John Watson

[Pseudonym]

I'm very conflicted about John. I like him, but he's so... spiky. I find that with a lot of MF's characters tbh, I even felt Bilbo had a little bit of an edge to him. John shouldn't put up with Sherlock's shite, and that's one of the reasons I like him; he's not a pushover, he's not willing to trail after Sherlock just telling him how wonderful he is and being awed and amazed, he wants his own life rather than just being subsumed into Sherlock's as the faithful sidekick. But. But I wish he was less spiky when they are getting on and things are going well. In season one, apart from there being a few bits that struck me as a bit overly snappy I think it's a good balance, he's impressed with Sherlock but also standing up for himself. In later seasons, yes he has a lot of crap to deal with, and Sherlock is directly responsible for a fair few of John's issues but he's just so snappy. He reminds me of a terrier that might bite your hand any moment. The John in TFP was the closest we've seen to season one, and more how he should be, it's a shame that I disliked the episode so much and that it was a bit of a sudden u-turn from TLD. 

[T.o.b.y]

I think if he met Sherlock during a happier, more stable phase of his life, John would still be drawn to him but he would resist the friendship more. It would happen anyway and disrupt his life considerably, he would blame Sherlock for that but somehow, they would remain friends. Because John has this side that thrives on adrenaline and adventure, that is attracted to any kind of battlefield and to people like Sherlock or Mary.

[Pseudonym]

True. Okay, another question then, do you think John would have been able to settle down to a normal life? I don't mean he'd just be bored, most people are bored with the monotony of day-to-day life, but would he have struggled being normal when he clearly needs excitement to keep him going?

[T.o.b.y]

True. Okay, another question then, do you think John would have been able to settle down to a normal life? I don't mean he'd just be bored, most people are bored with the monotony of day-to-day life, but would he have struggled being normal when he clearly needs excitement to keep him going?

No. I don't think he would have settled well. If his job didn't provide enough excitement, he would have developed a drinking problem, cheated on his wife or both. And / or become depressed. And if he found satisfying work, say, in a busy emergency room or something like that, he would have become a workaholic and neglected his family.

 

In my interpretation, that's John's curse: He wants to be ordinary and live a quiet, comfortable life but he can't, he isn't made for it and he struggles to accept that.

[Pseudonym]

I always wonder why he decided to become a GP rather than getting a job in A&E. He'd even secretly enjoy subduing angry, physically aggressive patients I suspect. They decide to go for the short unassuming doctor and find themselves facing a peed off ex-soldier instead.

[Carol the Dabbler]

In season one, apart from there being a few bits that struck me as a bit overly snappy I think it's a good balance, he's impressed with Sherlock but also standing up for himself. In later seasons, yes he has a lot of crap to deal with, and Sherlock is directly responsible for a fair few of John's issues but he's just so snappy. He reminds me of a terrier that might bite your hand any moment. The John in TFP was the closest we've seen to season one, and more how he should be, it's a shame that I disliked the episode so much and that it was a bit of a sudden u-turn from TLD. 

 

I agree about the John in TFP -- that's the Watson I fell in love with (and yeah, too bad about the episode!).  But I don't consider him overly whatever except in S3 and S4, most especially from HLV through TLD.  And even there, he's got plenty of reasons for feeling / reacting the way he does -- not all of them rational, but at least understandable.  I can be pretty damn crotchety myself when I'm under that much stress.

 

True. Okay, another question then, do you think John would have been able to settle down to a normal life? I don't mean he'd just be bored, most people are bored with the monotony of day-to-day life, but would he have struggled being normal when he clearly needs excitement to keep him going?

 

Just in case there's anyone who hasn't already heard me say this, I don't think John is particularly addicted to danger or attracted to dangerous people.  I do think he's not repelled by either, and because many people are repelled by both, John is more likely to find himself in dangerous situations (e.g., the drug den) and being friends with dangerous people -- simply because few other people will do those things.

 

As to whether he joined the Army because he's like that, or he's like that because he was in the Army, I have no idea.  Would love to have a bit more of John's backstory.  Doubt we'll get it (unless we write it ourselves).

[Boton]

 

 

Just in case there's anyone who hasn't already heard me say this, I don't think John is particularly addicted to danger or attracted to dangerous people.  I do think he's not repelled by either, and because many people are repelled by both, John is more likely to find himself in dangerous situations (e.g., the drug den) and being friends with dangerous people -- simply because few other people will do those things.

