Ally.C

http://john-is-a-pretty-lady.tumblr.com/

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes directed by Billy Wilde, is, I believe, what you're thinking of. Interestingly enough I just came off watching the Timeshift special on Sherlock Holmes and Mark Gatiss speaks about this film being one of his favourites. In the film one of the stories is that a Russian ballerina comes to Holmes wanting him to father her child. In the end he gets away from this by saying that Watson is his lover, which embarrasses Watson a good deal. When Watson later goes to Holmes stating it might be presumptuous to ask, but Holmes has been with women, yes? Holmes replies, "Yes, that is presumptuous." Leaving it nice and ambiguous as it is in Sherlock. It's mentioned the director later regretted not making Holmes specifically gay. Gatiss states this is where they get a lot of their Johnlock play. This is also the film where Christopher Lee plays Mycroft and Gatiss has based a lot of his Mycroft on Lee's.

Oh, there are certainly parallels everywhere between nearly all the episodes, there were just a lot of them here between ASiP and HLV that I noticed. I know they aren't done, but it might relieve some of us at the idea of getting back toward the way the show was originally without the loud bangs and whistles. As for the ASiP and Mind Palace ASiP HLV ASiP HLV I for one would be very, very disappointed if these shots weren't intentionally meant to show a parallel.

I've been making a bit of a list, because I've been very interested in the parallels between His Last Vow and A Study in Pink. As has been mentioned before, there is a bit of worry with where the series will go from here. Will it keep getting bigger and more showy? Soap opera? Or will they be able to reign it back in. I noticed some of these parallels and it's made me think if this is supposed to be a sign of full-circle. Now, what that means is up to interpretation. In both episodes Sherlock uses the infamous 'sociopath' line In both episodes there is a drugs bust where Anderson volunteers (let's all love the development of Anderson here, yes?) In ASiP Sally mentions one day there will be a crime scene and Sherlock will have put the body there, in HLV this becomes true (it was also true of TRF) In both episodes Sherlock has calm discussions with his enemy across a table In ASiP Mycroft says "You can imagine the Christmas dinners", in HLV we see Christmas dinner In ASiP we hear about 'upsetting mummy', in HLV we hear Mummy Holmes upset IN ASiP Mycroft says he worries constantly about Sherlock, in HLV we have "Oh Sherlock, what have you done?" and "Your loss would break my heart) In ASiP John shoots the cabbie to save Sherlock's life, in HLV Sherlock shoots CAM to save John's life The staircase in Sherlock's Mind Palace is nearly identical to the staircase from the building where the pink woman was pound The hallway and door entered to find Redbeard in Sherlock's Mind Palace is the hallway and door from the building the cabbie takes him to that John looks into Sherlock deduces the cabbie is a proper genius - like him, CAM has a Mind Palace - like him At the end of ASiP we get the first mentions of Moriarty, at the end of HLV we get 'Did you miss me?' In ASiP John and Sherlock meet outside Baker St for the first time nd shake hands, in HLV they part with a handshake In both episodes there are references to Sherlock being/having been an addict In ASiP Sherlock is using nicotine patches, in HLV he is smoking In ASiP Sherlock lures John out by mentioning it'll be dangerous, in HLV he mentions danger in the hopes of getting John to help him In ASiP Sherlock says girlfriend aren't his area, in HLV John is gobsmacked at Janine In regards to Mary, in ASiP the cabbie asks if it's a bluff, a double bluff, or a triple bluff - a question the fandom is now facing in regards to Mrs Watson That's what I have for now... any input?

I thought they wee 'Google Glass' from the moment he originally put them on while talking at his summoning. It's a new technology and I thought it would be an interesting thing for them to play with. They aren't 'magic' glasses, they are a real product. While Sherlock does mention a '4G' connection, which would mean net access, he also mentions a USB device and things like that. Something where the information might be stored directly to the glasses themselves.

The unaired pilot is also currently free to download on iTunes.

