Episode 3.1, "The Empty Hearse"

[Omega]

I just finished re+watch the episode : the first time this afternoon, without subtitles... I was like "yeah... Didn't get everything, but what I get was great..." Second time, few minutes ago, with "fast subtitles" "Oh god, it's just awesome ! Still need a rewatch, with "propper" subtitles !"

 

Any way, I just loved it. And it is just so pleasant to have the showback !

 

A question came to me, at the end of the rewatch. During the "Sherlock explaining to Anderson" scene, Sherlock speaks about the person who had to look like him to adopt the girl, and said Moriarty probably killed him... Well, as I think this "explaination" is not quite right, I'm wondering if, if this person isn't dead, could he be Molly's boyfriend ?

 

 

Slight spoiler:

 

 

Sherlock lied to Anderson about how he survived, right? We don't know the right version yet, am I correct?

Rule number one : Sherlock lies... Oh, wrong show ?

 

Watching it again, and paying particular notice of the part where John asks Sherlock again why the person came after him and put him in the bonfire. 

 

In line with that, it's also strange that they contacted Mary instead of Sherlock directly. Obviously, they knew she would go to Sherlock for help (and directed further communications on her phone to him directly), but why text her in the first place when they could have just texted Sherlock? 

 

Then, at the end, the bad guy is playing that clip over and over of them pulling John out of the fire.  It is made to look like he's focusing on Sherlock, but what if he's actually focusing on Mary? He repeatedly plays the bit of her saying "John!" "John!" "John!" over and over. I'm starting to wonder if there is a connection between Mary and this bad guy, and if threatening John was a way to get at her, and not Sherlock. 

I didn't thought of that, but when I read it, I have to admit, I found it quite intersting. Hope we'll learn a lot more about her character

 

 

Sorry T.o.b.y. I'm not sure how to quote on my phone, Mark Gatiss played a character called Lazarus in Doctor Who

My thought exactly !

 

I really loved all the "poking up at the fans", of any sort.

 

Oh and happy new Sherlock/year, everyone !

[Karie]

 

 

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... This was... I don't even know. Think I need some recovery time, really. It was different than what I expected, and different from the other episodes so far in several ways. I loved it to pieces, and yet there's a part of me - I suspect the sensitive part - that's not satisfied with Sherlock's response to John's anger. I honestly thought I had expected something like the reactions I've just seen, but... I don't know, I feel slightly exasperated. Like I want to rip Sherlock's hair out myself, because I think he got off the hook too easily Hehe! But, wow, this was awesome, too! So much great stuff. Don't know how I'm going to sleep now, what with all this excitement  I think this episode is just more wacky than any so far. Will need to see it again very soon!

 

 

I agree! I thought Sherlock definitely got off too easily with John, especially when he played that little "joke" on the train. I really wanted him to get punched again there. And speaking of which... it was dissatisfying to me that the scene kept cutting away with John lunging at Sherlock and we never actually saw a punch. That was anticlimactic for me since I really felt John deserved more of an apology, and that his anger was warranted and not properly appreciated by Sherlock, and I wanted to see him rough Sherlock up a bit. Especially when Sherlock kept making jokes like it was no big deal. I did love the bit with John strangling Sherlock on the floor, though. 

 

I wholeheartedly agree! To me the episode could've done with more of Sherlock trying to get back into John's life, John giving him the cold-shoulder, and finally Sherlock giving him a sincere apology. Sherlock was pushing his luck at the start of the episode with the big reveal, but towards the end I was downright livid with him!  -_-

 

 

Yes! That was exactly what I wanted! Somebody fanfic that!! 

[Zain]

Watching it again, and paying particular notice of the part where John asks Sherlock again why the person came after him and put him in the bonfire. 

 

In line with that, it's also strange that they contacted Mary instead of Sherlock directly. Obviously, they knew she would go to Sherlock for help (and directed further communications on her phone to him directly), but why text her in the first place when they could have just texted Sherlock? 

