Episode 3.2, "The Sign of Three"

[julia5]

It's this picture! 

[Karie]

It's dangerous to speculate about an episode so near at hand as His Last Vow, but I can't help it. I was thinking how the only scene I've really missed so far from the original Sign of the Four is the ending:

 

“The division seems rather unfair,” I remarked.“You have done all the work in this business. I get a wife out of it, Jones gets the credit, pray what remains for you?” “For me,” said Sherlock Holmes, “there still remains the cocaine-bottle.” And he stretched his long white hand up for it."

 

Now, I know the cocaine is dead and buried for "our" Sherlock. But there is a case, The Man with the Twisted Lip, where Watson goes into an opium den to find the husband of a friend of his wife's who is an addict and encounters Holmes there, as well. At first it seems as if the detective has been taking opium himself, but he was just pretending to as part of a case. What if they pick up on that? Have John pull Sherlock out of some drug scene and get upset because he thinks that, true to canon, Sherlock went back to old habits after the marriage, whereas Sherlock is only investigating and gets one of his laughs at John's expense à la "you really think I'd do drugs just because you and Mary tied the knot?!" That might be quite funny...

 

I'm glad you posted this, because it's an interesting fact about ACD canon I wasn't aware of.

[julia5]

...The newer episodes are different and they take getting used to. My brain still objects to them. But my heart has decided to ignore it and I've come to like them very, very much, too, in spite of myself.

 

 

Also...when we've only got 8 episodes, we can't really afford to dislike 2 of them (for long) 

[Escribblings]

It was a good episode - There was quite a lot I liked, but there were some things I didn't like (everyone's a critic).

 

I was cringing so bad while he was faffing about in the best man speech part deux, that I had to go and put the kettle on!

 

Some people have asked about the nurse.  Firstly, I don't why Mrs Hudson let her in on their stag night, unless she didn't.  Maybe John or Sherlock did themselves.  I'm a bit hazy on that now, can't remember if Mrs. H, showed her in or not,

 

I also agree that it's a bit strange she didn't recognise they were drunk - but then she was convinced she had had dinner with a ghost!

 

And why wasn't Lestrade on the Stag Night?

 

On to Mary - I saw the look when s read out the note from Cam, and completely missed the fact that it could have been from C.A.M. instead.

 

And yes, she does look exceptionally worried when S makes his reveal on the dance floor.  I also think the lyrics are poignant, but what if the baby is not John's?  Could it be C.A.M.'s? Or even Mycroft (though he would have us believe otherwise)?

 

Lastly (for now) is the trailer for the last vow:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhjIsu7n6bI

 

Why does Sherlock going up against C.A.M. mean that he is also going up against Mycroft - why would Mycroft side with C.A.M., it makes no sense.

 

Also, why is Mycroft in scrubs? (I presume that is Mycroft)

 

At 0:20, the looks on both Sherlock's and John's faces suggest that someone very close is dead.

 

I like Mary - could it be that she DOESN'T die, but her BABY does (or is stolen from her)?

 

 

That's all for now.

 

Itching for Sunday and slightly peeved we only get 3 episodes a time.  Hey ho, I have *cough* acquired *cough* episode 12 of series 2 of Elementary, that should tide me over.

[RV0889]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1479345_596853707031052_413574410_n.png could not help posting it here. cracked me up big time

 

whoops, sorry, i should have warned it is a spoiler for GoT season 3.

[T.o.b.y]

 

I was cringing so bad while he was faffing about in the best man speech part deux, that I had to go and put the kettle on!

 

Some people have asked about the nurse.  Firstly, I don't why Mrs Hudson let her in on their stag night, unless she didn't.  Maybe John or Sherlock did themselves.  I'm a bit hazy on that now, can't remember if Mrs. H, showed her in or not,

 

I also agree that it's a bit strange she didn't recognise they were drunk - but then she was convinced she had had dinner with a ghost!

 

And why wasn't Lestrade on the Stag Night?

 

And yes, she does look exceptionally worried when S makes his reveal on the dance floor.  I also think the lyrics are poignant, but what if the baby is not John's?  Could it be C.A.M.'s? Or even Mycroft (though he would have us believe otherwise)?

