Episode 4.2 "The Lying Detective"

[Alex the Dabbler]

Leave it to Moffat to again shock the audience.  Wait until we see what he and Gatiss have written for us next Sunday:

 

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-01-09/steven-moffat-and-mark-gatiss-tease-absolutely-crazy-sherlock-series-finale

 

What I liked best about this episode was that I saw a couple of the scenes with Benedict and Sian being filmed in London when I was there last June.  Seeing them in the finished product was exciting. :D

[Pseudonym]

I think John likely didn't realise the therapist was his fancy woman was because the woman on the bus was all bright and vibrant and the therapist was very neutral drab and grey. To be honest I thought there was something weird about the therapist but I thought it was just poor costume design, didn't realise it was meant to be poor costume design. And obviously the accents and mannerisms were very different. 

 

Interesting Sherlock's therapist visit hasn't really been mentioned. Was it a one off? Was he trying to figure out if he could do what Mary asked without becoming hooked again?

[bedelia1984]

Euros really scares me. She gave me nightmares!

 

What do you all think her connection with Moriarty will turn out to be? Cause I am assuming there must be one. Andrew Scott is listed as a cast member for the next episode and the clue was Sherrinford.

 

 

 

When she said she and Culverton had met through a mutual friend, I immediately thought Moriarty. Were the two of them at the same high security jail for delinquent teenagers or something? Could Carl Powers be connected to her too, was it an attempt to draw Sherlock out? It seems like if she left around the time Redbeard died, Sherlock was possibly too young to remember her well. Is Sherrinford the location where she's supposed to be imprisoned?

 

 

 

 

As to John beating Sherlock, Pseudonym, I see your point but I didn't find it as bothersome.  Sure John went overboard, but we have seen in past episodes that Sherlock can FIGHT.  I think it would bother me if Sherlock were somehow defenseless or weak, but the fact that we know he can fight back kind of lessens the emotional harm for me.   Sherlock's body is only a vehicle for a brain after all, wounds heal....but his friend needs to let out a lot of guilt and anger and rage.  Seems that is how their relationship works, Sherlock pummels John emotionally and John pummels Sherlock physically lol.    I don't find their relationship toxic though.  I see this as the laying the foundation for that more relaxed and trusted relationship they grow into in the future.  

 

 

 

I can definitely see how people were bothered by the violence of John versus Sherlock, but I guess I see the stakes in this show as different, in a slightly comic-bookish way- like what Mary did to Sherlock was a pretty extreme form of violence, but to me that is part of the world that they inhabit. I do think the scene went too far, but I overall enjoyed the episode so much I didn't dwell on it. I've always thought John was a bit cracked anyway, and last night he was full on hallucinating too. It really annoyed me, though when Sherlock said he had killed Mary and John agreed with him. I even shouted at the TV for John to get over it. And I never usually shout at the TV.

 

 

 

Now personally I've always viewed Sherlock as either gay or asexual (or a mix of both). Not everyone agrees with that, everyone has their own views and opinions on it, and that's fine. But I think what everyone can agree with is that Sherlock is not someone who is ever going to find a nice girl, settle down and start a family

 

It's not about love affair in the traditional way. Surely not. She is actually gay, remember? And not a person to settle down and have a family with. They could meet and play escape games. Or cluedo. Or have text-sex on their phones. :D

 

 

I wasn't exactly crazy about the Adler development (though with Moffat, I should have known). Added to that, I wouldn't take romantic advice from pretty much anyone on Sherlock, but especially John, for pete's sake! Talk about the blind leading the blind. I don't think John really understands how things are between Irene and Sherlock, but he was projecting. Ultimately, I would love to see Sherlock happy in whatever way makes sense for him. When he said that line about suspecting that they were just human, BC's delivery was just perfect, I felt like I was seeing the character at a new level and in a new light. So whatever could make more of that happen, I will take.

 

 

As much as I love Mycroft, I watch this show for Molly.  lol   WHERE WAS SHE?!    I was really hoping she was getting more screen-time this season.  Seems not.