 

Then, at the end, the bad guy is playing that clip over and over of them pulling John out of the fire.  It is made to look like he's focusing on Sherlock, but what if he's actually focusing on Mary? He repeatedly plays the bit of her saying "John!" "John!" "John!" over and over. I'm starting to wonder if there is a connection between Mary and this bad guy, and if threatening John was a way to get at her, and not Sherlock. 

 

Actually, that part bothered me, too. And made me, against my will, interested in Mary. It also made me review all scenes that include her. There's something going on there beneath the surface.

 

 

Why contact Mary? Magnussen reviews the footage of the bonfire, his focus is clearly on Sherlock, not Mary. The camera is following Sherlock's movements while he saves John. The messages while they ride the bike are addressed to 'Mr Holmes'. The reason Mary's shouts stand out is that he plays the same scene over and over again. To me, it looks like Magnussen observes Sherlock's "performance". I'd like to think of it as such; Magnussen's flat contains several items that normally belong to magicians. The Guy Fawkes incident is not about the riddle; too plain. Magnussen isn't interested in baiting Sherlock, unlike Jim did. His footage shows that he is interested in Sherlock's "performance". He made him 'dance'. If he were interested in Mary, the footage would show her constantly, at least in the background if the camera wasn't centered on her. That is not the case. The camera also follows Sherlock's movements.

 

 

That's why I think Magnussen's interested in Sherlock.

Which makes the entire incident rather suspicious.

 

Again; why contact Mary? The first message does not tell her to show her phone to Sherlock. There's no mention of him. She could easily have dismissed the message. Magnussen must have made sure that she understood the code. Or that she knew to show it to Sherlock. 

 

 

Throughout the Guy Fawkes Incident, the messages are well-timed. Even if Magnussen knew that Mary would show the message to Sherlock, there was no certainty that she wouldn't be delayed. What if she first called John on his phone? To check whether he was alright? Or what if she drove home to check whether he was there? Mary clearly deduced the code - she knew that time was of the essence. While it sure is smarter to have 'back-up' - why would she waste precious time getting Sherlock's second opinion? I also noticed that she did not ask whether John was at Sherlock's. Instead of asking first, she rushes into the house, past Mrs Hudson who might alleviate her worries, and states that he was taken. Mary seems very sure of that fact; she also does not mention that she tried to call him,. Wouldn't it strengthen the point she wants to make? "I can't reach himm, and I got this message. Look". I don't think she even tried to. She knew he had been taken. There was no real doubt.

I find her behavior more than suspicious. Besides, where did Magnussen get her phone number? Let's assume he's almighty, someone like Mycroft - why would he bother texting Mary, then, instead of Sherlock himself? Or Mrs Hudson, who is more likely to go to Sherlock? If Magnussen doesn't have the connections to get Sherlock or Mrs Hudson's phone number, how did he get Mary's?

Mary does not state that she received the message through John's phone - which would have shaken her more. I assume they didn't get the number from his contacts, then. Why bother using another phone if they had his? It would have driven the message home much more efficiently.

 

 

Mary doesn't have a very active role, and yet she appears to be heavily involved in the Guy Fawkes Incident which overall doesn't make sense without theorizing a lot while knowing next to nothing.

It begins with John's abduction - why in front of Baker Street? This is far from practical, especially in daylight, besides: an abduction in the open. If John was followed, there must have been at least one alley, one place that would invite less witnesses (which could interfere!). No. Baker Street is symbolic. Not practical. Which makes this even more mysterious.

How would Magnussen know that John was to visit Baker Street on that day? I doubt the bonfire was chosen on a whim. It requires at least some preparation - you have to smuggle the body in there. The bonfire is rather far from the place of abduction, Baker Street. 20 minutes by car, according to Sherlock. No. Magnussen must have thought of it before the actual abduction. The question is: How would he know that there was a high chance John would visit Baker Street before the actual Bonfire, and on that exact day?