 

What does "faffing about" mean?

 

Yes, Mrs Husdon showed Tessa in. And she was probably so impressed with the idea of a "famous detective", who I am sure she had also heard described as very eccentric, that it took her a while to realize he was drunk, I guess.

 

Lestrade wasn't taken along because Sherlock organized the night out - that's my best guess.

 

Mycroft's baby? Mycroft's? What would he have to do to a woman so she would get into bed with him? This is not a serious theory of yours, is it?

[Slithytove]

/>

 

 

...I think that they will lose focus if it becomes the story of Sherlock, John and Mary (and Baby Watson), rather than the story of Sherlock and John. Of course, I could be wrong and probably am.

 

...shut up all those who keep whining about this series being different to Series 1& 2. Most of the tv critics seem to have enjoyed this series and we, the fans, have mainly been delighted, but there are a lot of people moaning that it has been too self-indulgent and/or too much influenced by the fandom. I suspect that most of those complaining are people who wanted the crimes foregrounded, rather than the characters. As far as I'm concerned, the interest lies in the people, particularly Sherlock, rather than in whatever dastardly crime is being foiled, but that isn't everyone's view. As fans, we love to ponder "what if" - what if Sherlock had to make a best man's speech? What if John and Sherlock got drunk? - and all fanfic is an attempt to answer those questions. Some viewers, however, just want cops and robbers. I hope that episode 3 blows their socks off! And I hope the BBC has the good sense to ignore the doubters and press on with the next series (and a bit quicker this time, please!)

Oooh, thanks for that post. Can I argue with you, please? I love that!

 

A.: It's not becoming the story of Sherlock, John and Mary at all! That's what I expected on first reading the title "The Sign of Three" - I thought it referred to the introduction of a center trio. And I groaned just as dismally as the original Holmes at the thought. But it's not come true. Not at all. If anything, the last two episodes seemed to be more about Sherlock and John than anything we've seen before. Poor Mary almost comes across as a mere plot device to really put the romance into bromance. Just consider the wedding. We didn't even get to see the marriage vows, the kiss, the cutting of the cake. We never even got to hear them say "I love you". Neither did we ever hear the final marriage proposal. Now, I won't list all we heard and saw instead, but think about it... don't you notice something?

 

B.: I at first complained as loudly and violently as I could. And I do assure you that my focus is much more on the characters rather than the crimes. It's just that I loved the first series so much. It was so dark, so constrained, so subtle, so unspectacular, so clever and original. The best television I've ever seen. The newer episodes are different and they take getting used to. My brain still objects to them. But my heart has decided to ignore it and I've come to like them very, very much, too, in spite of myself.

Sorry, I don't know how to quote without including everything! I'm quite old and not very computer-savvy....

 

You have a good point about the lack of the wedding ceremony, etc. I do think it could be successful if she is a peripheral character. For instance, I love Molly but I wouldn't want her hanging round all the time. Little snapshots, where the characters are shown briefly interacting with John and/or Sherlock and then are out of the picture, add richness without detracting from the central dynamic.

 

I agree with you about the dark, subtle joys of earlier episodes. As I said elsewhere on this forum, I like my Sherlock dark and twisted - warm and affectionate Sherlock takes a bit of getting used to! I loved the insults, the sarcasm, the arrogance....the whole sociopath thing, in fact. I wanted, I admit, more of the same - but I also loved the humour in this latest series. I hope His Last View brings back some of the darkness, and maybe the love and affection of the first two episodes has been a build-up to raise the stakes. Maybe Sherlock has to express his love and devotion to Mary and Baby Watson, as well as John, because they are going to be put in terrible danger.

 

Here's hoping!

[Escribblings]

 

 

I was cringing so bad while he was faffing about in the best man speech part deux, that I had to go and put the kettle on!

 

Some people have asked about the nurse.  Firstly, I don't why Mrs Hudson let her in on their stag night, unless she didn't.  Maybe John or Sherlock did themselves.  I'm a bit hazy on that now, can't remember if Mrs. H, showed her in or not,

 

I also agree that it's a bit strange she didn't recognise they were drunk - but then she was convinced she had had dinner with a ghost!

