Molly Hooper

[bedelia1984]

 

Is shipping Lestrade/Molly simply because both happen to be single?

 

I'm not 100% sold on Lestrade/Molly, but I definitely see the basis for that relationship- Lestrade seems like he has been unlucky in his choice of longterm love- the wife who cheats frequently, and then with Molly, depending on your point of view, Sherlock seems to have not been the most kind choice as the object of her affections- to an extent, you might view both Molly and Lestrade as 'gluttons for punishment' in the area of love- so there is that appeal that instead of continue to be heartbroken, they could make each other happy instead. They both deserve it so much, and seem like such decent people with the potential to be good partners.  I have read a very convincing fic on the pairing, called, 'An Avalanche of Detour Signs".

 

I say all this, but I still like Molly and Sherlock the best- I know we've spoken about it before Gerry, for me it's more my reading of the performances of BC and LB- I'm not sure the relationship can be read on the page, but for me it is there in the way the actors perform their roles together, in the chemistry.

 

But then, I also think LB and Rupert Graves have a lovely chemistry- like when they are chatting in TSOT, or sitting near each other at the wedding- for me there is a convincing life to their friendship way beyond the snippets we see onscreen, and a genuine warmth there between Molly and Lestrade, maybe hints of romance too.

[Arcadia]

I'm not really a shipper either, and I've long argued that if they ever got together, Sherlock would destroy Molly, unless he changes drastically. But I'd still enjoy it if they became a couple and I've always thought it's because, for many of us, Molly represents US. The "ordinary" girl who wants to be recognized as worthy of love by an extraordinary man ... and not have to become something like Irene Adler in order to get his attention. The cards are all stacked against her ever attracting a man like Sherlock, as they are against so many of us ... whether it's because we're awkward, or think we're ugly, or of the wrong social class, or not sexy enough, or whatever. Molly seems to embody many of those traits, yet at the same time reveals how much a "plain" girl can offer a man, if he'd only bother to notice. It's a little  bit pathetic, because she deserves to be treated better, and a lot of us identify with that, I think. Yet at the same time she's shown as being a bit heroic in her love; she doesn't give up on him, or turn her back on him, even though he's given her many reasons to do so. It's a very romantic portrayal of love that still appeals to a lot of women, even in this day and age.

 

As for Molly/Lestrade, I don't really have anything against it except their age difference. But it seems like settling; like acknowledging that she's just not "good enough" for the exotic creature that is Sherlock, the most she can hope for is a decent but common man. Every once in a while you like to see the "commoner" get the "prince," y'know?

[bedelia1984]

I'm not really a shipper either, and I've long argued that if they ever got together, Sherlock would destroy Molly, unless he changes drastically. But I'd still enjoy it if they became a couple and I've always thought it's because, for many of us, Molly represents US. The "ordinary" girl who wants to be recognized as worthy of love by an extraordinary man ... and not have to become something like Irene Adler in order to get his attention. The cards are all stacked against her ever attracting a man like Sherlock, as they are against so many of us ... whether it's because we're awkward, or think we're ugly, or of the wrong social class, or not sexy enough, or whatever. Molly seems to embody many of those traits, yet at the same time reveals how much a "plain" girl can offer a man, if he'd only bother to notice. It's a little  bit pathetic, because she deserves to be treated better, and a lot of us identify with that, I think. Yet at the same time she's shown as being a bit heroic in her love; she doesn't give up on him, or turn her back on him, even though he's given her many reasons to do so. It's a very romantic portrayal of love that still appeals to a lot of women, even in this day and age.

 

As for Molly/Lestrade, I don't really have anything against it except their age difference. But it seems like settling; like acknowledging that she's just not "good enough" for the exotic creature that is Sherlock, the most she can hope for is a decent but common man. Every once in a while you like to see the "commoner" get the "prince," y'know?