 

 

Of course John and Sherlock are friends; but if John was under surveillance, and he must have been to some degree, Magnussen was aware of their fight. It was likely that he would visit Sherlock - but it was Mary who told him twice to go to Baker Street after work. Coincidence, maybe. Probably? After evaluating everything, this made me suspicious. It's a bit convenient that John was abducted right in front of Baker Street. There were only two people who knew with some certainty that John would head there. John himself who made the decision, and Mary who spoke to him about it. She encouraged him to go.

 

 

 

I don't doubt they would have taken John elsewhere if he hadn't gone to Baker Street. But it probably was rather convenient for Magnussen that he did. Symbolism and all that. 

 

That's why I think Mary is a key player. And there's more to her than what we got in "The Empty Hearse". She has got a secret. And she's a liar.

 

 

I believe she's one of Magnussen's "agents." I don't think her to be full of malice and hatred, no. But I think she was placed at John's side. One of Magnussen's "girls". Because every magician needs girls to cover up his game. To assist him. Magnussen has proven to rely on manpower. It's how he plays his games. The people abducting John. And even the camera footage was recorded by a person. The camera is shaking.

When Sherlock returned, something Magnussen anticipated, he saw through Sherlock's "magic trick", the plan was set into motion. Mary was to show this message to Sherlock. I don't know whether she was told about the actual plan. Probably not. I think she's being blackmailed, and that's her secret. She figured out the message and worries about John. He has become dear to her, though she had other reasons to become close to him, and, finally, to get inside knowledge on Sherlock. She encourages John to make up with Sherlock, that way, she has a link to him.

 

 

Yep, so that's a lot deduced from nothing Looking forward to other ideas.

[RV0889]

Loved the episode. The opening scene with its upbeat BG track was really something. For a sec, i believed it to be the explanation until the hypnotizer comes around and puts watson to sleep. Mycroft was brilliant. I liked the bit where he says he learnt serbian in couple hours non-chalantly and Sherlock dismisses it as slowing down. The sibling bonding was just fantastic, esp mycroft. Sherlock finally seems to be investing and believing in friends and appealing mycroft to do the same was quite touching for me.

 

Watson with mustache looks ghastly. His reaction to Sherlock's return was just amazing, exactly what i had imagined it would be. Then Sherlock and watson completing the cuss words was just brilliant from the writers, especially f and cough . A quick word on Mary, she really looks an adorable character doesn't she. It would be bad to see her on the villain's side.

 

I found the main case in itself a bit disappointing, not much of clever deductions etc. But ofc, this episode was all about Sherlock's emphatic return than anything else. Some of the canon references were brilliant as usual. The writers place it in the plot ever so subtly. The appearance of Ben's parents as the Holmes was a classy touch too.

[RV0889]

Was not this season scheduled to air earlier, november? I thought that could be the reason watson sported mustache, for movember and the gun plot treason reference too.

[sherlockandjohn]

 

But I am reconsidering my disappointment with the solution to The Fall. I have to admit it makes a lot of sense (except for the body switch, but maybe I'm just too dense to get that) and it's a lot more realistic than the heroic, spur of the moment feat I had liked to imagine. After all, Sherlock told us quite early on that he didn't believe in heroes and did not want to be considered one. It's kind of cool how he continues to disappoint my hopes in that area.

 

On closer consideration, I also think it was a more likely scenario to have Sherlock and Mycroft "wheel in" Moriarty after careful planning, rather than just sit back and wait for Moriarty to do, well, something. Mycroft said to John, in TRF, that they watched Moriarty, and it then seems reasonable for the government to take action.

[T.o.b.y]

Mycroft was brilliant. I liked the bit where he says he learnt serbian in couple hours non-chalantly and Sherlock dismisses it as slowing down. The sibling bonding was just fantastic, esp mycroft. Sherlock finally seems to be investing and believing in friends and appealing mycroft to do the same was quite touching for me.

 

Am I the only person who thinks Mycroft's role throughout is pretty appalling? First of all, if the events of The Reichenbach Fall were premeditated months in advance, then there must a have been a possible alternative to sacrificing his brother's reputation, disrupting his life and traumatizing his closest friend. Secondly, I don't see much "sibling bonding" (at least not a kind I'd care for) where a brother cooly sits down and watches his sibling being brutally tortured (and he didn't even deny he actually enjoyed that). Thirdly, a man of Mycroft's intelligence cannot really fail to recognize Sherlock's brilliance and energy, so I'm assuming he chooses deliberately to try and still make him feel like an idiot. How very kind and helpful!

