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Episode 3.2, "The Sign of Three"


Undead Medic

What Did You Think Of "The Sign of Three"?  

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Sherlock really only takes advantage of people he genuinely likes.

 

Oh, I like this idea!  (I see that there have been more replies since I started writing mine, but I'll go ahead and post this much before I get hopelessly behind.)

 

So far I've thought of three factors that might apply:

 

1.  As Pamela says, "you hurt the one you love," which I think is generally because they've allowed you inside their personal defense system, where it's readily possible to hurt them deeply.  This probably applies most to Molly, who hardly seems to filter Sherlock at all.

 

2.  An attention-getting technique.  I can't offhand think of any examples, but it does gibe with Sherlock's apparent emotional age.

 

3.  They're handy.  When Sherlock needs to test the effects of a psychoactive drug, for example, he can't very well test it on himself, because a] his mind is not ordinary, and b] how can he observe properly if he's stoned?  That means he needs a test subject, and preferably one who doesn't know they're being tested (so their expectations don't contaminate the results).  So it's only logical for him to use John a good bit of the time.

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Yes, I know what you mean about whether he was confusing himself with the bride or the groom, although I sort of think he wasn't sure if his parallel was John or Mary, not groom or bride, if you know what I mean?  I think part of the reason he forgives Mary relatively readily in HLV is that he sees her as a female version of himself, and maybe he sees some parallels between her relationship with John and his own.  (Not trying to go down a Johnlock road here, just saying there are parallels.)  In HLV, if John would reject the clearly-sociopathic Mary, he might reject the self-styled "high functioning sociopath" Sherlock. 

 

I do think it is the case that Sherlock sees a lot of himself in Mary- especially when you look at how he finishes what she started, so to speak, in HLV. Of course, they are the two people closest to John as well. In a way, I'm surprised the writers chose to sidestep all rivalry between the two- but it is also a relief.

 

I see season three as the gradual coming back to life of Sherlock. In episode one, he's still dead to many people on the start, and also, people have very much moved on from him, especially John and Molly. Then in episode two, we've got John getting married, but also we see that the life John got while Sherlock was away is the life he very much wants to commit to and keep. Then, by HLV, everything has come full circle, and much of the changes that happened when Sherlock was away are gone- Molly and Tom have split, and the marriage John thought he had has sort of evaporated. I like it as well, because it speaks to the honesty he reinstates in his friends lives- the more established his presence is, the less the pretences that were a part of episode one can remain.

 

 

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Throughout this whole thing, Sherlock was not playing the part of a man who had disdain for romance or sex or relationships, no matter what he said in his speech.  He was actively trying on the role of the groom, right down to helping plan the wedding and making a vow in public.  

 

He wanted to be like John in this moment.  Maybe it was all going to be OK if he and John both were in relationships and both had women who understood The Work.  Then everything would continue on as it had been; it wouldn't be the "end of an era."  

 

But he got two blows within minutes of one another:  first, he realized Mary was pregnant, which put John not one but two life stages "ahead" of Sherlock, and Janine appeared to be hooking up with Geek Boy.  If Sherlock really didn't care about whether he would get to "try on" the idea of being in a relationship and really had the disdain for it he claimed, he would have gone over with Mrs. Hudson or Lestrade and breathed a sigh of relief.  But he did want to try it on, and suddenly he realized "we can't all three dance" and that Janine was (momentarily, at least) unavailable, and he fled.

 

I can certainly look at it that way, and it all seems to fit.

 

On the other hand, I can't help wondering whether, instead of or in addition to that, it could be one or two other things at work here:

 

1.  Sherlock doesn't like crowds.  This is consistent with his lack of social skills, was explicitly established in "Many Happy Returns," and could be perfectly adequate to account for his leaving the reception early, assuming that he had no other reason for staying.

 

2.  Sherlock is sneaky.  It's been established (e.g., with Mrs. Monkford in "Great Game") that he will pretend to be friendly with someone just so they'll confide in him.  So when Sherlock impresses Janine with his twirling skills, is it because he likes her, or because he wants her to like him?

