#correct it's edwin x irene

[manwhacrossoverfamilybecauseyes]

Romour has it

"Have you heard?"

Juvelian isn't one to eavesdrop, but she just can't help herself. Aylet is talking to Hari. Their voices are very hushed and barley hearable, but Juvelian will manage.

"What?" Hari sounds very interested.

Aylet chuckles. "Apparently, Felix Heylon and Irene Padalian are dating."

Hari gasps. "No way!"

The pinkette laughs. "Yes! They are seen together a lot, and they are really touchy." Aylet leans back. "It's confirmed that Lord Felix likes someone, or so I've heard from Miss Louise."

Hari gasps again. "He does? So that means it's true?" The younger girl shrugs. "Miss Louise told me that sir Yuri told her that sir Noah overheard Irene tell Melissa that she likes Felix." The silver haird girl nods.

"My sister, Yona, told me that Irene and Felix are very close." Hari looks up. "Perhaps it's true."

Juvelian can't believe it. It can't be right? Not when Felix seeks her out all the time and always treats her nicely. Not when he smiles at her so much. Not when he looks at her in that way.

Not when he told her that he liked her.

"Juvy!" Jeanette calls out. Right, Juvelian told her she'd be gone only for a little. The silver haired girl jumps up and rushes to her brunette friends side.

Jeanette brightens up when she meets Juvelians blue eyes. "There you are! I thought you ditched me." Cayena klicks her tongue. "Us. I thought you ditched us." Jeanette corrects herself.

Cayena grabs Juvelians wrist. "Let's go, the show is about to begin!" The two girls of obelian nobility drag Juvelian to the magic department battle grounds.

Just yesterday was Juvelian super excited. Felix had asked her to cheer for him, but now all she can think of is him and Irene.

She knows that it's probably just baseless romours. The children of two very powerful families are always great to pair up after all.

But why not her? Juvelian is a princess. Felix spends most of his free time with her. She'd be perfect for the job as his girlfriend.

"It's Jeremy!" Jeanette's exited voice pulls Juvelian out of her thoughts. Right, the agriche boy is Jeanette 'boyfriend'. "Hi! Do your best!"

Cayena rolls her eyes. She obviously couldn't care less. "Even if he does his best, the chance of him winning against the helion boy is small to non at all." Says the blond.

Juvelian nods. Felix is amazing. He had mastered shape shifting magic already in his first year at the academy. That's level four magic!

"Don't be like that, Yeny! I can still cheer for him." Defends Jeanette.

Cayena rolls her eyes. "Sure, just don't cry about it when he loses."

Maybe Juvy should say something. Tell them not to fight, but she's bored, and the idea of them fighting is cheering her up just a little bit.

He eyes wander through the grandstands. She recognizes Claudia almost immediately. Next to the white-haired girl stands one with brown hair and bright golden eyes. Both seem to be chatting about something very excitedly.

"Is something wrong?" Asks Jeanette concerned. "You seem kinda out of it."

Juvelian looks onto the ground. They're her friends, she can tell them. "I heard a romour." As soon as the words leave her mouth, she feels stupid. Trusting a stupid romour with no real evidence except for the fact that Irene might like Felix. How old is she? "No, forget it."

Cayena shakes her head. "I won't. It's bothering you, right?" Juvelian nods. "Good, then tell us."

Juvelian takes in a deep breath. "Do- Would you say that me and Felix are... Well, you know..."

Both of the other girls look at each other and then shrug. "Not sure what you mean."

The silver haired girl plays with the skirt of her uniform. "Dating. Would you say we could be considered to be dating?" The cousins once again look at each other, but this time they nod.

"Yeah, it sure sounds like you are. Why?" Cayena seems interested now. She always liked drama as long as she wasn't involved.

"Like I said earlier, I heard a romour." Juvelian leans closer to the railing. "Apparently, Felix and Irene Padalian are dating... But that can't be right?

Jeanette shakes her head. "Of course not!" She pats her friends shoulder.

"Unless he's two-timing," Cayena chimes in.

Jeanette gasps and hits Cayenas shoulder. "How could you say that!"

Cayena isn't wrong. It's just that Felix isn't the type of guy to do that. He isn't. Juvelian refuses to view that as a possibility.

When Juvelian looks up, her eyes meet those of Irene. The brunette smiles before looking back at Claudia.

A pang of jealousy bubbles up in Juvelian. She never talked to Claudia. It's kinda unfair. Why doesn't Felix introduce her?

Perhaps he is two-timing?

No, not Felix. Erudian would never be friends with a guy like that. There is no way. "Look, it's Felix!" Jeanette laughs.