 

I'm getting the impression Mycroft wasn't kidding in A Study in Pink when he spoke of being his brother's (perceived) arch enemy!

[sherlockandjohn]

 

Mycroft was brilliant. I liked the bit where he says he learnt serbian in couple hours non-chalantly and Sherlock dismisses it as slowing down. The sibling bonding was just fantastic, esp mycroft. Sherlock finally seems to be investing and believing in friends and appealing mycroft to do the same was quite touching for me.

 

Am I the only person who thinks Mycroft's role throughout is pretty appalling? First of all, if the events of The Reichenbach Fall were premeditated months in advance, then there must a have been a possible alternative to sacrificing his brother's reputation, disrupting his life and traumatizing his closest friend. Secondly, I don't see much "sibling bonding" (at least not a kind I'd care for) where a brother cooly sits down and watches his sibling being brutally tortured (and he didn't even deny he actually enjoyed that). Thirdly, a man of Mycroft's intelligence cannot really fail to recognize Sherlock's brilliance and energy, so I'm assuming he chooses deliberately to try and still make him feel like an idiot. How very kind and helpful!

 

I'm getting the impression Mycroft wasn't kidding in A Study in Pink when he spoke of being his brother's (perceived) arch enemy!

 

 

Well, when you put it that way... I see your point.

 

I don't think we'll ever know if Mycroft enjoyed watching his brother being tortured, but perhaps he didn't have much choice if he was going to save Sherlock. Yes, he was being pretty cold when talking to Sherlock about the incident, but I guess I've written Mycroft down as being cold, so I'm not expecting anything else. In fact, when I watch the scene with them playing, it moves me that they have anything resembling a brotherly bond. You might say my expectations are so low that I'm easy to impress. I guess they are not really bonding, but more "having a moment" here and there.

 

It's a bit the same with Sherlock: He is not sentimental, and he does not reflect on feelings. So when he meets John again, we should not expect him to be completely understanding (a mistake I kind of made).

[Let's_have_dinner]

It was interesting reading people's views on Mary and their suspicions. I was intrigued by Sherlock reading 'liar' but I found the character very likeable and can't/don't want to believe she's a villain. I assumed whoever was texting her got her number from John's phone and predicted she would go to Sherlock. I did think at the time though that it was interesting that she recognised a skip cipher.

[sherlockandjohn]

About the now infamous and much discussed train/bomb scene... First, I thought it was cold of Sherlock to laugh after John has told him that he was 'the best and wisest man' he's ever known, and that he forgives him. At this point in the episode we've seen Sherlock being nervous and admitting to John that he owes him some kind of apology. We've also heard him say "sorry" in a pretty heartfelt way. We still haven't heard him admit how badly he's hurt John. So when the bomb starts ticking and Sherlock says: "Please, John, forgive me for all the hurt I caused you" - and BC plays his role so well that it seems perfectly genuine and very emotional - naturally I fell for it. I wanted to fall for it. I had my doubts, but it seemed genuine. John falls for it, and it gets even more emotional. Then, my hopes of an emotionally satisfying closure between the two are crushed, when Sherlock starts laughing! Oh no, he's tricked me again...

 

The second time, I laughed with Sherlock. It was pretty funny to see John's face when he thought they were about to die. And even more so, it is hysterically funny to see Sherlock laughing so hard that he cries, and pointing at John, saying "Your face! I totally had you!"

 

After the third time, I realised that the scene is perfect to me for several reasons. 1) It is very emotional, because John was being honest, at least. 2) Sherlock anticipated how John would get all emotional, and even though he did it for sports, it means that Sherlock knows how John feels about him. Which I think is very sweet  3) It's not realistic to have such an open heart-to-heart between them, and yet John said in TRF that there were things he regretted never saying to Sherlock. I really wanted John to say something about that after Sherlock had returned, but I also knew it could hardly be done in an open, honest, and plainly sentimental way - at least not while also being in-character - so I thought it was brilliant that the writers had John be open, because he thinks he's going to die. Sherlock's response was not very insensitive; we can easily write it down to him simply enjoying the joke.