I think he was definitely attracted to her mind, but to her body as well. In the scene where she drugs and beats him, when he's lying on the floor and she caresses his face with the end of her whip, I think the expression on his face is just like that of a man having sex. Also, I don't think he would have been quite so bitter about the chemistry of love in the end if he himself had not been a "victim" of that. Sherlock probably has some kind of "issues" with sex and I do think it is entirely possible that he really is a virgin, but I don't think he's supposed to be asexual. He probably tried to suppress that side of himself because he thought it would get in the way of his beloved work. In the end, this is one of the things I don't really want to know for sure. I don't want to know what really happened in Karachi either. See, and I think that's perhaps just a disagreement on how it's scene? I don't see an expression that makes me think of sex. I see someone clearly drugged and trying to fight it. Haha. Now, I never said there was no victim of love. Love and Sex are very much not the same thing, I even mentioned Sherlock being romantic and having such feeligns for Irene. I think one of the things about Sherlock's sexuality is that it's viewed differently by people in production. BC seems to be a bit of an Adlock shipper, but Gatiss (I think? Maybe Moffat, but I'm leaning towards Gatiss. Unfortunately I'm not really in a place to be googling words that might give some improper results) has previously said Sherlock is meant to be asexual. With something like this, there can be some mixed signals in portrayl. Especially with three writers. I think Karachi is BC's little mindfic. But I agree, I think the abiguity is part of the charm! Leads to lovely little conversations like this and let's everyone have their cake and eat it too.

Amen to that. As for the rest of your post, let's argue, okay? I love arguing. First of all Sherlock. I seriously doubt he's meant to be gay. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind if he was and I would not think it untrue to the original character at all. But what I see on screen is a man who finds anything sexual pretty unsettling and is uncomfortable with it, no matter what he says to Mycroft to the contrary in A Scandal in Belgravia. So if he were sexually attracted to men - or just one specific man, i.e. John, he would feel uncomfortable in his presence. He would never have chosen to share a flat with him and he would certainly not grab his head in an attempt to jolt his memory or communicate with him wearing nothing but a sheet. Sherlock was also very obviously attracted to Irene as a woman, not just a mind. As she herself put it, he "knew where to look", very well. And he has her running around naked in his mind palace. I very much doubt that all they do there when he isn't busy is chat. Of course, it was also Irene who pointed out, quite correctly, that sexual orientation isn't that cut and dried. Secondly, John. There are plenty of plausible alternative explanations for why he acts the way he does, but I admit the way they portray him invites speculation, and after series 3, they really can't tell me any more that it was not intentional. Yes, they do seem to be playing with a certain, probably involuntary undertone of the old stories. It has always provoked a sly grin from me that when writing about a case that they handled years ago, the good doctor was able to tell exactly when, where and why any kind of physical contact took place and what it felt like. I mean, either his memory was very tenacious when it came to these matters or he actually wrote them down in his notebook. Poor Doyle. He was only trying to make his story come alive. He also had his characters quote verbatim long conversations that took place months ago, so I really don't think he was trying to tell his readers anything particular about poor Dr Watson. I've always imagined Sherlock was asexual and homo/biromantic. One can have no sexual desire (though, sometimes there is still a bit pf physical need in the way our hormones react to things) and still very much romantically love someone. I say homoromantic or biromantic based on a lot of the same things that Slithytove stated before. The way he reacts to things (such as the infamous coversation in Angelo's) and just generally how he treats people hitting on him. He thinks John is hitting on him - he politely refuses (though, I suppose many could aruge he politely refused because he needed the flatshare). Molly hits on him, asking him to coffee and wearing lipstick - he very carefully acts as though he doesn't even notice (even though he later admits to using Molly's crush on him, so he knew it was there). I doubt the many that notices the specific brand of underwear Jim from IT is wearing wouldn't notice and deduce why a girl puts on lipstick around a boy. As for Irene. This is just where I disagree a bit. I think he may well have been very attracted to her mind. She challenged him. And as is said, brainy is the new sexy. However, the way he acts around her, to me, doesn't imply a physical attraction. He looks at her and analysis her, takes her in. Sherlock notices the state of a woman's nails and how they relate to her worklife, I don't think it's too odd to think if a woman presented herself naked and he had trouble reading her, that he would look for all of the information he could to store to go over later. As for his Mind Palace, if he is mentally attracted to her, then I think her being naked - that moment she posed that great challenge to him - would be a good way to show her.I always say Sherlock and Irene as a love of the challenge and wits than a physical attraction. Sherlock's general attitude and sheet wearing all say to me he cares nothing about the phsyical and he is comfortable with who he is in that sense. I don't see him being over defensive to the implication he's a virgin. Maybe in that when Mycroft says it it implies there is something Sherlock doesn't know but not that sex alarms him. His reaction to Molly in TSoT also seemed to be a "Why in the world are you telling me this, of all people?" Confusion at her mention, rather than a physical discomfort.