The silvernette looks down to the ”battlefield“. He looks through the stands and smiles as soon as he meets Juvelians eyes. He winks at her.

Not at Irene.

It feels like she's winning. Juvelian smiles back at Felix. She then notices a weird expression on his face. Did something happen?

-

"It's unfair!" Jeanette is complaining again. "How come Felix keeps winning? Jeremy trained so hard!"

Cayena rolls her eyes. "I told you not to complain when he loses."

Juvelian laughs. "Felix is just talented."

Cayena hums. "Also, he was being cheered on by his two girlfriends."

Jeanette glares at her again. "Don't listen to her, Juvy! I'm sure the romours are based around a misunderstanding and have no actual ground!"

The girls leave the stadium. In front of it stands Felix... With Irene.

Juvelian feels a knot in her throat. Irene is blushing at Felix, who doesn't seem very bothered by it. Jeanette looks at her friend with concern.

Juvelian balls her hands to fists. She's not going to run away from it. Maybe she misunderstood, but if she didn't, this would mean that either he's cheating (which is unlikely) or that this girl is trying to steal her boyfriend.

So Juvelian walks over when something hits her. They aren't dating. So Felix wouldn't be cheating. He's not doing anything wrong. He never clarified in which way he likes her.

Maybe she's doing something wrong?

"Juvelian!" It's Felix's voice. He seems happy as he walks up to her. Irene is following close behind him with a confused expression.

Felix wraps his arms around the younger girl and whirles her around. "I won!" He looks so happy. Like he wants to be praised.

Juvelian laughs. "Yes, you did." She pats his head. "I knew you would, but it was still amazing."

She looks at Irene. The brunette just stands there, a little sad and jealous. Juvelian feels a little bad. "Lady Irene, correct?" She asks.

Irene looks surprised and nods. "Yes! You must be Juvelian, Erudian's little sister, right?"

Juvelian nods. "Yes, correct. My brother told me about you."

Irene blushes a little. Juvelian suddenly wonders if she is just a very blushful person. Perhaps she doesn't even like Felix?

"I hope he only told you good things." The golden eyed girl laughs akwardly. Juvelian nods with a bright smile. Erudian did talk nicely about her.

Felix coughs to get the attention back on him. "I apologize, lady Irene, but I want to talk to Juvy." The silvernette looks at him, surprised. He usually doesn't use her nickname in front of others.

Irene backs away. "Alright! I'll see you tomorrow, Felix!" Her voice is so forcefully joyous. It doesn't seem like Felix realizes it.

Felix waits until Irene is gone. Juvelian turns around to tell her friends to leave them too, but they are already gone. She wonders when they left.

Felix pulls her closer and leans his head on her shoulder. "You seemed angry earlier." Is all he says.

Juvelian is a little embarrassed as she shakes her head. Why did he have to notice? "I wasn't."

Felix hums. Juvelian hugs his shoulders. She's afraid he leaves. It's not reasonable, she knows.

"In a relationship, you need to communicate, remember that, alright?" Her mother's voice reminds her. A deep sigh escapes her.

"Felix... I- It's stupid. I know that." She starts, and Felix shakes his head. "If something bothers you, it's not stupid."

She smiles. He's always like that. "I heard a romour. Apparently, you and Lady Irene are dating." Felix laughs. It's loud and joyful.

It takes a while, but he stops eventually. He then looks up to meet Juvelians eyes. "Never. I like you, not her." Juvelian can feel herself blushing. Does this count as a confession.

"Me too. I like you too."

Felix nods. "I know that." He kisses her forehead, then her cheeks, and then her forehead again.

Juvelian wraps her hands around his neck and pulls his lips onto hers. "Kiss me here." Is what she says. She watches with satisfaction as he goes red like a tomato.

He clears his throat and does as he's told. "If you want me to."

Juvelian feels like she's floating. It's crazy that all it took for him to kiss her was asking. Now that she thinks about it, it was obvious.

Someone else clears their throat. "Felix." It's Erudian, and he doesn't sound happy. Within seconds there is a lot of space between Felix and Juvelian.

Felix smiles in a terrified way. "Hello, my best friend, the man who'd I trust with my first born, the man i would trust with my life."

Erudian sighs in a way that makes you think he lived for decades and has seen all the bad in the world. "Get your hands away from my sister and disappear."

The younger man nods wnd salutes. "Ay ay sir."