 

And why wasn't Lestrade on the Stag Night?

 

And yes, she does look exceptionally worried when S makes his reveal on the dance floor.  I also think the lyrics are poignant, but what if the baby is not John's?  Could it be C.A.M.'s? Or even Mycroft (though he would have us believe otherwise)?

 

What does "faffing about" mean?

 

Yes, Mrs Husdon showed Tessa in. And she was probably so impressed with the idea of a "famous detective", who I am sure she had also heard described as very eccentric, that it took her a while to realize he was drunk, I guess.

 

Lestrade wasn't taken along because Sherlock organized the night out - that's my best guess.

 

Mycroft's baby? Mycroft's? What would he have to do to a woman so she would get into bed with him? This is not a serious theory of yours, is it?

 

 Working backwards

 

Mycroft's baby was purely in references to Sherlocks comments on the phone about him being out of breath - I seriously doubt it as well (but we cannot throw away everything, after all the man himself has said that once you rule out the impossible, what remains, however improbable, must be the truth )

 

Re Lestrade, possibly - although stag do's are generally more than just the stag and the best man, and Lestrade is the one "Friend" that Sherlock could have trusted.

 

Mrs. Hudson - thanks for refreshing my memory - and I agree about the eccentricity.

 

Faffing about - when he was flustered, trying to work things out and just flitting round the room babbling.

 

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/faff-about-around'>Faff-about-around - Cambridge Dictionary

Quote from further down that page - "You are looking at an entry to do with Behaving in a silly way, "

[Slithytove]

Sorry, I meant. His Last Vow. Stupid auto-correct!

[Escribblings]

 

[snip]

 

A.: It's not becoming the story of Sherlock, John and Mary at all! That's what I expected on first reading the title "The Sign of Three" - I thought it referred to the introduction of a center trio. And I groaned just as dismally as the original Holmes at the thought. But it's not come true. Not at all. If anything, the last two episodes seemed to be more about Sherlock and John than anything we've seen before. Poor Mary almost comes across as a mere plot device to really put the romance into bromance. Just consider the wedding. We didn't even get to see the marriage vows, the kiss, the cutting of the cake. We never even got to hear them say "I love you". Neither did we ever hear the final marriage proposal. Now, I won't list all we heard and saw instead, but think about it... don't you notice something?

 

[/snip]

 

Are you suggesting we saw John and Sherlocks "wedding?"

 

 

 

Mrs. Hudson, perfect as ever   (source)

 

[T.o.b.y]

 

Sorry, I don't know how to quote without including everything! I'm quite old and not very computer-savvy....

 

You have a good point about the lack of the wedding ceremony, etc. I do think it could be successful if she is a peripheral character. For instance, I love Molly but I wouldn't want her hanging round all the time. Little snapshots, where the characters are shown briefly interacting with John and/or Sherlock and then are out of the picture, add richness without detracting from the central dynamic.

 

I agree with you about the dark, subtle joys of earlier episodes. As I said elsewhere on this forum, I like my Sherlock dark and twisted - warm and affectionate Sherlock takes a bit of getting used to! I loved the insults, the sarcasm, the arrogance....the whole sociopath thing, in fact.

 

That's  okay! I haven't figured out multiquote in spite of very good "how to" posts by lovely helpful people. If you want to shorten a quote, you can click inside the blue box and erase text in it just like anywhere else. But I don't mind either way.

 

It's not just the lack of the classic wooing and wedding on stage between John and Mary, it's the substitutes for those: We don't see John propose to Mary, but we do see him ask Sherlock to be the best man. We don't get a declaration of love and a kiss between husband and wife, but we get the best man speech (which is some sort of declaration) and the hug a lot of fans have been waiting for ever since A Study in Pink. We don't get the marriage vows, but we get Sherlock's first (and presumably last) vow. We don't get the wedding night, but the stag night. And so on and so forth. (I'm not saying I'm displeased with this!)