 

I  think a part of the appeal of Molly/ Sherlock for me is that Molly is outwardly such a nerd and yet she has a hidden streak of being quite morbid and hyper-competent- whereas Sherlock is like the reverse, outwardly cool and competent, but underneath that a bit of a nerd who sometimes wants to fit in a lot more than he'd like to let on.

 

The way they are presented on the how it does seem like an ordinary girl/ extraordinary guy deal, but part of what makes each of them likeable for me is that other side they have- so in a way I don't perceive them as that different to each other.

[gerry]

That mentality doesn’t represent me that’s for sure nor do I find it the least bit romantic. I think it’s really sad if Molly did accept the crumbs that Sherlock sends her way simply because he can solve crimes and can do deductions. Does he not put pants on one leg at a time like the rest of the commoners? And that mentality would discredit all that she has accomplished in her professional career and her contributions in solving his cases and for what? Sherlock isn’t all that and a bag of chips. Maybe at solving crimes but not much else.

 

I can understand the bad boy charm trope. I just finished watching Ripper Street last week and the Jackson/Susan marriage on that show was the epitome of that type of charm/attraction but they each gave as good as they got. There was nothing one sided about that relationship.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Can’t men and women just be friends? It seems even for the crime shows I watch there’s always some faction of the fandom that wants to pair/ship the female regular with one of the male regulars. It’s a phenomenon that both fascinates and confounds me.

 Yes. Agree to this.

 

.. and I've always thought it's because, for many of us, Molly represents US....

Same reason, different hope.

I want Sherlock lack of needing others or couple to represent people who think so, that it's okay to be alone and we don't always need others.

I'm not but I'll be someday, as everyone. So I want the greatest detective to assure me.

All craps outside say it's not and people need to be paired up.

[Artemis]

Good points all around!

 

Can’t men and women just be friends? It seems even for the crime shows I watch there’s always some faction of the fandom that wants to pair/ship the female regular with one of the male regulars. It’s a phenomenon that both fascinates and confounds me. Of course, there are times the potential onscreen pairings seem organic based on the characters and actor chemistry and other times it just seems like putting the characters together for the sake of it.

 

I don't have much to add, but so much yes to this! ^

 

I want Sherlock lack of needing others or couple to represent people who think so, that it's okay to be alone and we don't always need others.

 

And THIS! ^

 

[Artemis]

Sherlock isn’t all that and a bag of chips.

 

 

 

 

Are you sure about that?  :P

 

 

[gerry]

LOL Artemis.

 

I do wonder sometimes if I found BC physically attractive if I would like Sherlock more and could see the fascination but alas I don’t think so. Even in real life I find attractiveness to me is linked to personality meaning if an attractive man is actually a jerk he doesn’t seem attractive to me anymore. Too many times on this show I find Sherlock to be a total jerk so I’m not sure there’s an attractive enough actor to compensate that for me. I do however find BC to be a brilliant actor. I thought he was great in Imitation Game, awfully sad end for Alan Turing though.

 

Anyway I’m not sure I made my thought with that line clear. My point was only that I hate the idea that a woman’s self worth/identity/esteem is or should be tied to the actions/whims/lust of a man, regardless of who that man is. The independent woman in me screams “no!” At the sentiment.

[Boton]

 

Anyway I’m not sure I made my thought with that line clear. My point was only that I hate the idea that a woman’s self worth/identity/esteem is or should be tied to the actions/whims/lust of a man, regardless of who that man is. The independent woman screams “no!” At the sentiment.

 

Agree.  I mean, I find BC attractive.  (Or, at least, I find many of his characters attractive - him, less and less as time goes on.) But just because Sherlock is attractive doesn't mean I find it at all appealing for this smart, hot man to swoop down and rescue an "average" girl like Molly.  (Her average-ness up for debate, of course.)

 

Part of it is probably that I have absolutely zero in common with Molly, and her lack of ability to dress herself makes me absolutely nuts.  So I want Sherlock with someone who has some fashion sense.