C h a r a c t e r s a r e f r o m:

Aylet(a transmigrators privilege)/Hari(Beware of the bothers)/Jeanette (Who made me a princess)/Cayena(The villainess is a marionette)/Juvelian (Father i don't want to get married)/Felix & Irene & Claudia(I have become the hero's rival)/Erudian(Seduce the villain's father)

⟨Manhwa Crossover Family Trees⟩

⟨Felix x Juvelian Family - Masterlist⟩

[sherlockgayaturgy]

The Gay is On

“ Hey all. I saw a lot of people despairing last night and questioning this episode and I also saw a lot of people generally confused but optimistic. I have confessed myself skeptical of TJLC but hopeful in the past and… I gotta say… this episode might just be MY episode. The episode that convinced me more than any others. This is gonna be a long post, in which I’ll throw out some theories that are pretty loose, but overall I hope the message you take away is not to worry, to trust our dads, and to remember that this SHOULD be the lowest that we see these characters for their story to unfold the way it needs to.

Okay. Jumping right in. It’s long, so read under the cut.

We start with the cover-up, or how they got Sherlock off the murder charge. Mycroft provides us with codenames. We know that each person in the room has one of the names.

I’m inferring that Avalanche is Mycroft (Ice Man)

Lady Smallwood is later revealed to be “Love.” (That’s the codename she’s assigned by the rest of that group but we find out that she not the “Love” this show is trying to uncover.)

That leaves Langdale and Porlock for Sherlock and Sir Edwin. I believe Porlock is Sherlock ( “shifty and evasive personality”) and Sir Edwin, who we don’t know much about yet, is Langdale. Based on Langdale in the stories, Sir Edwin might be responsible for all of these government secret leaks to the papers that have been troubling our heroes so.

Very noteworthy that Vivienne Norbury, the actual person of import in this episode, does not have a codename. She’s written off as the secretary, as unimportant. But she goes onto have her own code at the end of the episode when Sherlock asks Mrs. Hudson to say Norbury to him if she ever feels he’s too full of himself.

They doctor the video footage of Sherlock shooting Magnussen. They’re setting us up to know, once again, that records can be changed even when you have VISUAL PROOF of what happened. Especially when we’re looking at a video recording. This will be VERY important later.

After the credits, we get the story of the Merchant of Bagdhad, a story of a man who tries to outrun fate and instead runs towards it. All of this is undercut with Sherlock traveling through the London Aquarium, presumably on his way to meet Vivienne Norbury. I believe this entire (or the majority) of the episode is Sherlock recounting the events to Ella while he’s in therapy, which I’ll show later too. The important thing to takeaway from that part of my theory is that Sherlock is an unreliable narrator. He has a very distinct perspective, and that perspective is going to influence everything we see for the rest of the episode.

Then we get the cases. The first of which is called “Dusty Death.” It involves a man who drowns (water=emotions) yet he was filled with sand. Sherlock calls it “superficial.” (Mary “dies” in the aquarium, beneath a lot of water, yet is her death really as emotional as it’s made out to be?).

There’s also “The Duplicate Man” -- the story of someone who was in two places at once and ended up dead at one of them.

That’s not a theme in this show. At all. There aren’t multiple people who’ve done that. And it’s certainly never twins. COUGH. (I’m not entirely made up yet who they’re referring to specifically, but it HAS to be either Mary or Moriarty, meaning that one of them, possibly both, are still alive).

Finally, there’s “The Cardiac Arrest.”

Whoops. Sorry. Wrong “Cardiac Arrest”

A man is found strangled in the bedsit he shares with his brother. They’d always gotten along well, and there wasn’t anything that suggested otherwise. It turns out that the man was strangled by a jellyfish. While I think the other circumstances of this case will come to fruition, I’d like to point this out from the end of the episode.

“What was directly behind you when you were murdered?”

So Mary seemed to be getting along well with the gang, there was something sinister about the JELLYFISH in the room full of sharks. We weren’t looking in the obvious place. Sometimes its the more ordinary thing that is the most dangerous, and what was it that Mary so desperately wanted? An ordinary life.

This piece is immediately followed by the 59 missed calls bit. So Sherlock and John are chatting about an assassin lurking close by, John checks his phone, and Mary’s been trying to get his attention. Cool.

Then there’s the birth scene, then Hudders taking pictures, and she has a line that I ADORE ( “They never come out when I take them”) some baby schmoop that I thought was pretty funny, Sherlock hiding his heart phone from the congregation who were all throwing their lot in behind the Watson family, Sherlock preferring a male Siri... so on.

In between, we get John’s first interaction with “E.” I’ve already written a bit about “E” here. I’ll highlight a couple of things.