 

It would sure help to know when Sherlock found out that Janine was CAM's PA.  If he didn't know that before the wedding, then we're obviously seeing other factors at work here.  But if he did know, then #1 and #2 could very well explain his "relationship" with Janine all by themselves.

 

Of course I'm not saying it couldn't be a combination.  Maybe Sherlock started out to fool Janine into trusting him, but found that he actually enjoyed the experience.

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I find it hard to believe that Sherlock did not know whom Janine worked for when he met her at the wedding. I mean, he seems to have done research on all the guests, it's highly unlikely that something like that would have escaped him. He probably didn't take on Lady Smallwoods's case until afterwards, though, so the information might not have been quite as relevant to him.

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he seems to have done research on all the guests, it's highly unlikely that something like that would have escaped him

 

 

I agree, though it does make his lack of accurate research on the bride herself even stranger. Janine was also the first (well hidden) clue that something was up with Mary. Another thing Mary and Sherlock have in common, they both used Janine to get to Magnussen. I find it a little bit creepy that Mary cultivated a friendship with Janine close enough to have her in her wedding party, in order to get close to an assassination target. Not that it's creepier than a fake engagement.

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Sherlock really only takes advantage of people he genuinely likes.

Oh, I like this idea! (I see that there have been more replies since I started writing mine, but I'll go ahead and post this much before I get hopelessly behind.)

 

So far I've thought of three factors that might apply:

 

1. As Pamela says, "you hurt the one you love," which I think is generally because they've allowed you inside their personal defense system, where it's readily possible to hurt them deeply. This probably applies most to Molly, who hardly seems to filter Sherlock at all.

 

2. An attention-getting technique. I can't offhand think of any examples, but it does gibe with Sherlock's apparent emotional age.

 

3. They're handy. When Sherlock needs to test the effects of a psychoactive drug, for example, he can't very well test it on himself, because a] his mind is not ordinary, and b] how can he observe properly if he's stoned? That means he needs a test subject, and preferably one who doesn't know they're being tested (so their expectations don't contaminate the results). So it's only logical for him to use John a good bit of the time.

Also, and most probably, Sherlock "uses" people he likes because he believes they can be trusted not to freak out or get mad at him if and when they find out. I know I do that :D

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I find it hard to believe that Sherlock did not know whom Janine worked for when he met her at the wedding. I mean, he seems to have done research on all the guests, it's highly unlikely that something like that would have escaped him. He probably didn't take on Lady Smallwoods's case until afterwards, though, so the information might not have been quite as relevant to him.

 

This raises an interesting question:  Does everything we see in Episode n actually postdate everything we saw in Episode n-1 and predate everything we will see in Episode n+1?  Or -- not?  Pre-Series 3, I would have said the answer was clearly yes -- but considering the jumbled chronology within those three episodes, now I'm not so sure.

 

he seems to have done research on all the guests, it's highly unlikely that something like [Janine being CAM's PA] would have escaped him

 

I agree, though it does make his lack of accurate research on the bride herself even stranger....

 

I started to say, "How do we know that he didn't know about Mary?" -- but it does seem highly unlikely, considering his fairly patronizing attitude toward her in CAM's flat:  "No, you won't, Mrs. Watson."  First off, he flatly contradicts what she's just plainly told him she will do, which strikes me as pretty high-handed, even for Sherlock.  Then the use of her married title rather than her personal name, implying (to me, at least) that he's thinking of her as the sweet little wifey-poo, rather than as a strong woman in her own right.  If he'd known her background, I sincerely doubt he'd have taken either that attitude or that approach!

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I started to say, "How do we know that he didn't know about Mary?" -- but it does seem highly unlikely, considering his fairly patronizing attitude toward her in CAM's flat:  "No, you won't, Mrs. Watson."  First off, he flatly contradicts what she's just plainly told him she will do, which strikes me as pretty high-handed, even for Sherlock.  Then the use of her married title rather than her personal name, implying (to me, at least) that he's thinking of her as the sweet little wifey-poo, rather than as a strong woman in her own right.  If he'd known her background, I sincerely doubt he'd have taken either that attitude or that approach!

