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snuggles-and-struggles · 2 years

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Fic idea from a couple weeks ago (end goal ship is extraspicyhoney (TrF+UF+US))

Stretch is a famous actor. A heartthrob. Young and charming and goofy and so, so incredibly tired of it all. His only real friends are a college buddy, Sylv, and his body guard, Alibi. He’d never even set out to become an A-lister, he was just drawn to stage theater as a hobby and it all spiraled from there. He was grateful to have his brother still in his life, but Blue was otherwise completely “normal”, and could lead a perfectly normal life whenever he wanted to.

But not Stretch. Any new connections were either people he needed to rub elbows with (according to his manager), or people trying to rub elbows with him, and it was exhausting. Dating other celebrities was even worse because, for the most part, it wasn’t just an act for them, they took the whole lifestyle way too seriously.

Maybe he did have a huge stupid crush on Alibi at one point, but he could tell the feeling just wasn’t mutual, so he backed off, and now Alibi was one of the few people he really felt he could still be himself around.

Technically, catfishing is wrong, but what he’s doing isn’t technically catfishing, and while you can still lie by omission, he knew full well putting himself out in the open on a dating app would completely defeat the purpose of what he was doing in the first place. All he wanted was someone who didn’t know who he was. Someone to talk to that would talk to him for who he is, not who he is.

So, no pictures of himself. No disclosing his job. Just an age, that he’s a monster, and that he absolutely loves brain teasers.

The first few days were a slog of similarly anonymous users looking for a hookup, but after he’d whittled them down, the rest of the week was filled with brief, bad attempts at flirting, and one person calling him pretentious for knowing the differences between a limerick and a haiku.

He couldn’t check the app too often, especially not heading into a brief tour of interviews for a new movie he was in that would be coming out soon, but finally, after just over three weeks, he got his first real potential match.

Another mystery man, the only pictures offered on his profile of cats and nature scapes, and the bio supplied somehow less with a simple ‘hibernating probably’. Stretch matched with just about anyone who wasn’t straightforwardly looking for a hookup, so he wasn’t necessarily expecting much to come from an interaction with ‘The King Under The Mountain’, but he earned extra points for that username alone. He earned a few more when he didn’t even offer a greeting as their first message, just a brain teaser, miraculously one Stretch hadn’t seen a million times before, and it even took him a solid hour before he had to concede to guessing.

He’d guessed wrong, the other let him know (without providing the correct answer), but after a few minutes, he did send another message, a light tease about loving brain teasers apparently not making you very good at them. Stretch took the bait, teasing back, and soon enough he’d forgotten about the riddle altogether, in the slow paced back and forth.

King, as he’d taken to calling him in his own head, may be a slow typer, but he has a quick wit, and Stretch was delightfully surprised to learn that King knew very, very little about mainstream media. He even told Stretch he ‘doesn’t really watch movies’, like. At all. And for all Stretch liked to tease him about being an old man, truthfully, he might’ve been, given he had no age in his bio, either. But aside from that, they shared a similar love of books and astronomy, King even had a telescope, insisting the sky was clear where he lived and he liked to admire it whenever he got the chance. Obviously he loved cats, and Stretch even finagled King into telling him about his brood (five cats! Five!).

They talked about all manner of things, and before he knew it, they’d been messaging for weeks. Months. He eventually managed to convince Shade (his real nickname), to download Snapchat, and while Shade never shared any pictures of himself, and once he was certain Shade wouldn’t recognize him, Stretch was entirely fine sending his own tasteful (read: ridiculous) selfies on occasion.

Wherever Shade lived was surrounded by woods, and the monster often sent him back pictures of trees or fungi, flowers in his garden, his cats sunbathing, and Stretch became more and more certain Shade hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d insisted he wasn’t really a people person.

As it turned out, a hesitantly titled ‘friend’ had set up the account for Shade a while ago, and it wasn’t until his boredom reached an all time high that he finally decided to mess with the app for himself. He didn’t even know how to change the bio or username. Unsurprisingly Stretch was the only person he used it to talk to, which led to exchanging numbers so Shade didn’t have to bother with it and it’s ‘excruciating number of pop-ups’.

The first time Stretch heard his voice, he practically swooned. It was deep and raspy, but warm, like a crackling wood fireplace, and honestly Stretch could’ve listened to him all day long. Especially his low, gravelly chuckle. Honestly, he still didn’t even know Shade’s age, but he really didn’t care, there was such a natural flow between them, and he got the distinct impression Shade was really just an old soul.

Their friendship flourished, and despite his busy schedule, Stretch always made time to talk to Shade, enough so to warrant teasing from Alibi and his costars from the short film they were working on. And it wound up actually being some of their words that finally spurred him to action.

They’d been talking for just over a year by the time filming wrapped, so once he’d settled back in at home, one day, just before they could say their goodbyes at the end of a call, Stretch asked Shade on a date. However he wanted to do it, Stretch didn’t care, but he wanted to meet him, if Shade was up for it.

It had obviously caught him off guard, going quiet and then stuttering several attempts at varying replies until he settled on one. He wasn’t willing to travel, so it would have to be at his home, a dinner date or something, if Stretch was comfortable with that, and after they’d sorted details and Stretch had everything written down, Alibi let out a long suffering sigh when Stretch told him.

‘You mean the monster you still haven’t actually seen?’ ‘His house?’ ‘Stretch, this address is in the middle of Ebott forest.’ Stretch didn’t make his job easy, but Alibi was eventually swayed by Stretch’s sincere insistence.

Two weeks had never gone so slow, but it had at least given him time to prepare. He’d picked the perfect outfit, perfect cologne, Alibi was going to drive him there and back, so no shenanigans, not that he expected that from Shade, but eventually, the day had arrived, and Alibi was shuffling him into the car, reminding him he’d be late if he took any longer.

It was just under a two hour drive, and Alibi had made certain Stretch had an emergency escape plan if things went south. They went over it multiple times before they arrived to their destination. The trip had been scenic, to say the least, and true to Alibi’s warnings ‘isn’t this how about 17 different horror movies start?’, there was definitely no one else around for miles. Stretch made sure Alibi wasn’t going to be too terribly bored, and after several reassurances, finally got out of the car.

Shade’s house was really just…a cabin. Perhaps on the more extravagant side, but still small and rustic. He could recognize some places Shade had taken pictures of his cats in, but it looked so different cast in the twilight shadows. The wooden stairs creaked slightly underfoot, and he found himself before the door, anxiety blossoming in his soul. Finally able to meet the monster he’d been talking to for all these months, yet all he really knew about him was a nickname and that he was a skeleton (since he spoke in Papyrus font), otherwise, he could be anything. He’d had several ideas on what his mystery man might look like, with so little to go off of, but he suddenly felt ill prepared when he knocked on the thick wooden door, and a moment later, it began to open.

For starters, being as tall as he is, Stretch didn’t expect he’d have to look up. Most of Shade’s face was obscured by the doorway, but he quickly stepped back, welcoming Stretch in more quietly than he usually sounded, but his voice still comfortably familiar. Once he’d politely greeted him and stepped inside, Stretch finally got a good look at his date. Tall, incredibly so, and just as handsome. Broad shouldered, even if he did seem a little hunched in on himself, with sharp, scarred features not dissimilar to Alibi’s. The biggest difference were his eyelights, a deep crimson that nearly took Stretch’s breath away, and it was only when they flickered nervously to the side that Stretch realized how uncomfortable Shade looked. Probably because Stretch was standing there staring at him like an idiot.

Clearing his throat, Stretch offered his best casual smirk and raised a hand, greeting Shade more properly, telling him it was nice to finally meet him. After a brief, uncertain glance between Stretch’s face and his hand, Shade hesitantly took it, Stretch’s hand practically dwarfed by Shade’s, and shook his hand once, slowly, incredibly gently, like a business man afraid his partner would spontaneously shatter like glass. He returned the sentiment, pulling his hand away swiftly and turning to lead Stretch further into the house just as quickly.

The delicate handling and hasty retreat had a light little laugh bubbling out of Stretch at how…cute, Shade was. He wasn’t anything that Stretch had expected, the way he moved so carefully and quietly, the way he looked unbearably nervous, and maybe physically he resembled the part of a gruff yet lovable woodsman, but behaviorally, he really came across more of a timid hermit.

The kitchen wasn’t far from the entryway, visible when you’ve just come in even, with the house being a mostly open floor plan, but he opted to linger by the small bar dividing it from the living room as Shade hustled into the kitchen to begin shuffling through the fridge, pulling out who knows what. Whatever he’d already made smelled heavenly, and he said as much as Shade fussed with whatever he was doing, a small army of cats suddenly appearing from all over and rushing to the kitchen.

Shade hesitated, glancing back to Stretch in what looked to be surprise before continuing on with what Stretch now realized was preparing food for his cats, telling him softly what he’d made, but he stuttered before he finished, instead suddenly explaining he has to feed the cats first or all they’ll do is harass them, though it’s unusually early to be feeding them now so they’ll probably still complain later.

Stretch breathed another soft laugh, replying that it sounded like he has a whole schedule for them, Shade readily responding that it’s more like they have a schedule for him, getting a more full chuckle from Stretch.

He does his best to make small talk, and it’s clear Shade is doing his best to keep up, washing his hands quickly to show Stretch to the dining table, apologizing for not having done that first, and Stretch learned rather quickly that Shade keeps his scarf pulled up so he can tuck his face into it when he’s nervous, and it takes all of his concentration not to say out loud how adorable he thinks that is, instead trying to ease some of Shade’s concerns by reassuring him it’s fine, the whole thing is supposed to be casual, right? They’re just having dinner, not proposing, which may have been the wrong joke to make, but Stretch found it hard to regret with the way faded crimson magic bloomed across Shade’s face, ducking behind his scarf as much as he could, completely flushed as he hurried back into the kitchen.

Shade returned soon after with…two pitchers of water? He quickly explained he remembered Stretch saying he liked honey citrus, so he’d made some honey lemon infused water, but if it wasn’t any good, there was of course regular water, too, and Stretch was almost certain he could see Shade’s hands shaking as he set the pitchers down for Stretch to choose for himself, disappearing again before Stretch could say anything.

Instead of trying to reassure him again, Stretch stood, strolling back into the kitchen to offer help with the rest, catching Shade off guard to the point he just froze, looking at Stretch like a stranger had suddenly materialized in his kitchen. But only for a moment, and Stretch waited patiently until Shade wrung his hands together, quietly agreeing that that would be…alright, if he doesn’t mind. He eased up a little as Stretch approached the counter with the dishes set out, asking Shade where to start, and he took the offered distraction gratefully, softly instructing Stretch as he himself handled something else.

Stretch made the mental note that Shade seemed more comfortable when there wasn’t direct eye contact involved, so he’d have to try avoiding it, even if it was hard to stop looking over at Shade’s adorable focused little scowl. Unfortunately it was maybe a little too distracting, and he’d nearly missed the plate he was working on completely, getting rice all over the counter.

He chuckled at himself and apologized, but he wasn’t prepared for Shade to hum a contemplative sound and move behind him, wrapping his arms around Stretch to show him the correct method for plating the risotto. He seemed entirely unaware of the cliché move he was pulling, to the point when Stretch glanced back at him teasing that he must watch a lot of food network, Shade only then realized how close they were, flushing again, wide eyed, quickly backing away from Stretch until his back hit the bar, eye lights out and scarf obscuring half his face.

Stretch was quick to reassure him, trying to gently insist he didn’t need to be so anxious when Shade’s shock screwed up into a complicated frown, eyelights reappearing and shifting away as he began worrying his hands again. They were shaking, too, more noticeably than before, but before Stretch could say anything else, Shade spoke, barely above a whisper, that he hadn’t…expected Stretch to stay after he actually saw him, so he doesn’t…he wasn’t prepared for…any of this.

Finally, Stretch’s smile fell, a pang of sadness clenching his soul, along with a hint of confusion, but as he tried to smile reassuringly and remind Shade of how things between them had been until this point, he spoke again, taking Stretch by surprise. He knows Stretch is a Judge, he can tell he has LV, and he’s obviously…seen violence. He could be very dangerous, and he doesn’t understand-

But Stretch cut him off there, stating that he’s met a lot of people in his life, too many to…judge a book by its cover. Following the weak pun with a light joke that so far, he typically feels more unsafe going to a cafe than he does with Shade. But unfortunately, the other monster looked mostly unreceptive to the reassurances, eyelights back out and curling in on himself even more, arms coming up to hold himself.

Stretch moved closer, attempting to offer a hug, but Shade only pulled further in on himself still, asking him not to. So they stood together, leaned back against the bar, Stretch humming distractedly while Shade tried to steady his breathing. It was several minutes until Shade took a shaky breath, chastising himself and moving back to the counter, insisting the food would get cold. Stretch breathed a soft laugh and followed suit, helping him move the plates to the dining table, pouring a glass of water for Shade, too, and offering more casual conversation as a means of distraction.

It wasn’t long before the brief panic was replaced with pleasant conversation, Shade easing more as Stretch kept things light and easy, filling most of the space for conversation himself and avoiding too much eye contact. He was good at all this social stuff from all the years of practice, but he found it much more enjoyable when he didn’t feel pressured to talk about specific things, in a specific way. And Shade seemed much more comfortable without much of the attention on himself.

The food was fantastic, even better than it smelled if that was possible, and Shade had even made a special dessert for him that he’d mentioned liking a while back, explaining that he hadn’t known how to make it, so he’d had to practice a few times (blushing that beautiful dusty rose color), and that, too, was amazing, of course.

After dinner, Stretch insisted on helping Shade tidy, Shade eased enough to even trade a few quips with him as they worked to put everything away, and it started to feel more like their more usual conversations, more comfortable.

Once they were done, they moved out to the living room, Stretch joking that he’d underestimated what Shade meant when he’d said he doesn’t watch movies, considering he doesn’t even have a television. It got Shade to blush again, and he huffed a soft laugh, correcting that he did have one, he just uses it so rarely it’s in the wardrobe for safe keeping, which got Stretch to laugh, which got Shade’s blush to deepen slightly, and finally Stretch asked what they’d be doing now, then.

Shade cleared his throat and told Stretch he hadn’t planned this far ahead, ducking into his scarf again to admit that he had gotten an idea a few moments ago, though, if Stretch would be…comfortable, with it. And as warmly as ever, Stretch encouraged Shade to tell him, and so he did, confessing softly that the idea was simply to sit on the couch and watch the stars through the skylights.

It technically wasn’t possible, but Stretch was certain he felt his soul literally swell with affection, agreeing softly that he would love that. So Shade moved to the aforementioned wardrobe and pulled out a very thick, soft looking blanket, returning and…getting a stepladder from the small kitchen closet?

Even despite how tall the ceilings were, with the stepladder, Shade could easily reach them, and much to Stretch’s amazement, began adjusting the large sliding blocks separating the skylights until it was just one, larger window. It was absolutely breathtaking, and Shade hadn’t been exaggerating about how he skies were here. He put the ladder aside and returned to Stretch, who was quick to guide him down to he couch, adjusting the blanket together until they were both tucked underneath it, snuggly fit against each other like perfect little puzzle pieces. Shade was so warm, and the sky was so beautiful…he was so beautiful, when Stretch finally tore his eyes from the window. Shade was watching with such a gentle wonderment, looking so beautiful that Stretch had the bizarre, thrilling, terrifying realization that he must be in love, because a feeling like this couldn’t be anything else. But he knew he couldn’t stare, or Shade would notice, and he didn’t want to do anything that could ruin this moment, so he snuggled closer and fixed his eyes on the window for who knows how long, not even realizing how heavy his eyelids felt until they were blinking back open.

