Episode 3.1, "The Empty Hearse"

[Arcadia]

 

This recap of 'Hearse' is all I've ever wanted (i hope this is allowed!!!)

 

http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6948558/sherlock-season-3-episode-1-recap

 

 

 

This is like the best thing ever.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Anytime i try to use the multi-quote i fail miserably! hence my posts after posts as i catch up to the messages of the present day!

I think there's something to be said for separate posts -- people are probably more apt to "Like" them because they can target their favorite part, plus it's easier for people to Quote.

 

There's one thing I omitted from my write-up on multi-quoting (because I assumed that I'm about the only one here who still has slow internet service): Multi-quote will not work properly if the page is still loading. So be sure you wait till it's done.

 

Still gotta feel sorry for him, though.  In a way.

 

Gotta feel sorry for Moriarty?  I'm missing something...

Because he's such a sad specimen. He's presumably never had a friend, because he doesn't know how to be a friend (only how to use people). I guess maybe it would be more precise to say that I pity him.

 

[sherlockandjohn]

 

The moment I think really gives Sherlock away for me is when John tells him to use his mind palace, and Sherlock eventually says "Maybe". The way he says it, and the fact that John is the one reminding him what to do, is very suspicious

I'm missing your point here and I want to understand! Can you say more?

 

 

I'm thinking of how suspicious the train scene was, and how I was constantly wondering: Is Sherlock faking? Yes! No. Yes! But then, nooooo he can't be! Because Sherlock is such a great actor (and because Benedict Cumberbatch is!) he managed to make me choke up at his seemingly heartfelt apology to John, but still... it was suspicous how he had first given in to John's demand that he use his mind palace. If Sherlock believed his mind palace would help, he would have probably thought of that himself, but in this scene he comes off as so insecure that it becomes very suspicious indeed.

 

Does that makes sense? I'm finding it difficult to explain.

[mxmarg]

Suspicious how?  Do you think that Sherlock already knew there had to be an off switch on the bomb ...so he was purposefully ratcheting up the tension with John by insisting he had no knowledge of bomb diffusion and feigning absolute failure in his mind palace?  ...without having seen the ep twice yet, I think that rather makes sense!  Is that what you meant, Lady of Denmark?

[Arcadia]

The way it's written I think it's impossible to know what's real and what isn't .... but I LIKE to believe that Sherlock genuinely wanted John's forgiveness, and was genuinely touched -- and somewhat surprised -- when he got it. And I think that's the only part that really matters to me.

 

I actually bought the whole "won't it be funny to fool John into thinking we're gonna die" because I've known men (nephews mine, I'm looking at you! :-) who pull crap like that on their best buds or a beloved brother, and find it sooooooooo funny...... Men can be really weird sometimes.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

I have no problem in believing that Sherlock was desperately trying to get John's forgiveness. The look on Sherlock's face in the restaurant was very telling. He was totally thrown that John was so angry. He was touched and surprised on the train.

[sherlockandjohn]

Suspicious how?  Do you think that Sherlock already knew there had to be an off switch on the bomb ...so he was purposefully ratcheting up the tension with John by insisting he had no knowledge of bomb diffusion and feigning absolute failure in his mind palace?  ...without having seen the ep twice yet, I think that rather makes sense!  Is that what you meant, Lady of Denmark?

 

Precisely! Sherlock says: "There's always an off switch" - so he had to have known or strongly suspected that he could turn off the bomb.

[sherlockandjohn]

The way it's written I think it's impossible to know what's real and what isn't .... but I LIKE to believe that Sherlock genuinely wanted John's forgiveness, and was genuinely touched -- and somewhat surprised -- when he got it. And I think that's the only part that really matters to me.

 

I actually bought the whole "won't it be funny to fool John into thinking we're gonna die" because I've known men (nephews mine, I'm looking at you! :-) who pull crap like that on their best buds or a beloved brother, and find it sooooooooo funny...... Men can be really weird sometimes.

 

Sherlock's laugh is simply priceless!!!

[Arcadia]

 

 

 

Sherlock's laugh is simply priceless!!!

 

Yeh, that kinda made that scene for me. There's something about men acting like boys that makes me happy! 

[T.o.b.y]

There's something I don't understand (well, a lot of things, actually, but this one is bugging me at the moment) about The Explanation and maybe some of you can help me because you notice practical things like who is standing where when and can see what, at which I am rubbish. After Sherlock has told Anderson how he "did it", Anderson asks what about the sniper aiming at John and Sherlock says Mycroft's people got to him before he could shoot and "invited him to reconsider". Now, why would the sniper have tried to shoot John at all if Sherlock had done what Moriarty wanted, i.e. jumped off the building and apparently killed himself? Was that sniper in a position to see the airbag? If so, then what good did it do to keep John in the dark if there was an accomplice of Moriarty's around who knew perfectly well what had really happened and could inform the entire network? Or do you think Mycroft's staff killed him? I mean, it would have been difficult to give him a fair trial without the truth leaking out, hm?

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

That ambulance building is pretty wide open, meaning there is quite an open area between it and Bart's proper. Since that is where the air bag was blown up, it is possible that John's sniper could see it. As Carol mentioned earlier, it's a wonder John didn't notice it when his cab pulled up. But his attention and focus was else where.

 

  It's hard to say what happened to the sniper. There are all kind's of meanings to the phrase: "He was persuaded."  Killed, sent into perpetual exile, threatened with death if he didn't disappear. Thrown into a secret prison somewhere.....

[mangopony]

Found this on YouTube and it made me smile so I thought I'd share it with you lovely people!

 

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Oh my, PBS is rerunning Season Three starting tonight. Oh rats, it's pledge time, again!  Oh well, it's Sherlock.

