perma-nerd

Okay, so I was reading Ariane DeVere's fantastically detailed episode transcript (https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Farianedevere.livejournal.com%2F26320.html%3Fthread%3D286928&ei=FSQZU4fHG8aKlAXkzYDgDg&usg=AFQjCNGx5KSrOFGcMjTsgWc44MpEDhZksQ&bvm=bv.62578216,d.dGI), which of course noted something that I didn't notice before: John punches Sherlock with his right hand, despite being left handed. This is presumably out of an intention to not really injure him. But it kind of doesn't make sense. I don't think your dominant hand is necessarily stronger than your non-dominant but it would certainly be more accurate. In that case, surely if he wants to hit Sherlock but aim carefully to avoid really hurting him, John would use his dominant hand for accuracy, but just not hit him as hard? It seems like using your non-dominant hand would risk an equally-strong, but potentially less-precise blow.

I think that Moriarty will return, but he'll be deaf. In-universe reason: whether it was a blank cartridge (though I've heard that those are dangerous at close range and in your mouth definitely qualifies as close) or a sophisticated gun-shaped noise-maker, that thing Moriarty "shot" himself with set off a LOT of decibels very close to his ears. Meta-reason: Moriarty has been associated with music, and I think this is the kind of twist the writers would pull... As for Mycroft, my feeling is that he was meaner to Sherlock as a kid than he is now, and is perhaps even remorseful about that now (though he'd never admit it directly). Though I don't really feel sorry for him over Sherlock selling his laptop to Magnussen; I feel that Sherlock never really intended Magnussen to get it, and probably had some plan that involved nicking the Mary files from the vaults, grabbing/destroying Mycroft's laptop* and getting away, but the plan was foiled when the vaults turned out to be in Magnussen's mind. *I mean, Irene Adler's phone has built-in explosives; surely Mycroft's laptop does!

See my username.

My character interpretation of Mycroft is that he was cruller to Sherlock when they were kids, and is now nicer and perhaps even remorseful about his earlier cruelty (my evidence for this is mainly series-3 based so I can't really explain it).

May have to re-watch, but in terms of writing, acting and directing, I LOVE the scene where Sherlock confronts Mary in the facade-building thing. I love the way we (and Mary) think it's Sherlock, then it's a dummy, then it's John. (I guess I must be getting used to Moffatt's writing now I enjoy having my assumptions messed around with!)

I forgot about the rats in The Empty Hearse... I guess this anagram is kind of fun but not necessarily pointing anywhere. I noticed you can get ROAST MANY from Mary Morstan (there's an R and M left over) - perhaps interesting given her former profession and Moriarty's many... er... creative nicknames for the act of assassination.

I don't necessarily take the anagram to be pointing out or suggesting that Mary's actually, currently evil. I mean, given that the name Mary Watson is, as far as I know, Conan-Canon, it's not like Mofftiss invented it for Sherlock. But it could be that that's what RAT refers to, as in, they noticed this and made up the RAT thing as an Easter egg. Or it's possible it's ALL just a coincidence, and RAT just refers to Mary shooting Sherlock and whatever past she's divulged on her USB stick, and there's no future betrayal/revelations to come. What would be interesting is if anyone could come up with an anagram for Mary Morstan?

Like Gatiss, I have a rounder face and a narrow, defined nose, and I've often said I resemble a snowman. It seems it would be totally Moriarty-style to make this intense dramatic-sounding nickname when all he's referring to is Mycroft's physical appearance... I also wouldn't put it past the writers to troll us in exactly the same way, knowing the fans would read a lot into the nickname. Though it does also match Mycroft's seemingly icy personality. **Sorry if this is double-posted; my Internet connection is very poor and I can't tell if it has gone through.**

Hi everyone! I hope this is in the right place (and that I haven't accidentally posted it three times as the Internet here is terrible and keeps dropping out). I've been lurking this forum for a while but I realised something. While I have a hunch that Mary's not (or is no longer) evil, I noticed that you can make the word RAT from both MARY MORSTAN and MARY WATSON. People say that the writers said the word "rat" is significant and nobody can figure out why. I thought that might just be a coincidence, but then I mixed the other letters around just a bit and realised that MARY WATSON is a complete anagram of MAY: RAT'S WON Mary marries John (and thus becomes Mary Watson) on the 18th of May. Thoughts?