He’d fallen asleep.

It was still dark out, but much to his dismay, Shade had fallen asleep, too, his head gently leaning against Stretch’s own. He looked so peaceful, it physically pained Stretch to wake him, but he didn’t have a choice. He didn’t want Alibi kicking the door down to rescue him and scaring the lights of of Shade. He was as careful as possible, repositioning Shade to be leaned against the couch, and of course he stirred, but thank the angel he didn’t really fully wake, so Stretch whispered that he’d let himself out, thanking him and placing a gentle kiss to Shade’s forehead before making his way as quietly as possible to the door.

Alibi was, as always, still waiting patiently for him. It was nearly 2am, and he apologized profusely, explaining he’d fallen asleep, but Alibi brushed the apologies off, insisting it’s all part of the job, just glad Stretch was alright and not bound and gagged in a secret shed basement. It got a proper laugh from Stretch, who took the opportunity to start gushing about the date as Alibi began pulling out of the gravel driveway and returning to the barely there road back to society. He even confessed he thinks it might be love, getting some teasing for that, but even Alibi admitted that there was something about Stretch that just seems to glow after he’s talked with Shade, so maybe…maybe it is.

Aaaaand that’s as far as I’ve gotten with this idea, as far as writing it down goes. I have a lot more actually figured out, but yeah! It’s certainly something I’d like to write out more properly eventually, but who knows……

(TrF + Alibi belong to @ cyosecret and I’ve gotten permission to share this!!)

#papcest #spicyhoney #papship #extraspicyhoney #i really desperately need tags for things #sns fic stuff

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nightingveilxo · 6 years

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John’s Two Day Shirt and Brown Shoes (Or the outfit of important moments.)

Above is the scene in ASiB, where Sherlock is drugged, and John is putting him to bed. We don’t know what Sherlock actually understood or what he remembers after, but there has long been conjecture that John later had the bottle of champagne to celebrate and got excited about becoming a couple with Sherlock, when Sherlock tells him there is a client in his bedroom. Remember, in the scene above, John has already canceled his date with a woman to help Sherlock. Irene pins John about his feelings, then “dies” and John is still preoccupied with Sherlock’s relationship status. Notice the jacket change...

Speaking of John’s reaction to a woman and Sherlock...Not the woman he’s reacting to in this sequence though. No, this was about Janine prancing around in Sherlock’s shirt, and their couples’ talk. For the record, it’s in HLV. He still has the same shirt, the same jacket, and the same shoes on from ASiB. No big deal, you say. John is just frugal, and saving his pounds.

Except...

This is the same combination he was wearing when Sherlock “died” in TRF.

Why would you keep the same shirt and shoes you were wearing when your best friend committed suicide in front of you? The jacket possibly, since it’s obviously good quality, but a plaid shirt and an old pair of brown boat shoes?

I thought about this while writing this meta on The Dwindling Color Scheme in S2-4 of the series.

Btw...speaking of the shoes...

Dates shoes, but they’re looking pretty worn already, despite the fact John wears two other pair of brown shoes in S1-4 (a pair of Oxfords and a pair of low-top boots).

The ones he was wearing in ASiB pop up again in S4. He’s changed the coat for the Doctor’s style he got in S3. It was part of the color scheme and style dwindling.

Sherlock: If I was to use this card on that lift now, what happens? Watson: Ah, the alarms would go off and you’d be dragged away by security. Sherlock: Exactly. Watson: You’d be taken to a small room somewhere, and your head kicked in. Sherlock: Do we really need so much color? Watson: It passes the time.

Which is what happens in LTD, and they tell us will happen in HLV, except with an ASiB twist.

Things have gotten darker, and John has a shirt in place of the epaulet BAMF jacket he wore in S1-S3.

@ebaeschnbliah @gosherlocked @monikakrasnorada @swimmingfeelsinajohnlockianpool @sarahthecoat @devoursjohnlock @possiblyimbiassed @raggedyblue @tendergingergirl

Related Meta:

Two Different Kinds…of Protection (Heart and *coughs*) ( x )

EMP/Unreliable Narrator/Alibi/Editing All Give Sherlock His Audience (x)

(Part II of Justifying John Watson)

Justifying John Watson/Johnlock as a Player in the Drama ( x )

Sherlock and John Became a Couple in TLD ( x ) Part I

Sherlock Became Captain Watson’s Soldier in S4 ( x ) Part II

Stag Night Results in Culverton’s Hospital and the Morgue Scene ( x )

Sherlock and John Become a Unit/Couple in TLD (Or it’s their memory of doing so—TD12?) ( x )

G-VGMG Helicopter: Magnussen, Mycroft, Moriarty (G Man), and Sherlock all use the same helicopter. ( x )

S4 Roles and Archetypes ( x )

Diminishing Sherlock in S4 ( x )

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redvanillabee · 6 years

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Year of Meta in Review (Part 1)

After S4, despite the initial confusion and depression, metas and theories have sprung up left right and centre. Since I am a compulsive tagger when it comes to reblogging posts, I believe I have kept a somewhat comprehensive list of the theories proposed in 2017. As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look back and see where we can go from here.

Year of Meta in Review Part 2

Year of Meta in Review Part 3

(Theories are listed in no particular order)

1. Poetry or Truth

Born out of speculations that S4 is John’s blog writing/death bed hallucinations, and tweets like this from Sherlock’s cast and crew, @toxicsemicolon wrote the now 3-part meta on the nature of S4. In the first two pieces of the series, she suggests that S4 looks and feels weird because the show is transitioning from Chekhovian realism to Brechtian absurdism. In the most recent instalment, using John Yorke’s narrative structure and Hegel’s philosophy, she posits that S4 is supposed to be ‘the worst point’ in a 5-Act structure, and that the core debate of the show is whether Sherlock should be allowed to grow.

Part 1: Poetry or Truth? Interpreting BBC Sherlock S1–4 Part I: Chekhov, Absurdism, and the Meaning of The Final Problem

Part 2: Poetry or Truth? Interpreting BBC Sherlock S1–4 Part II: Brecht and The Great Game

Part 3: BBC Sherlock: A Drama In Five Acts

2. S4 is Fake

S4 is fake is the umbrella assumption that includes theories such as Alibi Theory, Blog Theory, EMP Theory, and such. This is quite simple, really: this theory asserts that S4 is not to be taken literally at all. Whether you believe things are set up by John, Sherlock, Mycroft, Moriarty, or dreamt up by whoever, S4 simply isn’t ‘real’.

You can find out more from some posts I’ve reblogged.

3. Baby What Baby

In other words, it is the theory that Rosie Watson doesn’t actually exist. You can see that from, for instance, how Rosie is always an editorial aside throughout TST to TFP, as if the characters need reminding that she exists.

Find out more here.

4. Mary the Storyteller

If you believe that S4 is the fantastical creation of one of the characters, then this theory is the third option to the constant debate between whether S4 is told from John or Sherlock’s point of view. This theory holds that S4 is the idea of what Mary thinks John and Sherlock is about.

@longsnowsmoon5 has written two interesting metas about this theory. You can see them here.

This theory also ties into the next...

5. Mary is Moriarty

Before S4, the common assumption is that Mary is Jim Moriarty’s underling, getting in between John and Sherlock partly for her own gains (a somewhat stable life with John), partly to separate the two of them. After S4, other theories regarding Moriarty gained steam; this theory is one of them. This theory suggests that ‘Moriarty’ is simply the title of the criminal mastermind, and Mary is the true, ultimate villain.

You can find out more about this theory through some metas here. I have also discussed this theory in my meta, Musings on A Study in Pink Part 3: ‘Who’d be a fan of Sherlock Holmes?’ – The biggest obstacle to Johnlock.

6. Mind Bungalow

This, dare I say, is one of the most prominent theories to come out of S4. The main argument of this theory is that The Final Problem, if not the entire series, is John’s deathbed hallucinations. Whether he is on the verge of dying because of suicide, because Mary attempts to kill him, or any other causes, doesn’t really matter. Sort of like The Abominable Bride, but in John’s perspective. To those who subscribe to this theory, this explains the horror and Bond tropes found in TFP, as we know John is a fan of both film types.

I have reblogged quite a lot of metas about this theory. Alternatively, you can search for ‘mind bungalow’ on most TJLC blogs, and you should be able to find some discussions.

7. Mykey Code

This is a theory that, as far as I know, was first suggested by @waitedforgarridebs. Based on word play on the characters’ names, like we’ve seen with ‘I am Sherlocked’ in ASiB, they suggest that Mycroft is the key to ‘unlocking’ Sherlock, essentially.

You can find out more about this theory here.

8. Suicide of Fake Genius/Reichenbach Theory

Let’s get even more meta. This is one of the immediate reactions to S4. Like how Sherlock is forced to pretend he is a ‘fake genius’ and jump from Bart’s to save himself a possible future with John in TRF, the showrunners are deliberately tanking this season (thus committing a ‘career suicide’), showing ‘Moriarty’, which could be the cynics and homophobic fans, that they have won, only to come back triumphant with canon Johnlock.

Find out more about this theory here.

9. The Secret Will Be Unleashed/8 March Theory

This came out of the original speculations regarding The Lost Special. In TLD, this billboard appears:

For those who believed in a prompt ‘lost special’, or some kind of secret/explanatory episode following S4 (like me), this is the theory that something about the show will happen on March 8. Otherwise, we reckoned, there is no reason for this billboard to have such a specific date, and to show this to us in such clarity. There is the precedence of the show talking to the audience via billboards, like the legendary ‘Information is the Power to Change 1895′.

Turns out, as far as we know, the Rouge is basically a massive red herring.

You can find out more about the speculations from before here.

There are still about 20 theories to cover. See Part 2 and Part 3 for more.

Year of Meta in Review Part 2

Year of Meta in Review Part 3

#sherlock meta #meta #sherlock s4 #tjlc #tfhc #what else do you tag #my meta #i mean i'm not even meta-ing #but sure

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galaxys-child · 6 years

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Does Sherlock really trust Molly? Are they friends?

Yes, right. Contrary to the opinion of the majority (maybe all) of the Sherlock fans I really do ask myself that question. And I will explain it in detail (be warned, it’s a long text):

I have my issues with the whole “Sherlock trusts Molly.”-thing. It’s true that Sherlock appreciates Molly’s intelligence and expertise and that he doesn’t seem to trust anyone else at Bart’s to support him with HIS WORK - but this is something he seems to do since the first two seasons:

Season One

In ASIP, Sherlock goes to the morgue to do experiments on a corpse (you can interpret that he does trust Molly’s competence to provide him with a suitable test object)

In TBB, Sherlock asks Molly if he can have a look at the corpses of Eddy van Coon and Brian Lukis and manipulates her into doing it (it is implied that Molly has a higher position at Bart’s and that she is in charge of everything in the morgue (”I already sent away the reports”) so Sherlock has to go to her to get things done; but maybe he also goes to her because she is “less irritating and less stupid” than the rest of the people he has to work with - it’s true that Sherlock never insults Molly’s intelligence!)

In TGG, Sherlock uses the equipment in the lab to do a pollen analysis for his investigation. He seems to be familiar with everything and it is implied he’s often there (again, because he trusts Molly to provide him with everything he needs and because he trusts Molly’s expertise)

Also: it is clear that Sherlock gets body parts from Molly to do experiments (either

he manipulates her / fakeflirts with her into doing it

he steals them from her

he just asks her and explains her why he needs the body parts and what experiments he intends to do)

- for me, it’s the first scenario (the last scenario would be the right one, imo)

Season Two

In ASIB, It is stated by Mycroft that the morgue is “Sherlock’s home away from home” implying that he’s often there to do work and of course there is Molly always happy to help him and to provide him with everything he needs (again it is implied that Sherlock trusts her expertise)

In the same episode, we see Sherlock x-raying Irene’s phone (again: Sherlock goes to Bart’s - where Molly is - to investigate, he trusts her!)

In TRF, Molly’s about to go on a lunch date, then Sherlock comes: “No, Molly, cancel it, I need your help.” then he pushes her body around and guides her back to the lab - although he acts very rude in that scene it is evident that he doesn’t want to work with anyone else at Bart’s (He could, but he’s so eager to work with Molly that he wants her to cancel her date because he trusts her? Appreciates her scientific inputs? Likes her?)

And of course, we have THE SCENE where Sherlock comes to Molly and asks her to fake his death (implied). He is at his lowest, vulnerable, scared, Moriarty is about to destroy him completely and he needs to do something about it. He goes to Molly, tells her that he needs her help and tells her that she “does count” and that he’s “always trusted” her. A beautiful, heartfelt scene.

BUT: at the same it is heavily implied that he doesn’t really trust her because he doesn’t let her in in anything 90% of the time.

Season One

In ASIP, Sherlock doesn’t tell her why exactly he has to smash a riding crop on a corpse; he only says: “A man’s alibi depends on it” but he doesn’t go into details

In TBB, Sherlock doesn’t tell her why he needs to see the corpses of Eddy van Coon and Brian Lukis. Why does he manipulate her anyway? (“Your hair looks nice! Can you wheel the corpses out for me?”) It is my personal belief that if he had been honest with her from the start (“I have a theory. Eddy van Coon and Brian Lukis were perhaps members of the Black Lotus - a criminal organization in Asia - I need to check if they have lotus tattoos on their feet”) Molly would have let him take a look at the corpses anyway. But he doesn’t. Why is that?

You can interpret these two scenes as follows:

Sherlock’s a jerk (and sexist?), just uses Molly and doesn’t think of her as an equal (”Why should I involve you in my investigations? You wouldn’t understand it anyway. Don’t ask questions, Molly, just give me bodyparts and provide the equipment for my experiments!”)

He secretly likes her and needed an excuse to flirt with her (this is something I’ve read in fanfictions)

He tells her the details of his investigations offscreen.

The last point is implied by a scene in TGG where

Molly comes into the lab asking Sherlock if he’s got anything new and he answers enthusiastically “Yes!” (Molly wouldn’t ask him if he did find something if she doesn’t know something - at least, a little bit - about his current case; maybe, this time, Sherlock did involve her in his investigations)

Season Two

In ASIB, Sherlock doesn’t tell her anything about the Adler case (that may be because it’s classfified as “top secret”), Sherlock monosyllabically answers Molly’s questions (”Is that a phone?” “Yes.” “And you’re x-raying it?” “Yes.” “Who’s is it?” “A woman’s.” “Your girlfriend’s?”) but he doesn’t go into details. He can easily say “It’s for a case. Sorry, I cannot tell you. It’s top secret. And no, the woman this phone belongs to is not my girlfriend.” - But he doesn’t. Worse: He does leave her completely in the dark and ignores her. (That’s pretty strange because earlier he did apologize for his rude behavior towards her at the christmas party and seemed genuinely sorry. Okay, to be fair: Sherlock’s portrayed as oblivious to his rudeness and only realizes that he’s rude when he’s called out on it; Molly doesn’t call him out in that scene, so Sherlock just continues to be...well, Sherlock)

The scene with the fake Adler corpse is similar, only now it’s Mycroft who doesn’t tell Molly anything. She asks: “How could Sherlock recognize her from not her face?” and Mycroft just gives her an apologetic look and a smile Molly can interpret for herself

So, what can we interpret from these scenes?