 

 

 

Seriously. Of course, I want Molly there and I only want her to have beautiful heartfelt scenes and for them not to harm a hair on her head. I hope they are saving something good for her, and any surprises are pleasant ones. They can't kill Molly when I'm at the cinema. They must know the dishevelled emotional wreck I would be, in public, and Moftiss would never do that to me, right?

 

With Moriarty back- Molly has a connection to him, so does Irene Adler. I think anything could happen next.

 

PS ... My latest prediction ... the reason this is the last one "for awhile" is because they'll borrow from the ending of Seven Percent Solution. Go look it up if you want to know what I'm referring to.  ;)

 

 

 

I looked up this ending and I can see it working pretty well, actually, though I'm not sure if they would change any aspect or leave it as is. I think it makes more sense because much like the story I just read, our writers have been stretching the limits of what we thought Holmes was capable of already (and Mycroft too for that matter) There has to be something coming that changes the lives of our main characters, and we seem to be already halfway there. I've just got my fingers crossed that they do it as well as they did last nights, and leave all my favourites alive to boot.

 

And just about Mycroft, the way he said 'Of What?' when asked if he wanted a drink, was just priceless.

[Arcadia]

Sherlock probably doesn't know he has a sister (twin?)

Or he thinks she's long dead.

He haven't seen her as an adult person, so he cannot recognize her.

That's the implication to me as well.

 

 

Now personally I've always viewed Sherlock as either gay or asexual (or a mix of both). Not everyone agrees with that, everyone has their own views and opinions on it, and that's fine. But I think what everyone can agree with is that Sherlock is not someone who is ever going to find a nice girl, settle down and start a family

 

It's not about love affair in the traditional way. Surely not. She is actually gay, remember? And not a person to settle down and have a family with. They could meet and play escape games. Or cluedo. Or have text-sex on their phones. :D

 

 

I think this may be one of those "It is what it is" things. I don't like the idea of Irene; she physically abuses people for money, she has multiple partners (also, often, for money) that she is not loyal to, she's manipulative, amoral and untrustworthy. If Sherlock's going to experiment with sentiment, I'd like to see him with a better person. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and if he genuinely is in love with Irene, I think John makes a good point ... you only get to go around once in life, you might as well make a grab at happiness while you can. I can't see it working out well, though, unless Irene suddenly decides she's not gay after all. Or maybe we're supposed to believe that Sherlock Holmes is just that good. :D

 

But we're clearly seeing a Sherlock that is evolving into someone more human than he used to be. I agree that the Sherlock of the first two seasons was not romance material ... but I think this one could be, if he has the courage to try. He doesn't have to cling to John anymore, he can, and has, formed other attachments. It's not hard for me to imagine, any more, that he could make the step to actually being in a romantic relationship with someone.

 

Of course, this would be a perfect time to have him lose everything, and have him respond by becoming an even colder man he was before .......

 

Also, where was Rosie all episode? Since John seemingly has no friends, and Mrs H and Molly were both at the therapists with John and Sherlock where was Rosie?

 

I think they addressed that when he was talking with Lestrade ... he has friends (besides just Mrs H and Molly) who help out. Stella and Ted, maybe.

 

Well, last night caused a realization.  As much as I love Mycroft, I watch this show for Molly.  lol   WHERE WAS SHE?!    I was really hoping she was getting more screen-time this season.  Seems not.

Yeah, I hope they find something for her to do besides just babysitting Rosie and Sherlock. :(

[Alex the Dabbler]

I think John likely didn't realise the therapist was his fancy woman was because the woman on the bus was all bright and vibrant and the therapist was very neutral drab and grey. To be honest I thought there was something weird about the therapist but I thought it was just poor costume design, didn't realise it was meant to be poor costume design. And obviously the accents and mannerisms were very different. 

 

Interesting Sherlock's therapist visit hasn't really been mentioned. Was it a one off? Was he trying to figure out if he could do what Mary asked without becoming hooked again?

 

Apparently a lot of the mastery of disguise that ACD gave Sherlock Holmes was adopted more by the Holmes sister in the Moftiss universe:

 

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-01-09/sherlock-introduces-major-new-character-in-masterful-episode-2-twist

 

[Fantasy Lover]

Which ending did you hate? The apparent shooting of John? Or before that?

The cliffhanger.

