Episode 3.3, "His Last Vow"

[Carol the Dabbler]

Hello, omegaxx -- welcome to Sherlock Forum! 

 

When you say that there wasn't a single good deduction in all of Series 3, do you mean that the cases were not sufficiently challenging, or that you found Sherlock's reasoning to be faulty, or -- ?

 

I agree that John seems different in this series, but I attribute that to the strain of dealing with his current bewildering situation, which will hopefully be better explained in Series 4.  A number of people have commented on exactly the two behaviors that you mention, and in both of those cases, John appears (to me) to be simply doing exactly what Sherlock asks him to do, perhaps with the hope that Sherlock understands what the heck is going on.

 

All of this is of course open to all sorts of interpretation, and I'm certainly not claiming to understand everything.  But Series 1 and 2 left me with a sufficient appreciation of John's basic decency that I trust your doubts will be resolved by Series 4.  In the meantime, maybe I should get a T-shirt that says, "I believe in John Watson."

 

[wildwoodflower]

 

Even in this new season it's great fun to pick out the canonical references, comparing with the modern interpretation to the original works.

 

I agree with you there, Fox. I think that as a very clever modern "transformation" of the Doyle stories, "Sherlock" is actually getting better and better. His Last Vow, for example, I felt was very close to the spirit of "Charles Augustus Milverton" (and if I want true to the letter, I have a Complete Sherlock Holmes lying around the house...)

 

A lot of the original cases are not terribly clever, in my humble opinion.

 

 

 

No they are not. And you don't have to be humble about it:-) But that's part of the problem with viewer expectation. Most people watching BBC Sherlock have never read the actual stories or novels, they've only seen films or the Granada series (which also took liberities with the stories in order to make them more interesting to a viewing audience). But part of what Holmes did in the Doyle stories was to act as an agent for people in difficulties that could not go to the police. People being blackmailed for instance.

 

[Slithytove]

/>

New to the forum here, but excited to dive into the discussion.

 

I feel very much betrayed by this season. Yes, I appreciate the shift in point of view, and I absolutely adore the human Sherlock, whose humanization the prior two seasons portrayed beautifully. However... what keeps Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes if he loses his mental prowess that keeps us so fascinated (there wasn't a single good deduction in the whole season)?

 

I wouldn't even mind that as much if John's character was preserved. Alas-- The real John would never let his wife get away with shooting an innocent person in the chest, much less his best friend, without at least attempting to find out why. The real John would never just let Sherlock sacrifice his own life (essentially) for his wife's. Seriously, if they had even just changed the ending slightly, having John wrestle Sherlock for the trigger when the latter pulled out the gun to point at Magnussen, that would have been so much more like the badass Dr. Watson that we know from "A Study in Pink".

I am totally with you where John's character is concerned. It seems to me that, by making him turn a blind eye to his wife's past and - even worse - forgive her for shooting Sherlock, the writers have fundamentally altered the character of a good man. I cannot reconcile his decisions with my perception of the pragmatic but basically moral John Watson we have come to know. Maybe the problem is that we don't know why he made those decisions. We know Sherlock tries, on very flimsy grounds, to exonerate Mary but John has a much firmer grasp of morality than Sherlock, so it is hard to believe that he would simply agree and forgive. We also know there has been a period of estrangement - months of silence - between the Watsons which ends abruptly with John's forgiveness of everything. What happened during those months? How did he arrive at a decision which seems so out of character? Will we ever know? This is where the shift to Sherlock's POV, which was a stroke of genius in other ways, has its limitations. It will always be easier to believe in a mysterious Sherlock than in an inexplicable John.

 

I hope we get the answers in S4, but I have my doubts. I fear we will just have to accept the Watsons as a happy, crime-solving duo with their best mate Sherlock. On the other hand, these writers are more than capable of springing surprises on us. Maybe S4 will make everything clear.

 

And, apart from wanting to slap John Watson and say "What were you thinking?", I found S3 fascinating - can't wait for the next one.