Sherlock continues to be a jerk, doesn’t feel the need to involve Molly in anything he does (I repeat: He can just say “Sorry, I cannot tell you. I currently work on a case for the government. It’s top secret.” and leave it at that. Molly would understand) But nope, she’s just to be ignored.

He tells her offscreen (I doubt that.)

The only scenes in Season Two where Sherlock seems to let Molly in is in TRF except he doesn’t, not really:

When doing chemical analyses he talks to John, not to Molly (”Oil, John, the oil in the kidnapper’s footprint. It’ll lead us to Moriarty.”) Molly’s right right there carrying some books and Sherlock doesn’t look at her, doesn’t include her in his explanations. (He doesn’t say: “John! Molly! It’s the oil!”) Nope, he acts as if she isn’t there, only focuses on his investigation and talks to John about his results. Molly only gets to know something because she’s just lucky to be there with them in this scene.

Interpretation:

Sherlock’s a jerk (more likely, he even calls her “John” in that scene)

Sherlock did already tell Molly that “It’s the oil!” offscreen when John was at the toilet. Now, John’s back and Sherlock tells him what Molly already knows.

Then we have THE SCENE where Sherlock asks Molly to help him fake his death. Finally, he lets her in! But: Not really:

It is just implied - and happens offscreen (of course it’s done for drama, if Moffat and Gatiss would have written a scene where Sherlock tells Molly everything about his plan it’ll be too simple and would take away the tension, so, yes, that’s absolutely understandable) BUT: It is implied! At least! And I, as the viewer, like it that Molly finally gets the attention she deserves!

So that’s it. Molly helped Sherlock fake his death? Two years did pass until I would get answers to the questions:

What was her exact role in faking his death?

In what way does such an act change their relationship?

So, let’s take a look at Season Three:

The question “How did he do it?” is not really answered in TEH. But hey, we get to know that Molly did play an essential part and she kept quiet about it for two years! Oh, man, what a woman! She must be very strong, a good actress and is definitely very smart! She can compete with Irene Adler! (I do not mean that sarcastically.)

And how does Sherlock thank her?

He invites her over to solve crimes with him for one day because

Interpretation One: Sherlock’s a jerk.

John is currently out of the picture (Sherlock even says it to Lestrade. They talk about it in the presence of Molly! Loud enough to hear each other, but quiet enough that Molly can’t hear it! Then Sherlock accidentally calls her ”John”!)

Later he tells her he invited her to thank her - poor Molly Hooper doesn’t know it’s a lie and Sherlock just wanted to try her as a John substitute

he tells her that she’s “the one person that mattered the most.” - implying that he meant her role in faking his death (he used the past tense!) but she “can’t do it anymore” (because he will find a way to make John forgive him and then he can solve crimes with him again!)

“You did help me fake my death. I show may gratitude by inviting you to solve crimes with me - and because I have no partner at the moment and I am used to have a partner!. That way I can kill two birds with one stone! Isn’t that cool? So, thank you for your help! But you cannot be my partner anymore, can you? So, it has to be a one-time-thing. You have outlived your usefulness and I can go back to the life with John I had two years ago. Unfortuneately, John doesn’t live with me anymore and has a girlfriend...”

Interpretation Two: Sherlock’s a good guy to her.

Sherlock wants Molly as a partner for a change because he does like her and figures she would like that (he knows she’s intelligent, resourceful, trustworthy etc., all in all a great woman!)

Also he wants to make it up to her. Since she helped him fake his death he sees true value in her and regrets how he treated her in the past. He wants to enjoy a day with her while doing his favourite thing: solving crimes! (And he does enjoy her company! Look at their faces while being in the train guy’s house! The smiles they give each other while cracking jokes.)

Sherlock is thankful for everything she did for him and tells her that. But at the same time he realizes that Molly cannot solve crimes with him anymore

because she has her own life, a full-time job at the morgue and a boyfriend! Sherlock did see the ring on her finger but decided not to say anything; he decided to ignore it and did just focus on their day together. (Strangely, John has a full-time Job and a girlfriend, too, but that doesn’t prevent Sherlock from wanting to solve crimes with him.) Okay, with Molly, it’s a bit different because she has a crush on him and Sherlock figures it’s better to be as far away from her as possible (because it’s not good for a woman who has a crush on him to spent time with him when she’s with someone else, except: he’s aware that they will run into each other at Bart’s but this is different because this is work and what they did that day wasn’t...oh, wait...). He tells her that she deserves to be happy. And they both part.

Or maybe he is secretly in love with her (implied by the sad smile he gave her before he kisses her on the cheek) and cannot bear to be around her while knowing she is with someone else (except: he doesn’t really love her because he doesn’t make an attempt to be with her after her break-up with Tom....)

Or maybe he does love her but knows that he isn’t good for her. He wants her to be happy and believes that she wouldn’t be happy with him.

Or Sherlock says to Molly “you cannot do this anymore” because of John. Solving crimes was always a thing between him and John. They were partners for years! John wouldn’t like it if Sherlock has a new partner (except: John did make it clear earlier that he doesn’t want to do the work with Sherlock anymore and it’s not clear for Sherlock whether John will ever forgive him for what he did) Still: Sherlock doesn’t want to “betray” John (except: he does with Mary four episodes later. Sherlock even states that Mary’s better than John!)

Anyway, Sherlock tells Molly that she’s “the one person that mattered the most” (and somehow the majority of the fans ignore that he did use the past tense and just use the present tense “matters” when quoting Sherlock and take it as evidence that Molly is, indeed, the most important person to him!)

Okay, I, personally, tend to the first interpretation. Altough I do believe that Sherlock wanted to make it up to her and that saying “thank you” was, at least in part, genuine.

Let’s take a look at the other episodes:

In TSOT, Sherlock goes to Molly and asks her to do some calculations for the stag night. He trusts her to do that! He knows she’s intelligent and competent (Nothing new because we’ve seen it multiple times in the first two seasons.)

But (what I really like about that scene): Sherlock involves her! He tells her what he’s up to! Into her face! This is something new! Although he did try to manipulate her again like in TBB (”You look...well.”)

Unfortunately, it’s the only time where we see Sherlock involving Molly in things ONSCREEN:

In HLV, Sherlock tells everyone he did drugs because it was “for a case!” - as always. But he doesn’t go into details. We do not see him telling Molly anything. To be fair: the room is full of people (also a boy, he doesn’t really know) and he doesn’t want to lay out his plans in front of them all. That’s why he just says “It’s for a case” and leaves. (I remind you: He could have said: “I cannot tell you about the case. My client explicitly said I should keep it a secret.”- but he doesn’t.) Later, he tells John. Whether he did tell Molly about Magnussen or not is open for interpretation.

Later it is stated that Sherlock uses Molly’s spare room as a bolthole because

this spare room is really inspiring and sometimes he can think there even better than at home

this spare room has a big bare wall and he needs to put all his notes there (when he fakes a relationship with Janine the wall in his living room which is usually littered with notes is completely empty, maybe that’s why he doesn’t want Janine to know that he’s after her boss, Magnussen - I’ve read about that theory somewhere on tumblr)

he just needs to escape from the world and considering how rude he treated Molly in the previous seasons no one would expect them to be close, her spare room would be the last place they’d expect him to be

Sherlock and Molly have a secret relationship (she does talk about a spare BEDROOM afterall)

I personally believe it’s the second point.

So, yeah. Sherlock uses Molly’s house as a bolthole. But does he tell her about his fake relationship with Janine?

Later, Molly only appears in Sherlock’s mind palace and it is shown - once again - that he relies on her expertise and greatly appreciates her knowledge (nothing new)

So, Sherlock trusts Molly’s judgement (that’s perfectly clear) but does he trust her with secrets?

I know that Sherlock did trust Molly with faking his death. She is a pathologist! She works with corpses. So, if I want to fake my death I would want to have a trustworthy pathologist, too, who would sign my death certificate (Lestrade says that Molly did sign Sherlock’s death certificate in the beginning of TEH). But the whole faking-death-thing was all part of a plan. Molly was part of the plan. Of course, Sherlock did trust her with this matter!

BUT: does Sherlock trusts Molly with things which have nothing to do with her?

It is not shown (not even implied) that Sherlock

tells Molly about the Magnussen case

tells her that he faked a relationship with Mary’s bridesmaid

tells her about Mary’s secret

tells her that Mary’s shot him

tells her that he shot a man to protect John and Mary

tells her good-bye when he is about to leave for a suicide mission (as a punishment for shooting someone)

tells her that he did do drugs on the plane - again etc. etc.

Interpretation:

He tells her all that offscreen (That’s open for interpretain for it’s neither implied nor denied in the show). And, personally, I hope that Sherlock did tell her something.

He doesn’t tell her. If I were Molly and if I would ever find out I would be pissed - and sad. I would question the friendship and maybe move away (temporarily) to get some distance.

Season Four

Sherlock’s back. He did kill someone but now he’s off the hook. There is a short scene in the beginning where the Magnussen story line continues. But after that? Nothing! Magnussen isn’t even mentioned again! BAM! Let’s go “back to the roots” as if the whole Magnussen business never happened and solve crimes again!

In TST, we see Molly-and-Sherlock-interactions during the christening scene and in the end when she gives him John’s letter. it is not clear if she does know about the whole Magnussen thing. To be fair: it’s not clear if Mrs. Hudson knows, either. Only Lestrade seems to know something (John outright says to Lestrade in the TLD that Sherlock “shot a man in his face”) And what about the other secrets? Mary’s an assassin. She shot Sherlock. Sherlock was about to leave England forever etc. Does Lestrade know something about that, too? And if Lestrade knows do Molly and Mrs. Hudson know? And if they do how did they react? Nope, doesn’t matter. The show’s about John and Sherlock (and Mary because she’s John’s wife) Really I would have preferred a scene with Lestrade’s, Mrs. Hudson’s and Molly’s reactions to all the things which happened during the previous episodes instead of endless filler scenes where Mary travels through the world and rolls dices.

So okay, this episode didn’t answer these questions...

John and Mary make Molly and Mrs. Hudson the godparents of their baby. There’re two

Interpretations:

Not only Sherlock but also Mary and John are jerks. They didn’t tell Mrs. Hudson and Molly about all their secrets and everything what happened during last december. Mrs. Hudson and Molly are good enough to be godparents for their child (or more on-demand-babysitters who don’t need to be paid and they can ring them in the middle of the night so that they’re free to go on cases together with Sherlock) But they’re not good enough to be trusted with secrets! There is zero interaction between Mrs. Hudson and Mary or Molly and Mary or Molly and John or Mrs. Hudson and John prior which would lead to the implication that they’re close enough to be friends!

Mrs. Hudson and Molly DO know about the multiple secrets and they’re very close to Mary and John but all the interactions do happen offscreen like Mary’s interactions with Molly’s cat Mary happily took care of when Molly went to a conference in Edinburgh or like John’s interactions with Mrs. Hudson’s rubber tree John happily watered when Mrs. Hudson was in Malta with her sister. They’re friends! And that’s why John and Mary did ask them to be godparents.

Personally, I hope it’s the second interpretation. But, sadly, it could be the first because

Your husband should be the closest person to you, right? But Mary didn’t even trust her OWN HUSBAND with her former job. John and Sherlock only did find out by accident. Do you really believe she wants Molly and Mrs. Hudson to know that she’s an assassin? And that she shot Sherlock? John refused to talk to her for months! Imagine Molly’s reaction!

John isn’t even close enough to Mrs. Hudson to know when she’s on holiday!

And do you know what? What does Sherlock do after Moriarty’s face was shown on every TV Screen of the country?

There’re three answers you can choose from (but only one is correct):

Sherlock immediately calls Molly because he knows that she might be scared. He reassures her that Moriarty’s dead and that everything will be okay. (It is implied in Sherlock’s dream sequence in TAB that Moriarty wasn’t on Molly’s dissecting table, hey, if he had been Sherlock would know for sure that Moriarty’d been dead and TAB would have never happened, but: Moriarty somehow never was in Molly’s morgue)

Sherlock still arranges for Molly to be supervised by Mycroft (because - if not Moriarty - someone else could threaten her life just because she’s close to Sherlock, that did happen before with Mrs. Hudson, Lestrade and John. Molly was never threaten yet but if I were Sherlock I would play safe)

Sherlock goes to Baker Street to solve minor cases and doesn’t waste a single thought on her.

Yes, you’re right. The third option is shown.

That could mean:

Sherlock’s a jerk. So are John and Mary. Not only to Molly but also to Mrs. Hudson whom they never talk to either after the whole Magnussen business.

Everything happened offscreen because it is not important enough to show even one single 1-minute-scene where Sherlock, John and Mary do reassure Molly and Mrs. Hudson (and Lestrade): “Everything’s okay. Moriarty’s really dead. You can be certain of that. And you’re all supervised by Mycroft anyway.” Only John and Sherlock are important (and to an extent Mary). Fuck the the other characters! Why do you even write scenes with them, Moftiss? Why don’t you just make a show where only John and Sherlock appear if it’s only about them?

Okay, let’s go on:

In TLD, we have the ambulance scene: We learn that Sherlock instructed Molly weeks ago: “Come to this address with an ambulance - and bring my coat!” And Molly? She does it. She’s surprised to see John there, too. And she has no idea why she’s there. She says Sherlock’s just asked her to come two weeks ago.

Interpretation:

Sherlock’s a jerk. He didn’t tell her anything (it’s the same like in the first two seasons) He uses her. She’s a pawn in his game! Worst thing: Molly lets him do it.

Sherlock actually did tell her something and Molly’s just acting in front of John.

We do not know what happened IN the ambulance. Maybe Sherlock did tell her about his plans. It’s neither implied nor denied. You can interpret that they had a conversation by the exchange of looks:

But it’s not clear whether Sherlock gave that look to her. He can also look at John. We see John’s face in the previous shot:

And do you know what? Molly’s ignored - again:

John’s got out of the car, talks to Sherlock and Sherlock responds to him. That’s it: they talk, Molly’s standing there and both of the men act as if she isn’t there. Culverton Smith shows up and Sherlock’s like “Come on, John. We have a case!” and they both leave without looking back (okay, maybe Sherlock does look at Molly at the end but that’s open to interpretation)

Then we have THE SCENE:

I mean the scene where Molly was forced to say “I love you” to Sherlock.

So, what can we interpret from their relationship. I do not mean “Is he really in love with her? Are they a couple now?” I only focus on their “friendship” (Yes, I put “friendship” in quotes on purpose) Right before they said “I love you” to each other?

Sherlock calls Molly and tells her “I want you to do something very easy for me.” - Look at the word choice. It’s not a question (”Molly, can you help me? I need you. Would you...?”); No, he says “I want you to do...” like a boss would treat his employees (”Do this! Do that! Sort the documents in the archive! The tax return shall be on my desk at noon!”) - the worst thing? It seems to be a completely normal thing between them (same in TLD, btw: “Just tell me when to cough! I hope you brought my coat!” etc.)

