Series 4 (and Special) Speculation

[Carol the Dabbler]

So far, all of that is just rumors and conjectures. No point in panicking till something turns out to be true. ;)

[Caya]

[Carol the Dabbler]

Cute! :P

[besleybean]

Love it!

[Arcadia]

Too busy to panic right now, can I postpone it til after Christmas?  Then I'll start gibbering, I promise. :d

[thegameison]

This promotional photo was released for Sherlock, which made me think a thing or two.

 

 

My very impressive arrow skills aside, notice how it's only Sherlock, John, and Molly who are looking "straight" at us, and the rest are not. It's a given that Sherlock considers John his only friend, but we also know that Sherlock told Molly that "I need you". Is this telling something, them looking at us?

 

DI Lestrade and Mary are looking to the right side of the photo, to their lefts. While Greg is posed more casually and is looking somewhere more distant, notice how Mary is looking at the distance too, but her face is slightly tilted in a way as if it wants to point to Mycroft but doesn't. Greg's hands are just in his pockets, but why are Mary's hands twisted? A look at the idiomatic meaning of a twisted hand/arm tells us that it is an idiomatic expression which means "to pressure someone (Fig. on the image of hurting someone until they agree to cooperate.)" (TheFreeDictionary.com). Is Mary pressured, and about what?

 

Another is how Mrs. Hudson looks directly at John, and Mycroft looks directly at Sherlock, as if the two are "watching over" them. Mrs. Hudson's look is more inquisitive though, while Mycroft's is more condescending. But of all people, why choose these two to stare at our main characters? Remember how in the Season 4 trailer, a scene shows Mrs. Hudson telling Mycroft in the face "you reptile!". Can be this be due to Mrs. Hudson's attachment to John and Sherlock, and Mycroft probably doing something that endangers one of them, or the both of them?

 

It can also be seen that Mrs. Hudson is holding tea. A reference to the first episode, A Study in Pink, when she offered a cuppa? Probably, but tea is also part of an idiom once searched online, and means "Let's gossip. This meaning comes from "tea" to mean juicy information. In that sense, "time for tea" ultimately means scurrilous gossiping: time to spill the beans on something. You can give tea or spill tea." A probable symbolism of the new villain's threat of Sherlock needing to say his "deepest darkest secret", and him spilling it out?

 

Or maybe I'm just really looking forward to Season 4. What do you think?

[besleybean]

It's so weird this time.

I think it's going to be brilliant, so for that I am looking forward to it.

But I think it's going to traumatic and I dread an endless hiatus...

[Carol the Dabbler]

Hello, thegameison -- welcome to Sherlock Forum! It's great that you've jumped right in with your observations.

 

I frankly have no idea what any of it means -- and I fear I may say the same thing *after* I've seen S4!

[besleybean]

Oh I think it'll be clear enough...just heart wrenching.

[Boton]

Oh I think it'll be clear enough...just heart wrenching.

 

OK, so let's go ahead and get ourselves psyched for the worst:

 

What would you consider "heart wrenching" that could happen that is "canon compliant" with the baity little marketing ploys hints we've been given so far?

[besleybean]

Well I definitely think Mary is a gonna...dunno about anybody else- though presumably baby, too.

Somehow her death is going to cause a rift between John and Sherlock?

[Boton]

Possible heart-wrenching things (don't know that I think these are equally likely, just possible):

• Mary dies, and Sherlock feels or appears to be at fault or the proximate cause (my pet theory)
• Baby dies
• Mycroft sacrifices his life for Sherlock
• John sacrifices his life for Sherlock or is seriously wounded in the process
• Mary is really Moriarty.  Or Moran. 

 

[besleybean]

I think if either Sherlock or John appear to die...it won't be real.

I have always wanted Mary to sacrifice herself for John...

But yes, I expect somehow Sherlock will be blamed for her death.

I certainly don't want us to lose Mycroft and I just hope the hints that way have just been red herrings.

Surely John's more likely to sacrifice himself for Mary?

I think Mary could be just herself, could be Moriarty, or Moran or the other one!

[Arcadia]

Well, they broke my heart by having Sherlock shoot a man in cold blood, and then with that d**ned farewell on the tarmac, so obviously I'm just too soft-hearted ... no main character deaths required to shatter me!

 

I think Sherlock retreating into himself and becoming the cold, uncaring person he's always professed to be would break my heart. For him to admit his love for someone and have it tossed back in his face would break my heart. Molly turning against him would break my heart. And any one of them ending up unloved and alone would break my heart. I think that's what I fear most ... Sherlock will go off to that stoopid beekeeper's cottage all by himself, and everyone will just let him go. Gah, I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.

[Arcadia]

Oh, and Sherlock never becoming a good man would break my heart. That's the whole point of his adventures, isn't it? It would be sad if he never got there.....

[besleybean]

I don't think that's exactly what Mark meant.

He's just not like most 'normal' people and I wouldn't want him to be.

[Arcadia]

Oh, I'm not saying I think that's what they'll do. Boton just asked what we'd find heart-breaking, so I was making a list (but not checking it twice. )

[Boton]

I think that's what I fear most ... Sherlock will go off to that stoopid beekeeper's cottage all by himself, and everyone will just let him go. Gah, I'm getting emotional just thinking about it.

 

If it helps, I would consider that a cliff-hanger.  I know that the original Holmes did that as an end to the stories, but I can't see them sending a 40 year old Sherlock off to be a hermit, unless it is a temporary thing because they have a rift between him and John to heal.

 

And don't worry: right now, we know Janine is there to comfort him.   :lol:  :P

[Arcadia]

From Sherlockology. They claim it's spoiler-free. Personally, I have no plans to read it but maybe some of you will feel otherwise.

 

 

 

COMPLETELY SPOILER-FREE REVIEW!

Our thoughts on the ‘seismic’ opening episode of the new series of Sherlock.

Dial up your anticipation!

http://www.sherlockology.com/news/2016/12/20/six-thatchers-review1-201216

 

View the full article

[besleybean]

Wow!

[J.P.]

I'm cutting off all information now.

Too much data, too much work at work, not enough time.

[besleybean]

It really is mind blowing...

[Carol the Dabbler]

I read it, before posting it in the S4 News thread just now, and there really and truly are no spoilers.

[Arcadia]

I'm just reaching the point where I don't want to get my expectations up too high, that's a sure way to ruin it for me. Ugghhh, I can't remember when I've both dreaded and looked forward to something all at once like this! It's awful! Did some of you people really go thru this twice before?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Not really. We hadn't gone through Series 3 before.