On second thought, maybe that "No, you won't, Mrs. Watson" was his code way of saying (in front of CAM), no you won't, because that would blow your cover.  *sigh*

 

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I think the point with Mary is supposed to be that while Sherlock suspected the truth, he kind of closed his eyes to it out of affection. It's one of those "caring is not an advantage" things.

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On second thought, maybe that "No, you won't, Mrs. Watson" was his code way of saying (in front of CAM), no you won't, because that would blow your cover.  *sigh*

 

I think there is a flashback somewhere around here to when Sherlock first met Mary and one of the words that comes up is 'liar'. I always assumed, though that at the time he thought her an ordinary liar, like most of us, rather than a dangerous/ murderous one. You're right, there are so many (too many) ways to read it.

 

I think the point with Mary is supposed to be that while Sherlock suspected the truth, he kind of closed his eyes to it out of affection. It's one of those "caring is not an advantage" things.

 

 

I also think maybe as she was John's significant other, and then wife, Sherlock actually tried to back off a bit, and maybe would have considered it almost rude to delve into her shady past? Especially given he was trying to rebuild his friendship with John at the beginning, and a takedown of his fiancee would have had the opposite effect. This reminds me of what Carol says about his use of 'Mrs.' too. I'm not fond of this attitude myself, but you have to wonder if Sherlock does see Mary a little bit as John's property, for better or worse.

 

Then again, there's the part where it hurt so much to lose John (even to a wife) that it completely threw Sherlock off his game, and he had to ignore his misgivings as he assumed it was just his own sentimental sense of loss.

 

All said, it is still quite hard to believe that he investigated that guest who had a crush on Mary in such depth and didn't come across what must have been a gaping hole in her past where no guys had crushes on her as she was off in Russia or wherever assassinating people. Like, you'd think he might have uncovered her secret even by accident at that stage.

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Maybe he figured any of her romances longer ago than five years would no longer be a threat to her relationship with John, so he only investigated back that far.

 

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Dear Carol, then he wouldn't be Sherlock Holmes! He must have investigated her past while preparing for the marriage, but for reasons unknown to us (or major slip-ups on continuity by Mr Moffat), he held that information to himself, rather than divulge it to Dr Watson, or else, his whole poignant deduction of her in HLW as he sits there suffering because A) John must finally know the truth and B ) the pair need to decide how they are going to proceed (his vow playing a major role, with a putative baby on the way), could not have come about while he was under heavy sedation for five days in hospital. He dredges her file from his memory and confronts her with it, internal bleeding and agonising pain notwithstanding.

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When I first watched the scene, and Liar deduction appeared, ai though it was a humour regarding Mary's promise to talk to John. Those kind of empty promises people pass around not-close acquantainces, some kind of lip service like I'll check for you..I'll let her know...Let's keep in touch.

 

I thought Sherlock detects that Mary promise to him is just a passing-by promise.

 

I was so clueless.

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I suppose even if Sherlock had deduced Mary's past, in his eyes it might not be a 'dealbreaker'- and as he later says, it may have even convinced him that John had chosen a suitable woman. The part Sherlock definitely missed was that Magnussen was going to use her past to blackmail her, which is perhaps a more forgivable oversight.

 

It would be interesting to me if Sherlock knows John well enough to know that a secret assassin is John's perfect partner, and also that John is more comfortable not officially knowing about her past. Though, it does suggest that he sees John as someone who would prefer to be shielded from the truth when it is unpleasant, even if that comes at a cost to those close to him.

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You know, sometimes we're talking about some nuance of a Sherlock episode, and I think, "Boy, Moftiss would be so pleased by the fact that we noticed and appreciated that!"

 

This is balanced by the times I'm pretty sure that we're deconstructing something and Moftiss are  thinking, "oh, no, I just threw that in there because I needed to get the character into next room."