[T.o.b.y]

There are so many posts I'd like to reply to by now that I think I'd break multiquote. So forgive me if I just babble on:

 

First of all, John and Sherlock and what's been happening between those two because for me this will always be the main feature of interest (I am a typical woman in that I focus more on relationships than events). I totally get anyone who is upset or put off by the turn their relationship has taken and by the scene where Sherlock gets beat up in particular. It's just as understandable, justified and valid a response as being outraged at Sherlock shooting Magnussen.

 

For me personally though, it was okay because there's a huge difference between what I find acceptable in fiction and what I find acceptable in real life. I am a Lord of the Rings fan, yet a pacifist. I love Victorian romances yet call myself a feminist. And my main problem with Shades of Gray is the abysmal quality of the writing, not the abusive nature of the central relationship. So when Sherlock shot Magnussen, the monster, the "dragon" in the head while yelling "Merry Christmas", I cheered. And when John went berserk and beat Sherlock up, I went wow, this is some F***ed up psycho shit, I love it, where's the popcorn? (If I saw someone do that in real life to anyone, I would turn absolutely monstrous and do whatever I could to make it stop, believe me! I'd also tell the victim to never contact that person ever again in their entire life and get a restraining order if necessary).

 

I have a morbid fascination with dysfunctional, messed up relationships in fiction (and in fiction only!). I'm the girl who thinks Joker and Harley Quinn are cool. You get the picture. I hope.

 

So. With that scene as with many others, what struck me the most (no pun intended) was how beautifully (by fiction standards!) Sherlock handled it. Even on drugs, malnourished and with beginning kidney failure, Sherlock would still have been a match for John. He didn't have to take those blows. I don't even think he really believed he deserved them. His self-esteem might be considerably smaller than his ego, but he doesn't strike me as that kind of a person. He isn't pathetic, is what I'm trying to say. He's Sherlock Holmes. And Sherlock Holmes knows what kind of a man John Watson is. He knows what rage means in his funny little world, that it's basically the only way of expressing strong feelings he has in spite of years of therapy (although if his last therapist was actually Sherlock's evil sister, god knows how far she set him back!). John completely losing it and beating he shit out of him is John basically admitting how helpless and sad he feels. And Sherlock is a man of feeling, but his feelings are governed. He might feel pain and hurt but he doesn't take it personally any more than he took Mary's shot. He understands why the people he loves do these horrible things and looks past his own pain, from which he seems to have an impressive power of distancing himself, at their desperation.

 

I find his complete lack of resentment endearing. Because he's a bit superhuman in many ways, it doesn't come across to me as a victim mentality but as his very own brand of compassion. When he says "he's entitled, I killed his wife", I don't believe he means that's his take on the matter, I think he means he understands that it's John's and that he isn't angry at John for feeling that way. He gets it.

 

I probably idealize Sherlock way too much but hey, he's my hero. What can I say. :lol:

 

I loved the "it is what it is" bit but I didn't know about the romantic connotation. Had actually never heard of those poems. For me, it's just exactly the kind of comfort I would like to receive in a situation like that because when my world is falling apart, I detest people who tell me it's all "okay" when it clearly isn't. I'd rather have someone who admits that things suck but they're there for me anyway and I thought that was what Sherlock was doing.

 

I don't mind that he's "going soft". He's doing it in a way that fits in with my take on the original Holmes and the reasons why I fell in love with him so for me, it's just fine.

 

John's ideas about Irene were ridiculous. Irene is going to make Sherlock want to live up to his best possible self, yeah right, John. I think you have a much better chance of doing so yourself and if you insist that only a woman could do that job properly, then why don't you call Molly. Irene is a dangerous distraction, believe me. Of course she's an incredibly hot one, too. But Sherlock is totally right to compare his texting her to John texting a random shady woman on a bus rather than to John and Mary's relationship.

 

Other random thoughts:

 

The combination of putting on an act and becoming really ill deliberately to make the deception more powerful is just like what Holmes did in the original story. He only pretended to be delirious but he did fast for several days, for example.

 

Sian Brooke is chilling. I'd love to rewatch the episode tonight but I actually dread seeing Euros again. And knowing who "Faith" really is and that Sherlock spent an entire evening alone with her while she was carrying a gun is very scary. I think I'll wait until I can watch that by daylight.