This is the first shot we see of her. I was reminded distinctly of Irene Adler with the red lipstick. Other people have said she seems like a literal red herring with the red jacket, red hair, red lips. We get this beauty as well:

Wherein John, who has not fully accepted his own bisexuality, is reflected in a window, staring at the woman, with the TPLOSH flower in his hair. Now, the scene in TPLOSH that I’m referencing is the one where Watson ends up dancing with a bunch of men with a flower in his hair and the dance troupe leader later asks him if he’s bisexual. So we see John, who has just gotten a text from Sherlock, whom he desperately loves but hasn’t allowed himself to, turn around and contemplate flirting with a woman while he’s got the flower in his hair -- the reminder of Sherlock and what he’s repressing still on his mind.

“E” already has a paper in her hand. A lot of people have pointed out that it’s weird that she has this ready for John. I agree, though the first time I wrote my theory I didn’t see that she hadn’t yet actually written her number. Regardless, the theory still stands.

John gets off the bus, sees the flower in his hair, and thinks the woman was laughing at him for it. We think that that’s the end of that.

Then we get to the case.

(”Give the people what they want”) cough

We’re introduced to it with some food=sex coding that as far as I’ve seen got swept under the radar, especially if you look at Charlie (the son) as being gay (which I’ll show).

Charlie is on a gap year with a bunch of male friends in Tibet.

“Your mom wants to know if you’re eating properly.”

Your mom wants to know if you’re sleeping with women.

We get further hints that Charlie is gay with this:

Which some folks have pointed out, being the blue power ranger (I believe the actor who played him was kicked off for being gay? someone correct me...) indicates Charlie prefers men. He asks his dad to take a picture to “show his friends” (prove his homosexuality).

I think we all in the TJLC community know what Thatcher symbolized to the LGTB community of the UK. From there, we can certainly imagine what Charlie’s life must have been like growing up with a father who worshiped Margaret Thatcher. And of course Sherlock, as a gay man, would have picked up on that as well.

This is the first time Sherlock sees the shrine with the missing bust. It’s a bit obvious that he first looks at a shrine of Thatcher and thinks, “Something sinister is going on here.” But more than that, the entire thing is shot as if it’s underwater. We already know that water symbolizes deep emotions. A basic symbolism search for me turned up this as well:

“Water generally cleanses... it inevitably becomes a symbol of characters in stories handling difficult life scenarios. In any case, water is a symbol of power in stories. It has the ability to free characters as well as claim them.

Oceans... often represent obstacles or abysses from which things emerge or that characters must journey across to reach a destination. Oceans are often symbolically mysterious places that can symbolize overcoming a great obstacle or being dragged down into deep depths by it.” [x]

Now, we know later that Mary dies in an aquarium, filled with oceanic animals, so I think it’s safe to assume the ocean metaphor can apply here. It also fits with the theme of the story -- going on a journey, overcoming obstacles, having the opportunity to be freed by water but also dragged under. So this story, the part one of three, is these characters entering the “abyss.” They’re being pulled down to the depths, and the next two installments will be about them making their way out.

In certain instances, too, water can represent introspection. We know Sherlock goes to therapy later in the episode (though I think that MAY be MP... either way, this applies) and introspection is a big theme in therapeutic work. If you believe, as I do, that this is told through Sherlock’s perspective as he’s recounting it to Ella, then the narration at the top of the episode is likely him telling that story to Ella. And as it’s told with the water symbolism stamped over the top of it, we have to be wary of any other time they use blatant underwater imagery in this show.

So have a look at this picture again. It’s underwater. We know that Sherlock was recounting events to Ella the last time we saw an underwater image. I believe that’s what’s happening again, here. Sherlock sees this shrine. He is remembering (much later) that this is the moment when he was pulled into the case that was going to bring about Mary’s downfall. He feels he should have recognized it sooner. But he presses on anyway.

Now, many people feel it’s weird that Sherlock pretends not to know who Thatcher is -- he clearly knew Thatcher in THoB. John points out that he’s playing for time so that he can piece together the case, and I believe that. I also think Sherlock thoroughly enjoyed messing with a Thatcher enthusiast by pretending not to know who she was. That didn’t really bother me.

We learn that Charlie died having never shown his true self to his parents (:-() and then we’re on to the real case of the episode, the six Thatchers. Sherlock also calls his death “superficial,” the same as he called the victim in “Dusty Death” earlier. I’ve shown how this is going to be connected to Mary’s “superficial” death later, so what’s connected here? A boy, pretending to be something he wasn’t, dies randomly and tragically before he could reveal his true self. He’d also pre-recorded a video message in the hopes of “surprising” or “getting the attention of” his parents.

“Thought that might get your attention.”

But that story was never allowed to unfold. The footage was doctored. We even see that visually on the screen:

Plus, you know, the literal rainbow over Charlie’s face as he yells “Surprise!”

