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I actually wondered if Mary was hired for a job and that's how she met John, too. I hadn't thought of her watching him to make sure he didn't have inside info on whether or not Sherlock was alive, but it does make sense. And why she thinks John won't love her anymore if he finds out. Because that is something John would've found unforgivable.

Just because John chooses not to deal with it doesn't mean he won't be forced to deal with it in some way. We know that there are still people out there that want Mary dead, so it may still be an issue whether John wants it to be or not. Of course, then what did Sherlock sacrifice himself for? It may be that it doesn't get revisited. But I feel that it did get left open for future plotlines.

Just rewatched this one again with hubby. I caught on to the leaky pipes and the fog as soon as Sherlock said the drug was aerosolized during my first viewing, but hubby didn't catch that and I had to explain it to him. It surprised me that it wasn't as obvious to him (he usually catches what I do), so I guess I can see why people were confused. I was also stunned that John, a medical doctor, would go through a door clearly marked with a sign that says Keep Out in a lab where they make weapons, work with genetic engineering, viruses/bacteria, etc. Sure, it says "or you will catch a cold" but it made me think of a lot of other nasty diseases they could be working with in there. Especially since someone came out of that door with a gas mask on when they first toured the place (the sign was only up for a second but it's also the placement of the door in the lab room, etc.) But then I have studied Microbiology, so I tend to think along those lines. Also, agree that it is a bit silly for a super secret CIA group working on chemical warfare drugs to...make and wear shirts advertising the group. That was fairly ridiculous, I thought.

I just rewatched TEH (Yay for US premiere!) and it sure was different seeing Mary after having watched HLV. I thought she just really took a liking to Sherlock the first watching, but now I see she relates to him and his subterfuge with her past. The other thing that really stood out when he is reading her is in addition to the word "liar", there was also "disillusioned" and "guardian". It really makes me wonder what she did for the CIA, what she did freelance, and how those words play into it. My guess is she got disillusioned with the CIA but Guardian? Maybe she met and helped John initially because she was hired by Mycroft to protect him in case something went wrong with taking down Moriarty's network? As for shooting Sherlock, anything less than a fatal looking shot (like in the knee or something) would give a still alive Magnussen more info to use in his power plays. He would have another hold over Mary and more insight into both her relationship with John and her/John's relationship to Sherlock. She made it look like she didn't care. And maybe she really didn't, but if it looked like she DID care, that is something dangerous to reveal to a man like CAM. Just another thought on the whole thing.

I thought about this...I noticed that there were no skull fragments or brains after someone shooting themselves in the head. And I did wonder - a blank in the gun, a blood pack...(although it could also just be what people are willing to show on TV). And Sherlock never checks to see if he is actually dead. But Mycroft surely was involved with the cleanup, and I'm sure he would have found out if Moriarty's body suddenly went missing and let Sherlock know. That's why I don't think it is plausible for him to have faked his death. Mycroft doesn't like to get his hands dirty, but surely he would make sure for the safety of his brother?

I love the chemistry between Benedict and Louise. Him asking her for help is one of my favorite scenes. And the beginning of TEH. So in theory I would love to see more interactions like that and Sherlock having to deal with new feelings. In practice, though, I don't think that would work. I like a little dark. I like the flashes of it that we see now, such as when Sherlock tells Moriarity that he is not one of the angels. But I don't want it to get overbearing. Honestly, I'm not sure where I want the story to go. I want more thinking, more deducing, more solving. This, to me, is the essence of Sherlock Holmes. But I don't know if I'll get that since we apparently can't go back.

I suspect you're right. His idea of a "strong female character" seems to be a criminal, even if that means going against canon. Both Irene Adler and Mary Morstan Watson are well written and superbly acted. But. I also suspect (as I've said on another thread) that pressure from the BBC is having a noticeable effect on the tone of the show. Did you notice they've made it louder faster more exciting? Unfortunately, Moffat is presumably also a good bit of what's right about the show. So, practically speaking, our choices may be A] like it, or B] lump it. Kind of like dealing with Peter Jackson's take on Tolkien. Agreed. Some of my favorite Who episodes were written by Moffat, so there is talent. I just hope that Gatiss can rein him in a little. One of the things I like about Sherlock is the cerebral aspect, which I would hate to see lost due to it needing to be bigger, better, faster, more over the top, etc. I get enough of that from US shows. I don't want to see Sherlock jump the shark. (I don't know if that is a phrase only used in the US or if it is globally understood.)

I didn't like this episode as much as I wanted to. I didn't like that Mary was a CIA operative/Assassin. I didn't like that Moriarity is back (and apparently that was planned well in advance). While I enjoyed it, it also made me feel uneasy. Why? Moffat. I love Dr. Who, but I don't like the direction the show has gone since Moffat took over. I don't want to go too deep into specifics, but I feel like some really great elements have become overused, and well established rules of the universe are ignored in favor of the story and then passed off as "timey wimey". I also thought the latest episode was to wrap up all the loose ends but it really didn't fit together and was really confusing. And I don't want that to happen to Sherlock. The Angels were great in Blink. Scary, creepy, unrelenting. Like Moriarity. But they kept coming back over and over and reworked until they didn't make sense anymore (Angels Take Manhattan). I don't want that to happen to Moriarity too. He was great. But I don't want him to come back. I'll buy a twin brother, though. And I don't want everyone to be a hyper intelligent sociopath/psychopath. Maybe some of the big villains, but Mary certainly doesn't need to be. So I will wait patiently and watch the next season and hope that it is wonderful and great. But some of the elements in this episode were a little jarring and makes me wonder where they are going with this in Season 4.

Thank you! I just found the show around Christmas time when I got access to Amazon Prime. It's a show I've been wanting to watch and finally could. I watched all of the episodes in about a week, and finished up just in time for the UK Season 3 premiere. Which I then watched online. And I needed to find a place to talk to like minded folks. I'm in the Pacific Northwest part of the US.

I just rewatched this preparing for the US release of Sherlock (and trying to get my husband into the series!). A lot of what bothered me has already been mentioned, but there are a couple of things that stood out that I haven't seen yet.... Even if Sarah couldn't tip over her chair because she's scared or in shock, what about Sherlock? He knows he has very limited time, why didn't he tip her over when he first got to her? Or kick it over when fighting with the assassin? And for that matter, John hit the assassin in the chest with the arrow. It could have been Sherlock. They were grappling after all, and kicking a hair trigger massive crossbow isn't exactly accurate. A little less leg power and we wouldn't have a series. When Sherlock makes his deduction about the correct book to use, he does it right outside the flat on Baker Street. He comes out, tries to get a taxi but ran into the German couple, walked a little ways down the block, realizes what book it has to be, then runs back and takes their book. So how does he NOT NOTICE John and Sarah being kidnapped when he's probably only 10 meters away? I get that he is wrapped up in the book and his back was turned, but he was right there! This is a person who notices everything! And wouldn't the Black Lotus kidnappers see him standing there and whack him over the head and bring him along? Sure they thought Watson was Sherlock, but they knew they were running around together and Sherlock was the one snooping back stage and fighting with them, as well as being in Soo Lin's apartment.