[sherlockandjohn]

As has been mentioned before, there is a bit of worry with where the series will go from here. Will it keep getting bigger and more showy? Soap opera? Or will they be able to reign it back in. I noticed some of these parallels and it's made me think if this is supposed to be a sign of full-circle. Now, what that means is up to interpretation.

 

 

In many ways I feel the series has come full circle in the last two episodes, tying up loose ends, and sealing the friendship between Sherlock and John for good. It's deeply moving, but I equally love the more fun and upbeat episodes. I think quite a lot has been altered in the relationship between Sherlock and John, though, and the dynamic between them has changed. Realistically, it can never be the same, but then again... it is fiction. (Almost) anything is possible!

[Alex the Dabbler]

I think that John Watson's behavior in "His Last Vow" is explainable by his training and point of view of "the soldier", with firm loyalty toward Sherlock (his "commander") and Mary (his wife, carrying their unborn child).  With Mary's life threatened by the creep CAM and John's humiliation from said creep, he played the role of a good soldier in allowing his "commander" to live up to his last vow in being there for John and Mary when he shot CAM to end the peril they otherwise would have faced if CAM gave Mary's enemies their address.

[Zain]

Sorry, it's not loyal to stand by a person that is morally screwed up beyond saving. She neither regrets shooting Sherlock nor that he almost died. To her, he was collateral damage. She even admits to that.

With Sherlock, we know that he is rather ambivalent at times, but he considers the possibility that he might be wrong (scenes like "not good?"). Mary, however, is beyond that point. She doesn't doubt her actions. Even at Christmas, she isn't remorseful, she's almost pouting because she feels mistreated...

 

I agree that Sherlock's POV probably is ill-suited in the last part of HLV. While I totally adore the shift, an inexplicable John is irritating at best, downright incomprehensible at worst... Maybe it would be easier if there was some sort of transition phase in which we got to see Sherlock recover and where they showed that John is trying to do the right thing (being loyal to his friend that was wronged istead of to the wrongdoer). It just feels so wrong because we see him shout a bit, and then he's hugging his murderous wife and forgiving her. We know time has passed but we do not feel it.

Five to ten more minutes, maybe that would have brought peace to the part of the fandom I belong to. The fans that are enraged by that... I don't know. Just speculation.

[Slithytove]

/>

Sorry, it's not loyal to stand by a person that is morally screwed up beyond saving. She neither regrets shooting Sherlock nor that he almost died. To her, he was collateral damage. She even admits to that.

With Sherlock, we know that he is rather ambivalent at times, but he considers the possibility that he might be wrong (scenes like "not good?"). Mary, however, is beyond that point. She doesn't doubt her actions. Even at Christmas, she isn't remorseful, she's almost pouting because she feels mistreated...

 

I agree that Sherlock's POV probably is ill-suited in the last part of HLV. While I totally adore the shift, an inexplicable John is irritating at best, downright incomprehensible at worst... Maybe it would be easier if there was some sort of transition phase in which we got to see Sherlock recover and where they showed that John is trying to do the right thing (being loyal to his friend that was wronged istead of to the wrongdoer). It just feels so wrong because we see him shout a bit, and then he's hugging his murderous wife and forgiving her. We know time has passed but we do not feel it.

Five to ten more minutes, maybe that would have brought peace to the part of the fandom I belong to. The fans that are enraged by that... I don't know. Just speculation.

This is exactly how I feel. It seems out of character for John to act this way, and we don't know how and why he made the decision to forgive her. Of course, Sherlock told him to trust her, and to work out their differences, but his reasons - that she called an ambulance and didn't shoot him in the head - are ridiculous. She shot him, he died on the operating table, he survived and she went looking for him with a gun. How can John forgive such cold-blooded violence towards the other person he loves most in the world?

 

I love the POV shift and the greater understanding of Sherlock's feelings but, to me, John makes no sense in the later scenes. It is as if he has become a different person and we don't know why, because we don't know how he worked through his dilemma and made a decision which seems so self-serving.

