Text is getting narrower again, so I’ll just post the reply here.
Thawing would be the word for it, I reckon. Because I don’t think Holmes ever lacked intense feelings, he is just very careful not to show them. He and Mycroft were probably raised that way. But I think Sherlock’s coming around, once he learns that showing love for people isn’t basically a negative, even if you need to keep it out from the crime cases. And yes, there’s that I O U again! Holmes is saying that in front of Molly as well, and although he dismisses it as a “mental note”, it fits, because by the end of this series he probably does owe her a lot.
I have no idea which theories people are discussing about Holmes’ faked death, because I haven’t read any Holmes fandom sites (yet). But as I took it, I’d guess Holmes didn’t suspect when he got up at the rooftop that Moriarty would be targeting people he loved. Because if he did, he wouldn’t have sent John away to Baker Street without any protection. (Holmes did leave people without protection twice in The Blind Banker, and the first time a girl was shot, the second John’s date nearly got killed. He should have learned by now). He still thinks that he can sort things out by just letting Moriarty see how he jumps. But as soon as Moriarty’s target gets obvuious, Holmes immediately makes him reveal exactly which people he’s got snipers set on. And also that these snipers have to see him jump without suspecting the fake. So the whole theatre has to be very believable.
As for the truck, I thought of that too, but to me it seems to be placed a little bit out of reach. The truck is parked out in the street, with the sidewalk in between. To hit the truck I believe Holmes would have had to make quite a leap, probably with a run-up, or at least pushing out forcefully with his feet from the border of the rooftop. But he doesn’t seem to do that. Maybe the truck helps to cover what’s happening on the sidewalk from John’s perspective. But when he gets to Holmes, the truck is gone. At any rate, even if the truck did have some soft material on it, I think jumping onto it from that height would still kill a person. But who knows, that might still be it.
The homeless network would be involved in form of the biker at least, and probably also as those who gather round the body.
I don't read too much of the Sherlock stuff, either....Mostly because I'm weary of the endless screeching about how Moffat is a misogynist and how "Scandal" is proof of that--and on and on it goes..................
But, anyway. I'm sort of the mindset that it's unlikely I'll figure out the trick to the faked suicide. After all, not in a million years would I have guessed the resolution to the cliffhanger for season 1--a resolution which I think was completely brilliant.
Holmes' thawing is interesting, because there seems to be much in the series indicating that something has happened in his past. He tells Moriarity in "The Great Game" that he's "been told reliably that I don't have" a heart, to which Moriarity replies, "Ah--but we both know that's not true." In "Scandal," Mycroft thinks the news of Adler's death is too much for Sherlock--twice. It seems that it's not just Watson who begins the series with 'trust issues.'
Well, the only thing I feel sure about in the coming series is that it won’t just start with a nice calm little resolution of Sherlock’s ”death” - it will go right into a new case, probably even more dramatic than the last one. And you’re right; we’re probably off track with our theories. This is Sherlock Holmes by Moffat/Gatiss, after all… ;)
My problem with many fan site discussions is that the tone quite often gets nasty (sites like the HPN seems actually rather hard to find). I can perfectly understand that everyone can’t like Moffat’s work, but as soon as net-hatred shows its ugly face, I’m not in it any more. I think he’s written some of the best and most interesting shows and characters I’ve been watching lately, but even as I get obsessed with them, that doesn’t mean I love every detail about them. I do love their richness in details, though.
Interesting with Sherlock’s possible traumas in the past. Maybe his mother or girlfriend or someone else close to him got killed, and that’s why he throws himself into the murder cases with such frenzy? I think Mycroft says something like “he has the soul of a scientist or a philosopher, and yet he chose to become a detective”. This could also explain why he’s so reluctant to recognize and show “sentiments”; his past might be filled with pain in this area. But he is progressing, and I think what Lestrade said in the first episode might be telling: “Because Sherlock Holmes is a great man. And I think one day, if we’re very, very lucky, he might even be a good one.” Not that I don't find him "good" already, but it would be fun to see him lowing his guard a bit.
I think Lestrade's early comment is a very important one--and that the two seasons of the show have been charting Holmes' progression toward being "good."
The Sherlock of the first episode is far colder than the one in RF....I think a major change happens in "The Great Game," when Watson is willing to sacrifice himself for Holmes; after, Holmes is shaken--and he stumbles over trying to express what Watson's actions meant to him. In RF, Holmes actually tells Molly, "I'm not all right"--up to that point, not even Watson has been permitted to see Holmes that vulnerable.
Something made Holmes so cold; as he's thawed over the course of the episodes, he's shown that there is far more beneath the surface--what's beneath is what he is, whereas the cold is the veneer he has put over his feelings.
Sherlock’s “thawing” has been gradual, I believe, but yes; Watson’s action by the pool did move him. But before that, I also think Watson’s shot at the serial killer to save Holmes in “A Study in Pink” impressed him quite a lot. It’s like Holmes is realizing, with time, that he actually does need friends. For all the guarded and reserved person he is, he did at some point feel the need of a flat mate after all. As the series develops, Holmes can see how Watson stands by him at any time, putting up with all his eccentricities, although not without some protests also. The attack at Mrs Hudson also seems to waken up his emotions a great deal. And by the end of RF, there are obviously more people on Sherlock’s “friends list” than just Watson.