Any time we see something that’s been “pre-recorded,” it’s not what it seems. Remember that.

Why is Sherlock interested in the bust case? A lot of people have wondered that, too, or thought it felt off. Mycroft tells us, in the scene immediately after, that the Black Pearl is still missing -- one of the last known pieces of Moriarty’s web that’s still active. Of COURSE this would be haunting Sherlock, while he pretends otherwise. He is waiting on his toes for Moriarty’s next move -- Moriarty is representative of his greatest fear, his greatest failure in his relationship with John. The time he had to leave John alone. So if someone’s smashing busts of Margaret Thatcher for non-political reasons, Sherlock thinks, “They’ve hidden something inside it.” He thinks someone has led him to this case, and that it could be the start of Moriarty’s post-humus game. He’s correct, of course, but not in the way he anticipates.

We also get Sherlock and Mycroft’s conversation about “premonition” here. 

This shot comes with Sherlock’s line, “There’s something important about this.” Introspection, remember? This is future Sherlock bleeding through. This is a moment where he felt something -- a pulling of the strings -- and he didn’t realize what it meant. Hindsight is 20-20.

Mycroft brings up the Baghdad merchant story -- how Sherlock hated it and how he’s been changing the ending because he didn’t like its. Sherlock wants to change the story that’s been told for hundreds of years. He wants to get it right.

I feel like there’s another story that’s really old that people “haven’t been getting right...” Hmmmm....

Does anyone else see Mary here, not Thatcher? Just me? Ok...

Alright, we’re about to get my favorite little, “Sherlock is gay,” in a moment. I’m going to set it up now.

Lestrade and Hopkins, both waiting to talk to Sherlock about a case. Hopkins is there to talk about the Black Pearl -- the case Sherlock is actually working on -- but he turns her down.

The way this scene is written, it’s almost like Hopkins and Lestrade are competing for Sherlock’s love. They say things like, “You see a lot of each other?” “It’s nothing. Nothing serious.” “How long have you been seeing him/known him?” Things like that. And there’s a lot of general posturing going on between them. Sherlock buts in and asks them to shut up. He’s not ready to deal with choosing between them at the moment. Also the door to the kitchen, where John is, is wide open, so he can hear everything.

John is starting to think he’s not valuable to Sherlock. Sherlock is shocked and embarrassed that he’s made John feel this way. I just... can you imagine John drawing the face on that balloon? While Sherlock was deducting?

Then there’s the guy talking about the tattoo/the girlfriend he was indifferent to. I believe this is foreshadowing for how we’re going to see John feel about Mary, especially from the parallels that Sherlock makes up about the man in the “fake deduction.”

Sherlock blatantly pushes the woman -- the one who’s coming him with the case he’s actually working on -- out of his flat. He rejects the lady. He does not like the ladies.

But who does he let in?

The dude... who’s dressed quite a bit like a certain army doctor.

There’s this, which I can’t tell if it’s Thatcher’s face superimposed over Ben’s, or Ben’s face...

Then we get this -- and we know that they put this scene in because the dog was being uncooperative and Mark/Steven had to improvise something.

You’re not picking up that I like you, but I know you’ll get there one day

You don’t need the me

I love you.

He still doesn’t get it.

Yeah... subtext isn’t as covered-up as it usually is but hey, they wrote it in 10 mins.

Then there’s some lovely mirror shots of the Watsons, which I’ve already written about.

And John starts getting texts from “E” but we don’t learn that until later.

Then a really great fight scene in which Sherlock is literally being drowned in his emotions/hindsight/introspection... held down by Mary’s past.

Sherlock smashes the bust, thinking he’ll find the Black Pearl -- the next part of Moriarty’s game. Instead he finds

And once again -- consciously or unconsciously -- the audience is MEANT to associate Mary with Moriarty. Once you plant an idea, it can never be killed.

We see a slice of Mary’s past -- are introduced to the code “Ammo” -- and learn that Mary was one of four assassins, only two of whom have been accounted for.

Sorry. Finger slipped.

Now, later we learn that the “English woman” is Vivienne Norbury. Except Ajay didn’t know who she was. A.G.R.A. didn’t know who had hired them. They didn’t know who “betrayed them.” They didn’t even know who “Ammo” referred to. So why do the terrorists think he will be betrayed by learning about what the “English woman” did? Because it was someone who Ajay knew.

This looks VERY similar to the transition we saw in the Czech trailer with Sherlock. Hold me I’m scared.

I wanna read that text.

Sherlock’s read the drive. But he wants to hear Mary say it. Because he knows records can be altered.

