John’s forgiveness of him. Things are not okay between them until John admits that Sherlock is the best man he knows and a deeply important part of his life. But even this is treated with humour. Sherlock tricks John into revealing this and laughs when John becomes affronted at having revealed it. They are friends. They are true bros who will make fun of the other for revealing something so deeply personal.

The second episode is about Sherlock’s feelings for John. Sherlock worries about the wedding not going perfectly, because he knows what it means to John and Mary. He knows John wants to have a perfect, domestic life and he’s trying to pull himself away, while John is trying to prove to Sherlock that nothing will change even though he is getting married. But everything changes. When Sherlock discovers that Mary is pregnant, he knows that John can’t come out with him any longer. That the days of them running headlong into danger at a moment’s notice is truly gone. But he vows he will always be there for John and his family.

The third episode is the culmination of the previous two. We find out just why John is so attached to his life with Sherlock. It is an addiction for him. He has married a woman who is very much like Sherlock. He needs to have the danger in his life.

While Sherlock thinks Magnussen is the worst villain he has ever gone against, once he finds out about Mary his focus completely shifts. Sherlock is willing to go to great lengths in order to keep the vow he made. While there is of course the obvious, not enough attention is spent on the intermezzo. Sherlock breaks out of hospital and bleeds internally in order to discover the truth about Mary. We know he likes Mary, but his priority is making sure John is safe. He discovers the truth about her and plays marriage counsellor to the Watsons. If Sherlock were truly as selfish as many act like he is, he wouldn’t have done this. He would be happy if John lived with him again and they went back to solving crimes all the time. But Sherlock has grown. He knows those days are over. John has chosen Mary and moved on with his life. John wants to be with Mary, even if he is angry at her for her deception. That is why he becomes so angry at her. Because even after all the lies, he still loves her. And in the end, Sherlock is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their happiness. He makes himself a murderer and it is only by sheer luck that he is able to get out of a suicide mission.

Sherlock and John are never going to be the same after Reichenbach. They are never again going to be living together, inseparably. Their relationship has settled into something new, which is good. All relationships must grow and change. They have admitted they love each other dearly and are desperately important to one another. But Mary is the most important person in John’s life now. And Sherlock is all right with that, willing to do just as much to protect her as he would John.

They have truly gotten to the point of being each other’s best friends.

JOHN AND MARY (AND SHERLOCK) 

 We come into this relationship already in progress. We’ve seen John with other women before. We know he’s a bit of a hound. Even he had trouble keeping his girlfriends straight. But with Mary, we’re introduced to the relationship about to take the big step of engagement.

As stated above, John’s proposal to Mary suggests that she saved him. That he was still in the midst of mourning Sherlock when he met her. But Mary was able to get him out of it. She is the best thing that happened to him and John has no hesitance in asking her to marry him.

Their relationship is fun and supportive. They have no trouble teasing one another. They feel real in a way that a lot of television couples don’t. While this probably does have a lot to do with the fact Martin and Amanda are partners, it is definitely in the writing as well. Of course, the part of Mary was specifically written for Amanda. It feels easy.

Mary is never presented as a threat to the Sherlock and John dynamic. Jeanette was treated as an interloper. Sherlock can’t remember her name and she’s very cruel– even throwing on a rather homophobic comment– when John is just trying to keep Sherlock off drugs. Even Sarah is presented as something of an obstacle. Sherlock is very wary of her and displeased with her presence. Mary and Sherlock immediately have a rapport. They understand each other. Sherlock reads her and overlooks something because she makes John happy. Of course, it might have been better if he’d talked about it with her, but if wishes were horses… The only deduction he makes out loud regarding them is to Mary’s benefit, as she doesn’t like John’s moustache (of course, it suits Sherlock as well).

I know what you’re thinking… Why are you talking about Mary and Sherlock’s relationship so much when this is supposed to be about John and Mary? I could probably write a whole section about Mary and Sherlock’s relationship, but it is so tied up in John and Sherlock’s relationship that there would be too much overlap.