 

But more to the point, I think Sherlock would destroy Molly.  I think she would exist on the moments he was actually nice to her or actually took her feelings into account, and she would waste away waiting for him to become the man who wanted a house and kids and a dog and a normal life.  He could survive this imbalance, because he would just wall her off in his own mind, but she would be killed by the lack of attention.

 

They both need someone they are passionate  about and who returns the affection, and I just don't see it in Sherlolly.

[Hikari]

Hikari, I don't have enough hands to give you all the "thumbs up" I'd like for this line. I may even get it tattooed on my forehead. :D

 

Thanks, J.P.

 

That scene with Mary's 'boys' is too adorable.  Sherlock has obviously studied the meaning of the 'thumbs up' signal.  He doesn't look completely comfortable doing it, but that's his attempt at 'normal 21st century male nomenclature'.  Cute.

 

Before I discovered this site (all too belatedly, alas) I got my Sherlock fandom on over on YouTube and was introduced to this phenomenon of shipping.  I took to it like a duck to water, but while I could enjoy all these ships in the Sherlock Armada, some of them were quizzical to say the least.

 

HMS Mystrade has legions of devoted fans, despite the fact that 1. Greg Lestrade, essayed by Super Silver Fox Rupert Graves is 100% heterosexual and 2.  Lestrade & Mycroft do not actually share any screen time on this show.  Mycroft turned up at a crime scene at the end of 'PINK' but I don't think he actually condescended to speak to Scotland Yard.

 

A small but vocal minority has created HMS Anderlock, in which Anderson nurses a hero-worship of Sherlock Holmes that verges into the love that dare not speak its name.  Sort of like Molly, only male.  He did not put himself into the scenario in which Sherlock crashes through the window and gives Molly the liplock that caused ovaries the world over to explode simultaneously.  But perhaps Anderson was projecting . . . ?  The way that he doggedly pursued alternative theories of Sherlock's 'demise' for years, losing his job, his sanity and his ability to shave in the process . . one thinks there might be more than guilt that drove him to such lengths. 

 

Thanks to TEH, we love Anderson . . after two-+ years of enjoying hating his guts. 

 

P.S.  that posted photo where Sherlock shanghaies Molly from her lunch date--'I've got crisps!'--look what that blue scarf does for Bendi's eyes.  Those eyes seem to garner their energy and color straight from the Tessaract. 

[Boton]

Yes, but it was Jolie_Black and I who invented..... (wait for it)..... Andercroft!

[Hikari]

Andercroft, you say . .?

 

Not sure Anderson would represent enough of a challenge for M.  That'd kinda be like a spider toying with a fly, wouldn't it?

 

Now, if he got together with Greg, think of all the comedic possibilities--being dragged to the pub to watch the football with  . . .PEOPLE, some of them unwashed and all of them reeking of beer!

 

And, Greg's cute.

 

Anderson winds up with that Scottish girl who ships Sheriarty--the one with the ring in her nose.  She bosses him about and he likes it, secretly.

[Hikari]

 

Anyway I’m not sure I made my thought with that line clear. My point was only that I hate the idea that a woman’s self worth/identity/esteem is or should be tied to the actions/whims/lust of a man, regardless of who that man is. The independent woman screams “no!” At the sentiment.

 

Agree.  I mean, I find BC attractive.  (Or, at least, I find many of his characters attractive - him, less and less as time goes on.) But just because Sherlock is attractive doesn't mean I find it at all appealing for this smart, hot man to swoop down and rescue an "average" girl like Molly.  (Her average-ness up for debate, of course.)

 

Part of it is probably that I have absolutely zero in common with Molly, and her lack of ability to dress herself makes me absolutely nuts.  So I want Sherlock with someone who has some fashion sense.

 

But more to the point, I think Sherlock would destroy Molly.  I think she would exist on the moments he was actually nice to her or actually took her feelings into account, and she would waste away waiting for him to become the man who wanted a house and kids and a dog and a normal life.  He could survive this imbalance, because he would just wall her off in his own mind, but she would be killed by the lack of attention.