I also think he changes when it dawns upon him that Moriarty is so much worse than an intellectually challenging game he likes to play. At first, Sherlock seems very thrilled by it, in spite of people being in danger. Until the old lady dies in The Great Game; that’s when I think he begins to change his attitude into something more serious. And once it gets obvious that Moriarty is set to destroy Holmes and his loved ones, he’s no longer funny to play with. Love hurts; I wonder if this is why he “looks sad when no one can see him” in RF?
Sherlock has said somewhere (I don’t remember the specific scene) that he doesn’t occupy his brain with trivia, like who’s sleeping with whom or astronomical data, etc. As far as I can recall, however, most of his conversations with Molly Hooper is either about her looks or about their respective (rather odd) love lives. :P Until that point in RF, where Molly seems to have had just enough of it all, and tells him face to face what she reads in him, openly declaring her loyalty. And in the end, Molly (the first character we actaully see together with Holmes) gets to be the person to whom Sherlock does choose to show his vulnerability. Isn't that neat? I think she's meant to be a significant character who mainly goes under the radar.
I think you're exactly right....From the start of the series, Holmes is capable of friendship, but he doesn't allow it--talk about 'trust issues.' In the first episode, he does hug and kiss Mrs. Hudson; they have a warm relationship that has more than a touch of son/mother to it. But that's it. Lestrade's respect for Holmes is limited and wary--not like he shows later, especially in "Hounds" when he and Watson joke about Holmes' peculiar psychology.
When Holmes realizes that shot must have come from Watson's gun, his whole demeanor changes: he jokes with Watson; the two of them get the fit of giggles; and Holmes basically invites Watson to dinner.
The death of the blind old lady has a tremendous impact: after that, in "The Great Game," Holmes is much more intense about outwitting Moriarity--he knows what the price is, if he doesn't....As opposed to earlier, when he primarily was focused on the puzzle.
And Molly....whom Holmes treats like a silly little girl, except for her skills in the lab--anything beyond that, and he's dismissive of her and ratherful scornful. Until she lets him know that she is a person, and she can be hurt by his casual cruelty--it's rather like the death of the old lady: it's not a game. After that, Molly hits him with another major moment: she sees him for who he is, not some idealized, romanticized crush.
One more thing just struck me about the Christ imagery, and that’s the Scapegoat; he who is sacrificed for other people’s sins.
It's quite obvious that Anderson and Donovan are jealous. Consequently, they refuse to believe that Holmes is actually that much cleverer than they are, so in RF they prefer to believe that’s he’s a fake, discarding any logical argument against it.
Then we have Kitty, the journalist. SHE has no problem smearing people’s name in order to advance in her career and get the big “scoop”. SHE would do anything to get attention, thus Holmes must also be an attention-seeking fake, but she will get the final glory dismantling him.
Neither is capable of seeing the wrong in their own ways and motivations, so they are perfectly satisfied with finding someone to point their finger at as a “worse case” of the traits they actually display themselves.
Exactly. Moriarity plants the doubt, and those who actively help to tear down Holmes do so because they tailor the doubt to what they want to believe. Since Anderson and Donovan aren't that bright, they see affirmation that Holmes can't be that bright, either....The Chief Superintendant is all over it: he's not bright and he seems rather peculiar--he brands Holmes, instantly, as a "weirdo."
Thawing would be the word for it, I reckon. Because I don’t think Holmes ever lacked intense feelings, he is just very careful not to show them. He and Mycroft were probably raised that way. But I think Sherlock’s coming around, once he learns that showing love for people isn’t basically a negative, even if you need to keep it out from the crime cases. And yes, there’s that I O U again! Holmes is saying that in front of Molly as well, and although he dismisses it as a “mental note”, it fits, because by the end of this series he probably does owe her a lot.
I have no idea which theories people are discussing about Holmes’ faked death, because I haven’t read any Holmes fandom sites (yet). But as I took it, I’d guess Holmes didn’t suspect when he got up at the rooftop that Moriarty would be targeting people he loved. Because if he did, he wouldn’t have sent John away to Baker Street without any protection. (Holmes did leave people without protection twice in The Blind Banker, and the first time a girl was shot, the second John’s date nearly got killed. He should have learned by now). He still thinks that he can sort things out by just letting Moriarty see how he jumps. But as soon as Moriarty’s target gets obvuious, Holmes immediately makes him reveal exactly which people he’s got snipers set on. And also that these snipers have to see him jump without suspecting the fake. So the whole theatre has to be very believable.
As for the truck, I thought of that too, but to me it seems to be placed a little bit out of reach. The truck is parked out in the street, with the sidewalk in between. To hit the truck I believe Holmes would have had to make quite a leap, probably with a run-up, or at least pushing out forcefully with his feet from the border of the rooftop. But he doesn’t seem to do that. Maybe the truck helps to cover what’s happening on the sidewalk from John’s perspective. But when he gets to Holmes, the truck is gone. At any rate, even if the truck did have some soft material on it, I think jumping onto it from that height would still kill a person. But who knows, that might still be it.