 

Culverton Smith didn't do very much for me, but I thought it was rather clever how they used the very lack of a specific motive of his from the story and turned it into a plot element rather than trying to give him a purpose he never had because frankly, I don't think Doyle wasted more than two thoughts on him, he was just a random baddie Sherlock Holmes could fool for our entertainment. They make Doyle seem a much better storyteller than he ever was in my opinion. It's very nice of them. :P

[J.P.]

I love how the Bond expectation of Sherlock emerging from the Aston Martin is subverted.

 

Oh, it's Bond hint? I wondered why they used such stupid, posh, impractical car. It's because I never watched a whole Bond movie from start to end. They insult my intelligence much too much.  (You know nothing, JP!)

But wasn't Mycroft in his "pinguin" suit very Bond-ish? :D

[J.P.]

Toby, great post as ever.

 

Sherlock knew that John would see if he was making things up.

He really went to hell, because it had to be dramatic enough to break John's ice. (sniff)

 

Yes it's nice how they played with canon here, turning it up side down. But is there a lying detective in this episode at all?

[Fantasy Lover]

John accused Sherlock of lying.

[Arcadia]

I surely don’t like that this episode being visually so different from the first. I think I have to blame Rachel for the the unusual feel of TST, sorry. And Arwel will have a lot to answer about the weird set design and changes.

Was the skull still glowing in this episode? I forgot to look for it. No, I didn't forget ... I was just too wrapped up in the story to bother.

 

I don't know that Sherlock was really entirely doing it as a ploy. I think it was partly that, and definitely started as that, but then he lost control to the point it began to become real - I definitely think he really was on the verge of an overdose at any moment. I know she didn't specifically say about drugs but God it's selfish of Mary to tell him to practically kill himself to save John. 

I can't quite decide about this one, whether Sherlock was genuinely on the verge of killing himself or not. Because if he had died under those circumstances, I think John would have blamed himself and turned positively suicidal. Perhaps we're supposed to believe Sherlock knows exactly how far he can go, and that Mary trusted him to know that too? That's something else I would find implausible, but could be part of the show's reality, like Sherlock being able to text behind his back. He's always just a little bit beyond extraordinary and verging on supernatural.

[T.o.b.y]

I can't quite decide about this one, whether Sherlock was genuinely on the verge of killing himself or not. Because if he had died under those circumstances, I think John would have blamed himself and turned positively suicidal.

 

I beg to disagree. I think John would have blamed Sherlock, drugs, Mycroft, Billy, Culverton Smith and Sherlock again. And he'd have yelled at his gravestone.

 

What fascinates me is that John found Mary's DVD so he knew he was being manipulated. He understood exactly what Sherlock was doing and why. But it didn't change his course of action at all. When push came to shove, he did not call Mycroft, tell him that Sherlock was his bloody responsibility, not John's, and tell him to get his best security guys to the hospital pronto. He rushed over in the fancy red car, broke the door down with a fire extinguisher and lived up to everybody's expectations.

 

It's his unique way of showing that he cares. :P Sherlock's life could have easily been saved without his personal involvement. But where would have been the fun in that. John's never going to say "hey, sorry I beat the shit out of you" but he will agree to play the badass rescuer when it's so clearly being asked of him.

 

 

[Arcadia]

Apparently a lot of the mastery of disguise that ACD gave Sherlock Holmes was adopted more by the Holmes sister in the Moftiss universe:

 

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-01-09/sherlock-introduces-major-new-character-in-masterful-episode-2-twist

 

That is so cool.

 

 

Which ending did you hate? The apparent shooting of John? Or before that?

the cliffhanger.

 

Hey, at least it was at the end of an episode, instead of at the end of the season!

[Pseudonym]

I'm having a bit of confusion about Mycroft. He seemed to care so much (in a weird creepy way admittedly) about Sherlock in the first season, kidnapping John to try to recruit him to spy etc, warning about danger nights... and now his brother is completely off the rails apparently off his tits on drugs and instead of carting him off to rehab Mycroft just lets him be. He also doesn't seem surprised or bothered that Mary was the one who shot him. He doesn't seem to much care at all. Unless the spying and 'caring' was to make sure Sherlock didn't end up like their sister?