 

I think warm, affectionate Sherlock is surprisingly delightful. But only because we saw him dark and twisted before. Another instance where the newer episodes only work well if you are (very) familiar with the older ones.

 

[Karie]

Well, too bad for Tom, then. I must say the writers don't really seem to want us to like him, do they? And just for the record: Even I would love to see Molly and Lestrade become a couple and I usually object strongly to any pairing until I am forced to see that it works on screen.

 

I'm glad you mentioned this, because it gives me an opening to chime in on a subject I've wanted to discuss but have avoided until now, because I didn't know how it would be received... I've been seeing a lot of comments around the internet that reflect this. Apparently a lot of people thought TSoT painted Tom in a bad light and now they don't like him? I have to tell you, these posts have been confusing the heck out of me! I had the complete opposite reaction! 

 

I felt really badly for Tom! Outside of that one clip where Molly was kissing him while the photog was trying to take their pic, I thought she seemed really cold to him throughout the ep. She was rude when he stood up and gave his "meat dagger" theory (which had me cringing in second-hand embarrassment, and I understand her being embarrassed that her boyfriend said something so dumb in front of a room full of people and, more specifically, Sherlock, but did she have to be mean about it?), she stabbed him with the fork when he (understandably, for someone who didn't know Sherlock well) whispered about Sherlock being drunk. WTF was that? I know it was supposed to be funny, but all I could think was,"Did she really just stab her boyfriend with a fork because he whispered that a man dancing around talking about a murder at a wedding might be drunk??" She was standing with him and glaring at Sherlock and Janine taking a photo together, and then later she's standing far away from Tom during the wedding dance, staring at Sherlock the whole time and hardly looking at Mary and John.

 

I'm getting the feeling that this is one of the classic examples in television where they goofy "stand in" boyfriend is introduced to highlight how much a person doesn't actually want to be with them and is into someone else.  Molly is a character I have always liked very, very much and I found myself grimacing at a lot of her actions in this entire episode. I really, really hope they don't continue this, because there are so few lovable female characters in this show (God bless Mary and Mrs. Hudson!), and I don't want to start hating one of the ones I really enjoy! 

 

I was also really annoyed by that bit where she burst out,"We're having quite a lot of sex!" to Sherlock. I know Molly sometimes speaks without thinking and puts her foot in her mouth,("I do post-mortems!") but that scene felt really out of character to me. She embarrasses very easily, and even if she were super excited about all the sex, I can't see her bursting out with that, and to Sherlock of all people. I've had exciting new relationships, too, but I've never found it appropriate to walk up to a friend (especially one who is really reserved -or at least questionably ambiguous- like Sherlock is about that kind of thing) and comment on how much sex I was having. The clencher was that, after she said it, she didn't immediately make an embarrassed, "OMG did I just say that?!" face like she has in the past when she spoke before thinking. She was grinning at Sherlock, while HE looked uncomfortable and shocked and hurried to change the subject. That left me with the feeling that she said it specifically to get a reaction out of Sherlock, or try to make him jealous. 

Please, no. Can't we just let her be gracious and sweet and HAPPY, for once, with her FIANCE? (I mean, this isn't some stand-in boyfriend she's dating casually, she's made a commitment to MARRY this man! Obviously things are serious.) If they're going to have her treating Tom badly all the time, and trying to use him to make Sherlock jealous, it's going to leave a really bad taste in my mouth.  

 

 

By the way, if they do get rid of Tom (who is probably never going to be a significant character anyway), I would totally be OK with them trying out some Molly/Lestrade. I think they have good chemistry and would be good together. I think I started subconsciously shipping them when I first saw Lestrade's reaction to her party dress in Scandal. 

[T.o.b.y]

 

Are you suggesting we saw John and Sherlocks "wedding?"

 

Yes! And no. No, I don't think they are meant to be gay or want to have sex with each other. John needs Mary for that and Sherlock has naked Irene running around in his mind palace - not exactly the fantasy I'd expect from a gay man...

 

But I do feel that these lovely women are being used to keep sex out of what is otherwise a big fat love story. And that's what I think Doyle did, deliberate or not. The sad thing is, I like it, and feminism be damned.