We still NEVER get confirmation that what Mary tells Sherlock is the truth. All of the truth. We never know if he believes her.

The agents names are Alex, Gabriel, Rosamund, and Ajay.

Alex - “Defender of mankind.”

Gabriel - “God is my strength” -- also possible reference to the archangel Gabriel. ( “On the side of the angels”)

Rosamund - “Rose of the world” also “protection” ( “This is my protection... I make my way in the world. I misbehave.”) The “Rose of the world” is not actually a literal translation -- it’s a reference to Rosamund Clifford -- mistress to King Henry II, who bore him illegitimate children and whose maternity was disputed.

Ajay - “Unconquerable”

Mary says her memory stick was absolutely secure. Ajay’s was secure as well, yet CAM had her info, which means someone else from A.G.R.A was responsible for the leak. A leak to someone obsessed with scandals and news organizations.

“Langdale.”

PBS subtitles are kind enough to give us this to go along with the pirate kids from Sherlock’s dream.

I believe this is the recurring dream he talks to Ella about.

You will find me deep down in the ocean... down in the abyss. Waiting to cross through to freedom.

“Not you... not you...”

“Is that sentiment talking?” “No. It’s me.”

“A.G.R.A.” “T.J.L.C.”

Now the whole Mary sequence is odd to me, because everything up to this point has mostly been Sherlock’s perspective. But we know Sherlock and John are tailing her, so it makes sense that Sherlock would have pretty good knowledge of what she’s doing.

We also find out that it was John’s idea to put the tracker on the memory stick. He knew that Mary would run as soon as Sherlock confronted her. He does not trust  her in the least.

“I’ve always liked Mary.” “Yeah. Me too. I used to.”

We know at this point that John has been involved with “E” for a while.

If we believe that “E” was a set-up, and that Mary is in on it, I believe this is part of Mary’s plan to build John up so that he feels immensely guilty when she dies at the end of the episode.

That’s um. That’s nice, Sherlock... but nobody was asking... you? Also the way they framed this whole conversation -- John and Mary having an intimate discussion and then we realize Sherlock is there the whole time?

There’s a mirror there at the back, too, with John and Mary appearing to sit on Sherlock’s shoulder. He has the weight of trying to keep their relationship together and it’s (visually) keeping him down.

Also let me point out that John, who killed a man for making Sherlock eat a pill, has a perfectly clean shot to Ajay -- the man who has a gun to his wife’s head -- and he doesn’t take it. Not even after he goes on and on and on about how badly he wants to kill her.

And when does Sherlock clue in that “Ammo” is actually “Amo?” (Love)

“What did I hear? Every day as they tore into me? Ammo.”

Sherlock is remembering Serbia. Remembering the awful torture, and remembering that the only thing that got him through was love. Thinking of John, how much he loved him was the only way to get through that pain. Amo = Love.

Which of course prompts him to think of Lady Smallwood’s codename.

There’s this wonderful shot. “Love” being denied by a foil in the background. The receptionist, who nobody expects.

Then John on the plane. We get a lovely callback to earlier:

With this:

And then we learn that John actually did go through with his affair (I know some people think he didn’t. I believe he did -- it makes more sense with John’s romantic arc and Moriarty trying to burn Sherlock’s heart out)

She says, “I like your daisy.” She’s also wearing a rose necklace (Rose of the world). We associate roses with Mary already. Yet she’s trying to trick John with something else -- a daisy -- symbol of quick wit, creativity, purity, cleansing. John was the one with it in his hair -- these are all things relating to John. It’s also, from TPLOSH, a symbol of his bisexuality. He tells her, “It’s not really me.” And she doesn’t believe him.

She gives him her number, signed “E”, and he texts her. The last three digits of her number are “552″ or “JLC.” Johnlock Conspiracy. (”1058″ -- random number wasn’t the correct code -- they never choose random numbers on this show) -- Thanks dads!

I think he was texting her in bed, I know some people think he wasn’t. I think he’s about to break it off here:

“I’m not free.” Good choice of words John.

And then he steps off the bus and there she is (WAY TOO CONVENIENTLY)

By a poster of Smith, who we know is going to try to tear Sherlock apart in the next episode. If Smith orchestrated E and John’s affair, he may try to use it against Sherlock in the next episode.

This -- this is the moment John decides to go through with it. And this is the moment I believe proves that he DID have a serious affair with E. I also love the arrow behind John’s head encouraging him to run the other way. Subtle.

“NO! DON’T! SAY NO TO THIS!”

Then the interrogation scene.

Lady Smallwood’s codename is “Love.” She insists she is not the one who betrayed them, though. She is not the “Love” that is the answer. But... maybe... this one is. Not. One. Not the One.