[Arcadia]

For me personally though, it was okay because there's a huge difference between what I find acceptable in fiction and what I find acceptable in real life. I am a Lord of the Rings fan, yet a pacifist. I love Victorian romances yet call myself a feminist. And my main problem with Shades of Gray is the abysmal quality of the writing, not the abusive nature of the central relationship. So when Sherlock shot Magnussen, the monster, the "dragon" in the head while yelling "Merry Christmas", I cheered. And when John went berserk and beat Sherlock up, I went wow, this is some f***ed up psycho shit, I love it, where's the popcorn? (If I saw someone do that in real life to anyone, I would turn absolutely monstrous and do whatever I could to make it stop, believe me! I'd also tell the victim to never contact that person ever again in their entire life and get a restraining order if necessary).

Well, as you know, I have enormous problems with the shooting of Magnussen. (And the way Sherlock behaved during the hearing which got him out of suffering any consequences for it ... man, that ticked me off even more.) But although the beating was disturbing, it worked for me ... and I think it's because it wasn't presented as an acceptable solution to their problem. I still have the feeling that with CAM we are supposed to go "Yay, Sherlock shot him! He was a bad guy and he deserved it!" And that offends my sense of ... morality? Whatever. But in this case, the beating was presented as the horrifying act it was; it's not "cool", it's awful. And neither of them shrugged it off; it's still lying there between them, even if they've both forgiven themselves and each other. That's my take on it, anyway.

 

I find his complete lack of resentment endearing. Because he's a bit superhuman in many ways, it doesn't come across to me as a victim mentality but as his very own brand of compassion. When he says "he's entitled, I killed his wife", I don't believe he means that's his take on the matter, I think he means he understands that it's John's and that he isn't angry at John for feeling that way. He gets it.

Yep. That too.

 

This is what I like about Moffat's scripts ... the circumstances aren't always very realistic, but the emotions they generate are usually as genuine as hell. If you can figure out what they are.

 

John's ideas about Irene were ridiculous. Irene is going to make Sherlock want to live up to his best possible self, yeah right, John. I think you have a much better chance of doing so yourself and if you insist that only a woman could do that job properly, then why don't you call Molly. Irene is a dangerous distraction, believe me. Of course she's an incredibly hot one, too. But Sherlock is totally right to compare his texting her to John texting a random shady woman on a bus rather than to John and Mary's relationship.

Hear hear. But for myself, I think I just have to accept that some men genuinely find such a woman alluring. Lord knows there's been enough stories about otherwise intelligent men falling for stupidly flawed women. (And vice versa, and so forth.) I don't like it, but I'm not required to. And I guess it makes BC happy; he's always said he thought their encounters were "loving."  <_<

 

 

I can't quite decide about this one, whether Sherlock was genuinely on the verge of killing himself or not. Because if he had died under those circumstances, I think John would have blamed himself and turned positively suicidal.

 

I beg to disagree. I think John would have blamed Sherlock, drugs, Mycroft, Billy, Culverton Smith and Sherlock again. And he'd have yelled at his gravestone.

 

Yeah, well, that's really kind of what I meant. Dying would have been the worst thing Sherlock could have done to him under the circumstances, imo. It certainly wouldn't have saved him.

[Pseudonym]

Right, dinner made, sitting down for a rewatch and hopefully I wont find it as disturbing as last time. I want to be creeped out by Culverton but right now I still feel the villain is John more than anyone :(. That, at least, will hopefully change with a rewatch. 

[T.o.b.y]

 

John's ideas about Irene were ridiculous. Irene is going to make Sherlock want to live up to his best possible self, yeah right, John. I think you have a much better chance of doing so yourself and if you insist that only a woman could do that job properly, then why don't you call Molly. Irene is a dangerous distraction, believe me. Of course she's an incredibly hot one, too. But Sherlock is totally right to compare his texting her to John texting a random shady woman on a bus rather than to John and Mary's relationship.

Hear hear. But for myself, I think I just have to accept that some men genuinely find such a woman alluring.