 

:D

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... He must have investigated her past while preparing for the marriage, .... or else, his whole poignant deduction of her in HLW .... could not have come about while he was under heavy sedation for five days in hospital. He dredges her file from his memory and confronts her with it, internal bleeding and agonising pain notwithstanding.

 

Oh dear, good point.  Unless he was Googling while in the hospital -- he does seem to have somehow accomplished a number of things between being shot and confronting Mary in the fake house -- such as move John's chair back into the living room.

 

Or -- I like this better -- maybe being under sedation allowed his subconscious to piece together a number of things that he had already noticed subconsciously but had been consciously unaware of (or had chosen to ignore).  After all, there weren't a heck of a lot of hard facts in that deduction:

 

By your skill set, you are – or were – an intelligence agent. Your accent is currently English but I suspect you are not. You’re on the run from something; you’ve used your skills to disappear.  Magnussen knows your secret, which is why you were going to kill him; and I assume you befriended Janine in order to get close to him.

 

... it's virtually all conjectures.  Which unfortunately leaves the question open.

 

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You know, sometimes we're talking about some nuance of a Sherlock episode, and I think, "Boy, Moftiss would be so pleased by the fact that we noticed and appreciated that!"

 

This is balanced by the times I'm pretty sure that we're deconstructing something and Moftiss are  thinking, "oh, no, I just threw that in there because I needed to get the character into next room."

 

:D

 

... while I am always certain that if they knew to what extent we overthink their little TV series that they work on every few years or so, they would be appalled at how crazy fans can be. I sincerely hope they never find out and / or don't have the time to care.

 

 

... He must have investigated her past while preparing for the marriage, .... or else, his whole poignant deduction of her in HLW .... could not have come about while he was under heavy sedation for five days in hospital. He dredges her file from his memory and confronts her with it, internal bleeding and agonising pain notwithstanding.

 

Oh dear, good point.  Unless he was Googling while in the hospital -- he does seem to have somehow accomplished a number of things between being shot and confronting Mary in the fake house -- such as move John's chair back into the living room.

 

Or -- I like this better -- maybe being under sedation allowed his subconscious to piece together a number of things that he had already noticed subconsciously but had been consciously unaware of (or had chosen to ignore).  After all, there weren't a heck of a lot of hard facts in that deduction:

 

By your skill set, you are – or were – an intelligence agent. Your accent is currently English but I suspect you are not. You’re on the run from something; you’ve used your skills to disappear.  Magnussen knows your secret, which is why you were going to kill him; and I assume you befriended Janine in order to get close to him.

 

 

... it's virtually all conjectures.  Which unfortunately leaves the question open.

 

 

My headcanon is that Sherlock refrained from doing research on Mary. He deduced her during their first meeting, "liar" popped up and instead of following up on that thought, he shied away from it - because she was John's first really serious romantic partner (that he knew of), because if he said anything against her, the rift between him and John would surely grow and he might never be forgiven for The Fall, and finally, because he likes her.

I really do think Sherlock likes Mary - a lot. I don't, not really, and it seems part of his subconscious doesn't, either. In fact, I think they did a rather unconvincing job of portraying their mutual affection. But I am pretty certain that was the intention - Sherlock likes Mary. She's one of his own kind, and if John has to go and marry, it's much better if he attaches himself to someone who understands The Work and isn't a Goldfish.

 

Like I said, it's one of those caring is not an advantage things. If the whole situation when Sherlock came back hadn't been so fragile, if Sherlock didn't care about John quite so much, if Mary wasn't his cup of tea... He surely would have researched the hell out of her past. Instead, he sat there reading up on Major Sholto. Much safer. Nobody's getting married to him and if Sherlock displays jealousy towards him and brings up his shady past, nobody will accuse him of causing trouble.

 

What really bothers me is that Mycroft doesn't seem to know Mary's secrets. I find that much harder to believe.

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Or maybe Mycroft does know at least a bit about her, but doesn't consider her important enough to bother with.

 

Or maybe he knows all about her, because she's one of his operatives, with a mission to keep John safe during Sherlock's absence.