 

As to whether he joined the Army because he's like that, or he's like that because he was in the Army, I have no idea.  Would love to have a bit more of John's backstory.  Doubt we'll get it (unless we write it ourselves).

 

 

I totally agree with this. I think if you are unafraid of being in a dangerous situation (or less afraid than others), you wind up in those situations by default because others will vacate and leave a vacuum for you.  

 

I think John could have been happy with a "normal" life.  He might have taken up some hobby like rock climbing or rappelling or something, but I think he'd generally have been able to fit into the white picket fence routine just fine. But I think he's happier (or has the potential to be happier) with the life that he is going to be able to develop.

 

Of course, I think part of John's psyche is that Moftiss didn't like the milquetoast portrayals of Watson that seem to prevail, so they made him just the opposite.  That's fine with me.  I'd rather have a Watson with a bit of fire and fight.

[Pseudonym]

I think he would have been depressed. Not clinically but just a general low-level depression. I wouldn't be surprised if he did take up some kind of adrenaline type hobby - sky diving maybe. 

[HerlockSholmes]

Martin Freeman's Watson differs somewhat from all previous interpretations in the way that he stands up to him. Yes he's constantly amazed by his intelligence but he's not afraid to tell him off if his behaviour is unacceptable in 'normal' society. Other Watson's have been critical but none have been so strident about it. Of course Victorian society was more mannered and Doyle's Holmes was never quite as obnoxious as BC's Holmes can be but Freeman is definately less of a 'silent partner.' At first it jarred with me a little (being a Holmes traditionalist) but I soon grew to like his irreverent attitude toward Sherlock.

 

On the question of whether he could have settled down to a normal life without Sherlock it's hard to tell. In the original Holmes there was never any suggestion of Watson being affected by war in any serious way. Of course these things weren't known about in Victorian times. John obviously had been affected though, hence the therapist. Living with Sherlock even appears to have a therapeutic affect on him.

 

The relationship between Sherlock and John is one of the many triumphs of the series for me.

 

I still can't imagine Nigel Bruce punching Basil Rathbone though. Can you?

[Carol the Dabbler]

I totally agree with this. I think if you are unafraid of being in a dangerous situation (or less afraid than others), you wind up in those situations by default because others will vacate and leave a vacuum for you.  

 

I think John could have been happy with a "normal" life.  He might have taken up some hobby like rock climbing or rappelling or something, but I think he'd generally have been able to fit into the white picket fence routine just fine. But I think he's happier (or has the potential to be happier) with the life that he is going to be able to develop.

 

My feeling is that John needs to feel like he's doing something meaningful / useful / helpful.  Thus he "misses the war" because he was saving lives every day (as opposed to treating minor infections and such).  Rescuing Isaac from the drug den fits very nicely into the meaningful / useful / helpful category.  I'm a bit surprised that he didn't find a job in an Accident & Emergency facility or volunteer for some sort of rescue service.

[Artemis]

Just in case there's anyone who hasn't already heard me say this, I don't think John is particularly addicted to danger or attracted to dangerous people.  I do think he's not repelled by either, and because many people are repelled by both, John is more likely to find himself in dangerous situations (e.g., the drug den) and being friends with dangerous people -- simply because few other people will do those things.

As to whether he joined the Army because he's like that, or he's like that because he was in the Army, I have no idea.  Would love to have a bit more of John's backstory.  Doubt we'll get it (unless we write it ourselves).

 

 

I completely agree.

 

My feeling is that John needs to feel like he's doing something meaningful / useful / helpful.  Thus he "misses the war" because he was saving lives every day (as opposed to treating minor infections and such).  Rescuing Isaac from the drug den fits very nicely into the meaningful / useful / helpful category.  I'm a bit surprised that he didn't find a job in an Accident & Emergency facility or volunteer for some sort of rescue service.

 

I completely agree again.  In fact I think that both John and Sherlock are oriented that way, but neither are self-aware enough to realize it (or admit it if they did).  But it's something that connects them.  I think John would have done alright in "normal" life having never known Sherlock, as long as he found another purpose.  Without that, however, I think he would have fallen into depression.  I think it's crucial for him to have that, not only as someone who chose to become a doctor, but as a military man.  A sense of purpose is in many cases what draws a person to the military.