[Ruthyone]

I, for one, won't be able to trust Mary again, she's an assassin and even though pregnant - looks after number one. Is she faking her love for John? Or does she see him as someone to stay with for the time for some type of protection?

[Carol the Dabbler]

I agree that Sherlock's POV probably is ill-suited in the last part of HLV. While I totally adore the shift, an inexplicable John is irritating at best, downright incomprehensible at worst... Maybe it would be easier if there was some sort of transition phase in which we got to see Sherlock recover and where they showed that John is trying to do the right thing (being loyal to his friend that was wronged istead of to the wrongdoer). It just feels so wrong because we see him shout a bit, and then he's hugging his murderous wife and forgiving her. We know time has passed but we do not feel it.

Five to ten more minutes, maybe that would have brought peace to the part of the fandom I belong to....

I suspect this may be exactly why Moftiss chose to use Sherlock's PoV this time.  They've never done it before, and it rarely occurs in canon.  There must be a reason for the shift.  So perhaps they're intentionally keeping us in the dark, at least for a while.

 

One thing seems certain, Sherlock is not an incurable romantic.  Therefore, he has logical reasons for his seemingly inexplicable attitude toward Mary, and for wanting John to work things out with her.

 

I fully agree that we are rushed through John's stages of acceptance (though I don't think he's quite gotten to forgiveness just yet; he says he's still really pissed).  But surely we cannot blame the characters for what's missing.  Surely they were living their lives even when we couldn't see them.  This entire series feels rushed to me, as though they were trying to cram too much into each 90 minutes.

 

I assume that things will be explained in good time, and meanwhile I choose to trust Sherlock and John.

 

[T.o.b.y]

One thing seems certain, Sherlock is not an incurable romantic.  Therefore, he has logical reasons for his seemingly inexplicable attitude toward Mary, and for wanting John to work things out with her.

 

I am sure he has reasons, and I am also sure he thinks they are perfectly logical.

 

My personal impression so far (amateur psychology alert) is:

 

When Sherlock came back in The Empty Hearse, he expected to continue his life in London to just where he left off, including his friendship with John. That bubble bursts fairly quickly. Sherlock finds that his friend is A: really pissed off and B: not at all "so alone" any more. Mary is there from the beginning and it is obvious that John is head over heels for her and she is a fixture. Sherlock must have realized instantly that his only chance to get anywhere near John's good graces again was to accept this woman and her offer to help "bring John round". So he was eager to like her from the start. And then he found that she liked him - how many of John's former girlfriends had done that? None, I imagine. And since John is always going to have some woman in his life (or try to), it is much more convenient for Sherlock if he is firmly married to one whom Sherlock can become friends with than if he has a string of girl-friends, most of whom are hostile.

 

In The Sign of Three, we see Sherlock come to terms with the new arrangement and define his own place in it. And it is far from a bad one. I think he sincerely wants John to be happy and he thinks that John's wedding to Mary is the closest he himself will ever come to having a family. John's love for Mary is kind of infectious (at least it is for me). Mary is a lovely woman in her own right too, clever, funny and totally supportive of John and Sherlock's work together. Sherlock knows the "good old days" are over, but if there has to be "a new chapter", this is definitely the best of many alternatives. And then at the end of the episode, he (half-) jokingly compares John and Mary to parents looking after him like a child.

 

Which brings me directly to His Last Vow, where we see Sherlock as a child. In Mycroft's eyes at least, he still is one. And emotionally, that is probably often true. I think Sherlock's attitude towards John and Mary is a bit like that of a child desperately trying to prevent its parents' divorce. He's gotten used to the Watsons as a happy couple now and to them being there for him as a team and he's not ready to give them up now that he's only just begun to enjoy that state of things. (Of course, I do believe that he has unselfish motives of wanting to promote what will make John happy, but Sherlock, even at his best, is a pretty self-centered being if you ask me).

