Redbeard

I bolded the part about her being the smartest in the room because that, along with Eurus being the other smartest person in the room, really bothered me. Because Sherlock and Moriarty should have been the smartest (with Mycroft above them but also above the fray). Sometimes, I feel like they only killed off Mary because had she been around the finale would have been a Mary vs. Eurus showdown with Sherlock off sucking his thumb somewhere As to what I would change other than the super-geniuses Mary & Eurus - the whole post by Slithylove nailed it! I agree whole heartedly.

Watched Reichenbach today...when Moriarty was visiting Sherlock at Baker Street, and Sherlock said he "never liked riddles" - actually gave me a little lump in my throat this time, knowing the trauma he had trying to solve a riddle that lead to his best friend's death. Well done, Moftiss. :(

Personally, that is how I take it. He manages to connect with her, wake her up, reach her on a level that that all those brain dead others can't. I think her contact with Moriarty is what started it all.

I think that even if Mycroft or Sherlock had an inkling that the girl on the plane situation wasn't real, they would have still talked it out as though it were...just in case. Since a visual in the ads for the episode included a chess board, I look at it like that too. They are always trying to think 3 moves ahead of Eurus but at the same time they can't show their hand too obviously. They could have very well thought the situation was false (there is no ghostly airplane rocketing toward London) but that the girl actually was real (Eurus has some little girl locked in a room somewhere reading a script and if we don't play along she might die). They were dealing with someone crazy and unpredictable, real people were dying (governer's wife, Garridebs) so why take the chance?

Personally I think Mycroft was the most reasonable one, willing to sacrifice "the girl" for like, half of London. When he said all they could give her was "hope", I think he was right on with that assessment (had it been true). Sherlock and John were too willing to cave to sentiment. But then I love Mycroft...it's easy to be soft; much tougher to be hard for the greater good.

Good for you! I hope you find time to work at it. The way I figure it, Season 5 is going to be so far off that if we apply ourselves now, we might actually be awesome by the time it comes out!

You know you're obsessed when you finally break down and buy a violin just so you can stare out the window while playing Bach, Irene's theme, and the theme to Jeremy Brett's series. Of course I know I have to start with several years of like, Mary Had A LIttle Lamb. (Hey! I could pretend that's Sherlock-themed. Maybe Mary grew up on a farm lol)... I start lessons next week.

http://www.imdb.com/imdbpicks/new-doctor-who/ls062878027/?pf_rd_m=A2FGELUUNOQJNL&pf_rd_p=2923156762&pf_rd_r=0489JV25F2ZXV4MYAEQ3&pf_rd_s=center-5&pf_rd_t=15061&pf_rd_i=homepage&ref_=hm_pks_who_hd That is a long link, lol, did I do it right? Anyway, it is not a user-created list, it is posted by IMDB Editors. Oh hey it edited my link down. Smart Sherlock Forum!

IMDB released their list of people they would like to see as the next Doctor Who...Martin Freeman is on that list (not that the list actually means anything). Seems a long shot but would be kind of cool.

Maybe he doesn't dress up more, but instead goes the opposite - ditches the tie, loosens up a tad and even gets a little down and scruffy...Example below lol

I never thought of where Sherlock stayed after the explosion...I love the idea he stayed at John's though. Now I wish they would have shown us some of that dynamic I'm sure it would have been funny, Sherlock intruding on John and Rosie's space. Or would Sherlock have stayed with Mycroft?

Yes I wouldn't doubt that Mycroft might hold a few surprises lol.

It's a good way to look at it, but as a doctor he would know how much pain he is causing his friend. I know it is displaced anger, it just doesn't make John very likable to me that he would rather Sherlock suffer than himself. Not very noble. But then John is not the only one abusing him. There's Irene beating/whipping Sherlock, Mycroft allowed Sherlock to be tortured, Molly slapped him, Janine stopped his morphine, Mary shot him...poor Sherlock for a guy that had a hard time allowing friends in his life, he sure picked a sucky crew. The only kind of forgiveable one was Molly slapping him because at least that was out of concern for HIM. I think he was better off when his only circle was Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson! If the series comes back I am hoping Sherlock demands respect from these people instead of being everyone's punching bag and I hope to see some apologies and huge heroics from John.

I feel bad for not talking about John more on his own thread. No wonder he's been lashing out. I think a lot of women would find John attractive because he's modest, nice-looking and warm, and he also seems to genuinely want and enjoy female companionship. Though, looking back, I'm now wondering does John really have a type, or is he just a bit girl-crazy? He even tried to make a move on Anthea, after all. Somehow I feel like Mycroft was secretly watching that and having a bit of a laugh to himself. I agree on everything but the "warm" part. John strikes me as very cold actually! I don't think I would have succumbed to the charms of Dr. Watson lol, at least not this version.