 

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Or one of Moriarty's sharpshooters at the pool, getting a first glimpse of her future husband through the diopter of a high-power precision rifle! It would fit both the "liar" tag and her whole behaviour in S3, bossing everyone around!

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I really do think Sherlock likes Mary - a lot. I don't, not really, and it seems part of his subconscious doesn't, either.

 

 

That would fit in with the idea that he doesn't have a genuinely high opinion of himself, either. Is there a possibility that he is afraid not to like her, because of what that would mean for his friendship with John? From the outset, Mary was assuring him that she'd try and talk him up to John. But there's an implicit threat there too, isn't there? If Mary feels she can influence John to be Sherlock's friend again, she must also believe she could do the opposite. I try not to think about Mary much, as I like her less the more I examine her behaviour. I wasn't especially fond of her telling John to get Sherlock to think it was still going to be the good old days for the two of them- to me it was a little patronising, and manipulative.

 

Or maybe Mycroft does know at least a bit about her, but doesn't consider her important enough to bother with.

 

Or maybe he knows all about her, because she's one of his operatives, with a mission to keep John safe during Sherlock's absence.

 

 

 

Or one of Moriarty's sharpshooters at the pool, getting a first glimpse of her future husband through the diopter of a high-power precision rifle! It would fit both the "liar" tag and her whole behaviour in S3, bossing everyone around!

 

I think both Mycroft and Moriarty are both interesting options. In a way, Moriarty is actually more believable, if he is now dead. It doesn't gel together for me that Mary works for Mycroft, because if she did, she would be too well-protected for Mangussen to come after her. I don't believe Mycroft would allow it. If she worked for a man who's now dead, and can no longer afford her protection, though, that would make more sense. And, you could throw in all the speculation about whether Janine could have any connection with Moriarty too. Perhaps when Sherlock assumed Mary was her friend because of Magnussen, there was actually more to it, and in actual fact Magnussen was attempting to control all of Moriarty's old cohorts, and bring them under his influence.

 

It would mean making Mary an out-and-out bad guy though, if she worked for Moriarty. There was some line she had about how people like her were needed to take care of villains like Magnussen, that made me think they've positioned her more on the side of the angels.

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Well, in the Janine thread, I did argue that she is a Moriarty, name beginning with J , like Jim and James etc.

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Or maybe Mycroft does know at least a bit about her, but doesn't consider her important enough to bother with.

 

Yes, that's the only plausible explanation I can think of. I suppose underestimating "ordinary" people's importance must be one of Mycroft's few weaknesses. Still. He has a whole file on John - he didn't even bother to check out Mary? Seriously, Mycroft?

 

Or one of Moriarty's sharpshooters at the pool, getting a first glimpse of her future husband through the diopter of a high-power precision rifle!

 

You know, that is a pet theory of mine. I don't think this is how the story really goes, but I love the idea of Mary being one of the shooters at the pool and being really impressed with John there, maybe even falling a little in love already. Wouldn't that be romantic? It's terribly cheesy, too, of course... But I am not exactly known for my refined taste! :P

 

 Is there a possibility that he is afraid not to like her, because of what that would mean for his friendship with John? From the outset, Mary was assuring him that she'd try and talk him up to John. But there's an implicit threat there too, isn't there? If Mary feels she can influence John to be Sherlock's friend again, she must also believe she could do the opposite.

 

You put that into words very nicely. It's exactly what I think about that whole relationship and it rings true to me, but I am under the impression that it's not what the writers intended. From what they've said about series 3 and Mary and Sherlock, I gather that they really did mean for the two characters to genuinely click. And yes, of course they do, because they are similar in many ways (more similar than John and Mary are), and they share a strong affection for John - love for the same person often creates a powerful bond, at least when it's not the kind of love where there's only room for one of you. But still. It's too forced for my taste, and happened way too quickly. And like you, I see elements of fear, of threat, and also a lack of alternatives. Sherlock had to like Mary, or else he could have forgotten about ever patching things up. It's more like a relationship you'd have with your mother-in-law than a genuine friendship.