 

Another word on that point: When someone joins the military, it's not unusual for them to find a camaraderie, a "brotherhood" if you will, that they don't have through any other means.  Being in life or death situations together connects you in a unique way that doesn't typically occur in "normal" everyday life.  And it's not unusual for vets returning to civilian life to find this missing, and not knowing how to fill that hole.  I would surmise that John got a taste of that again when he saved Sherlock from the cabbie (and himself), and it was both the sense of purpose and camaraderie found on the "battlefield" rather than the danger of it that sealed his bond with Sherlock.

 

 

[Boton]

 

Another word on that point: When someone joins the military, it's not unusual for them to find a camaraderie, a "brotherhood" if you will, that they don't have through any other means.  Being in life or death situations together connects you in a unique way that doesn't typically occur in "normal" everyday life.  And it's not unusual for vets returning to civilian life to find this missing, and not knowing how to fill that hole.  I would surmise that John got a taste of that again when he saved Sherlock from the cabbie (and himself), and it was both the sense of purpose and camaraderie found on the "battlefield" rather than the danger that sealed his bond with Sherlock.

 

 

 

"When you walk with Sherlock Holmes, you see the battlefield.  But you've seen it already."  

 

(Or something like that.)

 

I think that's an element that gets so under-emphasized.  The "brothers in arms" relationship is one that used to be in a lot of movies and fiction (at least in this country) when wars like WWII, Korea, and Vietnam were fresh in people's minds, but it seems to be less of a genre now. It's a shame, because that is such a special type of relationship, and one that I really love to watch.

[Arcadia]

My brother's a physician's assistant, and he was at one time assigned to the emergency department, and even there, he said, there were stretches of sheer boredom. (Which is a good thing, in it's way. ) He caught up on his sleep. Now that I think on it, that would have been true even in the army. So I agree with Carol it's not the adrenaline rush John would have been after, it's the sense of purpose.

 

However, I think Moftiss several times established quite firmly that it was the adrenaline rush, and he's their character, so I find John easier to understand if I just take that into account. I disagree with their interpretation, but I acknowledge it, if that makes sense.

[Pseudonym]

Really? Because A&E here is pretty manic, the waiting room is pretty much always full of people. I don't know how manic it is from the docs side, I could enquire with my eldest bro (but probably won't), but I can't see it being calm enough for sleeping. 

 

[HerlockSholmes]

I wonder what the series would have been like if the characters were more 'faithful' to those in the Doyle canon? By that I mean for example if Watson were a less forceful character or if Mrs Hudson 'just brought in the tea.' Or Mycroft only made a very occasional appearance. Or Mary just appeared in person in one story (as an archetypal Victorian demure and helpless woman!) I think that one of the main strengths of Sherlock is the fact that there are so many strong characters who appear regularly. It's not left to Sherlock/Cumberbatch to carry the whole story on his own. I think I've mentioned this on here before but an example of this is a version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles starring former Dr Who Tom Baker. It's pretty good but because Baker is such a big presence as an actor the film suffers when he's not in it and as we know in The Hound Holmes spends a fair portion of it away from the scene.

It's a pity that Mary had to die because I think that she was a brilliant character (that's a definate example of where I wish that they didn't follow the Doyle canon and have her dying.)

Holmes has had female relationships in non-Doyle stories and movies and I've always wondered if Moftiss have considered taking the Sherlock/Molly thing a step further?

[Pseudonym]

Huh, I think you're in the minority liking Mary and wanting her to stick around. 

I don't know if they ever considered Sherlock/Molly but I'm glad they didn't and hope they don't. 

[Shadow Dweller]

I wonder what the series would have been like if the characters were more 'faithful' to those in the Doyle canon? By that I mean for example if Watson were a less forceful character or if Mrs Hudson 'just brought in the tea.' Or Mycroft only made a very occasional appearance. Or Mary just appeared in person in one story (as an archetypal Victorian demure and helpless woman!) I think that one of the main strengths of Sherlock is the fact that there are so many strong characters who appear regularly. It's not left to Sherlock/Cumberbatch to carry the whole story on his own. I think I've mentioned this on here before but an example of this is a version of The Hound Of The Baskervilles starring former Dr Who Tom Baker. It's pretty good but because Baker is such a big presence as an actor the film suffers when he's not in it and as we know in The Hound Holmes spends a fair portion of it away from the scene.

