What are some questions about TRF that you want answers for?

[bborchar]

Could be anything that you can't figure out, or something just bugging you

 

I think I've pretty much worked out a working theory for Sherlock's fall, but there's a few things I'm still stumped on:

 

 

1. Why do we never see the female assassin?

 

2. Why doesn't Mycroft mention the assassin watching Mrs. Hudson? 

 

3. Who are Moriarty's "people" supposedly watching for Sherlock to fall?

 

4. What does "IOU" really mean?

 

5. Why does Moriarty talk of "angels"?

 

6. What does Sherlock say or do to convince Moriarty that he has figured out the riddle at the end?

 

7. Why does Mycroft warn John about the assassins and tell Moriarty what he needs to know to destroy Sherlock, but then do nothing to help him?

 

8. Why would the assassin watching John even be there?  None of the other assassins are trying to kill Sherlock's friends- they wanted Sherlock alive.  What makes this guy different?

 

 

Of course I have a few vague theories, but nothing with evidence.  Feel free to state your own or elaborate on these

[Julia Mae]

Could be anything that you can't figure out, or something just bugging you

 

I think I've pretty much worked out a working theory for Sherlock's fall, but there's a few things I'm still stumped on:

 

4. What does "IOU" really mean?

 

5. Why does Moriarty talk of "angels"?

 

Of course I have a few vague theories, but nothing with evidence.  Feel free to state your own or elaborate on these

 

About these two:

I think "IOU" means exactly that: for reasons we viewers don't yet understand, there is history between Sherlock's and James' families.  That will be something for the future.  Moriarty is avenging something. 

 

Being "on the side of the angels" is a classic literary reference from...... wait for it..... Parade's End!!     It's just  phrase when you don't want to say "the side of good." 

 

I see no objective reason to associate the wings on the wall with angels, though I know they are referred to that way on forums and blogs

[Carol the Dabbler]

1. Why do we never see the female assassin?

I'm pretty sure that we do briefly see her on the street when John returns to Baker Street, though I wouldn't swear to it.  And John told Mycroft that he might have already seen her.  Other than that, maybe she's just really good at staying out of sight.

 

 

2. Why doesn't Mycroft mention the assassin watching Mrs. Hudson?

Mycroft mentioned only the assassins who had recently moved to Baker Street -- so if that guy lived anywhere else ....

 

 

3. Who are Moriarty's "people" supposedly watching for Sherlock to fall?

8. Why would the assassin watching John even be there? None of the other assassins are trying to kill Sherlock's friends- they wanted Sherlock alive. What makes this guy different?

I'll address these together. I think there are two kinds of "assassins" (for want of a more generic word) associated with Moriarty -- his clients and his employees. The clients (as in "I told all my clients: last one to Sherlock is a sissy.") are the ones trying to keep Sherlock alive so they can cash in on the key code. The employees (possibly the same people from the swimming pool) are the ones threatening to kill Sherlock's friends unless he jumps. There may also be one or more additional employees monitoring the situation and notifying the individual assassins.

 

 

4. What does "IOU" really mean?

Moriarty has a grudge against Sherlock. My personal assumption is that he takes the mere existence of an intellectual equal as a personal insult. I've known people like that.

 

 

5. Why does Moriarty talk of "angels"?

As Julia May said, "on the side of the angels" is an old expression. I suspect it's really old (Milton?), but can't seem to find my Bartlett's, and Google hasn't been any help.

 

 

6. What does Sherlock say or do to convince Moriarty that he has figured out the riddle at the end?

That's one part that I don't understand. I'm not even sure that Sherlock does figure it out. As I mentioned on another thread, I think he just intimidates the living daylights out of Moriarty.

 

 

7. Why does Mycroft warn John about the assassins and tell Moriarty what he needs to know to destroy Sherlock, but then do nothing to help him?

How do you know that he doesn't? John is being kept in the dark, and so are we, to some unknown extent. I am increasingly of the opinion that Mycroft and Sherlock were working very closely together on this. By the way, I suspect that the tidbits Mycroft fed Jim were all cleverly-constructed lies.

