#and even when he is frustrated with her its not like a 'ugh watson you moron'

[redrobin-detective]

Back to watching Elementary again, another aspect of the show I enjoy is Sherlock’s open adoration and appreciation of Watson both as a person and a fellow detective. I think that’s something that has been lost in a lot of Holmes adaptions - started mainly by the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce movies - of Watson being a comedic foil to Holmes, an inept bungler that Sherlock puts up with.

I feel like even in adaptions that have Holmes/Watson having a good relationship, there is this sense of exasperation coming from Holmes about some of Watson’s behaviors (BBC and RDJ come to mind). In Elementary, once Sherlock accepts and embraces his love for Watson, he never really backs down from it. We rarely see him frustrated with her, and if so it’s because of her actions not personality clashes. He knows he’s weird and obnoxious and adapts to Watson’s habits without making a big eye rolling deal out of it.

[taki118]

Cause of the BBC Sherlock stuff I've been seeing I'd like remind people of Elementary

This may poke the proverbial fandom bear but I don't care this show deserved so much more love than it got.

This series is Seven season of quality detective content. Each epsiode delievers on a cool mystery with a statisfying conculsion, and overarching plots arcoss multiple episodes that again give good payoff. Look I'm a person who never really cares about spoilers BUT season one's twist is so perfectly executed that I can never bare talking about it until someone has experinced it already. Like im serious its so good.

Now detractors LOVE to point out two things

1: It takes place in New York they just had to americanise it

2: why is Watson a woman? Ugh they just want to sexualize her and take the gay away

So for 1 I get the frustration it was proabably a legal/financial thing that made them go with New York. But the writers 100% use this to their advantage. utilizing the setting as a sort of metaphor for Serlock as a person particulary in season 1 & 2. He's been thrusted into New York this is not his home and he sees it as simply a new place and a fresh start. But come season 2 when he does return to London he finds it different and no longer feels at ease there. He has grown he has changed and so has the world around him. I think the writers made the best out of the situation.

2: Yyyeeeeeaaaahhhhhhhhh no

like i get WHY people assume the reason to make John Watson Joan Watson was purely to hook the characters up, like i was suspicious too when I first saw the trailers cause damn the person in charge of that did a shit job. But so theres a reason why its Joan Watson and not John Watson. In behind the scenes stuff they straight up said that in doing research they notice Sherlock is a bit of a misogynist as he regards women rather lower having just a few exceptions to  his rule that woman are silly creatures controlled by emotions. SO the writers and producers thought “Well what if his work partner IS a woman?’ and like thats actually a good idea to shake up the Holmes/Watson dynamic. 

But also in all 7 seasons not once do Joan and Sherlock hook up. 

NOT ONCE. THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS ENTIRELY PLANTONIC. 

LET ME REPEAT THAT AGAIN A MAN AND A WOMAN ON A CABLE SERIES WHO LIVE AND WORK TOGETHER ONLY LOVE EACH OTHER IN A PLATONIC SENSE AND NO ONE BATS AN EYE TO THAT.

DO YOU REALIZE HOW HUGE THAT IS?

Like Joan and Sherlock are family to each other yes earlier seasons is mostly Joan taking care and helping Sherlock but as time goes on they are far more equal. They have this great bond that’s just built on mutual trust and care and gives off the pair of siblings at times. (my favorite running gag is Sherlock finding new and creative ways to wake Watson up)

And can I say that Joan and Sherlock arent the only ones to say “I love you” in a platonic sense in this show? CAUSE THEY ARENT

This show just like shoves it in your face that strong platonic relationships are not only valid but something to be cherished and cared for just as much as romantic ones. That just being someone’s friend and being there for them when times are tough is enough and admirable. And im sorry but that shit gets me every time. 

Also also Joan Watson has her own arc of finding what it is she wants in this world along Sherlocks own arc. And its not finding a man and having a child, its finding what work she likes to do and balancing it with her personal life. 

And thats not even getting into the positive and well done addict recovery rep. Like they took the offhanded line that Sherlock uses opitates in the novels and said “Hey how would they effect a man like this?” Like they give such a good showcase on how really anyone can fall to addiction and just how hard it is to recover. It’s a long road and the show never lets you forgot that Sherlock could fall back and that he is not better than any other addict, that if it werent for the support network he has built the fall would be far worse.

Like god I havent even gotten into how this is the most emotionally vulnerable Sherlock and thats not treated as a negative like the show straight up says when he goes cold logic mode he’s worse as a person AND as a detective.

How they show the police force they work with to be just as important  as their work. 

Trans Ms. Hudson played by a trans woman, while shes not in a lot of eps she’s never made a joke of and treated as a desirable.

Autisitc person as a love interest who was not treated as a child. 

Joan wasnt the ONLY person who was adapted as a different gender. 

Going into the messiness of mental health and how hard finding care for it can be. 

The hackers who are hilarious

Sherlock and Joans network of specialists who have knowledge they dont

CLYDE THE TURTLE

Like just watch it its worth your time and will never make fun of you for engaging with the work. 

[teawaffles]

It Happened One Night: Chapter 1

T/N: Takes place after the Scandal in the British Empire arc (Chapters 17-23 of the manga).

Baker Street was full of people as usual. But in contrast to the hubbub, the entire street was enveloped in a vaguely unnatural, lonely atmosphere.

It looked like it was going to rain. That was what John H Watson thought as he walked down the street, gazing up at the heavily clouded sky.

“We should get back quickly, Sherlock.”

Saying that, he looked at the man beside him — Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock squinted and sniffed the air, as if trying to detect the smell of rain, and agreed with him.

“Right. And I also have some things here I don’t want to get drenched.”

Then Sherlock looked down at the items he was carrying. They each bore a large paper bag, stuffed to the brim with food and other sundry goods.

John furrowed his brows.

“Sherlock, haven’t you bought too many personal items? We’re even more broke than usual, you know,” he reminded.

But Sherlock wasn’t perturbed.

“They might be useless to you, John, but to me these are necessities of life. Please overlook this just once.”

“It’s no use, huh……”

It was better to avoid cigarettes at times like this, but John knew it was pointless to say that — hence instead of going on at length, he just gave a small sigh. Somehow, it felt like the bag in his arms had grown heavier.

As the two men walked on like this, they eventually drew near the flat where they lived. 221B Baker Street. This was the very place from which the great detective Sherlock Holmes, and his assistant, John H Watson, unravelled Britain’s mysteries.

However, they walked past their lodgings, not once slowing down. As they passed by, John glanced toward their flat.

There, remained the scars of appalling destruction. The building itself had retained its original structure, but the flat in which they’d lived had its windows all blown out; from what he could see through them, the walls and ceilings had been scorched to a miserable crisp.

They’d been unexpectedly drawn into the “Scandal of the British Empire” case, in which Sherlock had devised a bold strategy — blowing up their own apartment — in order to save Irene Adler.

They had achieved their goal, but at the cost of losing their home for the time being. As such, Sherlock and John, together with their landlady Miss Hudson, were staying in cheap accommodation a little ways from here until the apartment repairs were complete.

As they headed to their temporary lodgings, John’s shoulders drooped.

“Although all of us had agreed on it, in the end, it’s still tough to see the place you’ve gotten used to living in become like that.”

“Sorry about that. I had no other option back then.”

Sherlock kept his eyes forward as he apologised with sincerity. To that, John smiled gently.

“I don’t really mind — In any case, I’ve been put through many reckless situations like this before……. Oh—”

Right then, a drop of water splashed on his palm. Just as he registered that icy sensation, more raindrops came pouring down.

Sherlock looked at him.

“It arrived earlier than I thought.”

“Yeah, let’s run for it.”

Then, carrying their bags with both arms, the two men half-ran to their hotel.

When they arrived, they shook their heads slightly to rid the water from their hair, then walked past the front desk to their room.

After putting down their bags and opening the door, they found Miss Hudson standing in the doorway.