It's a pity that Mary had to die because I think that she was a brilliant character (that's a definate example of where I wish that they didn't follow the Doyle canon and have her dying.)

Holmes has had female relationships in non-Doyle stories and movies and I've always wondered if Moftiss have considered taking the Sherlock/Molly thing a step further?

 

It would make the series ordinary in my eyes. I read Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books since still a child and thus any adaptation that is too faithful to the original is likely would not take my interest for more than very occasional re-watching. Certainly not to the point of being involved in the fandom like what I am doing right now. Besides, for me this Mycroft is way more interesting than Sherlock the supposed lead protagonist. ;)

 

 

[Artemis]

"When you walk with Sherlock Holmes, you see the battlefield.  But you've seen it already."  

 

(Or something like that.)

 

Why'd you quote that?  Sorry, my brains are tired, lol.  I just feel like I'm missing a point you're making.

 

 

[Boton]

I know that Moftiss have said they wanted to recreate the Victorian experience for the modern audience, so that meant changing a lot of things that would be distracting to us so that we can enjoy the sense of wonder and even frustration at Holmes.  It isn't just texting instead of telegrams.  Mrs. Hudson wouldn't be bringing the boys their meals because flats all have their own kitchens now, and bachelors know how to cook (or order out). To me, removing those layers of Victoriana make me enjoy the series so much more.

 

I certainly hope they never take the Sherlock/Molly thing any further.  That would be very distracting to me.

[Boton]

 

"When you walk with Sherlock Holmes, you see the battlefield.  But you've seen it already."  

 

(Or something like that.)

 

Why'd you quote that?  Sorry, my brains are tired, lol.  I just feel like I'm missing a point you're making.

 

 

I probably wasn't clear; I was posting before coffee again. :-)

 

What I meant was that, even from the very first episode, Mycroft recognized the kind of relationship potential that existed between Sherlock and John.  Sherlock has spent his life seeing things in terms of an epic battle, in some ways.  (After all, he originally wanted to be a pirate, and he calls his brother an arch-enemy, which indeed isn't a normal way of categorizing the world.) That level of intensity could be off-putting to people, but it won't be to John, because John has already seen the way life can be on the battlefield, and he likes it.  Maybe it's the occasional bursts of danger, but maybe it's also the way that your fellow soldiers become your unconditional brothers.  "You've grown very loyal, very quickly," Mycroft says.  Mycroft turns that into the whole "happy announcement" joke, but truly, John knows how to form that kind of relationship, where you may be frustrated by someone or not like their quirks, but you are willing to kill and die for them because that's how a brothers-in-arms relationship works. 

 

I think, the more I consider it, that Mycroft's vetting of John caused him to approve of John simply because he understood that John had a gap in his life (maybe that was filled previously by Bill Murray or Major Sholto or another soldier) that would accommodate the quirkiness that was Sherlock. And, although I suspect I'm retconning to a degree that Moftiss didn't really intend, Mycroft had reason to feel this way.  Possibly, the last time Sherlock had a best friend, his sister killed him. Mycroft doesn't want to see a friendship develop with anyone who can't look out for himself and look out for Sherlock.

[Van Buren Supernova]

I co-sign on please don't make Morlock happens or anything mushy as it would ruin the series for me more than if they kill an important character, and also I love a lot of Mycroft.

 

Mycroft had reason to feel this way. Possibly, the last time Sherlock had a best friend, his sister killed him. Mycroft doesn't want to see a friendship develop with anyone who can't look out for himself and look out for Sherlock.

I hear you.

Although in my mind most probably he thought it wouldn't last anyway since Sherlock's last flatmate ran away screaming after accidentally swallow three and a half thumbs.

So at the end of SIP, he was surprised to see John was still around, and gasp.. giggling at the crime scene with Sherlock. Therefore he had to upgrade his status from arch-enemy to brother (!) and gave John spoiler about Christmas party that John mistakenly took as a joke. Big mistake, John. :p

 

 

To answer earlier Pseud's question, I'd agree that John would still be attracted to Sherlock's 'lifestyle' and he would find excuse to be involved.

 

I still don't see him as family man, in my mind John has conservative idea about how and what a person in a society should be (For example, Sherlock being hero, Sherlock pursuing relationship with Irene, Sherlock must have weird parents), and he himself follows the step of having proper relationship and building a family, probably without him really aspiring to be a father.