Hmmm. Didn't see it like that. To me she is trying her usual MO on Sherlock, which doesn't work. Which makes him intriguing to her. On the other hand she (because she works with Moriarty - something that Sherlock doesn't know until the very end) is still one step ahead of him, knows that the vicar is a trick etc. which makes her intriguing to him. In the end she is attracted to him despite being gay, and he is attracted to her despite being… whatever he is. And to me it's still about wits, not sex. It's entertaining for both of them. The first comparison I can think of, is attending milongas with your gay friend of opposite sex, because you both love dancing tango. And I still can imagine them texting each other out of a very special sentiment, a kind of game, in which a vague vision is better than the reality ever could be, so it's better not to spoil it by trying to make it true. If they ever meet, they probably play chess. ;) I agree that they seem to want to say it's about wits, not sex. And while that is what they "say", they still had to present her in this highly sexualised way. What's the point if that's not the point? lol. She could have been anything...why that? Honestly, she would trow me of by appearing naked out of the blue. And Mycroft too. :P They needed something special, so she can have all the secrets she get from the important people. First, she need them "distracted" (tied up or knocked out ;)) to get to their sources, second - being a client of a domlnatrix is a much better pressure point that just using the usual service. All that photos of them in very compromising positions Ah... is it still a thread about John? Now in regards to John, lol, I would have thought he would be the one to fall for Irene, being the unabashed ladies man with a thrill-seeking streak. Right? But no he doesn't seem to really like her, which, based on what we are told of his character he really should right? To me, it is logical that John would be intrigued while Sherlock would be bored.

What annoys me about the whole Irene thing is that she is such a stereo-typical femme-fatale type...and THAT is the person who interests Sherlock Holmes. It's just so ordinary. Why not go in a different direction with Irene if they wanted her to be the person that intrigues him. Something different and interesting. But no she has to be fascinating because - nudity and sexuality. Ho hum. Like every other show out there. She takes her clothes off and bam - Sherlock's intrigued. Gag. I expected more of Sherlock.

I bolded the part about the Christmas party because while yes, she did attend, wouldn't it likely have been John that invited her? He must have thought to include her because I would imagine it was John that would have arranged the whole thing, or maybe Mrs. Hudson? I just can't see Sherlock saying "Oh goody,let's host a Christmas party" and making up a guest list. But then again, the way he threw himself into the wedding planning,maybe he was the brains behind the party but was only playing it cool lol.

Totally true, its ridiculous for John to mention the shooting to Lestrade and also ridiculous to recall that time as being in any way "fun". Sherlock murdered a man to protect Mary and then Sherlock was nearly sent to his death over it. Everyone, including Sherlock and Mycroft, seemed pretty traumatized when it happened. But to John, those were the good old days? What the hell?

Just FYI, the child on the phone during the painting scene was a boy. Oops my mistake! Thanks for letting me know. Also, J.P., thanks for the info that it was the little Moffat boy lol. I had no idea! Cool.

By the way, I think Eurus's "mind control" and "brain washing" powers seem to be vastly overstated. If it was that easy for her, she'd be ruling the world lol. It kind of reminds me of the "Jedi mind trick" in Star Wars, that only works on "the weak minded". I don't think Eurus is that all-powerful.

It's hard for me to believe that Eurus and Moriarty only met once for five minutes...he seems to have had more of an influence on her than that. To me, it seemed like he must have told her all about the events of the Great Game, otherwise the similar tactic of devising timed puzzles for Sherlock to solve is too much of a coincidence. I think he explained all about how he toyed with Sherlock, how Sherlock cared more about solving the puzzle than saving the person, etc. That would have given Eurus the idea to test him as well, this time using people he actually did care about to see how he would react then. I think Moriarty might also have told her the only time Sherlock seemed to care about the victims, was when the voice on the other end was that of a little girl (to me, Sherlock did seem panicked when he was running out of time to solve the clue in the painting, with the little girl counting down on the other end of the phone. He did seem to really care about that one). Which would explain why she chose that angle to kind of "up the ante" on Sherlock's emotions using the girl on the plane, and would also explain why the Final Problem begins with a phone call from Moriarty..he is her call to action, her first human contact that takes her away from all the dead/sleeping souls around her and sets her on the road to something interesting. It seems too much of a connection for just five mintues. I actually think Moriarty probably had quite a profound affect on her.

It's the human condition of existential angst! Haven't you been listening?! :P

Yes, I love that episode of the Granada series. Well, in fairness, I love all the episodes. Even just seeing your avatar, Pamela, gives me an adrenaline rush of love lol. Jeremy Brett. Wow wow wow.

She may be right on that point, although in fairness, it could be a mind palace thing...if he never had need to learn German he wouldn't have; or else promptly "deleted" it when it was no longer useful. But if he was going to be sent to Serbia it would be useful and he would learn it quickly, I'm sure.

The question of whether Molly ever slept with Moriarty is interesting because she might have...and Irene might have too (they did work together and of course it wouldn't be "love", she would do it as a job and he would do it, presumably, to alleviate boredom for a short time, but I could see some crackling chemistry there)...and even Eurus might have...we don't really know for sure. So that is three women that mean a lot to Sherlock who could have been with Moriarty, two of which Sherlock MAY want for himself, and the other one being his sister. Interesting dynamic, I wonder how Sherlock would react if it were all true lol.