John tilted his head in confusion.

“Miss Hudson, what brings you here?”

As it would be improper for them to share a room with a lady, the two men chose to rent out a separate room despite the steep cost. Hence, John thought she would be in her own room now — why was she in theirs?

She smiled back awkwardly.

“Mr Mycroft’s here.”

“What?”

Instantly, Sherlock’s face morphed into one of displeasure. Without asking the details, he took up his shopping and walked into the room. Seated on a chair near the wall was his older brother Mycroft, looking out the window.

“……Damn you, Mycroft. Coming all the way to this hotel — what you do want?”

Distinctly uncomfortable dealing with his own elder brother, Sherlock spoke up first, his tone sour. But Mycroft simply turned to look at him, and responded without haste.

“That attitude again as always, Sherly. How about subverting my expectations sometimes and acting like a gentleman for once? Or rather, is it that you’re so frustrated by a case you forgot your manners?”

“Ugh……”

Mycroft looked around the cramped interior as he spoke, and the corners of Sherlock’s mouth twitched as he let out a groan. He didn’t regret blowing up their apartment itself, but hearing Mycroft’s calm, pointed comments forced him to remember his own helplessness back then.

“……Did you come all the way here just to make a fool of me?” he retorted, trying to defend himself. But Mycroft simply shrugged his shoulders in resignation, and got straight to the point.

“If you’re having trouble with accommodation, there’s a country house in the Cotswolds I can introduce you to.”

“……What’s this, all of a sudden?”

Country houses were often built by nobles and wealthy landowners as status symbols on their own land: it was ridiculous to suggest that someone would simply lend theirs out. Sherlock raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

“Isn’t it natural for an older brother to want to help his younger sibling in his time of need? Furthermore, although I’m sure they’d agreed to your plan, it pains me to think how Dr Watson and Miss Hudson have been caught up in it.”

“We don’t need your concern. We’ll do what we want, so just get the hell out of here.” Sherlock made a shooing motion with his hand, in a bid to chase Mycroft out, but was soon admonished by John, who’d entered the room afterward. John then calmly turned to Mycroft, seeming eager to listen.

“Do you mean that, you would be willing to lend us an apartment? Thank you very much for your offer — could you tell us more?”

Mycroft was smiling as he nodded.

“Actually, an acquaintance of mine — a noble — intends to stay in London for a week. They’re looking for someone to look after their mansion in the meantime, hence I thought it would align perfectly with your situation, Doctor.”

John nodded in understanding.

“I see. However, if that’s the case, why not ask their employees to stay behind?”

“From what I’d heard, they felt it would be a good opportunity to give their hardworking employees a vacation as well. Although if you aren’t able to accept, Doctor, they did say they would ask some of them to remain in the house……”

“In other words, if we were to take up the offer, then their employees would be able to take a break. Moreover, the three of us would be in charge of the mansion’s upkeep during our stay.”

“Not exactly,” Mycroft clarified, “They said you won’t have to concern yourselves with the maintenance and such. As long as it stays reasonably tidy, you are free to enjoy yourselves while keeping an eye on the house.”

It was a very generous offer, so generous it invited suspicion of an ulterior motive; however, since it came from Mycroft, perhaps it could be trusted. John wanted very much to accept — he couldn’t say he was entirely pleased with their current arrangement — but he knew his partner didn’t view it that simply.

As expected, Sherlock tutted in disapproval.

“This place suits us just fine: I don’t want to live in some boring mansion in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, I wouldn’t be able to take on clients when I’m away.”

Sherlock himself did harbour some guilt at making the two of them endure their present lifestyle, but following his brother’s opinion was simply anathema to him. As such, he couldn’t help but bite back in reply.

John understood that, but admonished him regardless.

“Sherlock, you shouldn’t talk to your own brother like that. Mr Mycroft was just looking out for us when he made that suggestion.”

“Pay no mind, Doctor. He’s been like this for a long time.”

Mycroft gave them a wide smile. Then, he directed a question to Miss Hudson, who had been keeping an eye on them from behind.

“We’ve heard what my little brother thinks, but how about you, Miss Hudson?”

“Eh? A-Ah~……”

Having suddenly been addressed, she responded in a faltering tone.

“Well, um…… To me, I think, it would certainly be helpful.”

In an effort to consider Sherlock’s feelings on the matter, she ended up replying in a roundabout way — but it was clear that she was in favour as well.

Mycroft turned to John.

“How about you, Doctor?”

For a moment, John was at a loss for words, but when he heard the floorboards creaking underneath his feet, he made up his mind. He looked at Sherlock as he nodded slowly.

“I think, that the country house might be more pleasant, compared to our current circumstances. Moreover, we could always receive clients via post.”

“…………”

Both of them had answered in the affirmative. Now, only Sherlock remained.

Despite the apparent obstacles being cleared, he still had his reservations. But eventually, Sherlock looked at the ceiling in resignation.

“Ah, bollocks. It would just be selfish of me to refuse at this point, now wouldn’t it? Alright. Please let us stay at that country house until the apartment is fixed.”

At that reply, Mycroft smiled in satisfaction, and Sherlock turned away to hide his frustration from those eyes.

The three of them drew up some agreements on their new living arrangements, and with that, until the flat at Baker Street was fixed, they would proceed to stay at a noble’s mansion out in the country.

Footnotes:

[1] The Cotswolds is a large hilly area to the northwest of London, further than Oxford and dotted with villages. (Wikipedia)

T/N: After the angst from the last story, I just remembered how much I love the Baker Street gang 😉

[odysseywritings]

2 Friends go to a Halloween Party for Possible Dates

A woman in her mid-20s with chin-length dark brown hair and adorning a white collar shirt sped-walk her way to her apartment with a mixture of glee and anxiety. She sped up her way up the stairs as she called out someone’s name excitedly.

“Izzy, Izzy, Izzy!” she whooped. “I got some great news!”

She banged on the door a few times. Happiness giving way to irritation as she knocked some more.

“It is open, Rose” a slow feminine voice from the other side chimed. 

Rose opened the door to find Izzy, a woman with long curly black hair and wearing a purple robe, sitting down in the middle of the room with her eyes closed. The room was blackened except for several candles lighting various areas.

“I was close to contacting a spirit named Jeremiah,” Izzy said without turning her head. “I hope you understand that.”

“The occult stuff can wait,” Rose waved her hand. “Right now, I got something to tell you!”

Rose turned on the light as Izzy sighed and looked at her with a serious look.

“So I overheard some coworkers, I wasn’t eavesdropping about one’s DUI situation by the way, and one of them brought up a Halloween party downtown.”

“I hate parties. And since when have you ever enjoyed scary things?”

“Hey, I’ve seen plenty of scary people at work. I just need a breather from horror movies.” She sighed and composed herself. “Anyway,” She continued with a smile and twirled her hair. “There’s a certain coworker that I’m really liking… And he said he’d be there!”

“Ah. Well, hope you have a good time.” Izzy said as she closed her eyes again.

“And he mentioned having a sister who’s also single~”

Izzy turned her head. “Go on.”

Rose grinned as she was relaxing and ditching her work clothes for casual wear.

“If she’s like her brother, then I feel she’d be laid-back,” Rose added. “Which thank God, I get so tired of assholes every day. Only I’m allowed to be high-maintenance!” 

“Don’t I know it,” Izzy quipped. “What’s their names?”

“Cosmo and Maddie Peters,” she continued. “He’s kinda stoic and sluggish, so I thought he was going to be cold and lazy. But he’s very reliable, covers the other guys when they can’t make it, and lightens up the mood if I’m feeling especially pissy.”

“Yin-Yang, huh?”

 “His sister’s the same I think,” she sat down on the couch wearing a red t-shirt and maroon shorts and turned on the TV. “He says she’s really upbeat and into a lot of alternative junk. Not bad things, just out-there things. So you and her can talk about counter-culture stuff.”

“I already love her energy. Carefree and unchained by social constraints.”