 

They both need someone they are passionate  about and who returns the affection, and I just don't see it in Sherlolly.

 

 

Molly's rainbow colored pullover with the patterned shirt underneath that looks like it belongs with an entirely different outfit--like a suit jacket . . yeah.  The wardrobe designer was not very kind to Molly.  We see what kind of assets Loo Brealey's got when she got to dress up in the Christmas drinkies scene, but all the rest of the time, they are hidden under huge baggy pullovers and totebags as large as their owner.

 

Granted, Molly cuts up dead bodies all day in a florescent basement so I get that being a clothes horse isn't high on her list of priorities.  But her off-duty clothes (mufti) all look like they've been in her closet since junior high and she hasn't grown or gotten any new clothes since then apart from lab coats.

 

What the show gets right from Canon is Sherlock's innate stylishness.  You'd think clothing would be the last thing he'd care about, except for disguise potential . . and yet, in Canon, as in this show, all of Sherlock's wardrobe is expensive, high-quality and impeccably tailored.  Watson writes of his 'cat-like ability to stay clean' regardless of the filth of his environment--unless, of course, he *means* to get filthy.  Otherwise, dirt just stays away from Sherlock Holmes because he demands it.  Sherlock is innately attuned to what the people around him are wearing and their physical characteristics, as part of his deducing game, but even SH might find Molly's wardrobe inexplicably awkward.

[Boton]

Yes, if Sherlock is meant to be stylish and perhaps monied, there's no reason to think he would take notice of someone like Molly.  You are completely correct about what her "civilian" clothes look like, too.  

[Hikari]

Yes, if Sherlock is meant to be stylish and perhaps monied, there's no reason to think he would take notice of someone like Molly.  You are completely correct about what her "civilian" clothes look like, too.  

 

My money's on the Holmes brothers having a trust fund.  They have 'country squires' with an estate in Yorkshire (aptly titled 'Mycroft') on Father's side, and on Mother's side, there is at least one very famous French artist.  221B Baker Street might be a bit of a tip, but Sherlock's clothes, shoes, electronics and books are all best quality.  He can afford to be careless with his possessions in only the way that a person who's always had money can be.

 

Molly's lack of dosh or label wardrobe wouldn't be the determining factor of Sherl dismissing her from notice.  He does notice, quite a lot, actually.  He comments on the size of her physical endowments and knows when she's changed her hair.  Not because he is interested; these deductions just sluice off of him unconsciously. But he knows commenting positively on a woman's appearance will get him what he needs--her cooperation in the moment.

 

If we take out the part where Molly follows him around like a puppy and dates men who look an awful lot like he does, Sherlock does, I think, rate Molly's professional skills quite highly.  She gives good microscope and is as good at chemistry as he is . . probably his superior in forensic anatomy.  I would hope so.  When they keep it strictly to lab work, they get on quite well. Sherl is the man she can never have, so she may as well make her peace with this.  Unless she leaves London, she'll keep running into him at work.   Poor Molly.  Let's hope that she at least reclaimed her bedroom after events of Season 4.

 

[Artemis]

P.S. that posted photo where Sherlock shanghaies Molly from her lunch date--'I've got crisps!'--look what that blue scarf does for Bendi's eyes. Those eyes seem to garner their energy and color straight from the Tessaract.

I noticed the same thing, lol.

[gerry]

Part of it is probably that I have absolutely zero in common with Molly, and her lack of ability to dress herself makes me absolutely nuts....

she would waste away waiting for him to become the man who wanted a house and kids and a dog and a normal life....

The clothes they dress Molly in are atrocious, I agree! I realize they are going for dorky but do the pants and lab coat have to be twice the size of LB? I’m not even sure I have ever associated dorky with oversized clothes before.

 

I am curious what makes you think Molly is looking for the white picket fence? I never got that impression nor did she seem overly excited about being engaged to Tom. She seems more career oriented to me.

