Picspam Reaction/Recap: Sherlock Series 3 Episode 1 (Part 3 of 4)
WARNING: CONTAINS IMAGES AND DETAILS OF THE SHERLOCK SERIES 3 FIRST EPISODE. If you are not watching Sherlock Series 3 at UK pace, this post is CHOCK FULL OF SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Picspam Reaction for Sherlock Series 3 Episode 1 - Part 3
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE - "The Empty Hearse"
-Hi Mary! Ah, that's where the part-time nurse comes in I suppose, she works at the same clinic John does. Aw, workplace romance.
-"Undescended testicle." Ah. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's actually Sherlock. Or Mycroft, if Sherlock booked the appointment since I don't think Mary has met Mycroft yet, or if she has, doesn't know him well enough to say he's an undescended testicle, no matter how apt it might be of either of them.
-John's office is rather nice. A bit under-lit for a medical office but nice and roomy.
-Ah. Or it's a 'gee, now that Sherlock's alive, my job is really frigging boring' moment.
-"I've talked to John. He's made his position quite clear." And jump to-
Pffft!
-"What did he say?"/"F-"/"Cough?" *SNEEEERK*
-"You wanted to see me?" HI MOLLY! HI!! Oh my god, how many patterns are you wearing? Stripes, scallops and some kind of crosshatch. Well, hey, go for it. Why not?
-Scarf length hints at closet Whovian tendencies maybe? :-)
-"Would you like to-"/"-have dinner?"/"-solve crimes-" Awwww. All the aw. He's thinking John's never going to talk to him again but still needs someone to be a sounding board, she's still got some kind of a crush going on, and the mutual faces of awkward and misunderstanding are just awww.
-"I'm recommending a course of-"/"-monkey glands." Heee, they are having some fun with this back and forth switching.
-Molly has an excellent smirk as well. And a very loud jumper. Like she's using it as a distraction from people actually looking at her, and looking at her jumper instead. *squints at background blur* That's a playing card there... looks like the Queen of Spades. The primary thing I know about the Queen of Spades is that it's not a good card to get in the game of Hearts unless you have collected all the rest of the Heart cards in the deck by the end, and Wikipedia says that in the game of Old Maid, the Queen of Spades is usually the 'Old Maid' card. It's rather oddly conspicuous there in the background behind Molly. Pretty sure that if that's a deliberate placement (and it's rather weird if it isn't), it doesn't bode well for her love life. Poor Molly.
-"Tell me about your case Mr. Harcourt." Ah, well, I guess that answers the 'have people started coming to him with cases again or is he still hiding being alive' question. And he doesn't seem too fussed about it, which lends more weight to the whole 'deliberate non-covert restaurant brawling' being a thing. Hope he gets what he needs out of it, because John will throttle him if he finds out that was all part of a plan. If it was.
-"Should I be making notes?" Aw. Molly Hooper, you are adorable. Of course you should be making notes.
-"It's just that's what John says he does." ... wait... did... did Molly call John up in a tizzy asking for advice on working with Sherlock??? Like, just a short while ago before clients turned up, since she's wearing the same jumper? Given John knows Molly knew Sherlock was alive the whole time, that would have been one hell of a conversation. Hmm... She probably didn't and just got that from previously talking to John, but still. O.O
-"You're not being John, you're being yourself." And Molly has this little pleased smirk. Aw.
-"Weight loss, hair dye, botox, affair. Lawyer. NEXT!" HEEEEEEEEEE!! (And a cap in case anyone wants to know what law firm he's providing references for. Looks like Bryce & Morc...something.
-"This is Mr. Blake. Piles." And on it goes for John. On and on and on... heh. You know. If Mary's the front office nurse, and this is a drop-in type clinic with several other doctors, she could be doing something sneaky here and funneling all the boring/annoying/embarassing patients to John's queue. She's talked to him a bit about Sherlock, but we haven't seen a real "sit down and talk" bit on the subject, and to be honest, I don't think that would help the situation. John needs to work the stuff through in his own head, and if Mary helps that along by secretly demonstrating to him how dull, routine and annoying his day-to-day job can be, well. Whatever works. ;-)
-Oh dear god, he's trying to be emotionally supportive to random clients. Run for the hills.
-Is he doing it because Molly asked him to be nicer to people? I'm not sure what that look implies. O.o
(The blouse that was under the jumper is equally as loud and distracting if not more. Molly's method of distracting people from asking nosy questions about things she's keeping secret would seem to hinge on visually aggressive clothing. The secret's out now, but she still has the habit. Either that or she's doing it to appear more bold and confident but is actually looking more like she's hiding behind her clothing.)