“Do not ask why.” - maybe Sherlock does tell her that because Molly did question his strange requests recently and doesn’t want to be left in the dark anymore like in the first two seasons - especially when it’s not always about a case but more about Sherlock’s antics. And rightfully so.

“Is this one of your stupid games?” she asks annoyed. After Sherlock reassures her "No, it’s not.” she’s quick in saying: “Okay. What do you want?”

Okay, I have to pause here. Just let it sink in: Sherlock is a man who

drugs people against their wills

lies multiple times

does things behind his friends’ back - things they won’t be happy about (taking drugs, for example)

And then he tells Molly: “Oh, no. It’s not a game.” and Molly’s like “Okay. I trust you. What do you want?”

Okay, you can interpret that Molly’s smart and can see through Sherlock’s bullshit (this is implied by some scenes and stated by Moffat and Gatiss). Hm...maybe

“Why are you doing this to me? Why are you making fun of me?”

Molly doesn’t even consider the idea that Sherlock might have a serious reason for his request. No, she jumps right to the conclusion that Sherlock must be making fun of her.

“I am not an experiment, Sherlock.”

She even thinks Sherlock would be cruel enough to use her as a test object in one of his his experiments (Well, I cannot blame Molly: He did drug John for experimental purposes. And he might have used her as a pawn in TLD.)

God, Sherlock. What did you do to Molly that she has such a low opinion of you?

“No, you’re not an experiment. You’re my friend. We’re friends.”

Hm, yeah. Whatever you think, Sherlock.

I just put that question here: Do you think Molly would’ve reacted that way in the ILY-Scene if Sherlock

did tell her about Magnussen, about his exile, about Mary, about EVERYTHING

did tell her “thank you for bringing the ambulance. I do not know what to do without you”

did genuinely support her as a friend

did tell her that she will be supervised by Mycroft and that he will protect her at all cost

I doubt it.

I believe she would have said “I love you” right away if he did do all the things I mentioned above (because she would have known for sure that Sherlock had a good reason and would never play with her) instead of being fed up with him.

So, yeah. Does Molly know all the things that happened between John, Mary, Sherlock and Magnussen? Did Sherlock trust her with such secrets?

Does he support Molly? Does he treat her as a friend (like he did treat Mary)? Would he ever say about Molly “She’s my friend. She’s under my protection” and then go and do everything he can to protect her?

If Molly would have a case for him - maybe something below a 3 - would he help her with it or would he dissmiss it as boring? Would he treat her any different from his usual clients?

So, yeah? Are they really friends?

I wanted an answer to these questions - more than the answer to the question: “Will they be romantically together in the end?”

Okay, the question “Would he protect her?” is answered. Sherlock definitely and under no circumstances wants Molly to be dead. So, this is something. Sherlock also seems to be really shocked that Molly’s the target as if he never considered it that she could be in danger.

But the other questions? What do you think? I’ll be happy if you tell me your thoughts. Thank you for reading this long text (it did become longer and longer but I had fun writing it) XD! And, please, ignore my errors. XD!

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hawksmoor17 · 7 years

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Physically Impossible Scenes in S4: Flashbacks + POV Changes

Guess who’s ascended to a whole new layer of confusion? It’s me.

At first I was absolutely convinced of EMP due to the fact that most of season four appears to be partially/wholly constructed. However, some scenes are impossible. Which makes me wonder if we are witnessing a collaborative retelling of events the perspectives of Sherlock, John, and Mycroft. An alibi. Or perhaps a version of John’s blog. Also, maybe there are drugs involved. It’s all very strange.

NOTE: I try to provide explanations for these scenes, however, the main thing is having them all laid out in a list. Whenever I’m coming up with theories these are always the moments I end up coming back to.

Additionally, an incredible amount of of dialogue, settings, characters, and plot lines within season four are all recycled from previous series. To keep track, downloadable PDF flowcharts with these interconnected memories can be found here along with an editable file to add relevant missing parallels.

1) Sherlock has a flashback in TST ...

... to John throwing the AGRA data stick in the fire at Christmas — an event he was never present for because he wasn’t even in the room; he was outside eating mince pies with Wiggins (or something.)

(Left: HLV. Right: Sherlock’s TST flashback).

Explanation 1: Sherlock constructed the Holmes family Christmas scene where John forgives Mary in his mind palace as an alternate reality/test scenario. Explanation 2: John and Sherlock have constructed this memory together as part of an alibi. Explanation 3: Although The Six Thatchers seems deeply rooted in Sherlock’s POV, it’s actually filtered through John’s. Explanation 4: Mary plants this scene in Sherlock’s memory through use of HOUND/TD-12. Explanation 5: ???

Considering the other weird POV scenes in S4/HLV I’m still not sure where I stand on this. But within TST when Sherlock has this flashback the lighting flickers exactly like it does when Mary is in Sherlock’s hospital room and says:

“You don’t tell John. Look at me and tell me you’re not going to tell him.”

Which leads me to believe that Explanation 4 may be correct and Mary has convinced Sherlock that John forgives her through drugging him with "TD-12″/a derivative of HOUND that renders the recipient extremely suggestible.

2) Sherlock has a flashback in TLD ...

... after seeing Faith!Eurus, to John walking off into the night with his cane — an event he was never present for because he was off dumpster diving for the pink suitcase. This scene is odd because John is seen from behind, from an outsider’s POV. In the next shot John gets the phone-booth call from Mycroft, who has been watching him through security cameras.

(Left: Mycroft watching John in ASiP. Right: Sherlock’s TLD flashback)

Explanation 1: This scene is from John’s POV and he’s imagining how he used to be before Sherlock from an outside perspective. In a flashback from Sherlock’s perspective. (?) Explanation 2: TLD has been filtered through Mycroft’s perspective as well and he’s working collaboratively to devise an alibi for John and Sherlock. Explanation 3: Sherlock had a flashback to something he didn’t see because it represent’s John in ASiP generally and it isn’t supposed to matter about where the shot is from itself. Explanation 4: Sherlock was secretly watching John leave somehow, hiding in an alleyway. Explanation 5: Season 4 is John’s blog/Sherlock collaborating with John in writing the blog. Explanation 6: ???

At the moment I’m quite interested in Explanation 2, just because it has relevant metaphorical implications considering how Mycroft represents the writers/writers of Holmes adaptations in general.

But to be honest, at this point I’m not sure how lenient this show is with it’s logic/suspension of belief. Explanation 3 does seem possible. It could be that the more simple answer is correct and that this really is Sherlock’s flashback.

Especially considering the fact that there aren’t that many good shots of John walking alone with the cane in ASiP that would fit the tone of this scene. This is a moment in which John feels isolated/alone, so it could just be representational.

Explanation 5 is also pretty interesting, considering how we haven’t seen the blog updating this season while it’s had a lot of attention drawn to it. It could be that the show has become the blog or some other variation of this.

3) “He’s better than a great man ...”

In one of the final scenes of TFP Lestrade says that Sherlock isn’t merely a great man, “he’s a good one”, which references what Lestrade told John in ASiP when they first met. A conversation Sherlock wasn’t present for. He was in the cab with Jefferson Hope.

(Left: ASiP scene with only John present. Right: TFP scene)

Explanation 1: TFP is Sherlock’s recurring dream from TST and/or he is unconscious/in a coma after overdosing. Lestrade/John says this at his bedside, the real-world dialogue bleeding into his dream. Explanation 2: Sherlock and John are collaborating by formulating an alibi which involves explaining Sherlock’s dream and they add this line in. (?) Explanation 3: TFP is from John’s perspective and Sherlock explained to him that Moriarty’s “final problem” was to kill him. Also the TAB waterfall scene was beamed into his brain somehow. (?) Explanation 4: It’s in-universe fanfiction/a movie/a TV series about Sherlock and John’s lives. Explanation 5: Sherlock’s dream is being recounted on the blog for whatever reason. Explanation 6: Sherlock and John are coming up with a ridiculous explanation of events on the blog as part of an alibi, because they think the mainstream audience will think it’s the truth. Explanation 7: ???

4) “That wasn’t the final problem.”

In TFP Moriarty introduces the episode with: “Hi! I’m Jim Moriarty. Welcome to the Final Problem!” John has never heard Moriarty say the phrase “the final problem” before. Only Sherlock hears this multiple times during Reichenbach — once at 221B over tea, again in the story of Sir Boast-A-Lot, and again on the rooftop of St Bart’s.

Considering TFP as primarily existing rooted within Sherlock’s POV, the whole episode seems very much like a lead in to the “Inmost Cave” portion of Archplot Story Structure in which the protagonist goes through the most emotional growth/has revelations about who they and how their flaws are influencing their choices.

(Left: TRF with only Sherlock present. Right: TFP)

“Deep water, Sherlock, all your life, in your dreams. Deep waters ...”

While Sherlock has flashbacks to his “past” we get a shot of the waterfall scene from TAB. If TFP were John’s dream, he would be unable to form a perfect visual recreation of a scene that occurred within Sherlock’s mind palace.

However, within TFP we also get these:

(Left: MHR, only John and Lestrade present. Right: TFP)

(Left: ASiP, only Sherlock. Right: ASiP, only John) (Both are shown during Mary’s final TFP speech)

(See #3) and additionally: Explanation 1: TFP is from Sherlock’s perspective and the ending references to ASiP and MHR are metaphorical/parallels. Explanation 2: TFP is from Sherlock’s perspective and he is telling it to John / it is being retold by John somewhere like the blog. Explanation 3: TFP is a fan-theory. Like Anderson’s in TEH or a movie/tv series/book/fanfic.

5) TAB is definitely from Sherlock’s POV ...

... because, again, narratively it wouldn’t make much sense any other way. A concrete link is that Moriarty tells Sherlock “Because it's not the fall that kills you, Sherlock. Of all people, you should know that. It's not the fall. It's never the fall. It's the landing” in reference to "I want to solve problems... our problem. The Final Problem. It's gonna start very soon, Sherlock... the Fall. But don't worry: falling's just like flying, except there's a more permanent destination” from TRF as well as “I-O-U a fall” — conversations John was not present for.

(Left: TRF. Right: TAB)

6) Gunshot flashbacks.

Within TLD both Sherlock and John have flashbacks to gunshots that look exactly the same. Which makes me wonder what the exact logic of this show is. Can two characters have the same memory of a gun going off? We already know that within this episode Sherlock has a flashback to something it’s likely that only Mycroft has seen — so perhaps these gunshots are also metaphorical, or part of a retelling of events by Mycroft/John/Sherlock?

Gun #1: Norbury’s gun. (Or Mary’s. They’re the same model.) Gun #2: Likely John’s gun. Appears after “Taking your own life” speech to Faith!Eurus.

The fact that when Sherlock is on the bridge with hallucination!Faith!Eurus, the shot of the smoking gun is superimposed over him means that Sherlock is the one who got shot at in this memory.

This matches up with the flashback. Ungloved, right handed, with a Walther PPK without a silencer. (As opposed to gloved, left handed, with a silenced Walther PPK like Mary in CAM tower.)

But TST is presented so it seems like John did not see Norbury’s gun go off at the aquarium.

Therefore, either: a) John was there to see the gun go off and he, Mycroft, and possibly Sherlock are crafting an alibi. b) The whole of TLD is from Sherlock’s perspective, including John thinking about the smoking gun, and he subconsciously knows that John was present to see it be fired in TST but his memory manipulated through drugs. c) The whole of TLD is from Sherlock’s perspective, and he imagines John dreaming about the gun going off metaphorically. d) John’s dreaming of the smoking gun is from his POV and the shot is completely metaphorical.

Summary of Main Points:

- Sherlock has a flashback in TST to Christmas HLV. Therefore the burning AGRA data stick scene is fabricated, the flashback is metaphorical, or TST has been filtered through John’s POV.

- The lighting in Sherock’s TST flashback matches the lighting when Mary snuck into Sherlock’s hospital room in HLV. (Possibly indicating that Mary has drugged Sherlock with HOUND/TD-12 at least once to manipulate his memories.)

- Sherlock has a flashback in TLD to John with his cane. This could be metaphorical, an indicator that TLD is filtered through Mycroft’s POV as part of an alibi, or an indicator that TLD is filtered through John’s POV.

- John and Sherlock both have the same flashbacks to gunshots. This could be metaphorical, or an indicator that TLD is filtered through multiple POVs. - TAB is definitely from Sherlock’s POV. (Thank God for this one concrete episode.)

- TFP has reference to TAB, meaning it has to be primarily based in Sherlock’s POV. There are dialogue references back to ASiP, meaning that either Sherlock is unconscious and in a coma with Lestrade’s words filtering in, or that TFP is breaking the fourth wall and is an in-universe fanfic/book/movie that Sherlock has somehow influenced along with John — or TFP is a collaboration between Sherlock and John on the blog.

@worriesconstantly @jenna221b @my-relaxation @drugsbust @the-7-percent-solution @inevitably-johnlocked @ti-ori-se @toxicsemicolon @teapotsubtext @misanthropic-acedia

#sherlock meta #tjlc #tfhc #i feel like that kid in whiplash who dies 4 his art

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a-reocurring-dream · 7 years

Text

“The only question is: HOW?” part 1

After series 4, I think I am not the only one wondering about that. I am so eager to solve this riddle of a season that I decided to rewatch every episode as often as required to figure things out (TST about 5 and a half times by now, still discovering some things); may be masochistic, but here I am, more sure than ever that we are fooled by Moftiss and that our theories are far from wrong.

(Note: I still have not made an in depth analysis of every episode yet - so, in the following days, I will probably add a lot of things.)

So, I am going to make a list of the things that bugged me the most, beginning with TST:

In depth comparison: “The Six Thatchers” - blog entry and episode

Okay, so let’s take a look at the blog entry first:

(Note: I coloured the characters yellow, relationships red, significant details blue and the a significant repetition purple.)

First, I want to clarify one thing: This case is not just any random case that the show puts no emphasis on and can be dismissed due to the “John Watson is no longer updating his blog”-line; in A Scandal in Belgravia, it is actually shown while John points out that the blog-counter is stuck at 1895 – the year of Oscar Wilde’s trial and the year that John and Sherlock are always stuck in. It is also the year TAB takes place in - Mark put great emphasis on that. Thus, may we assume that TST is similar to TAB - is someone stuck in a Victorian fever dream?

Next aspect: mirroring. I tried very hard figuring out who is who in our love triangle. Sherlock was the easiest one:

Sally Barnicot: “barn” is clear. “i cot” is Italian, meaning “the crib”. Who is referred to being like a child over and over again and to a suffering Christ-figure? Sherlock, right. Furthermore, Sally’s first name has the same first letter as Sherlock’s: an “S”.