“That’s the spirit! I want this to be a natural, authentic experience.” She whipped out a list with an eager grin. “So I made a list of things we should do before, during, and after the party!”

Izzy stared in utter befuddlement. Any snark coming to her were failing as Rose was about to commence talking her ear off.

“Why not,” Izzy began, “we just start with costumes to where and go from there?”

Rose blinked. “You are so right. Oh, I need to write down what I’d look good as.”

Izzy sighed and slumped back, content with something morbid and gruesome in her head.

The women exited their building with their costumes completed. Rose went with a classic black cat costume complete with black marker whiskers and fake fangs. Izzy conversely went with a zombie look with make-up used to have her skin appear rotting and her eyes discolored through gray contact lenses. Sunset’s orange and violet coloring closed in on them as they headed out, Rose having a purposeful stride as Izzy followed with a calm gait.

“So how do you think we should break the ice,” Izzy inquired. 

“First thing’s first,” Rose said. “We compliment their costumes no matter how weird they look to us.” She looked at Izzy’s zombie get-up. “Or just to me.”

“Maybe ask what they like, too.”

“Yes! Then we just have to be our normal selves. Mostly. In acceptable doses.”

“You are really overthinking this. I’d just be glad if the sister is even looking for someone like me.”

“I met a lot of picky guys, alright? But you’re right, he doesn’t seem like the type to be judgy.”

They approached a sign attached to a street light that welcomed guests to a ‘frighteningly fun time’ with cutesy skulls and pumpkins decorated on it with a 21+ disclaimer underneath. 

“This is it, Izzy,” Rose affirmed. “Rember. Acceptably weird.”

Izzy looked at her and shrugged.

“While we look for them let’s enjoy ourselves with some games,” Izzy maintained. “Wait. How am I going to know what they look like if they’re wearing costumes.”

“Oh, Cosmo will probably wear something strange.”

“Wow, you’re right. That really does help narrow it down.”

“Just trust me! We’ll find them soon enough.”

Without looking, Rose bumped into a man considerably taller than her wearing a dark green cloak. The man gave her a wretched look with his intense blue eyes.

“Oh my god!” Rose gasped. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t looking.”

The cloaked man glared at her and raised a finger.

“Watch your step, you idiot.”

“Watch your mouth, micro-nuts,” Rose chided. 

The man was too perplexed to make a comeback and only looked at her again before the two girls headed off.

“The nerve of that guy!” Rose went on. “Grr! Let’s just find them and get it over with.”

“You’re not going to get on the boy’s good side with that attitude,” Izzy retorted. “Let out some steam and play a game.”

“Right, yeah,” Rose grumbled and sighed. 

One of the stands had a pumpkin carving contest and Rose took up the chance to use her frustration on a vegetable. She sat on a free chair and readied herself as Izzy went elsewhere. As time went on, the pirate-dressed judge was impressed by the contestants but was frightened by Rose’s intense carving and her creation of a screaming face. The clock rang, and the judge gave the winning prize of a candy basket to a person with a witch carving. Rose slumped, but at least the energy was out of her.

“Well,” she started. “That was a good game anyway.”

“I’ll say,” a baritone voice said from her right side.

The sound made her eyes widen and she turned to see a light heaired man wearing a wizard robe and hat smiling with a glazed look as he slowly waved.

“H-Hi, Cosmo!”

“Hi, Rose. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Me neither.” She paused. “I mean- It’s a nice surprise to find you here!”

He nodded. “I liked your technique of stabbing the hell out of the pumpkin. It’s a dying art I feel.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, I got a bad mood from a jerk earlier. But I’m much better now.” 

She looked at his carving with a raised brow.

“I like the… carrot?”

“Spaceship.”

“That was my second guess.”

They both laughed, though Rose’s loud cackle dominated his mild chuckle.

“By the way,” Cosmo continued. “My sister’s here too. I think she’d get a kick out of you.”

“Oh, what a coincidence! My friend is here, too. We’re like sisters in a very loose way.”

“You could say that,” Izzy interrupted from behind.

“Jesus!” Rose jumped and clutched her chest. She breathed heavily until she cooled down. “Uh, Cosmo. This is Izzy Watson. Izzy, Cosmo Peters.”

The two strangers looked at each other with mild expressions.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Excellent,” Rose mumbled. She looked at Izzy who gave her an expectant reaction. “Oh! You said your sister was here? We’d like to meet her if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

He stayed in his chair for a good while as Rose tapped her foot anxiously.

“Cosmo?”

“Oh, I don’t know where she is. But we can find her.”

“Ngk. Sure, that’d be fine.”

The trio searched around until they saw a redheaded woman excitedly bobbing for apples in vampire attire. 

“Found her,” Cosmo said.

“How can you tell,” Izzy replied.

“Because redhead vampires are really rare.”

Izzy was stunned by his nonchalance and decided to just accept the answer. The woman waved to Cosmo with the apple still in her mouth as she jogged to them. 

“He~y!” she bubbled. “Cosmo, who are these lovely ladies?”

“Mattie, this is my coworker Rose Nakano.”

“Hey, how are ya!” Mattie burst.

“And her friend Izzy Watson.“

“Hi, there,” she cooed. “That zombie make-up looks really cool.”

Izzy’s frown lifted slightly and thanked her as she pushed her hair back. Rose in turn was smiling at the two getting along.

“Hmm,” Rose pondered. How about we travel together for a bit? We never get much chance to talk outside of work, Cosmo. And Izzy actually wants to talk to someone.”

Cosmo tapped his chin. “Yeah, all right.”

The 4 traveled around, with Rose initiating conversations with Cosmo about music tastes.

“Get out!,” Rose exclaimed and playfully shoved Cosmo. “You like Thunder Star, too?! I love their riffs and goofy music videos!” 

“Same,” Cosmo softly said with a small smile. “Johnny Fingers is the best rock bassist. I love how you can hear him. It’s really melodic and cool.” He smiled more as his face reddened to Rose’s delight.

On the other end, Mattie talked with Izzy about horror movies they saw recently including a folk horror movie about 17th century New Englanders.

“And there’s a lot of historical accuracies and everything,” Mattie blurted. “I think the focus on paganism being evil is really cliche, but the movie is so tense that I completely let it slide!”

“If you like horror,” Izzy smirked. “You’ll really like ‘Grid’. It’s about a serial killer in a town that loses all its electricity in one night.”

“Ugh, I hate that image, but I want to see it!”

“I can rent it for us to watch sometime.”

“Count me in,” Mattie replied as she twirled her hair.

Eventually the pairs split off to do various games as fog was covering the outdoor party, having a blue coloring that was mostly ignored by the 4 in their joyous moments.

[kitsunix]

Title: Who Likes Gherkins?

Chapter: 1/???

Fandom: Scream Street

Pairing: BatShift (Resus Negative/Dixon Sneer)

Characters: Resus Negative, Dixon Sneer, Cleo Farr, Luke Watson (mentioned), Otto Sneer (mentioned), Carla Black (mentioned), No Name (mentioned), Doug (mentioned), Dig (mentioned)

Rating: K+

Summary: If Resus were to be asked where all his troubles began while lying on a shrink’s couch, he’d have to say it was the time he lost his cloak.

Word Count: 3342 words

Catalyst

The first thing Resus registered was the splitting headache. The second was the cold, hard floor he was currently lying on. Not exactly the signs of waking up in a familiar coffin.