-"Mr Wiegebank, you have been a complete and utter-"/"Piss pot." Oh come on, that's hardly the proper term for it, though at this stage of his day, John's likely getting a little punchy. There are a lot of other medical stuff that would have been a lovely alternative, (bowel obstruction, fecal impaction, etc) though those wouldn't have had a nice sudden safe visual.
-"I run a little shop (...) magazines, DVDs. Brought along a few." Ahahahahaha! Okay, so we're getting the same 'old bookseller' character Sherlock was pretending to be (with the jowly cotton mentioned before) when he returned in the books and other interpretations of them, visiting John at his clinic/practice, without it being Sherlock. Moffat and Gatiss are such fanboys, it's so damned cute!
-"Have you come to torment me?" And John assumes it's him!! XD
-Oh god. John, seriously, just go talk to Sherlock if you're going to assault patients who happen to resonate strongly with your echo-lives' Watson memories. XD
-"It's fine." Pffft. No it actually isn't, and you're going to have to do a lot of fast talking to get the poor old man calmed down. At least Mary has an idea of what the shouting was about.
-Lestraaaade! Hi Lestrade! I know I said hi to him before, but it's been two goddamn years so I'll be saying hi a lot to everyone. HI!
-Molly at a crime scene is... almost feeling natural, which is so weird. Although I suspect that's about to go sideways. Hm. Two clients and a case from Lestrade. Considering Molly is wearing the same outfit, it's quite a busy day for Sherlock. Though the clients are probably half there due to the notoriety and take maybe 5 minutes a piece.
-As to the crime scene Lestrade probably... hm. I'd say he had this one set aside as a cold case except the body is still there. Though it looks far too clean to be an actual corpse, more like a medical model. Maybe he's set this up as a fake "welcome back from death" crime scene, and people are going to jump out of the shadows and yell "surprise"? Or... not. That would be a little much. I'm saying fake crime scene though, whether Lestrade set it up or someone else. Not nearly enough grue for there to have been flesh on those bones before it was walled up. I mean look at that shirt. It should be foul, it's practically still white.
-Oh god, now Lestrade is killing me with his face.
-Hm. Tree smells which are from new mothballs, carbon residue which is from a fire, but it doesn't look scorched. Hm. I still say fake. No scavengers and no light to bleach the bones. And no grue.
-Meanwhile, Molly's too damned adorable for words.
-|SHOW OFF|/"Shut up, John." Ohhhhhh!!!! *FLAIL* Talking to the John in his head even though he's not there! I bet he's done the same for the past two years! *so much flaaaaaaaaail*
-Speaking of too damned adorable. Aw. Smoochings! *draws hearts*
-"So John?"/"Not really in the picture anymore." Awwwwww. Just, the whole thing of someone getting really mad at you (for admittedly justifiable reasons) and then assuming that that's it, there's no hope of them ever forgiving you and/or that what you've done is unforgivable, so it's best to move on and try not to think about it, just ow. Give John a bit of time so adjust, and try giving him an actual explanation for why you did it with some details and all, he'll come round and you'll get your homecoming yet (with the addition of Mary, who is an awesome and smirky bonus), even if you're living in different locations. *pats Sherlock*
-And Molly's little look here at that. Aw.
-"Trains." They're under the Underground? That would make this space really old then wouldn't it? Though that still doesn't explain why the shirt's so white, and new mothballs would imply it's been in storage somewhere. Hm. Clothes don't look like an old enough fashion that this is someone trying to fake up an "I've found Shakespeare's body in my basement" thing but all I know about suit fashion can be written on a postage stamp and still have room for the Queen. Sorry. Babbling. I'll stop.
-|JEALOUS?|/"Shut up!" HEEEEE!!! Aw. Just go talk to him you idiot.
-"Six months old." See! I knew there was something fake about it. Hm. Same number of months as John has known Mary. That's an odd coincidence...
-Pffft! Ahahaha. Okay, so not Shakespeare, but same idea. Fake a notorious death. XD
-"That's impossible!"/"Welcome to my world." You know, as a stand-in Watson, Molly's not doing too badly. And Sherlock gets to be dramatic at her in ways that would make John either roll his eyes or laugh up a lung.
-Or call him a smart arse. This whole twitching and telling your inner John to shut up is really not making you look terribly sane in front of your friends, Sherlock. TALK. TO. JOHN. The real one, not the one in your head. He's a Watson, they always come around.
-Hahahahaha. Sherlock's head!John is a bit more casually nasty to him than the real one, I think. But his inner Watson is being fueled by his own distress and guilt and things, so it's understandable where the extra bit of ow is really coming from there.
-"Bought at auction a week ago." Ah, so that's as early as this could have been set up, not six months.