We saw him getting itchy with tyre lever busting a drug den, we saw him flirting instead of helping with the baby. In my mind, 'normal' life wouldn't be enough for him and giving suitable situation, he would be drawn to Sherlock.

 

Having said that, imho, Moftiss probably, I hope, passing the adrenalin junkie remarks without thinking that fans of the series would give it a lot of thinking and questioning the term. It's scary world of fans out there that any passing term could get ripped up eventhough it probably doesn't really matter to the character in their eyes.

 

To me, John is not adrenalin junkie. Adrenalin doesn't come to you, you have to seek them, unless it's coincidental like coming face to face with a spider or barely miss an accident but that is not enough. Adrenalin seekers go out there to look for actions, taking high risk activities for enjoyment, first one to jump into exciting challenge and trying to scale impossible looking rock or tree for the fun of it, and we didn't see John does that on his own. Adrenalin junkie doesn't get ASBO because most probably they would be the first with reflex to run. XD

 

Yes, John is in the army but from his condition after the war it's not the adrenalin that he misses.

I always thought that showing gun at the beginning of SIP is just tv tropes to indicate it's going to be useful later, but in other interpretation, it also could mean someone contemplating suicide or at least have a lingering look at it a second too long.

 

Also, he doesn't go out there trying to seek out something interesting which real adrenaline junkie can't live without for prolonged time. And, he has psychosomatic limp. It's totally mental which I suppose comes from trauma that develops overtime from wound he got. He is harden by war, but not in the way that wipe his empathy as we saw from him wincing on Jennifer Wilson's body (that would be nothing compared to war zone or even mild compared to normal crime scene), feeling sad for Rachel or scrambling trying to help saving innocent people. With trauma and emotional burden from war he developed the psychosomatic limp that I think it's very suspicious, for someone who claims knowing how to break every bones by naming them yet believing he has incurable condition while all physical tests should come out fine.

 

So, I forget where was I.. to me, he is not adrenalin junkie, he is depressed in SIP and as said, he need a purpose he believes in. Not another war (I strongly believe unless a person a psychopath no one who has been to war would see it as solution to anything, let alone miss it), weirdly enough, a twirling unfriendly freak is someone he chooses to believe in, at the very least, that annoying d*ck actually help people in the way he can co-sign... :p bonus, good coat and cheekbone.

[Artemis]

That level of intensity could be off-putting to people, but it won't be to John, because John has already seen the way life can be on the battlefield, and he likes it.

Ohhh, I think I see now. Sorry, lol. I wasn't connecting that because I interpreted the words a little differently. When Mycroft said, "You've seen it already, haven't you?", I understood it as, "You know what I mean, don't you?" Or i.e., "Even though you've only been around Sherlock for a short time, you've already seen the battlefield around him." I wasn't understanding it as, "You've seen the battlefield before you met Sherlock."

 

Or maybe I'm confused again. I need sleep, lol. In any case, good post. ^^

[HerlockSholmes]

I know that Moftiss have said they wanted to recreate the Victorian experience for the modern audience, so that meant changing a lot of things that would be distracting to us so that we can enjoy the sense of wonder and even frustration at Holmes. It isn't just texting instead of telegrams. Mrs. Hudson wouldn't be bringing the boys their meals because flats all have their own kitchens now, and bachelors know how to cook (or order out). To me, removing those layers of Victoriana make me enjoy the series so much more.

 

I certainly hope they never take the Sherlock/Molly thing any further. That would be very distracting to me.

I certainly agree about the Molly angle. I was just wondering aloud whether they had considered it?

[HerlockSholmes]

Huh, I think you're in the minority liking Mary and wanting her to stick around.

I don't know if they ever considered Sherlock/Molly but I'm glad they didn't and hope they don't.

I don't mind being in a minority (I have to be used to it on here because, as much as I love Sherlock, I prefer the original Doyle Holmes.) I wouldn't have guessed that I'd be in a minority about Mary though. Why is that ?

[Carol the Dabbler]

My brother's a physician's assistant, and he was at one time assigned to the emergency department, and even there, he said, there were stretches of sheer boredom. (Which is a good thing, in it's way. ) He caught up on his sleep. Now that I think on it, that would have been true even in the army. So I agree with Carol it's not the adrenaline rush John would have been after, it's the sense of purpose.