Resus winced as he tried to recall the events that led to him waking up in a not-so-familiar location. Okay, Doug happened to spot Carla Black stepping off the rollercoaster linking Scream Street to the Normal World, accompanied by NoName… he told Resus, Luke and Cleo, so with Dig’s help, the three of them tracked them down to Sneer Hall to see if they were up to something… sure enough, she was proposing to Otto that rather than try to drag the “freaks” to the Normal World to display them in her zoo, they’d bring the Normal World to the “freaks”—turn Scream Street itself into a giant zoo and charge normal people admittance to gawk. She’d even provide the traps and cages, since they knew the Scream Street residents wouldn’t exactly volunteer to put on a show for the normal folks…

Now that Resus thought about it, they shouldn’t have been surprised. It wasn’t exactly beneath Otto to exploit the residents of his town for monetary gain of any sort, and he already viewed them as little more than animals, he made that perfectly clear… that didn’t stop the outrage. How could those two treat the paranormal like this?! Round them all up in cages, put them on display for a jeering crowd… for money?! What made them think they could get away with this under President McDread’s nose?!

Then they started coming up with unique ways to provide—or rather, provoke—entertainment from each resident.

It was hard enough restraining Cleo when Otto suggested having paying customers poke and prod at her and her father’s displayed hearts to watch them react. It was even harder repressing his own fury when Black announced they’d cut off his family’s blood supply so the crowd could see some bloodthirsty vampires, then offer to give it back if they agreed to transform into bats on command.

So when the two of them agreed the crowd could try to provoke one of Luke’s werewolf rages while he was caged up—say, by… putting his parents in another cage and threatening them—all bets were off.

Covers blown on both sides, chaos erupted. The crooks got to witness a werewolf rage first-hand, Cleo boldly announced they’d go to McDread about it, Otto ordered his accomplices to get rid of the evidence, there was a mad scrabble for any and all incriminating documents and blueprints, and they all scattered to different parts of the manor.

Resus remembered Luke charging NoName and Black, who made a beeline for her tranquilizer gun; Cleo leapt clean over any debris thrown her way in pursuit of Otto; that left Resus to take off after Dixon.

As he chased the shapeshifter through the ground floor and down into the basement, one thought that had raced through his mind—other than how the hell he was supposed to restrain him after catching up, really, Cleo should’ve been the one to take on Dixon—was why Dixon would even be in on this. Sure, he was on board with any plan that Otto came up with, being his apprentice and all, but surely he’d realized he was exactly the sort of “freak” that Carla Black would love to display in her zoo! It was only a matter of time before the two crooked Normals shoved him into a cage—one he couldn’t shapeshift out of—and made him transform on command for the audience’s entertainment.

Even with everything Dixon had pulled on them since becoming Otto’s apprentice, he didn’t deserve that…

Resus had heard a metal slam as he exited the spiral staircase and wrenched open a solid wood door, and he’d found himself in a long, stone hallway, with damp walls lined with rusty suits of armor, dimly lit by green lanterns suspended from the ceiling. There were barred doors lining both walls—tons of doors. Great. Dixon could’ve disappeared into any one of them…

As he crept down the hallway, Resus had remembered the slam and realized that was the sound of a door closing, and all of the cells were open. So he looked for one that was closed. He’d finally found one directly across the hall from a suit of armor with a green feather on the helm, and peered into the dark cell, trying to spot anything that shouldn’t be there. The cell had been pretty bare, not a lot of places for Dixon to hide, strange that he would duck in there... wait a minute... didn’t the suits of armor have red feathers...? His thoughts had been interrupted when he’d heard a rusty creak from behind him and felt the blow to the back of his head.

Which led him to where he was now.

Groaning, Resus pulled himself up into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his head to alleviate the pain. He gave his surroundings a glance—damp stone walls, thin cot, rusty shackles on the walls… yup, he was in a cell. He didn’t even need to look behind him to know the door was locked.

“’Bout time you woke up! I was starting to get bored.”

Resus growled and forced himself unsteadily to his feet. Figured that Dixon would stick around to gloat… or maybe the others had also been caught and he’d come back to gloat. Either way, like hell he’d face him on the floor. He wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Ugh… you may have gotten the drop on me, Dixon,” he spat the other’s name, “but I heard everything. Every little detail of Otto’s plan. Like what he has planned for my parents.” The very idea still made him seethe. “You can’t hold me. Not while my family needs me.” Keeping his back to the other boy, he subtly brought his hand to his left side. “I’ll get out of here. And when I do, your boss had better watch his ba—” His little declaration of war was cut short when he felt nothing but air between his left arm and his side. His stomach dropping out from under him, he checked his right side. Nothing. In the dim light coming from outside the cell, he could see his arms, clad in his white dress shirt, his waist, in a grey vest… all that was missing was—

“Looking for this?”

Resus whirled around to finally face the shapeshifter, who was casually leaning against the wall opposite Resus’ cell, an infuriatingly smug grin on his face, and—

Oh, Helsing, no!

—he was wearing his cloak. The smug bastard was wearing Resus’ cloak. His family’s cloak!

Resus lunged for the door, clutching a bar tightly in one hand, his entire other arm reaching through the bars, grasping at air in a vain attempt to retrieve his cloak.

He took it back. He took it all back. Everything about Dixon not deserving to be exhibited like an animal in the zoo. He deserved all that and more.

“Give me back my cloak, Dixon!”

“Not a chance! You might as well ask me for the keys to your cell, for all the good that’ll do you. Besides…” The smirk was back on Dixon’s face full-force. “It looks a lot better on me, don’t you think?”

Resus clenched his teeth as he watched Dixon examine himself in the cloak, strike a few “glamour” poses, even twirl around once just to feel the cloak billowing behind him. Resus had tried getting a fistful of his cloak at that point, only for Dixon to grab one of its corners and bring it to his chest, wrapping the cloak around himself in yet another classic “vampire” pose.

“Oh yeah, much better. Y’know, I always wanted to perform to a captive audience.”

Both of Resus’ hands were gripping the bars now, as he fought to control his temper. He wasn’t like Luke, jumping into dangerous situations without a plan, able to channel his anger to get him out of trouble. He could think his way out of this. Especially if the one he had to out-think was Dixon.

“I can’t wait to see the look on Otto’s face!” said shapeshifter continued, half to Resus, half to himself. “A cloak that can give you whatever you want? Imagine what Otto can do with this!”

Oh. So he didn’t know just how selective the cloak was concerning those it served—namely, the Negative family. That’s good. He could use this.

“Well, I’ve got news for you, gherkin-head—” Here Dixon snorted. That wasn’t half-bad for an insult. “That cloak will only work for its rightful owner. Which, wouldn’t you know it, happens to be me. It’s useless to you—hell, nine times out of ten it’s useless to me, so why don’t you just hand it over…”

“If it’s so useless to you, why do you want it back so bad?” Resus opened his mouth to answer, but no retort came out. He hadn’t expected Dixon to just hand over the cloak, but he also didn’t expect him to call his bluff. Dixon just smiled that little half-grin he got when he was feeling cheeky and continued. “And besides, did you really think I’d just leave you locked in a cell with something that had a chance of giving you what you need to escape? How daft do you think I am?” Dixon paused, before shooting Resus an annoyed glare. “Don’t answer that.”

Resus threw his hands up in mock frustration. “Fine. You know what? You’re right. It’s not that helpful after all. It would probably just leave me here to rot. I don’t even want it back.” He turned his back to the other boy. “Good luck with your new fashion accessory, ‘cause that’s all it’ll ever be to you.”

Dixon blinked in surprise, and a little disappointment. Clearly he hadn’t expected him to give up just yet. “Aw, c’mon, don’t be like that. Maybe I can ask the cloak to get you something.” Wow, he must be even stupider than he thought, if he still thought he could make the cloak work. “Maybe some tomato juice?” Resus rolled his eyes. Let him try, if that’s what it took to hammer the fact that it wouldn’t work for him into his thick— “Wow, thanks, cloak! Here you go!”

Resus whirled around, to see Dixon holding out a bottle of tomato juice—still too far to grab the cloak, unfortunately. His jaw dropped.

“W-where did you get that?”

“… from the cloak?”

���No. No, no, no, that’s impossible. That cloak’s never worked for anyone but its rightful owner—it’s been that way for generations!” He pointed an accusatory finger at the shapeshifter. “You’re faking it! I don’t know how, but you’re faking it! Ask for something else!”