[Hikari]

 

Part of it is probably that I have absolutely zero in common with Molly, and her lack of ability to dress herself makes me absolutely nuts. So I want Sherlock with someone who has some fashion sense....

she would waste away waiting for him to become the man who wanted a house and kids and a dog and a normal life....

The clothes they dress Molly in are atrocious, I agree! I realize they are going for dorky but does the pants and lab coat have to be twice the size of LB? I’m not even sure I have ever associated dorky with oversized clothes before.

 

I am curious what makes you think Molly is looking for the white picket fence? I never got that impression nor did she seem overly excited about being engaged to Tom. She seems more career oriented to me.

 

 

She wasn't excited about Tom because he was only the Sherlock-substitute.  She is very focused on her job, yes, but the main issue with Tom is he wasn't Sherl. 

 

If Molls can resign herself to being just platonic colleagues with SH, she can actually spend a lot of time with him at the lab.

 

[Arcadia]

 

 

I  think a part of the appeal of Molly/ Sherlock for me is that Molly is outwardly such a nerd and yet she has a hidden streak of being quite morbid and hyper-competent- whereas Sherlock is like the reverse, outwardly cool and competent, but underneath that a bit of a nerd who sometimes wants to fit in a lot more than he'd like to let on.

 

The way they are presented on the how it does seem like an ordinary girl/ extraordinary guy deal, but part of what makes each of them likeable for me is that other side they have- so in a way I don't perceive them as that different to each other.

 

I think that's part of the Sherlolly lure ... the idea that they'd be perfect for each other if they could just see it, the doofs! Classic romantic set up, probably not very realistic, but beloved by millions around the world just the same. It must be, or the romantic novel/movie/etc. wouldn't be so lucrative..... :p

 

LOL Artemis.

 

I do wonder sometimes if I found BC physically attractive if I would like Sherlock more and could see the fascination but alas I don’t think so. Even in real life I find attractiveness to me is linked to personality meaning if an attractive man is actually a jerk he doesn’t seem attractive to me anymore. Too many times on this show I find Sherlock to be a total jerk so I’m not sure there’s an attractive enough actor to compensate that for me. I do however find BC to be a brilliant actor. I thought he was great in Imitation Game, awfully sad end for Alan Turing though.

 

Anyway I’m not sure I made my thought with that line clear. My point was only that I hate the idea that a woman’s self worth/identity/esteem is or should be tied to the actions/whims/lust of a man, regardless of who that man is. The independent woman in me screams “no!” At the sentiment.

 

I think the difference for me is that although sometimes Sherlock does indeed act like a total jerk, BC manages to somehow imbue him with a sense of vulnerability and innate decency that attracts me to him anyway. I'm pretty sure I couldn't stand a man like that in real life, but he's not exactly a realistic character on the show, is he? Which is part of the appeal of fantasy shows, for me, at least ... if I want reality, I can talk to the man in the street about baseball. But it's more fun to watch a guy in a magic coat leap over rooftops. 

 

I agree a woman shouldn't define herself by her relationship with a man. But I don't see Molly doing that; she's got her own life. I think at the beginning it's about what she thinks she wants from Sherlock, but it changes somewhere along the way to being about what she thinks she could give Sherlock. Stability, affection, warmth, etc. The question in my mind is whether he could learn to value that enough to deserve it. So far he's been more interested in the game, the challenge, the battle. I.e., Irene.

 

 

Part of it is probably that I have absolutely zero in common with Molly, and her lack of ability to dress herself makes me absolutely nuts.  So I want Sherlock with someone who has some fashion sense.

Which is exactly why I identify with Molly! It's not that I don't have some sense of fashion, it's that I don't give a damn about it, and resent being defined as less of a woman (by some people, not you!) because I refuse to look fashionable. Or the reverse, even; thinking someone is a lady simply because they dress well. I think that's why I loathe art show receptions so much; you know there's always going to be people there who make assumptions about you based on the way you're dressed, and it makes me feel like a thing instead of a person.