 

However, I think Moftiss several times established quite firmly that it was the adrenaline rush, and he's their character, so I find John easier to understand if I just take that into account. I disagree with their interpretation, but I acknowledge it, if that makes sense.

 

I agree that Moftiss think John is an adrenaline junkie.  But, as anyone who's written any fiction knows, your characters don't always behave the way you expect them to.  I believe that a wise author listens to hisser characters and lets them be true to themselves.  Otherwise you can end up with the author saying one thing and the characters behaving in another way.  Apparently Moftiss *want* John to be an adrenaline junkie, but as far as I've seen, they haven't quite talked him into it yet.

 

And I hope they never do, because I think, by and large, he's terrific just the way he is.

 

... John has already seen the way life can be on the battlefield, and he likes it.  Maybe it's the occasional bursts of danger, but maybe it's also the way that your fellow soldiers become your unconditional brothers.  "You've grown very loyal, very quickly," Mycroft says.  Mycroft turns that into the whole "happy announcement" joke, but truly, John knows how to form that kind of relationship, where you may be frustrated by someone or not like their quirks, but you are willing to kill and die for them because that's how a brothers-in-arms relationship works.

 

Yes, and that's exactly the feeling I get from the "soldiers today" scenes in TFP.  That's when I really get the feeling that "our John Watson" is back -- or more to the point, "our Sherlock and John" are back, even more so than in the epilog.

 

... imho, Moftiss probably, I hope, passing the adrenalin junkie remarks without thinking that fans of the series would give it a lot of thinking and questioning the term. It's scary world of fans out there that any passing term could get ripped up eventhough it probably doesn't really matter to the character in their eyes.

To me, John is not adrenalin junkie. Adrenalin doesn't come to you, you have to seek them, unless it's coincidental like coming face to face with a spider or barely miss an accident but that is not enough. Adrenalin seekers go out there to look for actions, taking high risk activities for enjoyment, first one to jump into exciting challenge and trying to scale impossible looking rock or tree for the fun of it, and we didn't see John does that on his own. Adrenalin junkie doesn't get ASBO because most probably they would be the first with reflex to run. XD

 

Yes, John is in the army but from his condition after the war it's not the adrenalin that he misses.

I always thought that showing gun at the beginning of SIP is just tv tropes to indicate it's going to be useful later, but in other interpretation, it also could mean someone contemplating suicide or at least have a lingering look at it a second too long.

 

Also, he doesn't go out there trying to seek out something interesting which real adrenaline junkie can't live without for prolonged time. And, he has psychosomatic limp. It's totally mental which I suppose comes from trauma that develops overtime from wound he got. He is harden by war, but not in the way that wipe his empathy as we saw from him wincing on Jennifer Wilson's body (that would be nothing compared to war zone or even mild compared to normal crime scene), feeling sad for Rachel or scrambling trying to help saving innocent people. With trauma and emotional burden from war he developed the psychosomatic limp that I think it's very suspicious, for someone who claims knowing how to break every bones by naming them yet believing he has incurable condition while all physical tests should come out fine.

 

So, I forget where was I.. to me, he is not adrenalin junkie, he is depressed in SIP and as said, he need a purpose he believes in. Not another war (I strongly believe unless a person a psychopath no one who has been to war would see it as solution to anything, let alone miss it), weirdly enough, a twirling unfriendly freak is someone he chooses to believe in, at the very least, that annoying d*ck actually help people in the way he can co-sign...

 

Thank you for all those points.  Glad you made the point that I've put in bold-face -- if John were truly an adrenaline junkie, we'd see him driving fast and reckless, we'd hear him talk about sky-diving and bungee-jumping.  And we don't.  We see him go into dangerous situations, yes, but only when there's a practical reason for it.  Not just for fun.

 

 

I think you're in the minority liking Mary and wanting her to stick around.

I don't mind being in a minority (I have to be used to it on here because, as much as I love Sherlock, I prefer the original Doyle Holmes.) I wouldn't have guessed that I'd be in a minority about Mary though. Why is that ?

 

I can't speak for anyone else (and there seems to be a wide range of Mary opinions out there), but I would have preferred that they keep her the mild but interesting character that she was in TEH and TSo3, and thereafter have her take part in episodes on an as-needed basis -- rather than out-Sherlocking Sherlock and leaving John in the dust on a regular basis, then dying a sudden and violent death.  I suppose Moftiss was having fun, but I still don't really see the point.