 

[Escribblings]

/>

 

 

 

Are you suggesting we saw John and Sherlocks "wedding?"

Yes! And no. No, I don't think they are meant to be gay or want to have sex with each other. John needs Mary for that and Sherlock has naked Irene running around in his mind palace - not exactly the fantasy I'd expect from a gay man...

 

But I do feel that these lovely women are being used to keep sex out of what is otherwise a big fat love story. And that's what I think Doyle did, deliberate or not. The sad thing is, I like it, and feminism be damned.

Actually a lot of programme's focus on physical relationships. It's nice to have one where the focus is on the platonic relationship despite all the actual and would be physical relationships happening or being hinted at in the background.

 

[Ninja edit]

 

I also like the fact they are focusing on a make relationship that is more like female relationships in every other program - making it OK for men to have feelings - even men as inhuman as Sherlock.

[T.o.b.y]

 

Actually a lot of programme's focus on physical relationships. It's nice to have one where the focus is on the platonic relationship despite all the actual and would be physical relationships happening or being hinted at in the background.

 

Oh, I completely agree with you there!

 

No, what I find a bit sad is that it suddenly struck me female characters are being used to "protect" the men from being "suspected" of sleeping with each other. A.: as if that were a bad thing - come on, this is the 21st century! and B.: as if one couldn't show people loving each other in a friendly way but not sexually just through good, nuanced acting and writing alone.

 

But that's my brain talking. My heart just loves what I saw. And that makes me happy. And having gone on and on about choosing happiness whenever possible in another thread, I will follow my own advice and just bask in the glow of The Sign of Three, whosever wedding it really was.

 

[Ruthyone]

I enjoyed TSoT but felt Sherlock's best man speech did go on a bit too long.  Sherlock getting drunk made him seem more human and when he left the reception by himself seemed about right.

I think that the 'Mayfly' was behind the 'ghost' dater and that maybe the girl who got Sherlock investigating the 'ghost' may have been in on it.

I have seen the 'spoiler' for 'His Last Vow' and wonder if Mycroft may be being blackmailed.

Whether or not Mary is in on anything, I do not know - but am looking forward to next Sunday.

Edited January 8, 2014 by aely
large blocks of coloured text can be a bit triggery for migraines

[T.o.b.y]

I enjoyed TSoT but felt Sherlock's best man speech did go on a bit too long. 

 

Oh... really? For me, it could have gone on for ever and ever. I want an "extended edition".(Couldn't they make those for all Sherlock episodes...?)

 

Well, tastes differ.

 

[Zain]

 

 

 

 

Why does Sherlock going up against C.A.M. mean that he is also going up against Mycroft - why would Mycroft side with C.A.M., it makes no sense.

 

Also, why is Mycroft in scrubs? (I presume that is Mycroft)

 

 

 

 

Magnussen is someone with lots of power and a public image, very likely a politician, and unlike Mycroft not "in the shadows". In The Empty Hearse, his name is mentioned on TV (scene with the Empty Hearse group, beneath the title 'Hatman alive' or something, there's a mention that Magnussen appears before parliament.

 

 

I suppose he is important enough and powerful enough for Mycroft to be someonehe does not want to mess with. Someone that is dangerous or important enough so that Mycroft won't/can't protect Sherlock if he were to antagonize Magnussen. While it's possible that Mycroft is being blackmailed, I doubt it. There wouldn't be any need to have introduced Magnussen as a public figure. However, I think he has a lot of dirt on lots on people. I can't see Mycroft allowing somebody to have something on him. Too clever, too cautious. I think it's this caution that makes him warn Sherlock off. He knows what's Magnussen capable of, has seen that man in action but never experienced it on hand.

 

 

I hope that helps.

[Slithytove]

Yes, I loved the speech - funny and yet very touching, and a good frame for all the flashbacks. I do like sweet and funny Sherlock, as well as dark and bitter Sherlock, though I find it a bit of a stretch to believe they are different sides of the same man. However, I'm quite prepared to suspend disbelief....