Lady Smallwood’s love is not the answer. Sherlock’s is.

John’s drinking in this scene. Which is symbolic of fear. He is afraid and he has something he needs to tell Mary. I believe he’s telling her that he wants out. He could just be telling her about the affair, coming clean, but we know divorce is already on his mind. We know he feels trapped in the marriage, which is why he had the affair in the first place. And that’s going to eat at him later when Mary dies.

Sherlock on a bridge thinking about water -- rainbow in the corner -- while the Moriarty’s coming music from s1 and 2 plays. It’s almost like what’s about to happen is... connected to Moriarty...

Also the receptionists, the ones who “write everything down” “THEY KNOW EVERYTHING.

More building John up.

Sherlock never tells Mary where to go. He’s testing her -- testing to see if she’s in on the plan and knows where to go. John he tells, because he’s not in on it.

And Mary goes. She gives in without a fight.

“You will find me deep under the ocean.”

Sherlock’s lines strongly echo lines from TAB when Moriarty broke through his dream. “Never could resist a touch of the dramatic.” 

John is telling someone to meet him there -- I assume Lestrade and Mycroft. But how did they get there before him if he’s already on his way? They could have been closer, but what if they were in on it, or someone deliberately kept John from the room so he couldn’t see all of what happened?

If John were to divorce Mary, he’d look for a new partner, and Sherlock would be a likely choice.

But a widowed John would fill the void. He would find a rebound. Convenient he’s already got one.

Then this:

“Pets do that, or so I’m told.”

Pets fill the void of a lost love. Redbeard could have possibly filled a void in Sherlock’s life. But John is also told repeatedly that he’s like a pet to Sherlock. Even in this very episode he’s compared to the dog. He fills a void in Sherlock’s life. And Sherlock would very much like to fill that void in John’s life after Mary dies, once John is ready. But “E” is going to take that hope away from him.

Then this.

“You’ve got a way out, well good luck with that.”

And.

This is a man very clearly preparing for a bullet impact. Again. He knows what it feels like, and he’s steeling himself for the sensation. He’s not expecting what happens.

Mary jumps in front of it. She doesn’t push Sherlock aside. She doesn’t pull him to the ground like we saw her do with John. She jumps.

Who else jumped and faked their own death? I can’t think of anyone...

That. Is. The. Face. Of. Someone. Whose. Plan. Just. Worked.

And it hearkens back to this:

Surprise! The doctored footage from earlier in the episode. A hint that what we’ve just seen is not real. There’s something else going on.

John conveniently comes in just after Mary is shot. He didn’t see anything that happened before, so when Mary says this:

And even though John will have the full story explained to him. For a moment. Just for a moment. What the hell is he supposed to make of that?

“You were my whole world.” She is just laying it on. And it’s tearing John up because of what he’d done and what he was about to do. He can’t reciprocate, even on his wife’s death bed, he can’t tell her he feels the same. And that’s being lain out for everyone in the room to see.

This is going to be me taking a moment to just please... please ask that people stop making fun of the noises Martin makes. They’re real. They’re genuine. They make us laugh because they’re uncomfortable -- I hope no one has ever had reason to make or heard someone make these kinds of sounds in their life because I have, and it’s awful. That concludes my request.

John is experiencing grief here -- but it’s different from the grief he experienced with Sherlock, and that comes out in the noises. This is grief laced with fury and guilt. Guilt which he’s going to project on

(God, I just... Sherlock is trying to help, trying to connect, and this happens I just...)

It’s there -- it’s small but it’s there -- tears. John’s emotions are real in this scene.

He snaps. He blames Sherlock because he can’t bear to blame himself, or acknowledge what he did. It’s awful. It’s not fair. It’s horrible to Sherlock. It’s going to put Sherlock through agony. But John is not perfect, that’s the whole point of this episode. And the more human Sherlock has become throughout this story, the more John has fallen apart because it means he’s going to have to get closer and closer to recognizing his true feelings for Sherlock.

Mary is cremated -- but the transition and the flames make it look like water. She wasn’t able to escape the depths.

There’s also the looming threat that this -- Mary’s death -- is going to be the catalyst for really burning the heart (John’s love) out of Sherlock.

But cremation also allows for an opportunity for a body switch and the destruction of evidence.

We see John in a graveyard again. But notably we don’t see him making a speech begging for her to return. We don’t see him wishing her back like he did with Sherlock.

I noticed here that both his limp and his hand tremor seemed to be back.