 

I would agree, however, that Molly could at least wear the right size of clothes! :D But I completely understand why, if I said that to her, she would give me the finger.

 

But more to the point, I think Sherlock would destroy Molly.  I think she would exist on the moments he was actually nice to her or actually took her feelings into account, and she would waste away waiting for him to become the man who wanted a house and kids and a dog and a normal life.  He could survive this imbalance, because he would just wall her off in his own mind, but she would be killed by the lack of attention.

 

They both need someone they are passionate about and who returns the affection, and I just don't see it in Sherlolly.

 

 

Alas, I tend to agree. But I don't see it in Adlock either; maybe the passion, but not the affection. At least, not in a way that I would like to see affection expressed. I think with them it would be all about trying to establish dominance over each other. They'd enjoy the game, but it wouldn't make them better people, and I so want Sherlock to become better people. In which case I should probably be a Johnlock shipper, except I just can't make myself detect the gay.

 

 

I am curious what makes you think Molly is looking for the white picket fence? I never got that impression nor did she seem overly excited about being engaged to Tom. She seems more career oriented to me.

 

I don't really see her looking for the white picket fence either, I suspect that's just a projection of her "type". She's a "typical" girl, ergo she must want a "typical" life.

 

A significant moment for me was when she said "maybe it's just my type," after Sherlock congratulated her for not dating a psychopath. That line makes me think she really does see Sherlock pretty clearly, and wants him anyway. Or thinks she does, at least.

[Hikari]

For all you Sherlolly shippers out there, or even those that are dubious . . watch this charming collage of dedicated Sherlolly Tumblr artist Lexieken (the #1 Sherlolly shipper) and see if you don't think at least a little wistfully, that it would be nice . . if only Sherlock Holmes weren't such a Doof!

 

Sherlock & Molly:  Young Volcanoes

(music: Fall Out Boy)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwM8F3KxH18

[Arcadia]

Yeah, that's exactly the kind of relationship I can't see them having. All cute and snuggly and playing with each other. I imagine something more like the relationship between Mrs. H and Sherlock, only with sex. :d

[Boton]

Andercroft, you say . .?

 

 

 

Anderson is relaxing.  No intellectual challenge.  And they share common interests, as I posited in the fan fic that dared not speak its name.  

 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4074940

 

 

I am curious what makes you think Molly is looking for the white picket fence? I never got that impression nor did she seem overly excited about being engaged to Tom. She seems more career oriented to me.

 

 

I've been where Molly was with Tom.  "If I can't have the one I want, I'll make the life I want with a reasonable facsimile."  She talked about getting a dog and going to the pub and meeting his family.  She wanted the fantasy to happen.  She just wanted it with a different guy.

[Arcadia]

Hmm, true.

 

But maybe she was just trying to convince herself that's what she wanted, because that's what Tom wanted. And/or what she thinks that's what she's supposed to want, because isn't that what girls are taught to want? Not some cold narcissist who bites people's heads off and thrives on danger.

 

Although to Sherlock's credit, I do think he'd also enjoy having a dog...

[bedelia1984]

 

.......

 

I agree a woman shouldn't define herself by her relationship with a man. But I don't see Molly doing that; she's got her own life. I think at the beginning it's about what she thinks she wants from Sherlock, but it changes somewhere along the way to being about what she thinks she could give Sherlock. Stability, affection, warmth, etc. The question in my mind is whether he could learn to value that enough to deserve it. So far he's been more interested in the game, the challenge, the battle. I.e., Irene.

 

 

....

 

 

I am curious what makes you think Molly is looking for the white picket fence? I never got that impression nor did she seem overly excited about being engaged to Tom. She seems more career oriented to me.

 

I don't really see her looking for the white picket fence either, I suspect that's just a projection of her "type". She's a "typical" girl, ergo she must want a "typical" life.