*looks down at the Batman t-shirt she is wearing* Well, seems I'm a bit suited for this! Without doing too much analysis of Batman/Joker here, there is certainly a connection. However, the mediums are very different. Batman doesn't kill the Joker because without the Joker Batman would lose control. He would give in to that urge to kill and possibly be lost to it (Under the Red Hood and the recent Death of the Family in New 52) point his thoughts on this out. I don't think Sherlock views Moriarty in the same way. Sherlock is interested in Moriarty's actions, yes, and they are very similar, but Sherlock doesn't have a need to keep him alive. He enjoys the puzzles Moriarty gave him, but he knew Moriarty was dangerous. I can see plenty of reason why Sherlock would be willing to conspire with Mycroft to rid the world of him. Especially if you take into account the fact that Moriarty likely crossed a rather vivid line in Sherlock's rules by using John against him. Batman doesn't kill. That's his moral code. We don't see that code from Sherlock. Joker doesn't kill Batman because Batman is the only one Joker feels compliments him. Same might have bee said for Moriarty, we don't know. So, I don't think the fact that Joker (Moriarty) never kills Batman (Sherlock) really is the same. We also have to look at DCU versus Sherlock. DCU brings people back all the time. All the time. To the point where we assume no one is ever dead. Catwoman got shot in the head and I for not a moment worried she wouldn't show up in the next volume, because that's how DCU works. And a lot of people in the DCU fandom are getting annoyed with it there. Sherlock? Not so much. Irene and Sherlock have come back. Sherlock would need to come back to have a show, so that's not surprising. It's also in line with ACD canon. Sherlock is meant to be real-world. And people don't just always pop back from death in the real world. It takes away from the grittiness of the show and the relatability when everyone in Sherlock come to be superhuman. I've seen less people saying it's an insult to Moriarty to bring him back and more people saying it's an insult to the integrity of the show's storytelling, which I can see. I didn't view Sherlock and Mycroft's plan as making Moriarty an idiot. In fact, he still did all the very, very clever things he did, he was just being watched as he was doing them.

Ah, sorry about that. I wasn't realizing you impled connection to the hate he has for CAM and his childhood. If you had asked me three weeks ago about vast childhood trauma to Sherlock I would have blamed his parents and being raised in an offstandish home, but that's clearly not true now. I think there might be something in his past, but who knows at this point. Haha.

R?

Oh, we see Sherlock being criticized for being different right from the beginning. "Freak" isn't exactly a nice way to call someone, eh Sally?

Oh, I think John's explanation is perfectly correct for John. I think I mentioned, but I'm not sure how well it came through in my rambling, that I was looking at everything for more of Sherlock's edge. Sort of his reasoning on the situation, not so much John's, as John's seemed to be very in line with what was stated outright.

Someone brought up an interesting point on Tumblr about the Treasure of AGRA. It was empty. I wonder if this is nicely represented by John burning it away (as Watson in ACD is thrilled the treasure is absent, for it gives him a chance with Mary) or if this means possibly the flashdrive might have had nothing on it? *tents fingers* It's going to be a good hiatus.