[Carol the Dabbler]

I won't dispute that he's self-centered!  Nor that he often acts like a child.  If this were a lesser matter, I'd say your analysis was highly plausible.

 

But -- urging John to work things out with the woman who shot him in the chest?  Surely there's more to it than that -- though I admit that I have absolutely no idea what it might be.

 

[T.o.b.y]

urging John to work things out with the woman who shot him in the chest?  Surely there's more to it than that -- though I admit that I have absolutely no idea what it might be.

 

I don't think Sherlock is much bothered by that shot. As you yourself pointed out, it was partly his own fault that she was "driven" to it at all. My impression is that he respects her for what she did. When we see what goes on inside his mind, there is no anger there. He feels shock and pain, but not even in his subconscious does he blame her for it. He's only concerned that she means danger for John.

[Slithytove]

I really don't understand Sherlock's take on Mary. I agree that he wants John to be happy, and that he is eager to like and be liked by Mary, and his grasp of good and bad reactions is always pretty tenuous, but..... But why is he so slow in realising what she is?

 

He knows, early on in their friendship, that she recognises a skip code (not a skill I would expect from someone working in my local doctor's surgery). As soon as he meets her, he knows she is a liar. The old Sherlock would have pounced on this information and ferreted out everything about her life. Yet he apparently does nothing , makes no further deductions, does no investigating and isn't at all concerned that John is going to marry her. Doesn't he even want to know what she lied about? Sherlock never had any qualms about overstepping boundaries. Even if he is trying to get into John's good books by not interfering, wouldn't he want to work out the truth for his own satisfaction? Isn't that what he always does? And doesn't it occur to him that she might be lying about something bad?

 

I would like to think that he had a cunning plan and had actually deduced everything about her but kept quiet for some reason not yet revealed. However, he seems to take her at face value. He trusts her. He doesn't believe she will hurt him, even though he has found her holding a gun to CAM's head, because he seems to believe she is a good person. He thinks she is his friend. He even clings to this idea after she has nearly killed him. It is very sad, really.

[T.o.b.y]

A lot about Sherlock is sad. It's a big part of why I like him so much, I think...

[Carol the Dabbler]

He knows, early on in their friendship, that she recognises a skip code .... As soon as he meets her, he knows she is a liar. The old Sherlock would have pounced on this information and ferreted out everything about her life. ....

 

I would like to think that he had a cunning plan and had actually deduced everything about her but kept quiet for some reason not yet revealed. However, he seems to take her at face value.....

 

I agree that all this seems odd.  (Is there anything about this episode that does not seem odd?)  Assuming that there actually is a method to Sherlock's seeming madness, I suspect that your wishful thinking may be correct -- Sherlock deduced her immediately, but has been biding his time for reasons known only to himself.  He's good at hiding his feelings, or suppressing them, so his reactions aren't always a good indication.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

urging John to work things out with the woman who shot him in the chest?  Surely there's more to it than that -- though I admit that I have absolutely no idea what it might be.

 

I don't think Sherlock is much bothered by that shot. As you yourself pointed out, it was partly his own fault that she was "driven" to it at all. My impression is that he respects her for what she did. When we see what goes on inside his mind, there is no anger there. He feels shock and pain, but not even in his subconscious does he blame her for it. He's only concerned that she means danger for John.

 

Yes, I see the respect.  But that may not be as far back as it goes.  Even Sherlock tolerates a lot more from some people than from others.  I'm now wondering how much of Mary's unknown-to-us backstory he's aware of.

 

I'm assuming that this all makes sense in a larger picture that we haven't yet seen.  If not, if Moftiss are merely playing a game called Let's see how much we can mess with the fans' heads before they stop watching -- well, they may find out.

 

[T.o.b.y]

 

Yes, I see the respect.  But that may not be as far back as it goes.  Even Sherlock tolerates a lot more from some people than from others.  I'm now wondering how much of Mary's unknown-to-us backstory he's aware of.