 

A significant moment for me was when she said "maybe it's just my type," after Sherlock congratulated her for not dating a psychopath. That line makes me think she really does see Sherlock pretty clearly, and wants him anyway. Or thinks she does, at least.

 

 

I agree with your take on what Molly is looking for, and it sort of fits with that crush/ more grown up affection progression that I saw in the later portrayal of their relationship.

 

When Molly was describing her relationship with Tom to Sherlock, I felt like she was more of a tourist describing her time away from normalcy- like she found her relationship with Tom perhaps about one eighth as odd as Sherlock would find a relationship like that. She's also the girl who was first taken with a guy she saw beating a corpse, so to me her romantic tastes aren't exactly pedestrian.

 

I also thought that whole conversation was odd because of how much like exes Molly and Sherlock behaved- I can understand her acting as if they had a past, but from him it was pretty bizarre.

 

 

Yeah, that's exactly the kind of relationship I can't see them having. All cute and snuggly and playing with each other. I imagine something more like the relationship between Mrs. H and Sherlock, only with sex. :D

 

:o  Yikes!! Yet the fics surely exist to back that up.

 

 

Hmm, true.

 

But maybe she was just trying to convince herself that's what she wanted, because that's what Tom wanted. And/or what she thinks that's what she's supposed to want, because isn't that what girls are taught to want? Not some cold narcissist who bites people's heads off and thrives on danger.

 

Although to Sherlock's credit, I do think he'd also enjoy having a dog...

 

Yes, I thought she was trying the more accepted route to happiness, and it was telling that her favourite aspect seemed to be the dog!

 

I would so like to know Molly's backstory, I think one of the hardest things for me about her character is believing she hadn't a single friend or family member to advise her on things- like dating Tom not being the best idea, some of her outfit choices (though I don't hate all her clothes)... there is something a bit uncared for about Molly, which comes to a head with the coffin deduction, and then we never get any resolution on that.

[Arcadia]

I agree with your take on what Molly is looking for, and it sort of fits with that crush/ more grown up affection progression that I saw in the later portrayal of their relationship.

 

When Molly was describing her relationship with Tom to Sherlock, I felt like she was more of a tourist describing her time away from normalcy- like she found her relationship with Tom perhaps about one eighth as odd as Sherlock would find a relationship like that. She's also the girl who was first taken with a guy she saw beating a corpse, so to me her romantic tastes aren't exactly pedestrian.

 

I also thought that whole conversation was odd because of how much like exes Molly and Sherlock behaved- I can understand her acting as if they had a past, but from him it was pretty bizarre.

Huh, I hadn't quite thought of it that way before, but I see what you mean. And it's not hard for me to imagine he did feel a bit proprietary about her. Although I also think she would have been very surprised to learn that.

 

 

 

Hmm, true.

 

But maybe she was just trying to convince herself that's what she wanted, because that's what Tom wanted. And/or what she thinks that's what she's supposed to want, because isn't that what girls are taught to want? Not some cold narcissist who bites people's heads off and thrives on danger.

 

Although to Sherlock's credit, I do think he'd also enjoy having a dog...

 

Yes, I thought she was trying the more accepted route to happiness, and it was telling that her favourite aspect seemed to be the dog!

 

I would so like to know Molly's backstory, I think one of the hardest things for me about her character is believing she hadn't a single friend or family member to advise her on things- like dating Tom not being the best idea, some of her outfit choices (though I don't hate all her clothes)... there is something a bit uncared for about Molly, which comes to a head with the coffin deduction, and then we never get any resolution on that.

 

 

Yeah, in the coffin deduction, I didn't expect that ... that she would be identified as the classic little orphan type, alone and uncared for. Now that was sad. I prefer to think Molly has a real life outside of Sherlock that she is quite content with, thank you.

 

I did like that Sherlock identified her as practical and informed. I like to imagine that as his way of saying he respects her.