[Pamela]

I have my DVDs, but it still might be fun to see what they do with it.

 

Edit: I just checked, and my local PBS station isn't running it. They're opting for a Great Performances.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Well that's a rip off.

[Pamela]

Yeah. Phooey.

[Arcadia]

That ambulance building is pretty wide open, meaning there is quite an open area between it and Bart's proper. Since that is where the air bag was blown up, it is possible that John's sniper could see it. As Carol mentioned earlier, it's a wonder John didn't notice it when his cab pulled up. But his attention and focus was else where.

 

  It's hard to say what happened to the sniper. There are all kind's of meanings to the phrase: "He was persuaded."  Killed, sent into perpetual exile, threatened with death if he didn't disappear. Thrown into a secret prison somewhere.....

If memory serves, at the end of TRF they showed the sniper packing up his equipment. Which doesn't clear up anything, really, but I thought I'd mention it.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

That has been mentioned. The question being was that one of the snipers protecting John or was it Moriarty's. No one knows for sure.

[Carol the Dabbler]

After Sherlock has told Anderson how he "did it", Anderson asks what about the sniper aiming at John and Sherlock says Mycroft's people got to him before he could shoot and "invited him to reconsider". Now, why would the sniper have tried to shoot John at all if Sherlock had done what Moriarty wanted, i.e. jumped off the building and apparently killed himself? Was that sniper in a position to see the airbag? If so, then what good did it do to keep John in the dark if there was an accomplice of Moriarty's around who knew perfectly well what had really happened and could inform the entire network? Or do you think Mycroft's staff killed him? I mean, it would have been difficult to give him a fair trial without the truth leaking out, hm?

 

That's all we actually know about the sniper's fate, unfortunately, but I would assume that Mycroft had somehow made pretty damn sure that he wouldn't talk (draw your own conclusions).

 

As for what he could see -- well, after Sherlock's "body" was carted off, we saw the sniper's view (through his gun-sight) of John standing right where the airbag had been, so yes, he would surely have been able to see the airbag.

 

That's from screen evidence, of course.  From a real-world perspective, there was absolutely no way he could have seen the airbag, because he was actually a couple of miles away from Bart's.

[Slithytove]

Given that they dealt so easily with the sniper, who was the jump supposed to fool?

 

Not the sniper - Mycroft's men got him.

 

Not Jim - his suicide wasn't anticipated but he would have to be killed or arrested, because he would otherwise watch Sherlock jump and land on an airbag.

 

Not the other snipers - if the sniper who appeared to be watching was dealt with by Mycroft, who told Mrs Hudson and Lestrade's snipers that Sherlock had jumped? Another observer? But how could Sherlock know where this unknown person was standing, and whether they could see the airbag?

 

Jim's network? - maybe, but why such an elaborate "death"? What is the point?

 

Not John - Sherlock had sent him back to Baker Street on a wild goose chase. He might not have returned, or might not have got back in time. Presumably the idea of getting him to stand where his view was obscured, and having the cyclist standing by, was a contingency plan in case he turned up before Sherlock jumped. Anyway, what would be the point of staging it all for John's benefit?

 

Prior to S3, when it seemed the Fall was staged to fool John's sniper who would then inform the others, it made a sort of sense. (Though I could never work out how they could know that the sniper couldn't see the pavement from his viewpoint.) Now I can't understand what it was for.

[sherlockandjohn]

I assume the whole world had to believe Sherlock to be dead in order to fool Moriarty's network - for the purpose of Sherlock to 1) track them down without their knowledge, and/or 2) keep them from going after John, Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade subsequently.

[sherlockandjohn]

Another question for interpretation: By the end of Sherlock and Mycroft's "deduction game", Mycroft says that the owner of the hat was not necessarily isolated - maybe he just didn't mind being different. Then this happens:

Sherlock: "Exactly."

Mycroft: "I'm sorry?"

Sherlock: "He's different, so what? Why would he mind? You're quite right." (Puts on hat.) "Why would anyone mind?"

Mycroft (looks startled): "I'm not lonely, Sherlock."

 

My question is: How did the conversation shift to being about Mycroft? Sherlock puts on the hat, so it seems to me that if anyone, he's talking about himself. I just don't get the shift that happens there

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Could it have been all in the subtext?  Sherlock did make that comment when Mycroft set the Operation Games buzzer off in trying to get the heart "Can't handle a broken heart, how very telling."

 

 Then not long after Sherlock proposes deducing the hat.

[Slithytove]

I assume the whole world had to believe Sherlock to be dead in order to fool Moriarty's network - for the purpose of Sherlock to 1) track them down without their knowledge, and/or 2) keep them from going after John, Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade subsequently.

But why jump off a roof?

 

If one of Jim's people was watching, how did Sherlock know they couldn't see the airbag?

 

If they weren't watching, why not just announce the news that Sherlock was dead? Mycroft could have made up any cause of death, without having to go through such a complicated and risky scenario.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

One reason could be: We really still don't know the whole truth behind Sherlock's explanation to John (and Anderson) on the train car.  At the end, when Sherlock is going down to make a statement to the press on the street, John follows him down and asks him point blank if he will ever tell John exactly what happened at Bart's that day.

 

  Sherlock looks pensive and goes all evasive and says something like: "You know my methods, John."  Then turns away.

 

  Plus we have Sherlock's statement to Molly after they saw the train guy.  It is then he tells her that it was because of her that Moriarty made his biggest mistake. That he didn't see how important Molly was to Sherlock and that she was instrumental in saving his life that day.  If Sherlock and Mycroft was so on top of things, why was her part still so important?  Yes, according to Sherlock, they needed a body which would be a piece of cake for her. But that doesn't have a whole lot to do with actually saving his life, does it?