 

As a very clever person just pointed out to me, Sherlock surely must have nicked and read the contents of that "A.G.R.A" stick...

[Sherlock_luvr]

 

 

Yes, I see the respect.  But that may not be as far back as it goes.  Even Sherlock tolerates a lot more from some people than from others.  I'm now wondering how much of Mary's unknown-to-us backstory he's aware of.

 

As a very clever person just pointed out to me, Sherlock surely must have nicked and read the contents of that "A.G.R.A" stick...

 

 

I think as soon as he met Mary and deduced 'liar', he investigated everything about her. So your very clever person is probably very right!

 

And he's kept silent for - whatever reason he has. Keeping his enemies as close as his friends, perhaps.

[Ruthyone]

Maybe Sherlock has a master plan and he needs Mary in some way to expose someone. He hopes that letting John know that Mary was a killer will somehow harden him up when he exposes Mary properly and is also trying to ease Mary into a 'false sense of security' because she has information.

[Slithytove]

The problem is, if he did deduce everything about her early on, why the hell did he trust her (wrongly) not to shoot him? If he knew she was a professional killer - and a psychopath, in my opinion - what made him think she wouldn't commit another murder to silence him?

 

I hope Moftiss have an explanation for this but somehow I doubt it.

[Zain]

I don't think they'll pull another "Mycroft" on us. No, I truly think Sherlock was too preoccupied with finding a spot in this London that had moved on in his absence to subject Mary to more suspicion. She offered kindness and security when she told him that she'd help with John. Once again, "caring is not an advantage." He was blinded by it, and exhausted, I think. Sherlock is overwhelmed by social cues and emotional situations far less similiar to the mine field he encountered in TEH. (not excusing his behavior, just an approach)

 

It's kind of funny, don't you think?

It's been 30 pages of the same questions, excuses, arguments over and over again. I am sick of it. I think many of us are sick of it. But we cannot let go no matter how much it wears us out.

Maybe that's what they were after. They knew that cliffhangers get boring, and so they did not keep us on our toes. Instead they gave us something else, something that hits home emotionally. That makes us greedy for some sort of resolution in season four. 

Some want Mary gone and they want to see John back at 221b with all of their heart.

Some want a plausible explanation to soothe the fandom.

Some want Mary to make it up to Sherlock, possibly by sacrificing herself. 

 

It's funny. No matter how much I disliked John's decision, I am burning to see season four. Because I cannot believe that this is it. 

I dunno about you, but maybe you feel the same? That this cannot be "it"?

And that's why we are orbiting around the topic like fools. Sentimental, caring fools

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yes, that's more or less how I feel -- something's still missing.  (Or maybe I just need to watch this episode a few more times -- still haven't seen it with subtitles.)

 

Just for the record, as long as Sherlock and John and Mary are happy, I'm happy.  And then Sherlock and John can get back to solving other people's problems.

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

I'm sure we'll get answers, maybe not all in one episode in one fell swoop, but if we wait, and have faith in John and Sherlock, we'll get there.

[T.o.b.y]

 I truly think Sherlock was too preoccupied with finding a spot in this London that had moved on in his absence to subject Mary to more suspicion. She offered kindness and security when she told him that she'd help with John. Once again, "caring is not an advantage." He was blinded by it, and exhausted, I think.

 

I fully agree with you there. What I meant by he must have read the contents of the stick is, he must have gotten at it somehow after Mary gave it to John and read it, whether John really did or no (sometimes, I can't quite believe John didn't read it either and think he must have just told Mary he didn't because he had the impression that she didn't want to talk about it).

[Zain]

You think so?

It certainly seems possible, and it is unlike Sherlock to leave John's things be. He has a knack for "borrowing."

But I do believe John did not look at the content. It's the typical approach to denial.

 

I really just hope they're not setting things up to be all family melodrama. Like Mary dying in child birth... I want there to be some more depth to it.