But then, I struggled a bit. At that time I was very convinced of Alibi Theory, and I still am, but the whole mirroring of this blog entry is totally messed up, because:

Beppo Rovito: “vito” is Italian and means “brambleberry”. That is fantastic. Well, if you do not understand here, I am referring to Rebekah’s video “The Blogs and more” (which, unfortunately, is no longer available on YouTube, because xe took most of xer brilliant videos down :/). So, a short summary on this “brambleberry”-thing: Hardly anyone knows about that deleted scene from TRF; originally, Moriarty would talk about how much John means to Sherlock and compare him to a brambleberry, meaning someone who comes in between a couple – in this case Moriarty and Sherlock. Considering the facts that Beppo and Pietro are already a couple and Beppo is not involved with Sally at all, it means: Mary is Beppo.

Pietro Venucci: He is the victim that had “a fiery relationship” with Beppo a.k.a. Mary. So, who had a fiery relationship with Mary, indeed? John. He is the only one left in this triangle.

Meaning: We have a fiery love triangle (amo vs. ammunition): Sherlock who is secretly in love with John, John whose heart gets broken by Mary (not just by means of her A.G.R.A.-past), and Mary who is messing things up. Every time Sherlock and John seem to be getting closer, Mary comes in between. Because of all this, the Watsons’ marriage is horrible. Sherlock is the only one knowing the truth about John’s heartbreak and fully innocent regarding it (see TLD’s final scenes; god, I just realised that I wrote this meta not knowing about TLD at all and getting that aseaffageads). Mary pretends not to see it - at least in public. (Don’t know if the fact that there is also homosexuality is worth noting, but I just leave it here if you want to draw your own conclusions on it.)

If you believe in the unreliable narrator theory, I tried to reconstruct the true events of TST with all of this in mind (while I have to admit, I am not sure what the Thatcher-bust is a symbol for, so I just left it in there): Sherlock and John have actually been working together the whole time. It was not Sherlock hiding in the house containing the last Thatcher-bust, it was John. Mary broke in and grabbed the bust. John called Sherlock to join him. Mary smashed the bust, revealing an A.G.R.A.-memory-stick (maybe revealing her true evil colours to John?), and tried to destroy it (or evidence/witnesses, ergo trying to kill John (maybe by shooting at him)?), but Sherlock and John were able to stop her from doing so. Mary confessed about her past and broke John’s heart. - PLOT-GAP - John leaves Sherlock (maybe metaphorically, as in “he is shot and dying”?).

I also thought about this whole event being about Ajay and Mary, not John and her, but, personally, I gave up on it (does not mean you cannot try to make something of it if you want to).

There are two details though, that fit EMP theory: the river and the sound of a window breaking. The river fits the weird water transitions we get all over TST, first when Sherlock is staring at the Wellsboroughs’ Thatcher shrine; if all of this is happening while Sherlock has been reading through John’s blog on the plane, it makes perfect sense that he throws in this tiny detail and exaggerates its extents (”couldn’t resist a touch of the dramatic”, see the lack of information we get about mafia-boss!Ricoletti and the massive amount of information we get about Mindpalace!Ricoletti). The “window breaking” is a good example for that, too: When Ajay and Sherlock fight, they break a window - very Bond-ish.

Let’s take a short look at the comments: theimprobableone (suspected to be Moriarty) is stressing how “disappointingly simple” this case was and Jacob Sowersby (Sherlock’s fan no. 1) says the exact opposite. Who are we to believe? If this is reference to the ARG - well, I leave you to your deductions ...

Moving on, let’s look at the obvious, yet modified similarities between this version of The Six Thatchers and the version of the episode:

“Harker”: In the blog entry, there is a Horace Harker who is the victim’s art lecturer telling John about the busts and saying that they have already been taken. He is alive. In the episode, Orrie Harker is Ajay’s only murdered burgulary victim (throat cut) who owns two of the busts as the only person (all the others have one - on the blog entry, everyone owns just one, too). Orrie’s name appears on screen with this additional information: “Invoice: 5869″, 59 skip-coded, which is reference to Shakespeare’s Sonnet 59. Also note the gender switching that resembles the one from TAB: Peter Ricoletti from TRF and Emilia Ricoletti from TAB. So, in both TAB and TST, we are introduced to two characters whose last names have already appeared on the show. The question is: Who is/are Ricoletti, who is/are Harker? Peter Ricoletti is a mafia-boss who Sherlock put to prison and who we do not get to know much about. Emilia Ricoletti offers way more information: She fakes her suicide in order to come back and shoot her husband, then orders a friend to kill her, is part of a conspiracy for women rights, sacrifices herself for a greater good and scares everyone with her ghost story. Knowing that, I thought of something: We have general similarities occurring to both Harkers and Ricolettis; the creators blur the truth into something else by redefining certain elements as are: a) switching gender, b) putting more emphasis on side characters, c) adding details that already showed up in real life in a different context.

the Thatcher-busts: In the blog entry, they are made by Pietro who hates Thatcher due to her homophobic attitude and turned them into a satire by putting devil horns on Thatcher’s head; after Pietro’s death, they are given to six friends and acquaintances of Pietro’s; Harker is getting none. In the episode, they are manufactured in Georgia and sold to five unrelated fans of Thatcher, including Harker. Again, this could be traced back to EMP theory.

To be honest, I wrote more than 50 pages meta in total about TST in the time between TST and TLD, trying to solve this riddle, and I am still far from finished (guess I’ll never will be). Hopefully, one day, things will be resolved, so I can sleep well again.

(I will add things to this meta in the next days.)

#tst #sherlock meta #bbc sherlock #tjlc #tfhc #ricoletti #john's blog #john's bungalow #emp theory #unreliable narrator #harker #sherlock parallels #mirroring #1895 #AGRA #tab #sherlock arg

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impatient14 · 7 years

Text

This is my contribution to the thelostspecial website...

AND I THINK I”VE GOT Something HUGE.

So, I was thinking, what if by “original source” they mean not the published dates of the original stories, but the actual dates of the stories when they happened within the story? As in, the dates Watson used as he wrote out his adventures with Sherlock. What’s more “original” than Watson himself?

If you take those dates into account, what order would the stories be in?

I found this website that details the stories chronologically that way, and the 40th one is listed as The Veiled Lodger, published February 27 (!!!)

YOU HAVE TO READ THIS STORY RIGHT NOW

That links you to the entire story, but here is Wikipedia’s blurb:

Holmes is visited by Mrs. Merrilow, a landlady from South Brixton who has an unusual lodger who never shows her face. She saw it once accidentally and it was hideously mutilated. This woman, formerly very quiet, has recently taken to cursing in the night, shouting "Murder, murder!" and "You cruel beast! You monster!" Also, her health has taken a turn for the worse, and she is wasting away. Mrs. Merrilow has brought this case to Holmes’s attention as her tenant, Mrs. Ronder, will not involve the clergy or the police in something that she would like to say. She has told her landlady to mention Abbas Parva, knowing that Holmes would understand the reference.

Indeed he does. It was a most tragic case in which a circus lion somehow got loose and savaged two people, one of whom was killed, and the other badly disfigured. The latter is apparently this lodger. The former was her husband. Holmes could make little of the case at the time, but perhaps if someone had actually hired him, the outcome would have been different. As it was, the inquest ruled that Mr. Ronder was the victim of death by misadventure. Still, even the local police were a bit disturbed at the time by some seeming inconsistencies in the accounts. For example, the lion was part of an act which Mr. and Mrs. Ronder performed right in its cage, and they were the ones who fed it. Why had it suddenly turned on its feeders? Why had it not tried to escape? Who was this man that several people heard screaming when supposedly Mr. Ronder had already been killed?

Upon arriving at Brixton, Holmes and Watson are shown into Mrs. Ronder’s room, which she seldom leaves. She is wearing her veil. Her purpose, it seems, is to make a clean breast of the matter before she dies. She tell Holmes and Watson that Mr. Ronder was a terrible husband, cruel and violent in the extreme, even to the circus animals, but he didn’t care, even though he wound up in the dock for it several times. He was very rich and the fines meant nothing.

Mrs. Ronder also had an extramarital lover - Leonardo, the circus strongman. Together, he and Mrs. Ronder formed a plan to eradicate the ruthless Mr. Ronder. As part of the plan, Leonardo made a club with five nails in it, which could deliver wounds that might be mistaken for those of a lion’s paw. Then one night at Abbas Parva, a small village in Berkshire where the circus was camped for the night, Mrs. Ronder and Leonardo carried out their plan. When Mr. and Mrs. Ronder went to the lion's cage to feed it, Leonardo crept up behind them and smashed Mr. Ronder’s head with the club, and Mrs. Ronder released the lion to make it appear that it had broken free and done the deed. But the lion, having sensed the blood of the now-slain Mr. Ronder, pounced on Mrs. Ronder instead, badly chewing her face up in the process. At the sight of this, Leonardo started screaming and ran to get help from the other circus members. He could have saved his lover himself by using the club on the lion, but he was too cowardly.

Mrs. Ronder could not bring herself to implicate Leonardo in her husband’s murder at the inquest, and is only now telling Holmes and Watson this story because she believes that she will soon die. She never saw or heard of Leonardo again, and later learned that he had drowned. Ever since the night of the incident, she has lived alone and veiled. Holmes only has advice to offer in this situation; realizing that Mrs. Ronder is contemplating suicide, he reminds her that her life is worth something as an example of patient suffering in an impatient world. She responds to this by lifting her veil, and the sight is ghastly.

Nevertheless, Holmes receives a bottle of prussic acid from Mrs. Ronder two days later. She was going to use it to kill herself, but upon considering what Holmes told her, she apparently thought better of it.

!!!!

Not only do we have a murderous circus animal (like Murderous Mary the elephant as given to us on the website), we have a reference to two lovers who kill the spouse of one of the lovers. This act leaves one lover drowned and the other disfigured and suicidal. This is also the story where we get the line,

“Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it.”

A woman wears a veil the entire story, not unlike The Abomindable Bride, another special of BBC’s Sherlock and the word “Fate” is used multiple times and is always capitalized...”Faith?” Another tie in to TLD.

Other interesting pieces from the entire story include:

“The discretion and high sense of professional honour which have always distinguished my friend are still at work in the choice of these memoirs, and no confidence will be abused. I deprecate, however, in the strongest way the attempts which have been made lately to get at and to destroy these papers. The source of these outrages is known, and if they are repeated I have Mr Holmes's authority for saying that the whole story concerning the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant will be given to the public. There is at least one reader who will understand.“

So, there is a case that many are “outraged” over and Watson has the authority to release the entire true story of the “politician, lighthouse, and train cormorant” (type of aquatic bird) to the public. (Politician=Mycroft, lighthouse=Sherrinford or Barts Roof?, Cormorant=Euros or Moriarty? Perhaps the Aquatic version of Moriarty’s Magpie?) And there is a small population that will understand the story completely. Ahem. That’s us.

“You say that Mrs Ronder has been your lodger for seven years and that you have only once seen her face.'”

Could be nothing, or it could be an interesting way to describe it being seven episodes since we’ve seen the real Sherlock.

“...in an evil moment I became his wife. From that day I was in hell, and he the devil who tormented me.“

Lots of devil and hell references this series, all of them connected to Mary or Moriarty in some way.

So...what does it mean?

Well, the story is clearly pointing to John’s Alibi theory, but it also harkens back to TRF. Maybe, just maybe, the Alibi isn’t for killing Mary, but for killing one of Mary’s mirrors. Moriarty?

Perhaps in The Lost Special, the solution to Sherlock’s problem about how to defeat Moriarty (where he is currently in his MP trying to figure out) is that he includes John in the plan. They plot and plan Moriarty’s murder, just as the lovers do in The Veiled Lodger. Seeing as how Leonardo is the one who drowns, I’d say he is the John mirror and Mrs. Ronder is the Sherlock Mirror. This would especially make sense because it is Mrs. Ronder’s husband they are killing, and Moriarty is more intimately associated with Sherlock than John. It is safe to assume that John will not be cowardly though. We can predict that these two will have formed the perfect alibi for Moriarty’s murder, since the lovers in the story were never apprehended.

We can also look to TAB for solace, as Moriarty was defeated in that episode by John, after having shown up to fight by Sherlock’s side. Sherlock still jumps off the cliff though, which would imply that he does end up faking his death, but with John now in the know. They walk off into the sunset, as Mark all but confirmed they would with his, “Benedict and Martin aren’t walking off into the sunset” bit.

What say you tinhatter brood??

@tjlc @teapotsubtext @ebaeschnbliah @the-7-percent-solution @loveismyrevolution @may-shepard @joolabee @jenna221b @shadowfax044 @tjlcisthenewsexy

#sherlock #the lost special #the veiled lodger #tjlc #johnlock #lost special #website #40

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capricioussun · 2 years

Text

Can’t believe no one told me it was maid day today. Anyway here’s @ bake-your-bombs boy Alibi <3

#=^)C #papyrus #underfell #undertale #trafficfell #trafficfell papyrus #TrF Alibi #snow and hail #maid day

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inevitably-johnlocked · 2 years

Note

Hi! I’ve joined the fandom this year. I’ve watched the series for the first time this summer and I’m currently rewatching it with my mum.

She asked me why Sherlock didn’t tell John anything about his plan in TRF and I said that he just wanted to protect him, since he knew the mission to stop Moriarty was going to be dangerous. Now I was just wondering if you could link me a post about why Sherlock don’t tell John about the plan, if you have it.

She said that Sherlock should’ve told John about it and ask him to play along the part of the grieving friend.

(I couldn’t tell her about Johnlock, because she’s not that much into the show for me to explain her all the details that point at it).

P.S. sorry for any (grammatical) errors, English is not my first language.

Thank you <3

Hey Nonny!

You're English is great, don't apologise.

As for specific meta, ah, I can't really recall any off the top of my head. My thoughts are along the same lines as yours – that Sherlock jumped to protect John from Moriarty's and his minions – but yeah, my belief is also similar in the thoughts that Sherlock could have easily convinced John to lie for him.

I think part of it is that Sherlock operates under the belief that John is a terrible liar, and in turn John feels that Sherlock broke his trust. My meta Secrets, Half Truths and Trust goes quite a bit into trying to make sense of why Sherlock never told John about his Fall (so check that one out) – essentially that Sherlock believes John is always followed for thee opportune moment to hurt Sherlock – and this misunderstanding is what leads to the inevitable heartbreak. Sherlock loves John so dearly and could never forgive himself if something happened to him, so I think he was genuinely surprised about John being visibly upset about Sherlock not trusting John enough with his secret. I also believe this is the case because it it's mirrored nicely in S4 if you believe the John's Alibi Theory (where the base premise is that S4 is actually a story being told by John on his blog to cover up his murdering of villainous Mary. More meta here.), wherein instead of Sherlock not trusting John for his Fall in TRF, Sherlock instead decides to trust John and work with him for John's potential "Fall" (ie. his arrest and jail time for his role in the true S4), because it's always the two of them against the rest of the world, and in the end, Sherlock and John usually succeed when they work together instead of apart.

That's my theory anyway, LOL.

So yeah, not really any specific meta I can really link to SPECIFICALLY about that one thing, but more just a bunch of ideas floated around Tumblr at the time.

If anyone has anything else they can add, please do :)

#steph replies #sherlock mini meta #trf the fall #trf meta #sherlock mirrors #trf vs s4 #my thoughts #sherlock parallels #my meta #john's ability to lie #secrets and half truths

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housmania · 7 years

Text

“The Final Problem” Survival Pack [NEW UPDATE, 28/1]

This is the third update of the original TFP Survival Pack posted on 20/1. It contains all of the information in the original along with the most recent meta.