Dixon blinked, before setting down the bottle of juice and reaching into the cloak again. “All right… how about… a hammer?” He pulled his hand back out, now grasping a shiny silver hammer with an ebony handle. Resus gaped, and Dixon grinned. “Oooh, fancy! Otto never would’ve gotten me one this good!”

Resus gripped the bars again as he struggled to find words. “A-ask for something else!” Maybe Dixon wasn’t wearing his cloak at all. Maybe he just shapeshifted one over his uniform—he could do that, right?—and hid the real one away, knowing it wouldn’t work for him, and this was all an elaborate joke? “Something you couldn’t possibly have!”

“Still think I’m faking this, eh? All right then… Cloak, could you give me the answers to last week’s English test? I failed that one…” Sure enough, he withdrew a sheaf of papers from the cloak, gave them a once-over, then handed it to Resus. “Read it and weep, Resus!”

Resus snatched the papers and scanned the answers, his grip tightening on them with each correct one. This… this couldn’t be true… but there was no way Dixon could fake this. No amount of shapeshifting and foresight in the world could’ve summoned these test answers from thin air. Not even for a practical joke. But how…

“What else have you got for me, cloak? Maybe a spatula?” Sure enough, he withdrew a brand-new spatula from the cloak. “Aw, you shouldn’t have! Think you can top this?” Next he pulled out a spiffy black top hat with a purple band, which he immediately donned. “Nice one, cloak!”

Was the cloak spiting him? For calling it useless?

“All right, cloak, let’s share the wealth… something Otto needs? His birthday’s coming up soon, I have no idea what to get ‘im.” Dixon reached into the cape again… and pulled out a container of wart medicine. A rather large container. Dixon stared at it for a moment, before he burst out laughing. “I-haha-I like the way you think! You’re my kind of cloak!” He placed the container down next to the steadily growing pile and wiped a tear from his eye. “Priceless! Literally!”

Resus threw himself against the door, the test answers scattered at his feet. “Cloak! I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to call you useless, I just wanted Dixon to give you up—”

“So you admit it.”

“—you know how much you mean to my family, how much you mean to me, and you know how dangerous you can be in the wrong hands, that’s why you’ve only ever worked for us! Just—” Resus clenched his eyes shut. “Why Dixon…? How is Dixon more deserving of your respect than me?”

“I dunno. Why don’t we ask it?” Grinning broadly, Dixon reached into the cloak again. “Cloak, why are you working perfectly for me when you almost never work for Resus? C’mon, give us a hint!”

To both of their surprise, Dixon pulled out a photograph. Resus couldn’t see it, but he could see Dixon’s reaction: a blank stare, followed by an amused half-grin. Resus, meanwhile, had lost his patience. Nothing inside that cloak could excuse it spitting in the face of logic and tradition so it could work for Dixon.

“It’s only supposed to work for NEGATIVES!”

Dixon turned his attention from the picture to the enraged not-vampire, but his expression didn’t change, save for him lowering his eyelids in a sly, almost… coy manner.

“Are you proposing? Because I don’t see a ring~”

As if on cue, he pulled out a black diamond ring from the cloak.

Resus snapped. He thought he’d snapped before, but that had just been lightly testing the limits of his patience and sanity. Those limits had been smashed to pieces by a tag team of an insufferable gherkin-head and a treacherous cloak. Now, he pushed against the bars with reckless abandon, clawing at the air with both hands, screaming every insult, every threat, every profanity that popped into his head—seems his brain to mouth filter had been taken out, too. Looking back on his temporary fit of insanity, he’d never thought he was capable of swearing death on someone in so many imaginative ways. It was like a werewolf rage had been awakened in him as well, and he felt strong enough to rend the bars into so much scrap metal—yet they held fast.

And all the while, there was Dixon, shocked at first by his outburst, then laughing his head off, which only infuriated him more. Oh, when he got his hands on him, he’d wipe that grin right off his face, make him beg for death before denying him, over and over and over again—

Dixon’s laughter—and consequently, Resus’ tirade—cut off abruptly, and the green-haired boy fell forward on top of his pile of ill-gotten goods. Cleo stood behind him, her hand raised in a karate chop around where the back of Dixon’s neck was.

“There you are. We were beginning to think something might’ve happened when we couldn’t find you… then we heard the screaming.” She retrieved a keyring from Dixon’s pocket and stepped over him to unlock the cell door. “Thanks for that, by the way—we might not have found you so quick. Luke offered to sniff you out, but between the effects of the tranquilizer and the smell down here, he might not have had a good time of it.” She gave him a concerned glance, and he coughed and held his throat, raw from his tirade. “What was he doing to you, by the way? I’ve never heard you scream like that…”

No way. There was no way his friends could know. If they found out not only that Dixon, freaking Dixon, had managed to master the cloak in a way he could only dream of, but what the two of them were insinuating—which his mind was still struggling to comprehend, it was just so wrong—they’d never let him hear the end of it. By keeping them in the dark about this, at least he could gather up a shred of dignity.

“He… er… I mean…” Absently, he pointed in Dixon’s direction, and Cleo’s eyes lit up.

“—stole your cloak? Typical Dixon.” She roughly yanked the cloak off the unconscious shapeshifter and handed it back to Resus. “Not a good look for him. Especially since he can’t even use it.”

Resus was quick to tug it on—despite his lingering resentment towards the cloak, he felt almost naked without it.

“Yeah,” he forced a laugh. “What was he thinking…”

“Knowing Dixon?” She smirked. “Probably not very much. Quick, before he wakes up—”

They hauled Dixon’s unconscious body into the cell Resus previously occupied (“You… do know that won’t hold him for long, right Cleo?” “Of course I do, but that doesn’t always occur to him.”), and Resus had a fun time explaining where all the random objects came from (“Instruments of torture?” “…” “… bizarre instruments of torture?”), before they took off down the dungeon hallway, Cleo explaining how she managed to blackmail Otto and Black into abandoning their scheme by beginning to call McDread while there was an unconscious, captured werewolf in the room, as well as retrieving the security footage from the cameras Dixon was supposed to have turned off. Resus paused long enough to snatch the photograph from Dixon’s hand, as well as the bottle of tomato juice from the pile—he had a feeling he’d be needing it later—opting to leave the rest behind. He glanced at the photo, recognizing it as one of many he took of the day their class took a field trip to a lake. The rest were in a photo album, but there was a good reason this one was tucked away in his cloak, never to see the light of day—why would he want to look at a picture of Dixon sitting on the pier in his swim trunks while guzzling a soda, anyway? Didn’t even know why he took it, honestly.

Sticking the picture back in his cloak, he held it up and hissed, “You and I are gonna have a long talk when we get home.”

***

The first thing Dixon registered was the pain in his neck. The second was the cold, hard floor he was currently lying on. Not exactly the signs of waking up in a familiar bed.

Groaning, Dixon pulled himself up into a sitting position, rubbing the back of his neck to alleviate the pain. He gave his surroundings a glance—damp stone walls, thin cot, rusty shackles on the walls… yup, he was in a cell. He didn’t even need to look behind him to know the door was locked.

Not that that would hold him for long.

Dixon winced as he tried to recall the events that led to him waking up in a not-so-familiar location. His eyes widened as the pieces fell into place… and a wicked grin spread across his face.

Things were going to be much more fun from now on… so much more fun.

[nellie-elizabeth]

Sherlock: The Final Problem (4x03)

I'm not going to discuss all the scandal what with the leaked episode and all that. I'm going to do my best to look at this episode on its own merits, and not get in to all the extra-diegetic aspects at work here. And... I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised. I liked this episode way more than the first two in the season. I had a few little things that I strongly disliked, but they were minor. A few things gave me pause, but the bulk of the episode... I really loved. I'm going to go a bit off-script and break this into three sections instead of two...