The homeless network would be involved in form of the biker at least, and probably also as those who gather round the body.
/Nyctalus
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But, anyway. I'm sort of the mindset that it's unlikely I'll figure out the trick to the faked suicide. After all, not in a million years would I have guessed the resolution to the cliffhanger for season 1--a resolution which I think was completely brilliant.
Holmes' thawing is interesting, because there seems to be much in the series indicating that something has happened in his past. He tells Moriarity in "The Great Game" that he's "been told reliably that I don't have" a heart, to which Moriarity replies, "Ah--but we both know that's not true." In "Scandal," Mycroft thinks the news of Adler's death is too much for Sherlock--twice. It seems that it's not just Watson who begins the series with 'trust issues.'
Reply
My problem with many fan site discussions is that the tone quite often gets nasty (sites like the HPN seems actually rather hard to find). I can perfectly understand that everyone can’t like Moffat’s work, but as soon as net-hatred shows its ugly face, I’m not in it any more. I think he’s written some of the best and most interesting shows and characters I’ve been watching lately, but even as I get obsessed with them, that doesn’t mean I love every detail about them. I do love their richness in details, though.
Interesting with Sherlock’s possible traumas in the past. Maybe his mother or girlfriend or someone else close to him got killed, and that’s why he throws himself into the murder cases with such frenzy? I think Mycroft says something like “he has the soul of a scientist or a philosopher, and yet he chose to become a detective”. This could also explain why he’s so reluctant to recognize and show “sentiments”; his past might be filled with pain in this area. But he is progressing, and I think what Lestrade said in the first episode might be telling:
“Because Sherlock Holmes is a great man. And I think one day, if we’re very, very lucky, he might even be a good one.” Not that I don't find him "good" already, but it would be fun to see him lowing his guard a bit.
/Nyctalus
Reply
The Sherlock of the first episode is far colder than the one in RF....I think a major change happens in "The Great Game," when Watson is willing to sacrifice himself for Holmes; after, Holmes is shaken--and he stumbles over trying to express what Watson's actions meant to him. In RF, Holmes actually tells Molly, "I'm not all right"--up to that point, not even Watson has been permitted to see Holmes that vulnerable.
Something made Holmes so cold; as he's thawed over the course of the episodes, he's shown that there is far more beneath the surface--what's beneath is what he is, whereas the cold is the veneer he has put over his feelings.
Reply
I also think he changes when it dawns upon him that Moriarty is so much worse than an intellectually challenging game he likes to play. At first, Sherlock seems very thrilled by it, in spite of people being in danger. Until the old lady dies in The Great Game; that’s when I think he begins to change his attitude into something more serious. And once it gets obvious that Moriarty is set to destroy Holmes and his loved ones, he’s no longer funny to play with. Love hurts; I wonder if this is why he “looks sad when no one can see him” in RF?
Sherlock has said somewhere (I don’t remember the specific scene) that he doesn’t occupy his brain with trivia, like who’s sleeping with whom or astronomical data, etc. As far as I can recall, however, most of his conversations with Molly Hooper is either about her looks or about their respective (rather odd) love lives. :P Until that point in RF, where Molly seems to have had just enough of it all, and tells him face to face what she reads in him, openly declaring her loyalty. And in the end, Molly (the first character we actaully see together with Holmes) gets to be the person to whom Sherlock does choose to show his vulnerability. Isn't that neat? I think she's meant to be a significant character who mainly goes under the radar.
/Nyctalus
Reply
When Holmes realizes that shot must have come from Watson's gun, his whole demeanor changes: he jokes with Watson; the two of them get the fit of giggles; and Holmes basically invites Watson to dinner.
The death of the blind old lady has a tremendous impact: after that, in "The Great Game," Holmes is much more intense about outwitting Moriarity--he knows what the price is, if he doesn't....As opposed to earlier, when he primarily was focused on the puzzle.
And Molly....whom Holmes treats like a silly little girl, except for her skills in the lab--anything beyond that, and he's dismissive of her and ratherful scornful. Until she lets him know that she is a person, and she can be hurt by his casual cruelty--it's rather like the death of the old lady: it's not a game. After that, Molly hits him with another major moment: she sees him for who he is, not some idealized, romanticized crush.
Would they please just film season 3 NOW? :)
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It's quite obvious that Anderson and Donovan are jealous. Consequently, they refuse to believe that Holmes is actually that much cleverer than they are, so in RF they prefer to believe that’s he’s a fake, discarding any logical argument against it.
Then we have Kitty, the journalist. SHE has no problem smearing people’s name in order to advance in her career and get the big “scoop”. SHE would do anything to get attention, thus Holmes must also be an attention-seeking fake, but she will get the final glory dismantling him.
Neither is capable of seeing the wrong in their own ways and motivations, so they are perfectly satisfied with finding someone to point their finger at as a “worse case” of the traits they actually display themselves.
/Nyctalus
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