 

It hadn't struck me before that TSoT is actually a demonstration of John and Sherlock's love rather than John and Mary's but, now that you point it out, I can see it. That's actually made me feel that the whole "John gets married" scenario might work without damaging the central friendship. Hmm, that really cheers me up!

[Cheerio1021]

I think the writers have done a brilliant job with the Mary character, and Amanda Abbington has played her wonderfully. 

 

But I must admit:  I want Mary gone.  Gone, gone, GONE.  The idea of a crime-solving trio, or even her in the background, doesn't appeal to me.  I want John living back at 221B, and I want the focus to be on their awesome partnership and the mischief they prevent/create.  I feel like the last three episodes have been about Things Separating John And Sherlock, and as dramatically compelling as that's been, I wish the writers would head in a different direction and one that is a bit more in tune with what ACD did.

 

My personal hope is that Mary has been working for/with CAM all along and was sent to seduce John, but has truly fallen in love with him and gives up her life to save him and Sherlock, leaving John devasted and Sherlock feeling guilty.

 

As for the baby, I don't know.  I guess I'm a terrible person, but I don't think I'd be unduly bothered by the death of a fictional unborn child.  Hard to imagine the writers doing that, though.  Maybe she isn't really pregnant (and was just playing Sherlock with her "symptoms"), or the baby isn't John's (Mycroft's, oh Lord!  That would be twisted).  But I don't want John to be a father because I want him back with in 221B with Sherlock and I think the flat would be really hard to child-proof.  (Like I said, I'm a terrible person.)

[T.o.b.y]

Yes, I loved the speech - funny and yet very touching, and a good frame for all the flashbacks. I do like sweet and funny Sherlock, as well as dark and bitter Sherlock, though I find it a bit of a stretch to believe they are different sides of the same man. However, I'm quite prepared to suspend disbelief....

 

It hadn't struck me before that TSoT is actually a demonstration of John and Sherlock's love rather than John and Mary's but, now that you point it out, I can see it. That's actually made me feel that the whole "John gets married" scenario might work without damaging the central friendship. Hmm, that really cheers me up!

 

Glad to have provided a cheering thought! I think what they show is sort of "the other way around" from the usual constellation, where the best friend is a stable fixture in the background and the romance is about the spouses (to be).

 

Strangely enough, I find it easy to believe that this is the same Sherlock who told Anderson off and tested drugs on John and rather let himself be half strangled to death before asking for his friend's help. Because that's what real people are like: Contradictory, complicated, many-layered, constantly changing and evolving.

[Karie]

I think the writers have done a brilliant job with the Mary character, and Amanda Abbington has played her wonderfully. 

 

But I must admit:  I want Mary gone.  Gone, gone, GONE.  The idea of a crime-solving trio, or even her in the background, doesn't appeal to me.  I want John living back at 221B, and I want the focus to be on their awesome partnership and the mischief they prevent/create.  I feel like the last three episodes have been about Things Separating John And Sherlock, and as dramatically compelling as that's been, I wish the writers would head in a different direction and one that is a bit more in tune with what ACD did.

 

My personal hope is that Mary has been working for/with CAM all along and was sent to seduce John, but has truly fallen in love with him and gives up her life to save him and Sherlock, leaving John devasted and Sherlock feeling guilty.

 

As for the baby, I don't know.  I guess I'm a terrible person, but I don't think I'd be unduly bothered by the death of a fictional unborn child.  Hard to imagine the writers doing that, though.  Maybe she isn't really pregnant (and was just playing Sherlock with her "symptoms"), or the baby isn't John's (Mycroft's, oh Lord!  That would be twisted).  But I don't want John to be a father because I want him back with in 221B with Sherlock and I think the flat would be really hard to child-proof.  (Like I said, I'm a terrible person.)

 

The introduction of the baby plot just further cemented my belief that Mary is going to die.  For me, it was like an anvil falling. "Oh, it's going to be devastating to John when we kill Mary! But... not MOFFAT-level devastating. What could we do to make it sadder? Oh, I know! We'll make her pregnant! So, not only will he lose his wife, but also his unborn child! That'll send him (and the fans) right off the deep end! They'll be sobbing under their beds! Brilliant!" 