New highlights include:

A section addressing concerns and counterarguments

Meta on specific subtheories, such as John going blind on one eye

Clues about January 29th

Search Ctrl + F + “[NEW]” to look at only the new information.

(Note: if the section is labelled [NEW], all meta in that section is new.)

---

Still screaming over that crazy episode? Some hope remains! This masterpost and theory table collect the fandom’s last hopes—and they’re less crazy than you’d think.

The main takeaway is that the episode contradicts the rest of the show and real-world events far too much for it to be just a mistake. In fact, the evidence suggests that there will be a fourth episode.

“What? That’s ridiculous!”

That’s what I thought at first, too. But things in real life don’t add up, and they can’t be explained by bad writing. At this point, a rug pull is simply the most logical explanation. And if we’re wrong, well…it can’t really get any worse, can it?

This pack has 6 parts:

Issues: Everything within the episode that makes TFP not only a dumpster fire, but a (literally) unbelievable dumpster fire.

Clues: Real-life weirdness such as cast quotes that don’t fit, scenes missing from filming, and strange new promos that hint at a fourth episode.

Descriptions of the two main theories

Theory table: Compares which theories explain which issues

Resources: Links to meta that explain specific issues or the episode’s weirdness as a whole

Conclusions: What it all means, and why we should hold out a little longer.

Enjoy!

-soe

Disclaimer: Everything in this post is speculation. If you don’t want to get your hopes up, by all means skip it. However, I’d suggest at least waiting until January 29th before going full-out against Mofftiss (reasons below).

=============== Issues ================

Everything weird about that episode. With over 70 nontrivial plot holes, it’s hard to view the episode’s quality as an accident.

(The bolded phrases are descriptions, not the actual titles.)

Within the episode:

67 Questions by @a-very-fine-hat

This Masterpost by @autumnfricker

[NEW] More Issues by @xalphaofficial

The Reappearing Coat, submitted to @love-in-mind-palace

Deep Waters, by @skulls-and-tea and @heimishtheidealhusband

Sherlock’s Inconsistent Memory by @myspecialhell

Eurus’s Inconsistent Motive by @studyinpink

Unresolved plot holes and narrative problems:

Chekov’s Everything by @hudders-and-hiddles

Breaking The Princess Bride’s Rules by @thepineapplering

“Get the hell on with”–what? by @skulls-and-tea

John’s Letter by @heimishtheidealhusband

Destroying the Narrative and Any Positive Message by @xistentialangst

=============== Clues ===============

This Masterpost by @itsastudyinlife

This Masterpost by @antisocial-otaku

This List by @joolabee

Real-World Inconsistencies

The “Sherlock Reacts” Video by @marcespot

Fourth Episode Listed on Yahoo and TimeWarner by @shag-me-senseless-watson with many additions

The “Penultimate” Problem by @inevitably-johnlocked

Earlier References to 4, Clue, and Rug Pulls by @london2go

Rug Pull Quotes by @the-7-percent-solution

Creator Silence after TFP... by @the-7-percent-solution

[NEW] ...Especially Considering Earlier Reactions by @wollfsbane

[NEW] General Weird Reactions by @warmth-and-constancy

Newer Hints of a 4th Episode by @marcespot

The Missing Scenes

This promo

Filming John and Mary at a restaurant

Sherlock driving in the tunnel

The scene Martin wanted to do alone

[NEW] Moriarty and Molly Together

[NEW] Missing Night Shoots by @toxicsemicolon

[NEW] More Missing Scenes by @warmth-and-constancy

[NEW] This Molly Sequence by @cupidford

Scenes that were filmed but that we’ve never seen? Quotes that make no sense with TFP as the finale? Something is up.

==============Theories================

It’s in Sherlock’s Mind

Everything in Season 4, since either the end of TAB or Mary shooting Sherlock, is in Sherlock’s mind as he is comatose. This theory requires all three episodes to be at least partly imaginary. A main variation is that John is talking to him as he is comatose, and that what John describes influences what Sherlock imagines.

For meta on variations of this theory, including EMP and John’s alibi, please see the TST Survival Pack.

It’s in John’s Mind

Everything in TFP is in John’s mind after John is shot. Variations include:

TST and TLD also took place in John’s mind.

Mary shot John, not Eurus.

This one is starting to gain more ground, particularly because it would make the whole season an adaptation of “The Three Garridebs”, leading to canon Johnlock, etc.

==============Theory Table=============

Green = Completely addresses this issue

Yellow = Addresses this issue somewhat plausibly, but not the best solution

=============Resources===============

[NEW] A Brief Rundown by @myminionsandieatcereal

Sherlock’s POV

It’s Sherlock’s Head, Not John’s by @shadowfax044

TFP is Sherlock’s Choice by @shawleyleres

Death in Sumatra by @the-7-percent-solution

Sherlock is the East Wind by @shawleyleres

John’s POV

[NEW] This Extended Meta-Video by @marcespot

[NEW] Why Characters Are OOC by @marcespot

[NEW] Subtextual Parallels With TAB by @may-shepard

[NEW] John is Rapunzel by @jenna221b

TFP as John’s TAB by @inevitably-johnlocked

A Subtextual Reading of Every Scene by @pollaidh

John Told Himself a Better Story by @bluebluenova

John Stabbed Mary by @toxicsemicolon and @marcespot

John is Suicidal by @thecurtainwillrise and @devoursjohnlock

John’s Repression by @marcespot and @consultingeastwind

Questions About This Theory by @marcespot with additions by @devoursjohnlock and me

This (Amazing) Meta Video by @marcespot

TFP is John’s TAB by @waitedforgarridebs

TFP Matches John’s Style by @reichebach

TFP Fits What John Knows by @fkngerlocked

The Whole Episode as Mind Bungalow by @may-shepard

More Evidence by many people

The Whole Season is in John’s Head by @toxicsemicolon

Why Eurus Showed Up Earlier by @heimishtheidealhusband

Addressing Problems with this Theory by @marcespot

Clue/Multiple Versions Theory

Three Fake Versions of the Same Events by @toxicsemicolon

TST, TLD, and TFP are “Mirror Episodes” by @toxicsemicolon

John’s Hand Wound (based on the meta above) by @toxicsemicolon

A Decoder Ring by @toxicsemicolon

Clarifications and Misinformation

[NEW] The “26 pages of dialogue” could apply to scenes in TFP

“Apple Tree Yard” might have four episodes, not five, leaving a space for an episode to air.

There is No Bleeding Portrait of John Locke

The Dancing Men is Not a Rickroll

The Mantlepiece Letter is Not a Rickroll

The Piccadilly “Hack” is Probably Coincidence

[NEW] Addressing Concerns and Counterarguments

Creator Denials Technically Aren’t Lies by @drugsbust, @tjlcisthenewsexy, and me

They Had Time To Film More Scenes by @shinka

The Missing Scenes Weren’t Just Deleted by @warmth-and-constancy

[NEW] Subtheories/Independent Theories

John Loses His Left Eye by @marcespot

...And That’s Why Victor Trevor Has an Eyepatch by many people

John is in a Car Crash by @toxicsemicolon

Mycroft Will Die by @marcespot

Trains and the Waters Gang by @finalproblem

[NEW] The Importance of January 29th

TFP and TEH Foreshadowing by @warmth-and-constancy

TEH and 1:29 by @warmth-and-constancy

Garridebs, TEH, and 1/29 by @swishyspock and @tjlcisthenewsexy

Planning Two Weeks in Advance

This Clue Masterpost by @the-7-percent-solution

On Issues in the Episode

Chronologically:

Meta on a single issue that specifically support one theory are labelled [John’s POV] or [Sherlock’s POV], respectively.

Eurus’s Note is John’s Note by @jenna221b and @nottoolateforthegame

[NEW] Eurus Manipulated John by @welovethebeekeeper and @marcespot

John Wasn’t Shot with a Tranquilizer by @librarylock

Mycroft at the Movies, Updated by @jenna221b

Doctoring the Doctored Footage by @detectivesinsuits and @jenna221b

“Honey for Tea” is Satire by @jenna221b

Mrs. Hudson’s Song by @femlocks

Mrs Hudson’s Song [John’s POV] by @ayemcavoy and @marcespot

John is Eurus [John’s POV] by @the-7-percent-solution and @jarlie86art

Sherlock is the Girl on the Plane [Sherlock’s POV] by @jenna221b

John is the Girl on the Plane [John’s POV] by @fkngerlocked

Why Mycroft is Out of Character [John’s POV] by @jenna221b and @nottoolateforthegame

Lady Bracknell by @impatient14

Links to The Importance of Being Earnest by @heimishtheidealhusband

[NEW] The Fishermen are Sherlock and Mycroft [John’s POV] by @marcespot

Brain Images on the Security Screens by @skulls-and-tea

Queen is Satire by @jenna221b, @cupidford, and @holmesguy

Emotional Context and Garridebs by @jenna221b and @welovethebeekeeper

[NEW] Chekov’s Rifle and Chekov’s Garridebs by @alltheholmesandjohn and @waitedforgarridebs

[NEW] Chekov’s Rifle: Evidence and Analysis by many people and @chrysanthemumsies, respectively

It’s John’s Coffin, Not Molly’s [John’s POV] by @writemeastoryofsolitude and @loudest-subtext-in-tv

The Coffin is John’s Love by @marcespot

Molly Mirrors John by @cheuwing

Molly Literally Mirrors John by @thegamesafucky

Eurus Voices John’s Fears by @jenna221b

Literally Breaking the Fourth Wall by @jenna221b

John is Nemo by @jenna221b

Missing Lines in the Musgrave Code by @writemeastoryofsolitude

“You Killed My Best Friend” [John’s POV] by @sherlockedtjlc

[NEW] Mirrored Hugs and John’s Needs by @the-7-percent-solution

Shooting the Wall=Unsolved Case by @kinklock

The Letter Stabbed to the Mantel by @just-sort-of-happened

John’s Letter is “Waltz for John and Mary” by many people

[NEW] Mary’s Narration is Meant to Infuriate by @jenna221b

On the Whole Episode:

[NEW] TRF =>TEH; TFP => The Lost Special by @the-7-percent-solution

TFP and John’s Blog by @jenna221b

TFP and The Hounds of Baskerville by @fkngerlocked

Remember TD-12 by me

Horror Movie Tropes by many people

“The Final Problem” and Its Canon Purpose by @heimishtheidealhusband

TFP and “The Retired Colourman” by @redpeacoat3 and @the-7-percent-solution

The Thirteenth Hour by @jenna221b

Links to Brokeback Mountain by @a-speck-in-the-grand-scheme

On Breaking the Fourth Wall (and Why):

[NEW] Why No One Liked TFP by @the-7-percent-solution

[NEW] Ghostwatch and Sherlock by @jenna221b

The Lost Special by @the-7-percent-solution

Why Sabotage the Show? by @the-7-percent-solution

Mary’s Video on the 4th Wall by @lalilonie with many additions

The Cursed 13th Episode by many people

The Twitter Case and Intentional Suicide by @supertardislocked

This is the Play by @dancingwdinosaurs

This is Our Reichenbach by @meta-lock

We Are Charlie Wellsborough by @thegamesafucky and @bbcatemysoul

We Are the Geek Interpreters by @the-7-percent-solution

We Are the Girl on the Plane by @impatient14

TLD and a Fourth Episode by @ladymacphisto

============Conclusions=============

They broke every rule of writing unless it’s a rug pull. The filming, cast and crew quotes, promotional material, and subtext within the episode make no sense unless a fourth episode reveals that it took place in John’s or Sherlock’s mind. The reputation of the whole show relies on them successfully revealing the real season finale.

So when would they reveal this fourth episode? When would it air?

They’ll air it on 29/1 or announce it on 29/1 and air it soon afterwards, via:

Announcing with a “Miss Me” DVD by @the-7-percent-solution

Airing It Online by @warmth-and-constancy

“The Final Problem” is either sheer stupidity or utter genius. Either way, let’s enjoy one last conspiracy.

The game is on.

I will be updating the table and theory list regularly.

If you have theories, issues, or meta to add, please comment.

If you think a theory does address an issue that the table says it does not address (or vice versa), please comment.

If I described your theory inaccurately or you just want to add something, please comment.

If I tagged any of your meta above: I would love to add any other work you’ve done that I haven’t seen. If you’d like to add something, please comment it and I would love to include it in the next update.

-soe

Tags under the cut.

@tjlcer @inevitably-johnlocked @kimbiablue

#sherlock #johnlock #tjlc #tfp #the final problem #soe updates

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shervival21st-blog · 7 years

Text

Making sense of the Nonsense: A Johnlock ( conspiracy ) meta

“Truth is rarely pure and never simple” ---Oscar Wilde

“Truth is a metaphor, willed into existence” ---Nietzsche

First of all can conspiracy be possible after all these shit happened? Of course,why not, especially when there is a fair chance that another episode may pop up someday sooner, then it’s obviously possible.

A Modern Nightmare:

One fine morning Gregor Samsa woke up and found that he had transformed into a despicable vermin overnight [source]. Sherlock season 4 is exactly the same thing, came out in a crisis time of human civilization and proved to be a modern nightmare.

The whole series is full of inconsistencies and it is unlikely that 3 different directors will repeat the inconsistent things over and over, unless it is deliberate. It’s impossible to address all the inconsistencies in one meta ( I have an exam soon :( ). But let’s start from TST.

The infamous skull hell:

The skull hell is one of the most infamous inconsistencies in S4. The skull continued to glow and un-glow throughout the series.

Does it have a possible explanation? Well then, it basically has. It may refer to a Hitchcockian shot. The milk scene from the movie Suspicion:

“Suspicion” tells the story of a woman who suspects her husband is trying to kill her. There’s one scene in the film that really jumped out.

That’s the scene where Joan Fontaine’s character is in bed, fearing the worse and her husband, played by Cary Grant, brings her a glass of milk. The camera follows Cary Grant coming up the stairs and as he continues something strange stands out about the glass of milk. It’s bright and bold in the frame. Is he trying to poison her? That’s certainly what we thought when we first it.

That was Hitchcock’s intention, actually. He put a light in the glass to highlight it in the shot to get the audience to wonder what was going to happen next. It’s a simple, but ingenious, technique.

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/the-10-most-ingenious-techniques-used-by-alfred-hitchcock/#ixzz4WEQh2rpe

youtube

Ostalgie:

In TST, when Sherlock went to hacking genius ( is he Russian?) Craig for some help Craig tells him about “ostalgie”

CRAIG’S HOUSE. Craig is sitting at his computer typing while Sherlock stands behind him. CRAIG: Have you heard of that thing, in Germany? SHERLOCK: You’re going to have to be more specific, Craig. CRAIG: ‘Ostalgie.’ People who miss the old days under the Communists. People are weird, aren’t they? SHERLOCK: Mm. (He narrows his eyes momentarily.) CRAIG: According to this, there’s quite a market for Cold War memorabilia – Thatcher, Reagan, Stalin. (He smiles.) Time’s a great leveller, innit? Thatcher’s like – I dunno – Napoleon now.

