Episode 3.3, "His Last Vow"

[sherlockandjohn]

A friend of mine made an interesting comment today about His Last Vow, when she talked about how she loved when Sherlock was faking his heart attack in order to get morphine...

 

Huh?! That's not what happened, is it? I never even thought of the possibility that Sherlock's heart attack was fake. Anyone else got that impression?

[Zain]

He had a major setback in his recovery, and it took him much longer than what would be considered usual to be discharged. Setbacks are rather serious with injuries like these. I've read a meta essay that described possible complications Sherlock could have suffered. Which would have prolonged his hospital stay: Coma, pneumonia with a very weakened immune system and thus one of the diseases most dreaded in such cases, inflammations, embolism, decreased heart function due to damage, then the muscle degradation. Just to name a few things that I remember, there was more.

 

No, I did not get the impression he faked it. He had a major operation, and he was running around when he was only just allowed visitors other than close family. He likely forgot to take his medicine with him, too. But if that is how your friend interprets the scene, nothing to argue about. They never told us for certain what happened. While it may be heavily implied that he suffered a setback, there's no "definite" answer given to the audience. Which makes it fair game.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I cannot really see her love for either of them, John or Sherlock. Even with this shoddy explanation of "you would have never died, I am such a crack shot, you hypochondriac", she deliberately caused all this....

To be fair to Mary, I don't believe she ever said that. You're paraphrasing Sherlock's lame explanation.

 

A friend of mine made an interesting comment today about His Last Vow, when she talked about how she loved when Sherlock was faking his heart attack in order to get morphine...

 

Huh?! That's not what happened, is it? I never even thought of the possibility that Sherlock's heart attack was fake. Anyone else got that impression?

Well, that's a novel interpretation for sure. I never thought of it that way, but I can't really refute it, except to say that it apparently took him several months (till Christmas) to recuperate after that.

 

[sfmpco]

Personally, I think given that Sherlock was not only shot at point blank range and that then he later shoots someone at point blank, that he HAS to be a little PTSD.  I mean, he's got to be haunted and dealing with nightmares... maybe not so much about shooting Magnussen but about being shot.  That is cause for a lot of emotional trauma.  THEN to put Magnussen's shooting on top of that, that has to be traumatic for the psyche also, even if he felt he had no other choice.  

 

Now at the end of the episode he thinks he's leaving England for good, thinks he'll never see his best friend again (or any of his friends), thinks he is going to his death...trauma, trauma, trauma... then Mycroft yanks his chain and pulls him back to England with  pardon... rug pulled out from under him over and over... this is one messed up dude going into S4.

[sherlockandjohn]

Logically speaking, I think you're right, sfmpco. I have a feeling that the writers will ignore all of that in favor of telling a new story, and in favor of keeping Sherlock invincible. Can never be sure, though...

[sherlockandjohn]

 

A friend of mine made an interesting comment today about His Last Vow, when she talked about how she loved when Sherlock was faking his heart attack in order to get morphine...

 

Huh?! That's not what happened, is it? I never even thought of the possibility that Sherlock's heart attack was fake. Anyone else got that impression?

Well, that's a novel interpretation for sure. I never thought of it that way, but I can't really refute it, except to say that it apparently took him several months (till Christmas) to recuperate after that.

 

 

I'm thinking the same. Also, Sherlock was clearly not well enough to leave the hospital, but he did it anyway, and proceeded to move John's chair and set up the most dramatic way of revealing Mary's secret to John. He doesn't take very good care of himself. After all that, it's no wonder his heart was giving out on him again.

 

But, of course, I cannot prove that Sherlock didn't fake his heart attack in order to get morphine - it sounds like something he might have done, but let's hope he's learnt enough from the Reichenbach experience not to pull off a stunt like that and scaring John.

[Arcadia]

Surely the last thing they would give you for a heart attack is morphine? It's an opiate, it slows the heart rate ... if you're having a heart attack, they'd give you something to ease the flow of blood through the heart, not slow the heart down. Morphine is used to control pain, and I seriously doubt the paramedics would have given him any.

 

Anyway, I don't think what was happening to Sherlock would be categorized as a heart attack; his problem was blood loss. Again, not a reason to administer a painkiller.

 

Of course, that may be the kind of information Sherlock has deleted ....

[sfmpco]

Oh I don't think he was faking his heart attack.  You can see him getting worse and worse all the time.  He's in so much pain when he's sitting there listening to Mary as the client.  He does need pain relief from morphine, but his body is failing him at that point, and morphine won't stop that from happening anyhow.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

And the paramedics would have known instantly whether or not Sherlock was faking anything. They came prepared to treat a gunshot victim not someone having a heart attack. Sherlock even alerted them about "possible heart failure" on the way to the hospital.

[sfmpco]

When they take him down to the floor to give him oxygen, he is groaning in terrible pain.  He is in bad, bad shape.  He has pushed himself to his limit and is now paying the piper.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Personally, I think given that Sherlock was not only shot at point blank range and that then he later shoots someone at point blank, that he HAS to be a little PTSD.  I mean, he's got to be haunted and dealing with nightmares... maybe not so much about shooting Magnussen but about being shot.  That is cause for a lot of emotional trauma.  THEN to put Magnussen's shooting on top of that, that has to be traumatic for the psyche also, even if he felt he had no other choice.  