If Sherlock had not returned, I think John and Mary would have been very happy together. We already see they were moving towards commitment. But with Sherlock’s return, Sherlock’s approval of Mary becomes very important. Understanding Sherlock is part and parcel with understanding John. Mary is accepting of the friendship, even encouraging it.

I’ve seen lots of anti-Mary meta suggesting she’s selfish and just out for her own interests. If this were the case, she would not have encouraged John to continue his friendship with Sherlock. She would not have gotten John to take Sherlock out on cases, knowing it’s what both men want. Sherlock Holmes is one of the few men in the world who could figure out who she is. Yet she not only encourages John’s friendship with him, she forms her own. She likes him and she knows that John needs Sherlock. If she were truly selfish, she would have encouraged John to stay away, as he wanted to in The Empty Hearse. 

As revealed in the third episode, Mary has lied to John about her past– including her name. She is a CIA assassin. But this in no way invalidates her relationship with John. She does not have a relationship with John to hide that. She had already been living as Mary Morstan for four years before she met him. If anything, John is the last person she should be with to hide herself. He worked as a detective’s assistant (a detective who shows up during their relationship). But she honestly fell in love with him, and he with her. While Mary has lied about her name and her past, she is not lying about who she is now. Both of them recognize things in each other– that they were people who liked danger and adrenaline rushes but were suppressing it.

John has every right to be angry with Mary after what he finds out. And it does take him months to come to terms with it. This is very truthful. And the fact he is able to put it behind him shows the strength of their love. It doesn’t matter what Mary did in the past, because she is the sum of her experiences and it made her the person John has fallen in love with. Who A.G.R.A was doesn’t matter, as she’s now Mary Watson, the woman John loves.

I truly believe that these two are going to be solid. After what they went through in His Last Vow, an atom bomb couldn’t shake their relationship. I also don’t think Moffat and Gatiss are so heartless that they will kill Watson’s very pregnant wife or kill both her and the baby (or leave the baby around, which frankly doesn’t make sense from a storytelling standpoint as it would be too inconvenient for storytelling). Remember: Moffat is the one who wrote “Everybody lives. Just today, everybody lives.”. He actually is far less cruel when it comes to killing off characters as fandom likes to pretend. Mary is the long-haul. This is John Watson’s future.

SHERLOCK AND MYCROFT 

We’ve had tantalizing hints as to the relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft in the first two series. But the third one really gets into detail as to what their past was like and what the truth of their current relationship is.

Previously, they’ve mostly just been antagonistic towards each other. While they still are, it becomes very clear just how much they mean to each other. For years, they were the only ones who understood each other. While Sherlock has moved on and found other companions, Mycroft still shies away from it. Sherlock worries about his loneliness, hiding it behind a veneer of mocking.

Much is spent on Mycroft as the big brother, looking after Sherlock. While everything is hidden by sniping, he’s always looking out for Sherlock. Mycroft goes undercover in order to save Sherlock from torture. Mycroft comes to see Sherlock when John has rebuked him. Mycroft and Sherlock talk on the phone at John’s wedding and Mycroft worries about Sherlock now that his friend is getting married. Mycroft comes immediately when Sherlock has relapsed. Mycroft is forced to deal with the fall out of Sherlock’s murder of Magnussen.

Sherlock knows how his brother sees him and he uses it in his own mind palace. Mind Palace Mycroft is trying to help him out, trying to get him to survive, but he does it by berating him. It is the way Mycroft shows his concern for Sherlock, by being the harsh older brother.

Mycroft is always concerned with Sherlock. When we are first introduced to him he says “I worry about him. Constantly.”. Series three truly shows this. We find out why he worries. It’s not because he thinks Sherlock will embarrass him. It is because he thinks Sherlock is going to get himself killed or worse, and that loss would break his heart. We’re given a tantalizing hint that they had another brother who met a bad end. Mycroft worries the same will happen to Sherlock.

For all of his worries and interventions, he can’t save Sherlock from himself. When Sherlock finally kills Magnussen, the ice man melts. He sees his brother as he always has– a little boy he’s tried to protect. Only he can’t protect him any longer. He has gone too far.