-"So the whole thing was a fake?" Yep. Called it. *fistpump* Not like it didn't look as fake as a Halloween display, but still. Lestrade's kind of adorable too.
-"Why indeed, John?" Oh ow. Seriously, dude, go talk to him.
-*gives sudden random conspicuous snow/sleet flurry a severe side-eyeing* I mean it's late October early November so far less unlikely for snow/sleet than June, but still.
-Yeah, I didn't think it was really Sherlock's hat. Given the "mind the gap" doorbell, I'd say this guy's a sort of train-spotter for the Underground? Which would then be a step in the 'terrorist plot' direction, because real world history and also strategic thinking would make the Underground a most likely target. (That and the extended "John riding the Underground" bit at the start was rather obvious foreshadowing.) :-/
-Ahahaha, or he's a train nut in general, not just the Underground. XD
-"My girlfriend's a big fan of yours."/"Girlfriend? *snorts*" Ha! Never assume, Sherlock. Though I am gonna say unless we see otherwise, I'm going to assume she's the Sherlock/Moriarty shipper from Anderson's club, because obsessives tend to understand each other when no one else does.
-And with a look she gets him to apologize. Molly is really doing a pretty darn fine job of being a stand-in John. Though after the little display at that crime scene and her own role in things, I'm thinking she'll be giving Sherlock a serious talking to about this whole 'John will never ever ever forgive me so I'll just pretend like I don't need him' business before too much longer.
-"I like trains."/"Ye-es?" Heee!
-This guy is just a one-off character and all but I can't help but be so happy for him that he's working on the Tube. He's living his fannish dream. :-)
-Watch out, Sherlock, your head!John's going to give you heck for being a smart arse again.
-Molly might get a bit of a talking to too.
-Ah, so somewhere between stations the guy on the train disappeared. Now Sherlock's interested. (And don't think I haven't noticed that the wallpaper curse has infected this guy's place too. It just sort of suits the railway theme by being a bit track-y. It's using camouflage... *side-eyes wallpaper*)
-"No maintenance tunnels, no side tunnels, nothing on any map." *twitches* Damn it. *gets on Google for half an hour* That section of the Underground goes under or near a lot of things, including the Chinese Embassy London Visa and Legalisation Services, Document Legalisation London FCO and Embassy Apostille Services (which probably isn't as impressive a target as it sounds), Judicial Appointments Commission, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center, Central Hall Westminster Conference Center, a Barclays Bank, Her Majesty's Customs and Revenue (aka the taxation department), Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and - hellllo - the Supreme Court, the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament, the House of Lords.... I don't think it would be possible to have a single more target-rich environment. Looks like someone's going to give the Gunpowder Plot a do-over for Guy Fawkes Day. Now. Alternate tunnels are probably not even relevant, though it's all awfully close to the Thames and an old buried river or drainage tunnel might be somewhere under there, though I can't see anything like that being left unblocked or unknown, and really all they'd need is to place an explosive along the line itself to make the point. I don't know if Sherlock et al would need to time how long the train took to get from one station to the other and compare it to the usual, but keeping an eye out for anyone appearing out of the tunnels (probably without that briefcase he was carrying) after a while would be wise. There wouldn't be much in the way of places for that guy (heh) to stay down there.
-"I know that face." Oh, no way, is it Moran? I've been wondering if he'd show up, since Empty House is his big story in the books.
-Have I mentioned yet how much love Sherlock's demonstrations of the practical and strategic value of area knowledge? Tube maps, yay!
-Oh they are having some fun with the visuals.
-Aw, John's come by to see if Sherlock's in, but he's out solving crimes with Molly. Who is probably, along with the train-spotter fellow, standing there watching Sherlock do the Mind Palace Macarena and wondering what the hell is wrong with him.
-And get randomly bumped by suspicious passers-by, because that always works out so well for John. Is he going to get abducted now? It's been a few years, he won't be watching for it anymore.
-Crap. Yep. Sherlock's alive, time to abduct John Watson. Though he did do okay in the not getting abducted department in Series Two. Now. Are they going to abduct him and strap him to the bomb, like the old Boss did, or are they going to do the smart thing and abduct him and stick him somewhere way the hell and gone away that will eventually turn lethal, but with enough clues left for Sherlock to see them and have to make a choice between going after the Westminster bomb or go save John.
-Ow, ow, ow, needle pulling out of neck by force at an angle, ow, ow.
-Even drugged, John Watson will attempt to fuck you up.
-Have I also mentioned yet how much I love John getting whumped or imperiled? Because I really really do.
-Normally five minutes, took ten. Hm. If he was just planting a pre-set briefcase bomb, he could have done it and gotten back on the train and not been noticed missing, even removed the bomb from the briefcase in case anyone was paying attention to whether he had his briefcase or not. The only tell then would have been if anyone was sharp-eyed enough to notice that the briefcase he was carrying looked like it weighed less. Hm.