 

Oh, I find her alluring too! I just think it's absurd to believe she'd make Sherlock live up to any high moral, decent or similar standards. John was suggesting she and Sherlock had potential to become like him and Mary. No, they don't John. Irene may be as dangerous as Mary and as mysterious and adventurous, but she would never lead to him becoming a better person through trying to live up to an idealized image she has of him.

 

Sherlock is already trying to live up to the idealized image John has of him. So he wouldn't actually need Irene for that purpose anyway. And if he wanted someone to love him unconditionally just the way he is, he'd be much wiser to romance Molly.

 

 

[Arcadia]

I'm having a bit of confusion about Mycroft. He seemed to care so much (in a weird creepy way admittedly) about Sherlock in the first season, kidnapping John to try to recruit him to spy etc, warning about danger nights... and now his brother is completely off the rails apparently off his tits on drugs and instead of carting him off to rehab Mycroft just lets him be. He also doesn't seem surprised or bothered that Mary was the one who shot him. He doesn't seem to much care at all. Unless the spying and 'caring' was to make sure Sherlock didn't end up like their sister?

 

Yeah, I don't think we've seen the end of Mycroft's part in this story yet. And the rest of it ... I think they just don't have the time to tell Mycroft's side of the story properly. He is a secondary character, after all; what he thinks about Mary doesn't really matter, unless it drives him to take a particular action. Which it didn't, so...

 

I was amazed to learn Lestrade knows all about CAM. I guess it's just easier to write it that way, rather than having John and Sherlock still deceiving all their friends. I suppose Molly and Mrs. H know the truth too, and maybe the truth about Mary as well. It certainly simplifies things if they do. If so, that sure is one forgiving group of people!

[Pseudonym]

Yea, weird everyone seems to know and again is okay with it. Ah well. 

 

Just had a bit of an evil thought, they should have had the woman on the bus look a bit like Sherlock... long, black curly hair, pale eyes, dark jacket. The TJLC guys would have a field day that John's only interested because she reminds him of Sherlock, only to make the reveal that she's Sherlock's sister even more sly. 

[Arcadia]

 

 

John's ideas about Irene were ridiculous. Irene is going to make Sherlock want to live up to his best possible self, yeah right, John. I think you have a much better chance of doing so yourself and if you insist that only a woman could do that job properly, then why don't you call Molly. Irene is a dangerous distraction, believe me. Of course she's an incredibly hot one, too. But Sherlock is totally right to compare his texting her to John texting a random shady woman on a bus rather than to John and Mary's relationship.

Hear hear. But for myself, I think I just have to accept that some men genuinely find such a woman alluring.

 

 

Oh, I find her alluring too! I just think it's absurd to believe she'd make Sherlock live up to any high moral, decent or similar standards. John was suggesting she and Sherlock had potential to become like him and Mary. No, they don't John. Irene may be as dangerous as Mary and as mysterious and adventurous, but she would never lead to him becoming a better person through trying to live up to an idealized image she has of him.

 

Sherlock is already trying to live up to the idealized image John has of him. So he wouldn't actually need Irene for that purpose anyway. And if he wanted someone to love him unconditionally just the way he is, he'd be much wiser to romance Molly.

 

 

Is that what John was saying? I'll have to wait til I see it again, then. I thought he was just saying grab love while you can, because you can't count on it being there forever. Also there was something about loving Mary made him want to be a better man. Mary didn't ask him to be a better man; it's something he wanted to do for her, because he loved her. Which could potentially apply to Sherlock, I suppose. That a very romantic (if male) p.o.v., now that I think about it. But, you know, John is a romantic.

[J.P.]

What fascinates me is that John found Mary's DVD so he knew he was being manipulated.

IMO it even increased the effect. Because John realized that Sherlock didn't slip into this misery because he couldn't control his addiction. Sherlock did it FOR HIM. Mary put a weight on Sherlock's life by saving him, and now Sherlock was putting a weight on John's life in a similar way. Does it makes sense at all?

 

This being so romantic - I imagine this kind of burden as almost too much for a human being. To owe someone your life in such way.

… and suddenly we are at IOU again. :D

 

Dinner? Someone said dinner? Gosh, I'm so hungry, haven't eaten since noon.