Then When Mary was wandering from one place to another to escape her consequences, we got a Thatcher era ( cold-war communism era/pre-1991 ) flight check of some sort, why it is? Ostalgie? Mark Gatiss hates conservatives, but is does not necessarily mean he is inclined to left. I don’t know. Anybody?

USSR, East Germany, West Germany, Quebec do not exist anymore.

Mary’s weird-ass redemption wank:

Mary was predicted to be dead by the end of Season 4, but so sooner in TST? And with a redemption wank saved for her? To save Sherlock in a physically impossible way? A sacrifice?

The whole Aquarium-scene is superficial and so wrong. There are so many theories floating around, One is the alibi theory: John actually shot Mary, and Sherlock lied to Ella to hide John’s deed. Not impossible.

Read more on my Fragmented Perception meta and here is another beautiful theory by @shawleyleres Dreaming, Memory and Tidal Waves

OK lets move towards TLD

Apparently TLD is a better episode than the other two episodes of this particular season. But that does not mean this is devoid of weird facts. But when TST has seemingly trivial ones, the facts are bigger. I am not going to elaborate, but just discuss some points.

1. Faith Smith and her note, who actually took down the note? Culverton confessed that his own daughter wrote it and he provided Sherlock with that note. Is he reliable?

2. Was Eurus actually with Sherlock when she came disguised as Faith Smith?Or it’s a mere delusion?

3. Culverton did not seem to be that grand a villain like Moriarty or Magnussen. Of course he was nasty, but... also what's the point of secret doors and was he really judged or got pardon by bribing the authority.

4. Ghost Mary as John’s subconscious (seriously WTF)

5. And many more...

TFP then.

Before going to TFP aka The Fake/Fucky Problem lets discuss some salient features of Eurus Holmes:

The psychiatrist/Faith avatar:

Umm a visual parallel first.

oops. Arkham/Azkaban/Shutter Island/Sherrinford?, uhh. Eurus even disguised as a therapist as Harley.

The gunshot wank:

Well look at the picture, first is from the first scene of TLD, and last is Eurus’s hand. Spot the difference, Eurus’s hand is sleeveless but the hand in the first picture is blue/black sleeved? Why is the difference, is the first hand is of John, before killing Mary? is it Sherlock’s hand?

Back to TFP, or the worst episode ever. It’s like the Limbo phase of the nightmare. Sherlock always alludes to many movies, books, comics, TV series and makes many references to other media besides the original canon. In TST they went for Appointment in Samarra by William Somerset Maugham [an unhappily married gay doctor/veteran/spy/storyteller], made a reference to Macbeth [ i.e. “By the pricking of my thumb”], In TLD we got references of George Orwell’s 1984 frequently[”Big brother is watching you” etc] and also a whole big dialogue from Henry V [ Shakespeare was gay or at least bisexual ]. They alluded to V for Vendetta,in TRF, and in TAB referred to Inception and a rather unknown but a radical intellectual movie La Haine [ full meta here ]. So they preferred rather intellectual/cult movies or stories/novels/dramas to make allusions.

But TFP seems more like a disjointed montage of horror movies/psychological thriller. No ACD, but a mix-up of Saw, The Shining, The Ring, Suicide Squad, Shutter Island, Exorcist, Silence of the Lamb and many other horror movies, directly adapted scenes from them and combined them with bad CGI effect.

I am not going to rant but TFP brought back some unpleasant childhood memories which were deeply buried in my id before.[ ”Books are well written or badly written, that is all”---Wilde, again]

So yes a psychological analysis is possible. @shawleyleres, @the-7-percent-solution, @jenna221b, @marcespot and many others have already started analyzing, I had to fight with my emotions after this cursed episode ( literally episode no. 13) and after that I came to realize that this episode is FAKE.

So many points, so many parallels, this is our deepest limbo, or is it Sherlock’s, is it John’s?

First of all lets see which predictions made before or after the release of S4 apparently came true:

1. Sherlock has a secret sibling.

2. Sherrinford is a prison where Eurus is institutionalized.

3. There will be a game which will not end.

4, Sherlock will have to choose between Mycroft & John.

5. Mycroft’s umbrella is a secret weapon ( a crack theory )

But it was never predicted that this episode would turn out to be so bad and out of context.

An analysis:

Eurus gave a puzzle in her childhood which would supposed to be solve the redbeard problem, but it turns out that it was actually about a little girl lost!!!

Sherlock can’t sense there is no glass before Eurus’s cell!!!Sherlock ignoring Vatican Camios!!!

The whole Molly Hooper thing and she is talking to a lock screen!!!

3 Garridebs dangling!!!

The infamous snake-mating dance between Harley Quinn & Joker and Joker giving up his life happily to play posthumously!!!

Background music:“I need a gangsta, to love me betta, than all the others do”!!!

John chained in a well and getting rescued with a rope!!!

Who was chained in the bottom of hell-fire and got out without any effort and made a palace as if chains did not exist? SATAN [Paradise Lost, Book I, same inconsistency]

[Laughs out Loud]. FAKE

Only explanation, NIGHTMARE

If it is Sherlock’s Nightmare:

This theory goes like this:

Eurus is Sherlock’s anima, he is in EMP, and probably in the tarmac hell still. Victor Trevor is John’s mirror, a childhood John. Sherlock somehow was indirectly responsible for Victor’s sad demise. He constructed a parallel universe, and disguised his memories in the shapes of complex metaphors. Especially when Sherlock was talking to Eurus at the end, comforting her, it sounded like he was telling this to himself:

We're going to crash! I'm going to die! Argh! [HE GASPS FOR BREATH] I think it's time you told me your real name. I'm not allowed to tell my name to strangers. But I'm not a stranger, am I? I'm your brother. I'm here, Eurus. You're playing with me, Sherlock. We're playing the game. The game, yes, I get it now. The song was never a set of directions. I'm in the plane. I'm going to crash. And you're going to save me. Look how brilliant you are. Your mind has created the perfect metaphor. You're high above us, all alone in the sky, and you understand everything except how to land. Now, I'm just an idiot, but I'm on the ground. I can bring you home. No. No, no. It's too late now. No, it's not, it's not too late. Every time I close my eyes, I'm on the plane. I'm lost, lost in the sky and... no-one can hear me. Open your eyes. I'm here. You're not lost anymore. [SHE SOBS] Now, you... you just, you just went the wrong way last time, that's all. This time, get it right. Tell me how to save my friend. Argh! Eurus, help me save John Watson.

Well I am now referring to @shawleyleres‘s metas: X X X

By the way was Benedict referring to this whole Eurus-Sherlock conversation as a monologue? IDK. This theory does not convince me of John’s meeting with Eurus twice.

So, yes now move to another::

If it is John’s Nightmare:

According to this theory, John was having a nightmare after he was shot by Eurus; this theory explains the Bond air thing, the spinning John, the underestimated cowardice Mycroft, all the horror movie melange, the drone, dangling Garridebs( John’s actually in the Garridebs situation himself ), the Victor-Trevor-as-John’s-mirror thing, the rope rescue,the fear of Adl0ck and Sher1o11y, the cheesy cuts at the end of the episode, but for me this theory does not explain the whole Sherlock-Eurus interaction at all.

On defense of this theory I can give you the excellent video meta by @marcespot and this meta

Ok, now let me tell you what do I think:

Can a shared nightmare be possible?

I really don’t think so, but really re watching TFP more and more makes us to think of TAB. @marcespot‘s theory seems quite convincing to me, also this post made by our senpai @inevitably-johnlocked but I really think Sherlock’s anima is Eurus. But I never think Sherlock’s still in tarmac hell, because many reasons...one of them is Porlock. I rather believe that TST is full of real, unreal, surreal, dream sequences, memories i.e. fragmented perceptions. I think TLD serves the purpose of both a third person narrative and the characters’ perspectives, but TLD have a semi-Senecan ghost device, a disguised psychiatrist/therapist, only Sherlock can see someone aka disguised Faith Smith and many other weird fact. One of which is the background TV-video of Culverton’s hospital which showed us jumping sheep, according to @tigressthetiger which signifies falling asleep:

Look even the dialogue is fitting.

Well I am not talking about a shared dream, but what if TFP is the mixture of both Sherlock & John’s two different dreams? Unlikely but umm. I don’t know how to pull off this kind of complex thing. Maybe S4 was really bad-writing ( except it is not )

Well then, when I rewatched TFP, it seemed to me John’s horror-dream, only John’s horror dream until this scene:

From the above scene it seemed to me the dream of nobody other than Sherlock.

The melodrama, the metaphors, all the signs make me convinced it’s Sherlock’s dream. Or self-conversation?

The whole nursery rhyme thing recited by Eurus does not bring any solution to Red-beard’s murder case. Just because Eurus is evil? Why just why? No explanation. Also the only alive girl in Bond air, whose mirror was she?

Eurus served as both Sherlock’s and somehow John’s mirror, while Victor is clearly John’s childhood:

P.C. @jarlie86art

From John’s rescue by the rope it again seemed to be John’s nightmare ( Argh! background Mary’s voice-over, cheesy cuts, a platonic parentlock WTF)

Also what’s the point of the whole Musgrave false graves, the moor, children playing... a direct callback of a disturbing novel by Emily Bronte : Wuthering Heights, also of Bronte sisters’ childhood and disturbing/haunting memories.

CONFUSING!!!! because unlike TAB, TFP is not still confirmed as a dream by the writers. Also when in John’s perspective the horror movies are of mostly male point of views, Sherlock’s POV finds reference from Victorian/Gothic horror novels which are from female point of view!!! ( “Sherlock is actually a girl’s name”, “ East wind was basically me”, Sherlock has a demonic anima archetype etc)

On author’s sublimity and ‘Insane wish fulfillment’:

First of all TAB was a gay fever dream with powerful women characters and a male villain (i.e. Moriarty). TFP was exact opposite, queerbaiting, disturbing, misogynist, and a psycho female villain: Ebony Darkness Dementia Raven Way Eurus Holmes.

Why this 180 degree turn? TAB had some of the excellent-most editing in TV history, TFP has none, we can even see the green screen in the graphics.

My intellect does not want to agree with the idea that TFP was simply bad writing, and the crew were smoking weeds all the time. It could be said if there were no previous seasons, especially if there was no TAB.

So, why did Mofftiss do so, Just to fuck up with us? Just to prove us wrong, since TAB was predicted by TJLC accurately? Or just to fake the show’s death? The actual Richenberg redux? I have no answer of these questions, umm perhaps I have. Why they have called TFP as insane wish-fulfillment?

They have transformed all their childhood traumas, disturbing memories into one episode.

According to Freud and other psychologists sublimation is one of the highest coping mechanisms, authors tend to use literature as a vehicle of fulfilling unfulfilled wishes, desires and transform their traumas into arts.

I don’t know if you agree or disagree with this statement. But this is not the most impossible thing. Johnlock is not yet confirmed. The series can really comeback if and only if TFP is a confirmed, otherwise we are more intelligent than Mofftiss. #Give-Us-a-4th-Episode-Soonish

TL;DR: To quote @shawleyleres , S4 is not fake, 100% real in Sherlock’s or John’s Mind.

Instead of having a specific cliffhanger, TFP itself is a massive cliffhanger

Long live conspiracy,and long live TJLC

Transcript courtesy: http://arianedevere.livejournal.com/

I promise to elaborate the points I mentioned in another metas.

Tags under cut:

@love-in-mind-palace @shawleyleres @isitandwonder @tigressthetiger@loveinthemindpalace @hudders-and-hiddles @waitedforgarridebs @ifyouarelookingforqueerbaiting @amaranthinelover @separating-my-porn-and-tjlc @artisticpanda23 @lijahlover @heimishtheidealhusband @astudyinqueerbaiting @atikiology @johnlockshire @bbcatemysoul @bbcromance @tjlcer @johnlockishell @grumpyjohn @graceebooks @jon-lox @heimishtheidealhusband @just-sort-of-happened @depth-of-loyalty-and-love @deducingbbcsherlock

@shag-me-senseless-watson @wssh-watson @watsonshoneybee @sussexbound @vanetti @jenna221b @the-7-percent-solution @teapotsubtext@roadswewalk @isitandwonder

@inevitably-johnlocked @loudest-subtext-in-tv @wellthengameover @skulls-and-tea

@marcespot @johnnlocked @multifandom-madnesss @joolabee @ebaeschnbliah @ervagworld @escaroles @bimartin @green-violin-bow @glittersparkledust @yorkiepug

#Meta RandomTheory #my ideas #my meta #the fucky problem #season 4 #S4 #TFP #TLD #TST

454 notes · View notes

afishlearningpoetry · 5 years

Photo

Looking Closer at How The Abominable Bride Foreshadowed and Can Be Used to Chronologically Decode Series 4:

In TAB, shortly after the main case of the episode begins, Mary receives a telegram from Mycroft asking her to report immediately, describing the incident as her helping a friend in need, or “England”. This is reference to the end of HLV, where Mycroft phones Sherlock to say “England” needs his help now that Moriarty has returned. Throughout the episode, Mary is working as a spy for Mycroft, closely following Sherlock’s investigation into Emelia Ricoletti. This eventually leads to Mary uncovering the conspiracy, as Sherlock admits he didn’t realize what she was capable of. Back in the present, Mary and Mycroft clash.

In TST, shortly after the main case of the episode begins, Sherlock starts experiencing visions and anxieties over Moriarty being behind every step of his investigation. After discovering that the trail was actually following Mary and her past, Sherlock learns that when Mary was in AGRA she used to work freelance for the British government, as an extension of Mycroft to a certain degree. This eventually leads to uncovering an incident with AGRA that went terribly wrong, due to being manipulated by external forces.

[Continue below the cut for more ➤]

See also: Shout out to M-Theory... The Unfinished Act of Series 4, 10 Revealing Things From The Six Thatchers That Haunt You Late At Night, 10 Revealing Things From The Lying Detective That Haunt You Late At Night, and 10 Revealing Things From The Final Problem That Haunt You Late At Night.

Bonus: Love as a weapon for John and Mary.

There are several ways in which Mary is linked to Moriarty in Sherlock’s subconscious on display in TAB, but one of the ways in dialog is near the end of the episode inside the church basement, when Sherlock has been surprised by Moriarty as Moriarty tells him, “You’re dreaming,” and Mary right after asks, “Is he dreaming?” As Sherlock is being pulled between his dream in the past and the present, his mind is quite literally making the connection between them as Mary is in front of his comatose body on the plane.

Similarly, when Mycroft has broadcasted and hacked himself into every screen in England, and Sherlock imagines Mary saying “England” to Mrs. Hudson, we’re also meant to hear Mary echoing Moriarty.

But Sherlock is being torn between the events of HLV and the future with Moriarty’s return, meaning he’s still processing everything he went through in series 3 and doesn’t consciously realize this yet. In conjunction with this, Sherlock theorizes the possibility of Mary working for Mycroft; he understands she’s a highly skilled intelligence agent, and he suspects as shown in his dream, that she has an agenda with creating a facade and entering a relationship with John. However, anxious as Sherlock is to doubt and blame himself for not noticing Mary’s true nature sooner before HLV, as he tells himself he noticed “Only now, I’m afraid,” he’s also very quick to blame himself for being shot. Sherlock is imagining the idea that Mycroft hired Mary to protect John and Sherlock, following his investigation proving crucial to solving his case, after imagining a scene earlier in the episode where Mary felt left out from his adventures with John. Sherlock describes himself as an “unsavory companion of dubious morals.” He feels guilty about taking John away from Mary. Sherlock is desperate to imagine that Mary, while dangerous before, which is why Sherlock convinced John to stay with her by lying about what happened in Magnussen’s office, is still ultimately a force of good. Above all else, Sherlock also wants John to be happy.