Now, after this episode I'm not a big Mary fan, but I wouldn't condemn her for trying to kill CAM. I actually think I might have more respect for her if she had offed him. I think I would have celebrated whoever got rid of him. It's not going to kill CAM that has me judging her in an ill light.

Can I actually say that next to Sherlock my favourite adaptation of Sherlock Holmes actually is The Great Mouse Detective?

1. The Sign of Three 2. The Empty Hearse 3. The Great Game 4. The Reichenbach Fall 5. A Study in Pink 6. His Last Vow 7. The Hounds of Baskerville 8. The Blind Banker 9. A Scandal in Belgravia

Wow! Looks like there's been a bit of heated debate about emotions in this episode. I just thought I would toss my lot in, because I feel like this is a very important episode to establishing Sherlock's character and motivation for the rest of the series. Now, while lots of things happen, for me, the focus of this episode is the relationship between Sherlock and John and the theme of reunion and forgiveness. Now, my focus is going to be mostly on Sherlock because I find his actions more interesting. Everything John does, while maybe not how I would react to everything, seems to be very 'normal' to me. One thing I noticed about this episode was humour as a cover. This starts in the restaurant scene. Sherlock reveals himself to John and John is not pleased. John is very not pleased at all and I think it's pretty obvious both from the earlier conversation with Mycroft and from Sherlock's face he was not expecting this. Sherlock then tries to diffuse the situation with humour, but his eyes clearly read that he is upset and scared. John isn't accepting his apology. John is here in his new life and not eagerly accepting Sherlock back. The look in BC's eyes in this scene... it's just incredible in so many ways. Sherlock shows many times in this series that he uses jokes to diffuse John into laughing at tense and/or emotional situations. Spoilers for TSoT and HLV. And John does not forgive Sherlock then. There is clearly still tension between them that they are ignoring. This becomes really apparent to me in the scene where John asks if Sherlock's parents knew that he wasn't dead. Yet again, this is a time where Sherlock apologizes. Not once, but twice here, and the second time is clearly very sincere and also very questioning. It's not just "I'm sorry," but also, "Can you forgive me?" So then, we move to the train scene Oh, the train scene. The more I watch this scene the more I just want to curl up and cry with a nice glass of wine. While I do think there is calculation on Sherlock's part in this scene, I don't think either of them are behaving idiotic or cruelly at any point. They go down to the tubes and are presented with a moment of true danger. Sherlock turns to John and tells him to go and John doesn't. I think this was a test on Sherlock's part and in this moment John chose him. He even mentions that John could have been happy with a long life with Mary and John reaffirms this, says he knows, but John has chosen in this moment to put his faith in Sherlock and John has chosen, overall on this night, to pursue that dangerous like -the two of us against the world- instead of a night in the suburbs with his fiance. And now Sherlock knows John wants to forgive him, but John has trouble with this sort of stuff. WIth emotional things. Because there is a difference between between having a row where your friend denies you are friends and the emotion of forgiving someone for completely and utterly destroying your emotions for two years. We all saw the beginning of TRF, John was wrecked. He went back to therapy. I think Sherlock knows John well enough to see his friend's emotions and he even says himself he understand John's inability to express himself well in these situations. Desperation then becomes the easiest way to allow John to say what needs to be said, because John needs to say it and Sherlock needs to hear it. It is my opinion that when Sherlock is saying "I can't do this - I don't know how," he isn't talking about the bomb, but instead the strange tension that has been between them. They hit it off so well with such simplicity and were so close and how do you deal with a wedge shoved between you. Perhaps I'm colouring that with my own person experiences, but that is what I see in that moment clear as day. And yes, the danger of the physical bomb is still there, but there is still the danger of wrong between them. And yes, Sherlock laughs and makes light of the situation after this, but he is diffusing the situation and making John laugh. Which he achieves. Sherlock laughs, but so does John. And Sherlock acts in such a callous way, the way he's always treated people - and everything is normal again. The wrong is gone. But was Sherlock being cruel? I don't think so. I think he was addressing the situation in the only way he could, since his previous apologies seemed to have never garnered the words he really needed, "I forgive you." And, in my opinion, these were also words John needed to say and I think Sherlock understood that. Because it can be just as hard trying to keep up upset and not knowing how to be normal again.