Stuff I Hated:

There wasn't much, but there were a few things. So, Eurus spends the whole episode torturing Sherlock, John, and Mycroft. There are various ways she goes about doing this. One of them is by threatening to kill Molly Hooper. The way to save her is for Sherlock to call her and get her to say "I love you" to him. This will stop the bomb. This is the only scene Molly gets in the whole episode, and it's such a shame. Imagine that phone call from her perspective. She thinks Sherlock is just using her in a case, and she says "I love you" anyway, because she's just so pathetically in love with him that she wants to live in a fantasy for a moment? It's such a lame way to leave her character. I mean, come on. She's a competent scientist and a good person. I can't believe her only moment in the episode was about her unending love for Sherlock Holmes. (Apparently Moffat called this the "best scene in the episode" which is just... ugh. Another mark against that horrifically cocky and sexist man).

There was this tiny little moment at the end, when everything is happy and cheesy, where Sherlock sends a text that says "You know where to find me." It's strongly implied that he's texting Irene Adler. I don't want to repeat myself here, but... NO. Come on. Irene is GAY. She said she was GAY. And now we get this suggestion that she and Sherlock are going to hook up? For the sake of my sanity, I'm going to ignore this mercifully brief moment, since without it, the whole ending is very indicative of domestic bliss between Sherlock and John. I need that to be the truth, okay? I need it.

Mary sent John a post-death message that talks all about what Sherlock and John will be if she dies. They will go back to being the 221B Baker Street Boys. It's important that they be that way because it's always been about the legend, the stories, and not about the people they really are. This speech is accompanied by a montage. The montage I didn't mind. The words Mary was saying? Oh my word. Too cheesy. Way way too cheesy. Nothing else about this episode earned that kind of ridiculous sendoff. And what is Mary talking about? The legend and the story are what's important? Not the people that Sherlock and John truly are? What a weird message! It was almost meta, like Mary was talking about the characters of Holmes and Watson through the ages.  But why? And why would Mary have said such unforgivably cheesy stuff in a goodbye message for John in the first place? She didn't so much as mention her relationship with John herself. It was all about him and Sherlock. Unrealistic bullshit.

So-So Stuff:

The "Stuff I Hate" section is mercifully filled with things that are not big parts of the plot. They are small scenes or moments that I could have done without. In this So-So Section, I need to confront a few more small things, and then one larger complaint.

If this is indeed the final episode of Sherlock that we'll ever get, then I'm disappointed that a few things never got resolved. In the first episode of this year, John gave Molly a letter to give to Sherlock. Are we never going to see what was in that letter? Also, there was an underutilization of many characters, especially Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade, and Molly, who I already mentioned. Mycroft was given a lot of screen time, but his part of the montage at the end was very limited, and didn't give a sense for his continued role in Sherlock's life. I hate to say this, but the fact that Mycroft doesn't die in this episode was actually a fairly large wasted opportunity.

This is maybe a nitpick, but I found some of the transitions a bit abrupt. Last episode's cliffhanger showed John being shot by Eurus, and this week we learn that it was just a tranquilizer, and we don't get to see any of the immediate aftermath of that. John and Sherlock are together and safe, and we can just assume that John filled Sherlock in offscreen. Same thing after the flat explodes - a great scene, full of tension, that is then immediately supplanted by John, Sherlock, and Mycroft going to see Eurus at Sherringford. We don't get to see any of them recovering from their injuries, or even see Mrs. Hudson's reaction to the explosion. It was a lot of jumping from one big scene to the next, with not a lot of room to let these scenes breathe.

And my biggest structural complaint goes to the resolution of the plot. Eurus is a formidable, evil foe who kills multiple people and puts Sherlock in a state of psychological turmoil for the bulk of the episode. In the end, Sherlock deduces that Eurus is in some ways still stuck as a child, and is lost and confused in her own mind. Sherlock tells Eurus she's not alone anymore, gives her a hug, and... she's suddenly willing to help Sherlock. She's not magically cured or anything, as she stops communicating with words and is severely damaged after this prolonged incident. But the fact that Eurus basically stops being the villain because Sherlock gave her a bit of affection is... well, it's a  bit anticlimactic, and there wasn't quite enough time and detail put in to the whole thing. Throughout the episode, we come to understand that Eurus is not just a genius like Sherlock or Moriarty, or even a mega-genius like Mycroft. She's practically supernatural in her ability to corrupt people. She convinces the entire staff at the Sherringford holding facility to help her. She's like a God to them. This is a bit off the rails, even for Sherlock. It also makes the resolution feel even more flimsy.

I'm inclined not to give too much weight to this flaw, because I actually quite like many of the things they did with the character of Eurus. If we can just accept that her mega-genius mind can basically control people, then we can go on with the rest of the episode in peace. It might be ridiculously unrealistic, but I was able to suspend my disbelief for the sake of the storytelling. Still, I can't deny that the intensity of her genius coupled with the ease of her redemption made for a bit of a lazy conclusion to this whole thing.

Stuff I Loved:

Um. The premise. Oh my God. This is something straight out of a fanfiction but in a good way. When I first saw promo clips of this season of Sherlock, I was hoping and praying that the scene where Sherlock, Mycroft, and John were all in a room together would be this exact scenario. Sherlock has to choose between shooting Mycroft and John, and instead threatens to kill himself to stop it from happening. Yes. This is my dream come true. I could go on and on forever about all the stuff with the trio - Sherlock, Mycroft, and John work off each other so well, and each of these scenes was so intense and memorable and important.

Some highlights:

Sherlock must make either Mycroft or John kill another man. He tries to make Mycroft do it, but he won't. John is about to do it, but he can't go through with it. The man then kills himself, and Eurus shoots his wife anyway (the conditions under which she would spare his wife was that Mycroft or John had to be the one to kill him). This was such an intense scene, and it went on for just long enough to make me really anxious. I really loved the way Sherlock acted in this scene. He didn't get frustrated or angry with Mycroft and John for being unable to do the deed. He maintained a calm demeanor the whole time.

Mycroft was the character displaying the most outrage and fear during most of the scenes trapped in Sherringford, which was just perfect. He would be the one who had the hardest time adjusting. Sherlock and John are both used to situations like this. One of my favorite moments is when Mycroft is rambling on, saying "this is inhuman, this is insane!" John interrupts him, cuttingly: "Mycroft! We know."

Sherlock and John have this back-and-forth during all the torture scenes where they remind each other to be "soldiers." They are doing this to save a little girl who is alone on a plane full of unconscious people. Eurus keeps cutting back to audio of this poor girl, adding urgency and "context" to this web of torture she's weaved for Sherlock. It means that they don't get to care what happens to them - they need to do the right thing to save an innocent child's life. I like that John acknowledged that Sherlock was being tortured. The lack of physical abuse was not really a factor - the psychological nightmare of this scenario was more than enough to constitute true torture.

The scene where Sherlock has to choose to kill either Mycroft or John... it was just... it was everything I ever wanted. Mycroft immediately starts telling Sherlock to kill John, using his cruelest, most sneering tones. Sherlock knows what Mycroft is doing - he's trying to make it easy for Sherlock to kill his big brother. This sacrifice, of course, making it all the more difficult for Sherlock to do that. But, that's the choice he initially makes. He holds the gun on Mycroft, appearing to never contemplate the idea of killing John. There's something so powerful in this. It's not about Sherlock loving John more than he loves Mycroft. It's about Mycroft owning up to his own culpability. He's the reason they're in this situation. He's the one who concealed Eurus all these years. If anything, Sherlock is giving Mycroft the ultimate sign of respect by adhering to his wishes. Killing Mycroft is something Sherlock never would have recovered from. Of course, in the end he takes option #3, holding the gun under his own chin and counting down from ten, calling Eurus' bluff. She arranges to have the three men shot with tranquilizer darts before Sherlock can actually pull the trigger.