[bborchar]

Just wanted to mention that these questions are thing that don't have any concrete evidence (from the episode) that would explain them.  Such as the Mycroft question- we know what he says to John...but we know nothing else.  We can "guess" as to what the answers might be, but I haven't seen or heard anything that gives them away yet.  It's obvious that he knows more than he's letting on, but for what purpose?  We'll have to wait to find out, but it's fun to guess

 

The female assassin does not show up anywhere in the episode- that's another lady that John sees (I think that scene is just John suspecting everyone he sees).  I've watched most of that episode on slo-mo and have not seen her anywhere in the background.

 

I know the expression of angels means to be on the side of good, I just wonder if it isn't also a clue.  It may not be at all, though.

 

I don't think Moriarty acts intimidated by Sherlock at the end- in fact, he looks positively happy about it.  That's what doesn't make sense to me.  That's why I think Sherlock figured something out, something very important.  And I do believe he is counting on Moriarty to commit suicide, otherwise he wouldn't be able to pull off the jump trick.

[Julia Mae]

Just wanted to mention that these questions are thing that don't have any concrete evidence (from the episode) that would explain them.  Such as the Mycroft question- we know what he says to John...but we know nothing else.

 

Well, what have we seen?  For the first time, Sherlock calls Mycroft brother in a truly brotherly way at the end of ASIB.  In Baskerville, Sherlock calls Mycroft for help (unprecedented) and calls him "brother dear."  And Mycroft does help him arranging his access to the lab for 24 hours.

 

Now, Mycroft tells John he can't talk to Sherlock about assassins living right next door because of "old resentments?"   Doesn't make any sense.  Even before the reconciliation, Mycroft would show up out of concern and visist the flat on business. 

 

To complete the hoax, the people on the ground had to be in on it.  I hardly think all of those folks were homeless people.  This is akin to a state secret, it's going to be carefully controlled and we can look to the Canon for hints - Sherlock Holmes stayed "dead" for rather a long while as Moriarty's associates and henchmen were found.  Here, Sherlock and Mycroft both lie to John.  That's not coincidence.  Sherlock's death isn't something to be trusted to anyone casually.

 

If Sherlock wants to get a recorded confession from Moriarty, a mobile isn't appropriate and he can't wire the roof.  Moriarty will get there first and search it.  That means some sophisticated long-range surveillance and sound equipment.

 

Writers can create any realities in their universes they want, but I see no way to make this even semi-believable in future without Mycroft and Sherlock having started planning this at the end of ASIB.   The ringing phone clinched it for me.

 

As for the argument we have "no concrete evidence," I think it's quote Sherlockian that we use inductive or deductive reasoning.  You do that (with no concrete evidence) when you posit that Sherlock had to have fallen onto a device on the ground.  There's no evidence of one, but it makes sense to you on terms of what you see when you watch.  Same sort of thinking is applied here.  It's what Sherlock does!

[bborchar]

When I talk about the airbag with evidence, this is why I do so:

 

 

After watching the episode several times, it became apparent to me that he fell onto something and was helped by people on the ground.

When I looked at the filming for TEH, they shot scenes where he fell onto an airbag, was helped off and then runs out of sight to "get ready".

I don't think the airbag was just for him to fall on- it is what he really uses because of the different types of shots they did (falling without wires, falling onto it from a stepladder immediately above it and shots of him being helped off it by people. They also shot pieces where the group of people move it across the street immediately. There are no other versions of his fall shot at the hospital. And, when put into context of the version of the fall in TRF, it makes complete sense.

Before they shot it, I guessed he fell on something. The shooting was the evidence.

 

 

As far as Mycroft goes, we don't know what he did, but we can guess at it.  I agree that the confession wasn't recorded on a mobile - that's why I think Sherlock uses the wireless camera.  I do believe Mycroft knows more than he says to John- that is apparent.  But we don't have enough evidence in that episode to guess as to what kind of help he gives.  Maybe the person shooting the assassins ISN'T an assassin- we never see the person doing the shooting.  But I don't know, I don't have enough visual evidence to make a reasonable hypothesis.  Sherlock at least has some clues in order to make his deductions- we don't have enough to figure out exactly what Mycroft's involvement is.