 

Finally, Sherlock tells John in the end that he heard him when John was at his grave. His face and tone of voice when he says those words, "I heard you", suggests that he does understand - as much as he is able to.

 

I love it. It's strange how I was dissatisfied at first, and now, less than two days later, I feel really good about the way they handled the reunion. It was actually very emotional and very funny!

[Janie]

Well, Magnussen is supposed to be a blackmailer so I think he knows something about Mary's past so she's being blackmailed. I don't believe she's a villain but she definitely has a secret.

[moth]

Well, Magnussen is supposed to be a blackmailer so I think he knows something about Mary's past so she's being blackmailed. I don't believe she's a villain but she definitely has a secret.

 

This would make sense, and would also explain why Mary received the texts about John's abduction

[sherlockandjohn]

I don't think Mary is a villain either. I haven't read the books, but it's not my impression that she is a villain there, so it would seem strange to me if they made such a radical change... and for what reason? I agree, though, that there has to be a reason for the 'liar' and 'disillusioned' that Sherlock noticed.

[Let's_have_dinner]

One could argue, though, that everyone is a 'liar' in one way or another - who is 100% truthful all the time, to others and themselves? Maybe Sherlock was reading too much into it because he wanted to know all about her, to protect John?

[sherlockandjohn]

Exactly right, we've all lied at some points, though I presume if it's something worth noticing, it's more of a habit with her than with most. Or I could be reading too much into it, like Sherlock might be doing, but then again he didn't seem to be against Mary at all - neither am I, just to make that clear I think she's great.

[Let's_have_dinner]

I thought Sherlock and Mary's relationship was really interesting. I love the moment in the restaurant when he says to John, "are you really going to keep that?" with that nervous sort of laugh, which I thought Benedict delivered perfectly, and the way he then glances at Mary and she sort of laughs too in a surprised way. And when she says "he would have needed a confidant," and later tells John she likes Sherlock. And she's obviously keen for them to renew their friendship, asking John if he's going to see Sherlock again, even though some people might theorise that's just because she's been paid/blackmailed or something to get them back together. I like them racing across London to save John together (although is it just me, or was Mary a bit thick to read the message "John is one great Guy" and see the bonfire with a guy on and not understand what it meant?) And I like the look they shared at the end, when Mary talked about Sherlock being at the wedding and he said weddings aren't really his thing.

 

I expected not to like Mary and I do like her, and I expected her and Sherlock not to get along and they do. Interesting! 

[Janie]

Yes, I loved the scene when Mary and Sherlock are standing outside the restaurant and she tells him "I'll talk to him". The way Sherlock says "You will?" and the look he gives her gave me the impression that he liked her

[sherlockandjohn]

I thought Sherlock and Mary's relationship was really interesting. I love the moment in the restaurant when he says to John, "are you really going to keep that?" with that nervous sort of laugh, which I thought Benedict delivered perfectly, and the way he then glances at Mary and she sort of laughs too in a surprised way. And when she says "he would have needed a confidant," and later tells John she likes Sherlock. And she's obviously keen for them to renew their friendship, asking John if he's going to see Sherlock again, even though some people might theorise that's just because she's been paid/blackmailed or something to get them back together. I like them racing across London to save John together (although is it just me, or was Mary a bit thick to read the message "John is one great Guy" and see the bonfire with a guy on and not understand what it meant?) And I like the look they shared at the end, when Mary talked about Sherlock being at the wedding and he said weddings aren't really his thing.

 

I expected not to like Mary and I do like her, and I expected her and Sherlock not to get along and they do. Interesting! 

 

I cannot say how much I loved the way Benedict delivered the line "are you really gonna keep that?" and every other line in the restaurant, for that matter. And his face! He honestly made me more emotional in that scene than Martin did, but then I suspect that's because I anticipated John's reaction. I had no idea how Sherlock would behave, but watching him struggle for words was intense.