We should talk more about Eurus, and the twist with Redbeard. The episode begins in sort of hilarious fashion, with Sherlock and John concocting a fake break-in to scare Mycroft into admitting the truth about Eurus. We then have a prolonged explanation, where we learn that Eurus killed Sherlock's dog Redbeard, and then burned down their family's home. She was then taken away. Mycroft lied to his parents and said that Eurus had started another fire and that she had perished. Sherlock was so young and so traumatized by what had happened that he repressed his memories of Eurus. We later learn the truth: Redbeard wasn't a dog. Redbeard was the pirate nick-name of Sherlock's best childhood friend. Eurus trapped him down a well and he drowned. The reveal of this truth is brilliantly done right at the very end of the episode. John is trapped down that same well, and Sherlock is faced with the very real fear that Eurus may be about to kill his best friend - for the second time. This is all intercut with Sherlock believing that a plane is about to crash... until he realizes that this is all Eurus' elaborate cry for help.

Like I mentioned above, I'm not super thrilled with the resolution here, but the fast-paced intensity of the climax was really amazing to watch. Sherlock is trying to stop a plane from crashing, he's panicked about John's impending drowning, and it's all colliding together with the realization that his little sister once killed his best friend. I loved it all.

Mycroft and Sherlock's relationship got so much beautiful, intricate attention in this episode. One of the best scenes comes relatively early on, when Sherlock, Mycroft, and John are all trapped in 221B by the presence of a bomb that will go off if any of them moves, since it's powered by a motion sensor. They decide to try and move when Mrs. Hudson moves to the back of her flat below, since that will be the least dangerous place for her, in the event the blast is stronger than anticipated. John and Sherlock will jump out the windows, while Mycroft will take the door, since he's closest. They have this very intense planning session, and then John mentions Oscar Wilde, identifying the source of a quote that Mycroft had used earlier about the nature of truth. Sherlock and Mycroft then reminisce about a time that Mycroft was in The Importance of Being Earnest, and Sherlock gives him a genuine, un-sarcastic compliment about his performance. Mycroft seems genuinely pleased. Sherlock wants to know if John might be able to move enough to make a phone call to say goodbye to his daughter, but it's not possible. The time comes, Sherlock says "good luck, boys," and they all move at the same time.

The acting, the pacing, the genuineness of these final moments... it was so beautiful. Sherlock thought of Rosie, Mycroft and Sherlock shared a moment of unabashed affection for one another. They made a plan to survive that included giving Mrs. Hudson her best chance, knowing that they might very well be saying goodbye to each other. It was such a perfectly constructed scene, and it began the long list of great scenes exploring the dynamics between these three men. I understand that some people might be pissed that this episode didn't focus as much on the John/Sherlock dynamic, as it did the Holmes family dynamic. But I was surprisingly okay with that. Mycroft has become my very favorite part of this show. I was more than thrilled to get so much time with him.

We should talk about Moriarty. Some people might be annoyed at the fact that he was built up and then didn't really appear. But I was actually pretty okay with it. The basic idea is that once, years ago, Mycroft exchanged important information from his genius sister for five minutes unmonitored communication with James Moriarty. During that time, Moriarty recorded little clips that Eurus uses throughout the torture sequences in order to shake Sherlock up, including the "did you miss me?" clip that started this whole thing. They even predicted Sherlock's choice to kill Mycroft instead of John, and got Moriarty saying "Holmes killing Holmes!" We see Moriarty and Mycroft in a flashback to five years previously, so we do get a couple of solid minutes with good ol' Jim. But he's not in it for long, and he's really there just to serve as another tool that Eurus uses to complete her psychological torment. For me, it really worked. For big Moriarty fans, I can understand why you would be disappointed.

The resolution of Eurus was nicely handled. I mean, the fact that a hug stopped her from her evil tirade was a little disappointing, as I've discussed, but everything that happens after that is great. She basically shuts down, refusing to talk to anybody. Mycroft and Sherlock reveal the truth to their parents, that their daughter is not in fact dead. We learn that Eurus will respond to Sherlock playing the violin, and we see a shot of the two of them playing, as Mycroft and their parents sit by and watch. That scene of the whole family being back together was surprisingly affecting. This episode could have gone further into the fact that Eurus is quite mentally ill, but the idea that she stops talking to people due to her traumatic experiences, and instead just communicates through music behind an impenetrable wall of glass is actually quite the fitting end for a character like her.

Then let's discuss the ending. I mentioned that Mary's little epilogue speech was unforgivably cheesy, but there was one nice thing about it: she does say, quite clearly, that she's thought about what the two of them could be, if she's gone. That implies that she understands the two of them will spend their lives together, even if we don't get a kiss or anything like that between them. We see this play out in the way that the two of them work together to repair the blown up flat. We see Sherlock holding and playing with baby Rosie. We see little details, like John repainting the yellow smiley face on the wall, and Molly, Mrs. Hudson, and Lestrade all stopping by to see them. Even if it's not explicitly stated, we can infer that John and Rosie are actually living with Sherlock, and from there the possibilities are endless for our imagination. As groundbreaking as it would have been to have the two of them romantically connected, I never thought that was going to happen. I never for one second believed they would follow through with that. So, if I look at what we were given, I'm actually pretty happy with it.

I'll stop there. If this really is the last time I'll ever get to review Sherlock, then I'm oddly okay with that. It felt like a good ending. The superb acting and the cool visuals made up for any plot stupidness, and this episode actually had a lot less to piss me off than I might have expected. I'll miss these guys, despite my conflicting feelings for this show and its creators!

8.5/10

[penelope1730]

The Six Thatcher’s: There be redemption.

I might be in the minority here, but I liked BBC Sherlock, season four debut, The Six Thatchers. Honestly, the past three years felt like a century where the return of episodic Sherlock was concerned, so I confess my expectations were open to just about anything. Three years of chilling out & time spent in reflection, along with a whole lot of distance regarding 'what's next' on Sherlock can do wonders for one's perspective.

I was never a big fan of Mary, especially after the whole shooting Sherlock thang, but I grew to respect her and even began to appreciate qualities she brought out in other characters. She also precipitated growth & intimacy that might not have otherwise happen, or gone a very, very slow route. More on that later.

I came to accept that Mary and Sherlock have a special bond. They are kindred spirits - both fully understanding who the other is with an appreciation that few might be able to truly 'get.' Mary's death, without question, has devastated Sherlock beyond his normal ability to reason & process and, knowing this, Mary has given him a case. A task to help him focus his mind - give his brain something to do, because without it his "brain rots."

Mary did not make a posthumous video on a whim. As others have pointed out, she made this after Moriarty's dramatic 'Miss Me?' announcement and I suspect just before she left on her pilgrimage regarding the resurfacing of AGRA. The opening and prevailing theme to The Six Thatchers was An Appointment In Summara...all signs pointed to 'someone is gonna die.' Is it that surprising that Mary, given everything that's been shown, would ever truly feel free & comfortable living a 'normal' life? Yes, she wanted it and while it lasted they were the best years of her life, but she also knew and accepted the shadows that lurk in her background. You simply cannot live the life Mary has and be oblivious to its on-going dangers. What we wanted for her, and the momentum gained from the life she led, might be diametrically opposed, but her death was not a plot device. It was the consequence of living; the life she lived. Just like her conical character from the books, the modernized Mary is dead. There's no playing opossum here. But, BBC Sherlock is never without surprises and it wouldn't be out of place to see her show up in flashbacks.

We see what we want to see in these characters, in spite of how layered and flawed, & sometimes even deviant they are. We become attached, cheer them on, wanting them to prevail no matter the circumstances. But, I've come to trust that these characters know themselves better than I do and, as in real life, I must allow others to make their own choices...good, bad, indifferent & downright tragic. I don't believe Mary wanted to die - at all - but understood that her meeting in Summara was always a prevailing possibility and, should the time come, would accept her fate. Mary made a selfless move by placing herself before Sherlock and taking a bullet. For her, that split second decision was a redemptive act, regardless that she ignored the consequences: "Did I ever say I'm sorry for shooting you that time...I'm really sorry. I think we're even now, okay?" Even in her dying moments Mary wanted Sherlock to know her previous act of betrayal, no matter how she justified her actions, never strayed far from her thoughts. In her mind - she owed him.