 

Now at the end of the episode he thinks he's leaving England for good, thinks he'll never see his best friend again (or any of his friends), thinks he is going to his death...trauma, trauma, trauma... then Mycroft yanks his chain and pulls him back to England with  pardon... rug pulled out from under him over and over... this is one messed up dude going into S4.

 

 

I'm trying to decide whether his having been kind of a "messed up dude" all along will negate that -- or make it even worse.  Are the effects additive or subtractive?

[sfmpco]

I think it's all going to force his heart open more. What the ramifications are, I don't know. I think every episode will crack his shell further in some way

[Arcadia]

Well, he IS a nut....

 

(sorry, couldn't resist!)

[sherlockandjohn]

Very sharp there, Arcadia, very sharp

[sherlockandjohn]

I'm not sure, though, if we'll see Sherlock's shell crack further in every episode. There's only so far the writers can take it, I presume. Perhaps he'll even suffer a setback of sorts, but if so, it will be temporary. I do agree that it seems the writers are breaking down his walls brick by brick. Anyway, John Watson has at least as thick a shell as Sherlock. Maybe they ought to work on him.

[Arcadia]

Thou art easily amused, sherlockandjohn.

 

I rather like the idea of Sherlock coming apart, a bit. It could be like old times!

[jesskayding]

 

 

Personally, I think given that Sherlock was not only shot at point blank range and that then he later shoots someone at point blank, that he HAS to be a little PTSD. I mean, he's got to be haunted and dealing with nightmares... maybe not so much about shooting Magnussen but about being shot. That is cause for a lot of emotional trauma. THEN to put Magnussen's shooting on top of that, that has to be traumatic for the psyche also, even if he felt he had no other choice.

 

Now at the end of the episode he thinks he's leaving England for good, thinks he'll never see his best friend again (or any of his friends), thinks he is going to his death...trauma, trauma, trauma... then Mycroft yanks his chain and pulls him back to England with pardon... rug pulled out from under him over and over... this is one messed up dude going into S4.

 

I'm trying to decide whether his having been kind of a "messed up dude" all along will negate that -- or make it even worse. Are the effects additive or subtractive?

I don't see Shirl having nightmares at all. Especially about that. He had a decision to make & he made it. Moving on.

[Arcadia]

That's more or less what Moffat said, too.

[jesskayding]

And I wasn't even trying to quote Moffat. Just based of who Sherlock has been so far... That's just his charactercharacter/personality, doesn't have anything to do with maturity.

[sfmpco]

I wish you folks would use quotes more.  I can't follow these discussions always.  Just sayin'.

[jesskayding]

I wish you folks would use quotes more. I can't follow these discussions always. Just sayin'.

 

Sorry bout that sfmpco.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Just scroll back up a few posts, sfmpco -- generally, people are replying to the post just ahead of theirs (which may be commenting on the post before that).

 

But yeah folks -- if you're replying to a few posts back, please use the quote button, so we know what you're referring to.  And even if you're replying to the very last post, please recheck after your reply is posted, because someone may have snuck in between while you were typing.  (If you need to add a quote for clarity, just use the quote button as usual and copy the entire contents of the Edit box, then click the edit button on your quoteless post, paste the quote in, and repost.)

 

[Slithytove]

 

 

 

 

 

And I've wondered if we're supposed to draw a parallel between her and Major Sholto, who had "a lifetime of unfortunate reflexes." (Why on earth was he allowed to keep his gun if he has such poor impulse control .... *sigh*)

I thought nobody was allowed to keep their gun after serving? Or does that depend on which country one is talking about, for example, does England handle this differently? I thought they had strict(er) gun control, too.

To me, this was always the writers asking us for some willing suspense of disbelief. Just like with John's gun, and the off-switch on the bomb.

Handguns are illegal for private citizens in the UK, with very few exceptions - mostly historical exhibits, I believe. That legislation was passed after the terrible murder of primary school children and their teacher in Dunblane, Scotland. It deeply shocked us as a nation and led to the change in the law.

 

So, neither Sholto nor John are likely to have licences for their guns. It is hard to understand why Lestrade has a gun in THoB - if he is simply a Detective Inspector in the Met, he wouldn't normally be armed.

 

Firearms legislation here is very strict and fairly straightforward - you can't have a handgun or a machine gun but you might get a shotgun or rifle licence, for sport, or for work (gamekeepers, for example) or as a collector, but not to use for self-defence. There are restrictions over the size of gun you can own, and restrictions on the type of people who can own them.

 

All in all, guns are not part of most people's lives here, so "Sherlock" doesn't really reflect UK gun laws or usage - in reality, Lestrade probably wouldn't have carried a gun himself and would have removed John's from his possession long ago. (Surely he is bright enough to have realised John has a gun?)

[Carol the Dabbler]

So, neither Sholto nor John are likely to have licences for their guns. It is hard to understand why Lestrade has a gun in THoB - if he is simply a Detective Inspector in the Met, he wouldn't normally be armed.

Maybe Sholto was allowed to keep his gun as a part of the uniform that he had special permission to keep?

 

... in reality, Lestrade probably wouldn't have carried a gun himself and would have removed John's from his possession long ago. (Surely he is bright enough to have realised John has a gun?)

If Greg didn't know before "Hounds," he surely noticed John blazing away right next to him!

[jesskayding]

UHhh. gun laws huh...