 

 I think both Mycroft and Moriarty are both interesting options. In a way, Moriarty is actually more believable, if he is now dead. It doesn't gel together for me that Mary works for Mycroft, because if she did, she would be too well-protected for Mangussen to come after her. I don't believe Mycroft would allow it. If she worked for a man who's now dead, and can no longer afford her protection, though, that would make more sense. And, you could throw in all the speculation about whether Janine could have any connection with Moriarty too. Perhaps when Sherlock assumed Mary was her friend because of Magnussen, there was actually more to it, and in actual fact Magnussen was attempting to control all of Moriarty's old cohorts, and bring them under his influence.

 

It would mean making Mary an out-and-out bad guy though, if she worked for Moriarty. There was some line she had about how people like her were needed to take care of villains like Magnussen, that made me think they've positioned her more on the side of the angels.

 

You make some very good points there. I am in love with the idea that Mary once worked for Moriarty. But I don't think that would necessarily mean she's evil. I doubt all of Moriarty's people worked for him because they liked him or agreed with his plans, my guess is that most were coerced, blackmailed or otherwise pressed into his service. And if Mary was once a legitimate government agent (CIA?) who then ran and turned rogue, she would be in a very vulnerable position. Easy pray for people like Moriarty, and very valuable to him because of her skills and knowledge.

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 It's exactly what I think about that whole relationship and it rings true to me, but I am under the impression that it's not what the writers intended. From what they've said about series 3 and Mary and Sherlock, I gather that they really did mean for the two characters to genuinely click. And yes, of course they do, because they are similar in many ways (more similar than John and Mary are), and they share a strong affection for John - love for the same person often creates a powerful bond, at least when it's not the kind of love where there's only room for one of you. But still. It's too forced for my taste, and happened way too quickly. And like you, I see elements of fear, of threat, and also a lack of alternatives. Sherlock had to like Mary, or else he could have forgotten about ever patching things up. It's more like a relationship you'd have with your mother-in-law than a genuine friendship.

 

 

On what you say about the writers' intentions... there is also that device common in all television where the creators know that they are introducing a potentially unlikable character, so they pick a character people do like and make them mysteriously enamoured with said unlikable character, apparently in the hopes said character will achieve likability through some sort of osmosis. Whilst I don't think that was 100% the case here, perhaps having both John and Sherlock love her was slightly overkill. Also, because this is such a common practice when established shows bring in a new character, I find myself going in the opposite direction, purely out of contrariness.

 

But I don't think that would necessarily mean she's evil. I doubt all of Moriarty's people worked for him because they liked him or agreed with his plans, my guess is that most were coerced, blackmailed or otherwise pressed into his service. And if Mary was once a legitimate government agent (CIA?) who then ran and turned rogue, she would be in a very vulnerable position. Easy pray for people like Moriarty, and very valuable to him because of her skills and knowledge.

 

Yes, of course you are right that she may have been coerced into working for Moriarty or some other undesirable.

 

Well, in the Janine thread, I did argue that she is a Moriarty, name beginning with J , like Jim and James etc. 

 

 

It's a theory with legs. There is also whatever Magnussen had on Janine- if she returns in season four, I'd like to know what that was. Though, I imagine if Moriarty had a sister, she would have a similar level of clout to him, and perhaps not have been a good target for Magnussen. They threw in a nice curveball by making her Irish. I always liked that in the Moriarty/ Sherlock tea scene, they used those cups that show both England and Ireland- something about that troubled history between the countries seems to echo their relationship.

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Just as I feared, all sorts of yummy discussions going on while I'm out of the loop! Some thoughts....
 

Only Mrs. Hudson has escaped.  As far as we know.

Hm, I think he uses her more than anyone! "Biscuits!"
 

You know, the other thing about that scene is that it gives us a lot of information about how Sherlock was seeing himself throughout the wedding.  ...
 