Sherlock has always seen Mycroft as an annoying tether. But we know Mycroft is smarter than Sherlock. He knew what Sherlock was capable of, what Sherlock’s life would lead him to. He was desperately trying to avert that in order to protect himself. In a world of goldfish, his brother is the one person he can talk to. He loves him deeply and he feels he needs to use the power of the entire British government in order to save him from himself.

In the end, Sherlock is sent off. But Moriarty returns. Could someone else combat against Moriarty? Hell yes. The man who calls Sherlock back could match wits with Moriarty and probably come out on top. But it is a convenient excuse.

Because, as Sherlock said, Mycroft can’t deal with a broken heart.

SHERLOCK AND MOLLY 

This is the relationship I’d originally started writing about, but I felt the need to write about all of the relationship developments. The fact that is was my original intention is why it’s so much longer than the others. Of course– cards up front– I’m entirely biased. But I think even if I hadn’t liked the idea of Sherlock and Molly, I’d be intrigued by their relationship as presented in series three.

If this series were called anything other than Sherlock and Sherlock Holmes had a different name, I think there would be a lot more people saying they were setting up a romance between these two. Just to be clear, while I liked the idea of these two, it was never something I sought out in canon. When I was on Three Patch Podcast, I actually said that. I didn’t want Molly to get savaged by the fandom for being in a relationship with Sherlock, so I hoped it didn’t happen.

That changed with Series Three. The writers have made me root for it to happen canonically.

Molly’s feelings for Sherlock have been clear since the beginning of the show. She had a crush on him. This was played for laughs in the first series. But by the second, it had changed. It had become serious. I think this was because Molly’s feelings had changed.

Molly no longer had a crush on Sherlock. Molly knew who Sherlock was and she was in love with him. Sherlock doesn’t realize this until A Scandal in Belgravia. Because of this love, Molly was willing to put her job, reputation and even her life on the line in order to help Sherlock with the Fall.

We pick up in Series Three with their relationship drastically changed. After John, Molly is the first person Sherlock goes to see. The scene is wordless, just sharing small smiles with each other.

Sherlock then asks Molly out. This scene is set up as nothing but a date. It has romantic music and Sherlock shuffling towards her. Molly thinks he’s going to ask her out to dinner, but he asks her to solve crimes. He assures her she’s not there to “be John” but to “be herself”. He wants her there, because he wants her there. They share flirtatious looks with one another. He asks her to go get something to eat when they’re done. He tells her how she mattered the most. If one actually looks at what happened during the Fall, Molly’s part is actually very minor. It’s Mycroft’s show. Molly is the one who mattered the most to Sherlock personally.

What confirms that the scene had romantic connotations is Sherlock’s comment about Molly “not being able to do this again” because of her engagement. If the situation had been meant to be platonic, of course they could’ve gone out and solved crimes together. What’s to stop a modern woman who happens to be a pathologist from solving crimes on the side, regardless of martial status. It is not just two friends going out together.

Sherlock congratulates her on her engagement, but there is a distinct sadness to everything he’s saying. He doesn’t say he’s happy for her. He says he hopes she’s happy. He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach the eyes. Molly tells him about her fiancé, but she never says she loves him. It’s random information. The warmest she gets is “he’s nice”. Sherlock assures her that not every man she falls for can he a sociopath. He says it with melancholy.

But he leaves before he hears her say “Maybe it’s just my type.”

Had they not done this, the scene could have played as a good-bye scene. Saying good-bye to Molly’s former feelings. But they left it significantly open (more on that later).

When we finally meet Tom, we see he looks a lot like Sherlock. Molly has not moved on, despite her claim to Lestrade (also, if you have to SAY it, you haven’t). Sherlock doesn’t know how to process it and leaves very quickly.

In The Sign of Three, there’s very little Sherlock and Molly interaction. But Molly worries about how he will handle being a best man. She’s the only one who is. Molly, knowing Sherlock well, is the one who is right. He’s panicked about it.

Their only scene together is Molly helping with the stag night. It’s awkward. Oh God, is it awkward. Sherlock asks after Tom and Molly assures him they’re having quite a lot of sex, which he doesn’t know what to make of. It is again, “look how much I’ve moved on”.