I, personally, don't really want to see the return of someone like Irene. I found her character interesting, but I think it would just do more to take Sherlock from where it was in series 1 and 3. Meeting her now with all his sentiment exposed I can only feel like they'd try some attempt and romance and I just don't want that. I don't want any romance with Sherlock to be canon, not with Irene, Molly, John... Leave that for our speculations and fandom. I would love to see Moran (though, perhaps the Lord Moran in TEH is all we will get, but I can hold out hope for another!) being the one who has 'brought back' Moriarty. A clever scheme devised if Jim were to ever disappear that Moran is running now. Because I feel like Moriarty being alive also basically renders a lot of the reasoning of every action Sherlock takes in TRF moot.

Mycroft! I don’t know when exactly it happened, but over this series I’ve really fallen for his character. I think it was probably the Operation scene in The Empty Hearse. I think that scene told us a lot about why he is the way he is and how Sherlock learned to be who he is from watching his brother. Goodness, I loved the scene. I’ve had a bit of a nagging feeling since I first watched HLV that there was something more to Mycroft in this episode than was let on. As soon as he told Sherlock not to go after Magnussen I was worried. Part of me had a dreadful feeling that the death in this episode might be his, as they had done so much building on his character this series. I wonder, since Mycroft was so insistent on Sherlock not going after Magnussen, if he might have known it would end badly for Sherlock. Mycroft is a very outwardly cold character, but we see obvious sentiment for his little brother. Despite Mycroft’s preaching that “Caring is not an advantage” he was there for Sherlock when he returned to play games with him, in TsoT he mentioned he would being seeing more of Sherlock ‘like old times’ and almost giving Sherlock an opening to come to him when the inevitable heartbreak of involvement happened. With all this in mind and knowing Magnussen was a blackmailer, I wonder how much Mycroft knew about Magnussen, about the ideas of the ‘Pressue Point’ and I wonder if Mycroft knew that the easiest way to get to him was through Sherlock. If you go against Magnussen, you’ll find yourself against me – was that on a governmental level (Such as Flight 007 and the Coventry Conundrum being ruined in aSiB? A bigger plan against Magnussen that Mycroft didn’t want Sherlock to muck up?) or was that simply knowledge from Mycroft that he knew he was the end game and that Mycroft would do all he could to keep Sherlock from Magnussen because he know Magnussen would be willing to do anything to Sherlock to get to Mycroft? Someone said this quote earlier and I think it fots a lot of my feeling about this hiatus. “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” I can’t help but feel like there was some motivation driven by this in Sherlock pushing John to forgive Mary (also, that John loves her – yes – and Sherlock seems to get that and he loves John, that’s undeniable in whatever sense of love, but she is dangerous). And now I wonder how much of that was true of Mycroft’s “protection” of Magnussen.

D?

Moriarty's 'Miss Me' was over a shot of Moriarty turning towards the camera?

Karie, I think I might love you.

Hi Alfonso! I'm new too. I see a Detective Conan icon there.

I agree with all of this so hard that it physically hurts. This is why I have so many problems with Mary right now. Because her remorse is all very egoistical. Not egotistical, but egoistical. It's all about her emotions and not John's, to me. It would break John, but she doesn't want to see that. I don't know if I'm ready to chalk it all up to writing yet though, these irritations. I think there might be more to some of her forgiveness than we've seen yet... I just can't get my mind out of Sherlock and what he says when tehy take Mary back to Baker St and how something, something seems off about it.