 

I also enjoy Sherlock and Mary's relationship so far, and looking very much forward to see more of their interaction! I liked all the scenes you mentioned between them, as well as the one in the shop where they agree on John's mustache John's reaction is priceless: "Oh that's charming, I've really missed this!"

[Let's_have_dinner]

Yes, I loved the scene when Mary and Sherlock are standing outside the restaurant and she tells him "I'll talk to him". The way Sherlock says "You will?" and the look he gives her gave me the impression that he liked her

They definitely had some good moments together. It's interesting, because Sherlock doesn't make friends easily - one of his 'best friends' is Lestrade and he can't even remember his first name, so for him to form something resembling a friendship with some quickly is unusual. And given his relationship with John and how he obviously wants his old life back - the two of them living together at 221B - it's Mary who's standing in the way of that. So you'd expect him not to like her, or to try not to like her. But that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.

[Let's_have_dinner]

I agree - "are you really going to keep that?" was just brilliant. And when you think about the words on the page, and how many ways they could have been interpreted, it really shows Ben's acting skills because it was just perfect. It was funny, it showed he was nervous and didn't really know how to act, it showed how he wanted things to be 'right' between him and John but he wasn't really sure how to go about it because he's not good at the heartfelt stuff... just brilliant.

[sherlockandjohn]

Precisely! That scene required a unique balance; it could so easily have become too comical, given Sherlock's words, but it didn't, due to the brillant acting and directing of the scene.

[Let's_have_dinner]

Totally. It was funny, sweet, heartfelt and kind of sad at the same time. Genius.

[Escribblings]

Was not this season scheduled to air earlier, november? I thought that could be the reason watson sported mustache, for movember and the gun plot treason reference too.

Now you come to mention it, I think I remember Benedict saying it would air in November on a talk show either in late 2012 or early 2013 - but then it got pushed back for some reason.

 

It would have made a bit more sense if it had aired in November though.

[Undead Medic]

 

Was not this season scheduled to air earlier, november? I thought that could be the reason watson sported mustache, for movember and the gun plot treason reference too.

Now you come to mention it, I think I remember Benedict saying it would air in November on a talk show either in late 2012 or early 2013 - but then it got pushed back for some reason.

 

It would have made a bit more sense if it had aired in November though.

 

 

I was saying that just last night, that the episode was set in November and John could have been growing his 'tache for Movember. But seeing as you have to start Movember clean shaven, that would have given him only 5 days to have grown that impressive *ahem* bristle in time for Guy Fawkes night on the 5th Nov!

 

[Karie]

Something (nit picky, I know) I've noticed... according to John's blog, the webisode with Lestrade taking him the box of Sherlock's things occurred about a month before Sherlock's return. John was clean shaven in the webisode, and I remember we were speculating on the time frame last week and I commented that John could have easily grown the mustache in a few weeks, as some men grow facial hair rather quickly. 

 

However, Mary comments that John has had the mustache for six months. 

 

Continuity error! LOL 

 

Regarding Mary, I don't think she's a villain either, I just think we'll find that she's hiding something. Maybe she got involved with something and got in over her head, or what's-his-face is blackmailing her, or they were involved in the past and she got away from him, IDK. I don't think she's evil, I just think she's maybe caught up in something (or has been and is about to be again). I'm glad she and Sherlock hit it off so well, I prefer that so much more to them bickering and acting like toddlers, fighting over John's attention. 

 

Speaking of which... I laughed so hard at the bit where she's like,"Oh, six months of bristly kisses for me, and then his nibs waltzes back into town..." 

 

It takes a really secure woman to joke about her fiance's slightly homoerotic relationship with another man. I instantly liked her 100% more in that second. Definitely beats Miss "Oh, you're a great boyfriend! Sherlock Holmes is a lucky man!" when John wanted to, you know, cancel plans to make sure his friend didn't FALL OFF THE WAGON AND OVERDOSE immediately after finding out someone he knew had died.