On a surface level, this is carried over into series 4; it turns out that Mary really did work for Mycroft, albeit freelance and indirectly under Lady Smallwood’s direction, proving Sherlock’s theory correct. This is, however, a faulty theory; what we can take away from the rest of the episode is that Mary actually turning out to work for Mycroft is a false catharsis of plot points leading over from HLV. This is a running theme with all of series 4; the collection of three episodes is a false catharsis of built-up character arcs and plot threads that only seem to resolve leftover questions from earlier series on the most basic and expected level.

These are the things we were told to expect: In TAB, Sherlock imagined Sir Eustace as a stand-in for Mary, being a figure being haunted by their past and not being able to outrun it, while putting his spouse Lady Carmichael (John) in danger, who Sherlock made a vow with to protect Eustace (Mary). In TST, Mary is being haunted by her past and isn’t able to outrun it, causing Sherlock to break the vow he made in TSOT. In TAB, Mary is working for Mycroft. In TST, Mary worked for Mycroft in the past.

But when thinking about these resolved plot points, they beg further questions; Also in TAB, while Mary is working for Mycroft, Sherlock leaves several subconscious signals to himself that there’s some connection between Mary and Moriarty (the dress, shared dialog, etc.). Sherlock imagines that Lady Carmichael (John) is the one that killed her spouse Sir Eustace (Mary). While running through the Carmichael manor on the night of the bride’s attack, Sherlock comes across Lady Carmichael standing in front of a pool of blood, and discovers Sir Eustace stabbed in the heart shortly after. Sherlock knows that Mary’s past is going to catch up with her, and her understands that she deserves it, and even subconsciously knows that John hasn’t actually taken her back for honest reasons; he’s planning on taking her down.

Which is what actually happens in TST. Series 4 is about the coverup and fallout of Mary’s murder. The episode opens with doctored footage of someone being murdered by a trigger-happy fall man instead of Sherlock –– the episode ends with doctored footage of someone being murdered by a trigger-happy fall man instead of John (though of course, Mary isn’t dead –– she is Death).

There are certain things that can’t be explained by Mary being a retired agent, most prominently her agenda in creating a facade and entering a relationship with John, which is why (combined with his own self doubt) Sherlock jumps to her working for Mycroft. But while Sherlock’s subconscious is busy building a connection between Mary and Moriarty, he’s suddenly deflecting all that subtext onto the surface text of some imagined connection Mary and Mycroft... because Mycroft is also being forced to work with Moriarty. Mycroft and Moriarty is the other subconscious connection that Sherlock is building in TAB. M-Theory then continues all the way through the subtext of series 4, and goes another level deeper; in covering up Mary’s real past, who was the real traitor in AGRA (it wasn’t Smallwood or the invented Vivian Norbury), and in covering up Mary working with Moriarty, John instead writes a story where Mary worked with Mycroft and she was perfect and a good mercenary assassin who killed for money and made being easy look “perfect”, so it would look like John had no reason to kill her in retaliation against her real agenda with Moriarty.

It’s the ultimate deflection and purposefully false resolution of everything about M-Theory and Mary in series 3 and TAB, and it’s also believable for that exact reason on a surface-level reading or for general audiences precisely because Sherlock made this false connection between Mary and Mycroft, while the truth lies in the two subtextual relationships that surround the relationship Sherlock falsely assumes in denial of the terror of what the other two mean. The danger and manipulation they present to him, and more importantly, to John. Sherlock is chasing Moriarty’s ghost, but is in denial that he’s actually back when his body was never recovered, all because he’s so afraid for John and of the mistake he made in TRF by allowing Moriarty to nearly destroy their relationship like he’s still planning to.

In TAB, in the only screentime Mycroft and Mary have shared together, it’s quickly established after Sherlock first wakes up that Mary has no respect for Mycroft and that Mycroft immediately hates her. This set-up, thorny dynamic never comes up in TST for the same reason John’s own biases, perspectives, insecurities, anxieties, and jealousy don’t either; because the account of how Mary disappeared has to be cleaned up. At the aquarium scene, Mycroft simply stands around like an alibi witness while exchanging neither a line or even a glance with Mary.

Similar to Sherlock’s dream, while John provides surface level answers, deeper explanations await, since John as the author of series 4 can’t help but let himself slip out in the story. He writes Mary as interpreting “Amo” to be “ammunition”, or that love is a weapon to be used. This is precisely how the real Mary thinks and behaves in series 3, and how John actually views her, telling us more about the real reasons why he took her back. Meanwhile, Sherlock is the one who eventually realizes that “Amo”, or “Love”, needs to be understood correctly.

And yet, John still has to make Mary look good; when John and Sherlock catch up to her globe-trotting, Mary tells John the truth about her name and her work in AGRA, and she apologizes for lying to him, again. But the real Mary never apologized in HLV or TAB; she never apologized afterwards for manipulating both of them or for shooting Sherlock (she only said so while shooting Sherlock). Not once, not even close. She offers no information of her own and simply rides Sherlock’s coattails as he makes up a false account of what happened in Magnussen’s office to make her look better so she doesn’t kill both of them right then and there. Here, she’s suddenly offering the right explanation, albeit after being chased around the world, another potential insight into what really happened in series 4 and how John views her.

Sherlock imagines Mary working as a spy because he subconsciously is aware of her being a spy for Moriarty, but deflects it onto working for Mycroft instead, incidentally moving closer to the truth of Moriarty blackmailing Mycroft and M-Theory. John writes Mary working as a redeemable mercenary because he has to lie about what really happened, deflecting it onto Mary working indirectly for Mycroft and being tricked by an external force, the true meaning being her working for Moriarty.

In TAB, Mary effortlessly infiltrates MI-5′s security with ease. In TST, having been present for that conversation, John writes Lady Smallwood being denied security privileges because an external force, in the guise of his own writer-character self-insert and fall man Vivian Norbury, manipulated and evaded everyone, including Mycroft, but the true form of the threat and Mary’s agenda lies with Moriarty.

“So many lies. And I don’t just mean you,” John writes himself saying to Mary. John is creating a cheating storyline to absolve himself of what happened to Mary, but he’s actually telling the truth about her while revealing something about himself. John and Sherlock are beginning to understand what the endgame is and what’s really going on between Mary, Moriarty, and Mycroft, and they’re already making moves against them, and they’re already facing the consequences.

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isitandwonder · 7 years

Text

EMP, John’s Mind Bungalow and the hidden fourth Episode

A bleak if reallistic wake-up call that many won’t like but I wanted to write anyway

I’m sitting here actually a bit bewildered. I tried to come to terms with the last series of Sherlock - especially TFP - for the whole last week and watched what happened in this fandom. And, as I said, I am flabbergasted.

Because, suddenly ‘It was all a dream’ seems to be the most widely accepted explanation of that trainwreck of an episode we had to witness. Which should make me happy, as I am one of the people who believe in EMP. But it just leaves me frowning. Because, EMP to me always was a theory to make sense of what I saw, that explained the facts presented to me, not a means to excuse bad writings and gloss over ilogical plot holes.

Because, my idea was that we were watching an elegantly crafted, multilayerd dream sequence since Mary shot Sherlock in HLV. I was still fairly certain that being the case after TST, because of the watery deja-vus, premonitions, all the exotic if nonesensical spy stuff and Mary’s strangely silly death. I saw that as Sherlock dreaming up an idea of how to get rid of her and therefore had only marginal problems with the alibi/storyteller hypothesis, as Sherlock, in his dream, would of course have been the storyteller.

Even TLD I could still see in Sherlock’s mind - what with ghost Mary and the strange if moving and once again aborted conversation with John, culminating in the hug. I saw that as Sherlock coming to terms with his feelings for John, his guilt towards Mary, not for killig her but for being in love with her husband, and as a metaphor for more to happen after Sherlock woke up.

Because, and that’s the thing I’m having right now, EMP is only a rug pull, a acceptable strategy of story telling, if it ends somehow. We have to finally see that we have been watching someone dream. The general audience has to see it. Sherlock has to wake up.

And that’s where my problems with TFP and its reading as happening in John’s Mind Bungalow (MB) starts. First, if we have been in Sherlock’s head before, how do we get inside John’s? For me, the beauty of EMP was that you could find a starting point: After Mary shot Sherlock, we all saw him descending into his MP to calm down and figure out how to survive. In a flashback to explain when his dream started, this would have been a point that even the casuals saw and could understand.

But we don’t see anything like this at the end of TLD or the beginning of TFP, of John going inside his MB. Which is unfair for the viewer. And they don’t like that. That was the main point of critique EMP theory had to suffer: Not knowingly witnessing a dream gets the viewer invested in things and storylines that are not real, which is unfaily playing with their emotions and responses. They’ll feel mocked afterwards, especially so if they had no chance to know that they were watching someone dream. And the longer you do that, the bigger the anger and disappointment of your audience afterwards. As you could see Sherlock enter his MP, it might have been alright. But the John-twist isn’t.

Because, if we are now in John’s MB, we don’t see how we got there and therefore it’s not something the audience can spot and comprehend. Furthermore, now being in John’s MB would mean to me that everything before Eurus shot John was real... To which I have to say: just, no. I can’t accept that. TFP was horrible as an episode, but from mid-HLV onwards up to the end of TLD there are equally loads of things that can’t be real. They are not as poorly crafted as the whole of TFP, but they also, as a whole, for me only allow the reading of all these episodes taking place in Sherlock’s head. We have listed all those things in our EMP-meta’s, that’s why I won’t revisitd them here.

Therefore, I don’t think that TFP is in John’s head:

It would mean everything up until TFP was real.

It doesn’t explain how we got inside John’s head.

It was just too poorly done - not even John’s dream can be that poorly acted and decorated.

It would infuriate the audience as they had no chance to relate to that. Even many of us, who are analysing the series 24/7 have and had problems with this reading.

Now, @skulls-and-tea has found that, at the end of TFP, they put John’s chair from Victorian!TAB 221b into the living room of modern 221b. Well, as TAB was clearly in Sherlock’s head, this could mean that we are still there. But then, why the horribly made TFP? Before, hints at EMP were subtle, clever, not too obvious. That’s why we fought about the whole theory, as it was not that blatant. But TFP is just a badly acted, silly, illogical nightmare. Why the sudden change? Why would Mofftiss make an episode that is that painful to watch, that destroys the aesthetic and cohesiveness of their whole show, only to insinuate that it’s a dream, when before they did this elegantly, beautifully and clever? And as bad as TFP is, it is still not very obvious that it’s a dream. For most viewers, it was just a lousy episode that didn’t make sense and doesn’t make them want to watch more of it.

And why would Sherlock, if we still are in his head, suddenly switch from his intelligently drafted TAB dream layer and descent into this shitty horror film setting? The charm with TAB was that, as Sherlock had manouvered himself into a deductive corner in the crypt, Moriarty had his entrance and told Sherlock (and the audience) that he was dreaming. If TFP was also a dream - no one told the audience.

It was a rug pull in TAB. Of course we knew that the Victorian scenes couldn’t be real, which prepared us for a surprise - we just didn’t know how they’d done it. TFP misses this. The audience doesn’t know that they are watching a dream, they can’t prepare. And if this should have been or still will be their big rug pull - that TFP was just another dream scenario - many viewers would argue that it isn’t even new because they did that better with the Victorian scenes in TAB.

And now to my biggest point of critique: We, who argued for EMP, always postulated an end point where Sherlock would wake up. Because, of course, we were aware that this kind of storytelling can’t go on for ever. The purpose for Sherlock’s MP is to figure out how to procede with John in real life. Therefore, when he finds his conclusion, he has to wake up. And he had to do it now in S4, because you can’t keep your show dangling in infinitife hiatus over a cliff with a plot twist no one has even recognised.

Besides, EMP is connected to Johnlock, as it’s motivated by Sherlock’s love for John. As I don’t got any real Johnlock vibes from S4 (thanks especially to the last voice over sequence in TFP), there is no plausible narrative reason for EMP, which would make it an empty, theatrical gesture.

Therefore, as sad as it is to me - there never was EMP. This is my personal viewpoint. Everything happened as we saw it, for real. It was bad story telling and undecided writing that we as a fandom glossed over by inventing brilliant, clever theories and ideas to explain away the weaknesses of the show. But this can’t go on for ever, because it just becomes pointless and absurd after a while. I can’t even bring myself to re-watch TFP because it was so badly, stupidly, carelessly made - therefore I can’t write any meta about it. And I don’t even want to.

I think they somehow still try to go for hinting that the show is somehow smart and deep, for example with John’s Victorian chair. They are leaving random clues for many possible outcomes - as with the johnlock/sherlolly/adlock reading. But that to me only means that they are undecided and have no idea where their story goes. Which is the essence of bad story telling and makes any analysis impossible, because, if you look beneath the surface, there simply is no coherent narrative to analyse.

Now, as for the hidden 4th episode that might show us John or Sherlock in a hospital bed or waking up, thereby eventually explaining that it was all a dream: It doesn’t exist. If it was real, they’d put it after the end credits of TFP (a bit like they did at the end of TRF when we as an audience saw that Sherlock was still alive). Why? Because the audience doesn’t like to be led on. Because the audience has to understand what happens. Because, otherwise, the audience will just shrug and move on. TV shows have to make sense in their own universe, or have to unambiguously make clear that they don’t make sense and are just a dream/trippy halucination. TFP did neither but stayed in limbo between - undecided, and therefore weak and pointless.

It just doesn’t make sense to film such a bad episode and then hide the resolution to it, the key, somewhere unannounced in a secret minisode or even episode. People don’t like to have taken the piss out on them. They won’t watch a show after a sorry excuse of a finale anymore. Why should they? Even if that was Moffitss plan - it’s a very stupid plan to destroy one’s excellent series only to tell people afterwards ‘haha, we had you one, did you really believe that was our grand climax? How stupid can people be!’ Because yes, many people did believe in them - and they won’t like Mofftiss for 1) serving them this shit and telling them that’s the best they had on offer only to 2) make fun of the believes of their audience and ctitics afterwards.

Therefore, I am at the point where I think it was all - at least after S2 - a sorry attempt to tell a clever story that failed spectacularly. I can’t say where I will move on from this, because it hurts me and makes me sad, but I just can’t go further down the rabbit hole. It is a good idea to claim the series for us and interpret it according to our readings, but for me, this needs a valid basis. And I can’t see that right now. For me, what is happening is clutching at straws and adjusting the series to our readings and interpretation, when I believe it should be the oher way around. Whishful thinking is no foundation for sound analysis. It only leads to harsh disppointment, because theories become certainties over time and people forget how to open-mindedly interpret the given facts. We saw that with TJLC imo... and I just can’t be part of that anymore. Sorry.

#sherlock #s4 #emp #it doesn't make sense #but it's real #and what it is is shit

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