 

Damn my Sherlock-itis!

[BLS_Pro]

Diving in with some responses now:

 

Rant warning.

 

"Despite all of the bluster about how Culverton was 'the worse villain yet' and how Toby Jones was 'terrifying' I didn't feel much about him one way or the other. "

I think that was intentional hyperbole on the part of Sherlock (mirroring his comments about Mag) to get John involved in a 'big' case Sherlock couldn't handle by himself

 

 

'it's okay, I deserved it.' They have made that whole relationship into something so toxic and so warped, and if it was addressed properly maybe I could accept it, but it's not! It's shrugged off, like oh they're guys, sometimes guys fight, it's fine. NO, IT IS NOT FINE. Something like that is never FINE.

There is a difference between 'fine' and 'not unexpected'. When people are in pain they sometimes lash out at those closest to them. This is not unusual. In this case, the lashing out is actually at the subject which supposedly cased that pain. It isn't rational. It isn't fine. But it IS as the show declares 'human'. Sherlock, understanding human psychology, understands that Watson need to be able to identify for himself WHY he is angry specifically at Sherlock, and so allows himself to be blamed so that the anger can be released and he can get to the truth. He loves Watson (and Mary) this much. He loves him so much that he will let himself be used as the emotional and literal punching bag, knowing ahead of time that Watson does NOT mean it and it is NOT reflective of anything but an enormous wound which MUST be healed and can only start to be healed in this way. (I say he loves Mary here because she told him he would have to go to hell and back to save John. That is the least he can do to spend the currency she gave him and he recognizes as his form of love for both.

 

 

. And I know Sherlock was trying to get John to 'save him' but I don't think even he expected something like that.

I disagree. I believe he expected exactly such a beating.

 

it wasn't a quick punch out of a flash of rage

. It was blind rage. As such he was simply unaware of exactly what he was doing and how long it lasted. As you point out he isn't even aware how hard he hit.

 

It's the epitome of an abusive relationship

No it's not. It is an aberration not the norm. And "EVERYONE" knows it. They know John is sorry and they know he will NOT do it again.

 

to make amends for something he didn't do,

sherlock is NOT making amends for anything. He is nursing a sick friend through the worst experience of his life. As I indicted above he know what his friend needs to do to get past the rage and to the truth. That is what he does. This is made clear in his "currency" response. He doesn't believe he was guilty of anything - and he has gotten Watson to that point as well now.

 

These people need to be split up ... but John has warped into the worse kind of abusive friend. He doesn't seem concerned Sherlock is literally dying before his eyes

No. No. And no, he explicitly states multiple times he doesn't believe it is anything but another of Sherlock tricks.

 

never apologizes

He apologizes, stating he was wrong - Sherlock isn't responsible for Mary's death and was stupid to think so (giving back to Mary that which he took from her in the last episode - her agency)

 

Hell, if John apologised or Sherlock defended himself it would be okay.

Then it should be okay because he did apologize

[Pseudonym]

Well, clearly I disagree with all of that, as you clearly disagree with me. But that's fine, we all have our opinions and views. 

[J.P.]

Wait. Wasn't it Henry V edition floating in the promo pic?

 

And I found this. Myc's notes:

 

 

I believe it's a list of Sherlock's boltholes + Baker Street. Places to "monitor" to keep eye on. But we know there were more boltholes than this, so Myc doesn't know everything.

[BLS_Pro]

What's this?? Is Mycroft considering a relationship (or even just a physical encounter) with Lady Smallwood? Wow.

It definitely seemed odd and out of place. I think of Mycroft as even less of a sexual entity than Sherlock. But the implication is that he supposedly knows about sex and believes Sherlock doesn't - raising the issue about Mycroft and his dealing with the lowly "humans" when it comes to sexuality

 

Sherlock's body is only a vehicle for a brain after all, wounds heal....but his friend needs to let out a lot of guilt and anger and rage.

Yes.

 

Sherlock comforting John...actually gave me a lump in my throat.

Yup. Just shows how much his character has grown from the first episode. He did this because he loves John rather than it being what is expected by 'humans'

 

Still catching up on all the comments here