Since season 3, episode 2 - The Sign of Three - the audience has been led to focus on Sherlock's vow to always protect John, Mary and their baby. Until The Six Thatchers we didn't notice that Mary had made a quiet, albeit private, vow to herself to do the same for Sherlock, John and Rosie. She said this much in her parting letter to move danger away from the three of them: "I'm not running, my darling. I will return. I just don't want you and Sherlock hanging on my gun arm." She was not going to stand by and watch Sherlock get shot twice - not on her watch. Either way, the end result sucked for everyone. This event, Mary's death, in my opinion, is the catalyst for Sherlock and John to become the more mature characters known from canon.

Whether it's obvious or not, Mary made this band of high functioning, danger seeking misfits a family. She brought them together not just out of circumstantial need; Sherlock did that well enough on his own. Mary brought them together emotionally & sentimentally, along with giving them purpose to forge a bond that would not ever be easily broken. Yes, the 'family' is currently experiencing a 'fall out' - but it's temporary. They're grieving and blaming (John and possibly even Sherlock blaming himself) and it'll all get sorted out. They each have a key role to play in the others healing process. Space and distance, while not always desired or comfortable, does have its rewards.

Mary chose Molly and Mrs. Hudson as godmothers. Effectively making them surrogate aunt and grandmother. Now, in Mary's passing, those roles will take on even greater importance and need, possibly leaving Molly to fulfill a 'mother-like' role. Mary also knew John would choose Sherlock as godfather - a role he would not refuse or take lightly. They are forever bound by baby Rosamund - a commitment that none of them will shirk. Side note: As a fleeting HC, I've wondered if Molly won't end up raising Rosie? I can think of numerous scenarios on why and how this might come about, although the details are best saved for another discussion.

As with all Sherlock episodes, new questions rise faster than snark regarding the U.S. presidential election. Still, The Six Thatchers provided loads of answers. James Moriarty is dead. His posthumous recording was made before he took his life on Bart's rooftop. Oh yeah, there's a game in play but we get to bide our time right along with Sherlock.

Sherlock's off the hook regarding Magnussen! No need for any official pardon. That detail was neatly managed. I'm probably one of the few people who think he never should have been charged in the first place, but that's a different meta.

Sherlock likes dogs. And babies - even if they do see the world as a mystery. And he's calling baby Rosie, 'Watson.' How freaking cute is that?!? I've rewound that scene a few times it's. so. darn. adorbs.

Knowing and understanding their personalities and propensity toward boredom, along with a heightened need for danger (and assassination), Sherlock also kept Mr. and Mrs. Watson busy.

Now, this might seem surprising but, to me, it's clear as day that both Sherlock and Mary knew John was teetering on the brink of an affair. They may have reached this conclusion from different perspectives, but both were giving him space to figure it out, process what he was going through, and choose. John was not happy, no matter what we wanted to see and is catching hell-fire and damnation for this, which is too bad. From my perspective, that is. I'm not his moral arbiter and I really can't imagine what it's like standing in his shoes; especially having gone through three years of tragic & intense experiences...most of which he had no say or control over. There's really no need to make a case for all of that is there? Other than to say life with Mary would never be normal, no matter what it looks like on the outside.

Nevertheless, after the birth of their baby, things are beginning to stabilize. But. Not. Really. It doesn't take long before John is back on cases with Sherlock, sometimes usurped by Mary and even one jaunt with little Rosamund. Aspects of John's life that were inherently his, prior to meeting and marrying Mary, are now shared experiences. By temperament and savvy, Sherlock and Mary are well suited for each other when it comes to cases, at times leaving John holding the short end of the stick, along with the rest of us trying to catch up. This isn't to rail against Sherlock or Mary - just presenting what's been shown. John definitely feels sidelined, which was obvious from the balloon head in his chair, even if it did provide comic relief. Of course this isn't the first time John's absence has gone unnoticed by Sherlock...although things are very different now. I think the weight of John's life is sinking in deeper and deeper. Nothing's wrong with that, except the inner conflict he's feeling. Choices made from conflict, or lack of awareness, can sometimes be dubious, as seems to be the case here.

So, along comes a sweet, young Irish Scottish redhead, flirting with John on the bus. I bet the attention felt good. And, why shouldn't it? Who wouldn't like being noticed, especially when you're not feeling very noticeable. John was flattered, but didn't think much of it - although he should have! At least that's what I thought in my mind. Unlike many people, I wasn't concerned with the moral implications. I was thinking - "You're John Watson, you hang out with Sherlock Holmes and married to a former assassin. What the hell are you doing?! Almost nothing in your world is what it appears to be. Do not be taken in by flattery, John! You should seriously find this chick suspicious. Omg, you're not listening! No wonder Sherlock gets frustrated. Join a soccer league, or watch porno, if you feel unmanly, but don't trust the redhead. Ugh, look at that - she's sitting next to a picture of Culvertson (Toby Jones), next week's baddie. You should know from His Last Vow that this will bite you on the ass if you follow through. You will regret this. Trust me, you will. And, aren't you forgetting that your bff and wife will immediately know about this flirtatious dalliance? That's. what. they. do. They know things. Oh, for Christ's sake. Whatever, John."

Yeah, that's what I said to no avail. So, while everyone else is upset that John is acting like an asshat and betraying Mary, I'm wondering about the chick on the bus and who she really is. Mary is the least of my worries at this point. Since she's fully aware of what's going on, as is Sherlock, either one of them can stop that crap before it truly takes off. If they want. And don't think for a moment they're not capable.

Then there's Molly and Sherlock. They're officially a married couple. Okay, okay, only in my mind palace are they married...even though they sure act like it. I mean, just look at Molly - she owns Sherlock Holmes. The ease between them is delicious, even in their banter and with one word he'll obey her command. Mostly. Where Sherlock is concerned, that says a lot.

Molly redeems herself with John. This might seem like an odd thing, because we get very little Molly and even less about what goes on in her world. But, we can infer, can't we? For two years Molly lied to John about Sherlock's death. Not only did she lie, she participated with the plan and actively, if not fraudulently, carried out her part. She watched John grieve. She saw his pain and devastation. Molly, however, kept her word with Sherlock - knowing full well the difficulty and consequences. I see Molly as strong, capable and courageous, but she is not without heart or sympathy. I cannot imagine it was easy for her to watch John grieve, believing Sherlock dead. Whether or not redemption is necessary, I can further imagine there's a part of Molly that believe she's owes John - even if it's from an unconscious connection. And here lies the parallels between Molly and Mary. Mary believed she owed Sherlock and I don't believe it's a stretch to think the same about Molly toward John. Two women, totally different actions, but in the end they have to live with their conscience. There was absolute pain in Molly's face giving Sherlock the news that John would rather have anyone but him around. Anyone. But, she stood by John and bravely gave Sherlock the painful pronouncement, just as she once allowed John to believe the pain he felt was real. She will support John in his time of need. None of that means she's abandoned Sherlock, or cut him out of her life, but I bet she's treading very carefully in the early days of Mary's passing.

By golly, we got Sherrinford and know that the #13 is the code to be in touch! Who knows if it / he / she is a person, place, thing, or code name. We'll soon find out.

Mycroft knew all along that AGRA was a private, militarized contract team, specializing in extractions and assassinations.

Sherlock was present when baby Rosamund was born! I would love to have been a fly on the wall when all of that was taking place. Fic writers where are you?????

Redbeard and two little boys playing on a beach. One in a pirate hat. Sherlock's memories....

We got to see another one of Sherlock's boltholes. Kinda a cozy place, if you don't mind tree roots or Underworld Chic.

That's my initial thoughts, although there's so much more to glean from this episode, like tons of symbolism. What say all of you?