Sherlock’s interactions with Molly in The Empty Hearse and The Sign of Three can be connected to the scene he has with Mary’s ex-boyfriend. Sherlock strongly wards David off, knowing he still has feelings for Mary. He’s protective of Mary and John’s relationship. He doesn’t think it’s appropriate for someone with feelings for an engaged woman to be around her. So in The Empty Hearse he tells Molly he can’t solve cases with her anymore than that one time and the only other time they converse, he makes her to bring up Tom.

Molly tries hard with Tom, kissing him at the wedding (with Sherlock watching in the background). She’s trying very hard to move on. But she’s clearly embarrassed by him and protective of Sherlock. She is still the only one who “sees” Sherlock, sadly leaving the wedding. But she doesn’t pursue him.

Molly isn’t allowed to go after him, because this is an homage to “The Green Death” episode of Doctor Who. However, the homage isn’t perfect. If it were, John (who is the Jo Grant in this situation) would have been the one to see Sherlock. But despite moving on, Molly still sees Sherlock in a way no one else does.

By His Last Vow, Molly’s engagement is over. But that doesn’t mean things are clear for her and Sherlock. She does a drugs test on him and finds out he’s been using heroin.

We’ve seen Molly call Sherlock out before, but this was a stunning moment. She has so much love and concern for him, she’s just going to slap the crap out of him for what he’s done. You can see on Sherlock’s face how stunned and ashamed he is. But he lashes out at her, pointing out how her engagement has ended. But Molly won’t put up with it, demanding he stop it.

We get a brief scene of Molly, tantalizingly dropping a hint of Sherlock staying not only at her flat, but in her bed, at some point. Most likely, this was after his supposed death. It can be taken as Sherlock kicking her out of her room… But it can be taken as them sharing a bed too. It’s very grey.

Of course, it would be remiss not to mention Molly’s place in Sherlock’s mind palace. I’ve heard people say Molly was the obvious choice. No, actually… She wasn’t. Molly is a pathologist. She deals with dead bodies. John was not only a doctor, but an army doctor. He has dealt with live gunshot victims. Not only that, he’s been a live gunshot victim. He would’ve been the obvious choice. But Sherlock’s mind chose Molly. Mycroft and Anderson are also in the mind palace. But Anderson is cold fact and Mycroft is berating him. Molly is getting him to focus, encouraging. Molly is making him fight.

What is most intriguing about the relationship between Sherlock and Molly in series three is the lack of resolution. When we leave them, Molly is absolutely furious at Sherlock out of worry. We never get any assurance they have made up.

If Moffat and Gatiss had wanted to shut the door on Sherlock and Molly, they had an easy out. It had been two years and they set up that Molly HAS moved on. They could’ve had Molly be engaged and that was the end of it. She could’ve just been a friend and a confidant, but they have her with feelings for Sherlock and her relationship floundering. Tom was a road block. Everything between them set up Sherlock’s changed feelings and the changes in their relationship. But it was left very open for series four (and possibly five).

THE SHERLOCK-MARY AND JOHN-MOLLY PARALLELS 

With Sherlock and John as the cornerstone of the series, it’s interesting to look at the women in both of their lives and see the comparisons that can be drawn.

It is said outright in His Last Vow that Mary and Sherlock are very much alike. John makes a joke about how they should’ve gotten married. John is attracted to dangerous people. That is why he is best friends with Sherlock. He then falls in love with a woman who is just as dangerous. Mary is clever and dangerous and gets along with Sherlock because of their similarities.

I’ve written before about the similarities between John and Molly. They are both medical professionals who assist Sherlock. They are the ones who will call him out on being an asshole. This series draws even more comparisons between the two, with their choice of companions. While John needs the fact he is attracted to dangerous people pointed out to him, Molly knows it already. Sherlock, feeling he’s not good enough for Molly, tells her not every man she falls for can be a sociopath. But she knows she’s still in love with him and says maybe she has a type. She’s admitted what John comes to terms with by the end of the series. While Molly has admitted it, only the next series will tell if it will lead to anything.