[Cheerio1021]

 

I think the writers have done a brilliant job with the Mary character, and Amanda Abbington has played her wonderfully. 

 

But I must admit:  I want Mary gone.  Gone, gone, GONE.  The idea of a crime-solving trio, or even her in the background, doesn't appeal to me.  I want John living back at 221B, and I want the focus to be on their awesome partnership and the mischief they prevent/create.  I feel like the last three episodes have been about Things Separating John And Sherlock, and as dramatically compelling as that's been, I wish the writers would head in a different direction and one that is a bit more in tune with what ACD did.

 

My personal hope is that Mary has been working for/with CAM all along and was sent to seduce John, but has truly fallen in love with him and gives up her life to save him and Sherlock, leaving John devasted and Sherlock feeling guilty.

 

As for the baby, I don't know.  I guess I'm a terrible person, but I don't think I'd be unduly bothered by the death of a fictional unborn child.  Hard to imagine the writers doing that, though.  Maybe she isn't really pregnant (and was just playing Sherlock with her "symptoms"), or the baby isn't John's (Mycroft's, oh Lord!  That would be twisted).  But I don't want John to be a father because I want him back with in 221B with Sherlock and I think the flat would be really hard to child-proof.  (Like I said, I'm a terrible person.)

 

The introduction of the baby plot just further cemented my belief that Mary is going to die.  For me, it was like an anvil falling. "Oh, it's going to be devastating to John when we kill Mary! But... not MOFFAT-level devastating. What could we do to make it sadder? Oh, I know! We'll make her pregnant! So, not only will he lose his wife, but also his unborn child! That'll send him (and the fans) right off the deep end! They'll be sobbing under their beds! Brilliant!" 

 

 

Good point.  I hope you're right!

 

(Terrible person.  Terrible.)

 

 

[sherlockandjohn]

 

A.: It's not becoming the story of Sherlock, John and Mary at all! That's what I expected on first reading the title "The Sign of Three" - I thought it referred to the introduction of a center trio. And I groaned just as dismally as the original Holmes at the thought. But it's not come true. Not at all. If anything, the last two episodes seemed to be more about Sherlock and John than anything we've seen before. Poor Mary almost comes across as a mere plot device to really put the romance into bromance. Just consider the wedding. We didn't even get to see the marriage vows, the kiss, the cutting of the cake. We never even got to hear them say "I love you". Neither did we ever hear the final marriage proposal. Now, I won't list all we heard and saw instead, but think about it... don't you notice something?

 

B.: I at first complained as loudly and violently as I could. And I do assure you that my focus is much more on the characters rather than the crimes. It's just that I loved the first series so much. It was so dark, so constrained, so subtle, so unspectacular, so clever and original. The best television I've ever seen. The newer episodes are different and they take getting used to. My brain still objects to them. But my heart has decided to ignore it and I've come to like them very, very much, too, in spite of myself.

 

Series 3 has really focused on Sherlock and John more than ever, and what a treat! I've always been much more interested in the characers and their relationships rather than the cases, but it wasn't until I saw these two episodes that I realised how much I took delight in the detective work. I was shocked at both TEH and TSoT the first time I watched them. I've now watched both episodes several times, and I've surrendered. They are absolutely wonderful! They just took a bit of getting used to for me, but I love them now. Not to say that I love them more than the previous episodes, but I love them just as much, and the sentiment we got to see in TSoT had all the more power because of the previous series.

[sherlockandjohn]

 

 

Are you suggesting we saw John and Sherlocks "wedding?"

 

Yes! And no. No, I don't think they are meant to be gay or want to have sex with each other. John needs Mary for that and Sherlock has naked Irene running around in his mind palace - not exactly the fantasy I'd expect from a gay man...

 

But I do feel that these lovely women are being used to keep sex out of what is otherwise a big fat love story. And that's what I think Doyle did, deliberate or not. The sad thing is, I like it, and feminism be damned.

 

 

 

Since I've used up my quota of 'likes' for the day, I'll just quote your comment and say how much I 'like' it