Which it’s interesting that we didn’t see it after Sherlock died if it really is there. That’s because this -- this event -- has truly made John doubt Sherlock. He didn’t doubt Sherlock when he jumped and he could go on with the happy memories that he and Sherlock had shared. But all of that is tainted now with Mary removed in such a violent way.

I also think John decides to delete his blog and that’s why we have the “John Watson will not be updating this” message on it now. It doesn’t say it won’t be updated -- it says “John” will not be doing it. He really wants to cut Sherlock out for good.

Which was Moriarty’s plan the whole time.

And... well... Sherlock keeps trying. (The contact name is too long to be “E”)

Look at that. John ignoring his heart.

Sherlock visits Ella

She tells him, “Do you want to talk about it? This is a two-way relationship, you know.” Basically, he needs to talk to John.

This whole set-up looks weird to me. It looks like Sherlock’s chair that they’re sitting in. They seem to be in a church -- but there are weird wall cut-offs or mirrors on the outside. A lot of people think this is MP -- I think it might be as well... or at least Sherlock’s visualization of his therapy sessions. I think he’s actually talking to Ella but visualizing it in a different way. Things that are in Sherlock’s MP are always places he’s visited. He also wouldn’t know what Ella looks/sounds like if he hadn’t seen her. And he goes to her for help -- that’s what she symbolizes to him.

We also have John sitting in a chair that looks like HIS 221b chair when he goes to sessions with Ella. We now have Sherlock sitting in what looks like HIS 221b chair. This all implies that when they sit down, across from one another, in those chairs and open up about what they really feel, the show will come to a completion. A shattering climax, you might say. If only we had any indication that we might get that this season...

Oh...

Then we see Mycroft’s flat. Which makes me a little sad.

But there’s an elephant on the fridge. So that makes me happy.

The sticky note says 13th on it -- TFP will be the 13th episode of the show -- and Mycroft puts a call through to Sherrinford. The clue they gave us for TFP was “Sherrinford.” We’ll be seeing that play out in the 13th episode.

Sherlock asks Mrs. H. to keep him in line by reminding him of Norbury if he ever messes up. He views it as a mistake -- he wasn’t in on whatever the larger plan was.

We are, once again, asked to associate Mary with Moriarty. That. Is. Intentional.

Who. Even. Are. You?

Also -- remember -- pre-recorded videos are not ever what they seem on this show.

Then there’s John’s mirror looking more like a John mirror than she ever has in her life handing Sherlock the letter that’s probably gonna burn his heart out completely and telling him that John would rather have ANYONE but him. So.

And after the whole Irene Adler thing, I don’t know how to take the phrase “Have anyone” in any other way but romantic/sexual.

“Save souls now! John or James Watson!”

“You’re lettin’ him down, Sherlock. John Watson is definitely in danger.”

The ending text:

“When does the path we walk on lock around our feet?” (When is it too late to change the ending?

“When does the road become a river with only one destination?” (When do we get swept up and inevitably carried out to the abyss?)

“Death waits for us all in Samarra, but can Samarra be avoided?” (The love story will die if we take it down the road it’s always gone. But can we change the ending?)

But before Sherlock gets to that happy ending, he has to go through the abyss.

This is VERY much the 1st part in a bigger series 4 arc.

Then we get this in post-credits.

Many think it could be referring to Hell, Norway. Which would make sense. Some people despair because they think this actually does redeem Mary in the end. But even so, the way they’ve framed this makes sure we still doubt Mary. We aren’t meant to trust her. They keep telling us that over and over and we have to trust them.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading my thoughts. It’s taken me all day to write this, so I don’t know if people have already gotten to these theories on their own. I’m going to tag a couple of people because I’m curious to hear your thoughts: @roostruk, @deducingbbcsherlock, @loudest-subtext-in-tv, @skulls-and-tea, @inevitably-johnlocked, @fuckwitjulite, @warmth-and-constancy, @finalproblem @johnlockhell221b @incurablylazydevil @victorianlovers @221bmeta @going-to-my-mind--palace @skeilig @bakerstreetstorytime @the-7-percent-solution @whatsortofcase and of course, anyone else who would like to contribute!

I think in the next episode, we’re going to get confirmation that “E” was planted by Smith, and we’ll see the fallout from that. We’ll see Sherlock’s devastation at John apparently having moved on. We’ll see Sherlock suspect that Mary faked her death, only to have it revealed that she really is dead (like the bride in TAB) -- I think that’s the morgue scene, and I think that’s where the lines “So what is this, a trick?” (Mary’s death) and “Of course it’s not a trick, it’s a plan.” Except Sherlock will be wrong again, and that’s when John loses it and hits him in the morgue -- conveniently with “E” standing right behind him.