He wanted to be like John in this moment.  Maybe it was all going to be OK if he and John both were in relationships and both had women who understood The Work.  Then everything would continue on as it had been; it wouldn't be the "end of an era."  
 
But he got two blows within minutes of one another:  first, he realized Mary was pregnant, which put John not one but two life stages "ahead" of Sherlock, and Janine appeared to be hooking up with Geek Boy.  If Sherlock really didn't care about whether he would get to "try on" the idea of being in a relationship and really had the disdain for it he claimed, he would have gone over with Mrs. Hudson or Lestrade and breathed a sigh of relief.  But he did want to try it on, and suddenly he realized "we can't all three dance" and that Janine was (momentarily, at least) unavailable, and he fled.

I saw this episode again just last night, and that ending still breaks my heart -- and now that I've read this, I'm positively shattered. :cry: And here he was so bravely trying to convince Mycroft (and himself) that he was thinking of it as a beginning, not an end... :cry: :cry:
 

 

he seems to have done research on all the guests, it's highly unlikely that something like that would have escaped him

 
I agree, though it does make his lack of accurate research on the bride herself even stranger. Janine was also the first (well hidden) clue that something was up with Mary. Another thing Mary and Sherlock have in common, they both used Janine to get to Magnussen. I find it a little bit creepy that Mary cultivated a friendship with Janine close enough to have her in her wedding party, in order to get close to an assassination target. Not that it's creepier than a fake engagement.

 

Well, that's just an assumption on Sherlock's part, that Mary used Janine. Mary didn't exactly cop to  it. I keep wondering if we'll see more of Janine some day. Probably not, though, I suspect we're supposed to believe Sherlock's deductions about Mary were correct once he finally got around to making them.
 

 

 

Sherlock really only takes advantage of people he genuinely likes.


Oh, I like this idea! (I see that there have been more replies since I started writing mine, but I'll go ahead and post this much before I get hopelessly behind.)

So far I've thought of three factors that might apply:

1. As Pamela says, "you hurt the one you love," which I think is generally because they've allowed you inside their personal defense system, where it's readily possible to hurt them deeply. This probably applies most to Molly, who hardly seems to filter Sherlock at all.

2. An attention-getting technique. I can't offhand think of any examples, but it does gibe with Sherlock's apparent emotional age.

3. They're handy. When Sherlock needs to test the effects of a psychoactive drug, for example, he can't very well test it on himself, because a] his mind is not ordinary, and b] how can he observe properly if he's stoned? That means he needs a test subject, and preferably one who doesn't know they're being tested (so their expectations don't contaminate the results). So it's only logical for him to use John a good bit of the time.

 


Also, and most probably, Sherlock "uses" people he likes because he believes they can be trusted not to freak out or get mad at him if and when they find out. I know I do that :D

 

I think that's my take on it as well; he uses those that he trusts to forgive him. Something like that.
 

 

I started to say, "How do we know that he didn't know about Mary?" -- but it does seem highly unlikely, considering his fairly patronizing attitude toward her in CAM's flat:  "No, you won't, Mrs. Watson."  First off, he flatly contradicts what she's just plainly told him she will do, which strikes me as pretty high-handed, even for Sherlock.  Then the use of her married title rather than her personal name, implying (to me, at least) that he's thinking of her as the sweet little wifey-poo, rather than as a strong woman in her own right.  If he'd known her background, I sincerely doubt he'd have taken either that attitude or that approach!


On second thought, maybe that "No, you won't, Mrs. Watson" was his code way of saying (in front of CAM), no you won't, because that would blow your cover.  *sigh*

 

I mostly take that line to mean "No, you won't, because you love John and killing me would break him," with a little bit of "you know me and love me too much to kill me" thrown in. And if we accept his "surgery" explanation, he was right.
 
Added: And I still maintain that Sherlock is actually a pretty astute observer of human nature ... when he's not being a complete idiot, that is. :smile: So I think there's also an element of "No you won't kill me, because I recognize that you are one of the good guys; and a good guy would never shoot ME." I'll leave it to y'all to decide whether he was being astute or idiotic at that moment.... :D

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