-"Did you get him off a murder charge?"/"Nope, I helped him put up some shelves." Heee! Molly's sounding quite tired, but in her defense, she hasn't been subjected to an entire day in the life of Sherlock Holmes before.
-"What was today about?"/"Saying thank you." Awwwwwww. Not really entirely, but still, AWWWWWWW.
-"The one person he thought didn't matter at all to me was the one person who mattered the most." D'AWWWWWWWWW. And again, not really entirely, but still AWWWWWW.
-"But you can't do this again, can you?"/"I had a lovely day." There's quite a bit of tension in those neck muscles and grit in those teeth to be 100% lovely there, Molly, but nice try. And really, that was an rather busy day for Sherlock, so it's totally understandable being a bit dragged out by it. John would probably be griping for tea about now too.
-"Congratulations, by the way." Ah yes... oh crap, it's not the guy from the train she's engaged to, is it? It was a distant image and Sherlock had to think about it to get a better idea of his face so... really hope it's not though, because Molly needs some luck in the romance department. And yet, Queen of Spades.
-"*stream of babble* I have no idea why I'm telling you this." Aw. Because you're excited, and you've still got a crush on Sherlock on some level, and he was really nasty about your last boyfriend who also turned out to be a psychopathic mass murderer, so it's part excitement, part closing off the crush aspect of your relationship, and part trying to let him know that you've done the background research on the guy (through the usual social ways of talking to friends and family) and aren't involved with another person who's going to murder dozens of people, strap Sherlock's best friend to a bomb, and try to ruin his life and force him to fake his own death so he needs go underground for two years. You know, the usual. As one does.
-"I hope you'll be very happy, Molly Hooper. You deserve it." Aw. "After all not all the men you fall for can turn out to be sociopaths." Probably should have stopped a little earlier there, but I think he's including himself in that assessment too, so awwww.
-Awwww, a kiss for Molly. And without grievously insulting her first. Being out in the field for two years has changed Sherlock this way too, maybe. He appreciates what it is to have people who will risk their livelihoods for you. Or even just be your friend when all hell is breaking loose in your life.
-"Maybe it's just my type." Oh I hope not. Though promo shots imply it may be otherwise. Eeeek.
-Seriously, random snow or snow-like precipitation! It wasn't snowing at Baker Street. Why is it snowing here? They're doing this just to taunt me, I swear.
-They've left John out in the bush somewhere. And it's a full moon so... *looks up lunar charts* Er. October 18th? Hm. Little bit too early given Guy Fawkes day is November 5th. Unleeeeeeessssss.... it's a not-quite full moon and it's November 4th or 5th 2014, because the full moon will be on the 6th of November. Hm. Or the moon's on a totally different cycle in Sherlock 'verse. Or it's a shout out to all the myriad werewolf AUs out there in fanfic land. *handwave* Regardless, John Watson, recently abducted and left outside in the dark in late October/early November where in pockets of London, random snow is falling. On top of everything else, it's frigging COLD.
-Also not terribly mobile, so it's at least partly a paralytic he's been shot up with. Also with a minor head wound, delivered after he was unconscious/subdued. The bastards.
-Ahahahah. Okay. That's a canon reference. In one of the stories, Mary gives John's first name as James (because Arthur Conan Doyle didn't exactly give a crap about continuity for the most part), which leads to a Victorian era fanon handwave involving John's middle name Hamish being a variation on James and so on. Cute. But eeek if Mary's getting cryptic notes about saving John.
-Even more cryptic. Ah, hahaha. John or St. James Station. HA! SO! They are using John's abduction in a strategically sound manner, by putting his life at odds with stopping the bomb, because they know what value Sherlock has placed on John's life in the past. *eyes capitalization of Less* that means something, not sure what.
-"I think someone's got John." How to get the attention of everyone in 221B in 5 easy words.
-"I'm his fiance." Mrs Hudson looks demented at the news, though considering how hard she ships John/Sherlock and that Sherlock is back, she's bound to have conflicting feelings on some level about Mary. Those are some conflicted eyebrows.
-"Mary?" He remembered her name, that bodes well. Aw, and he got his fish and chips all alone. That's another thing an extended period of undercover field operation will teach you. Eat and sleep while you can. *nods*
-"It's a skip code." Oh for- *facepalm* Of course it is. Arg. So first word of each line? No, every third word. "Save John Watson, Saint James the Less." Church of St. James the Less is about 2 kilometers from Westminster Tube station. Just far enough to get them out of the way, not far enough that Sherlock won't see the explosion if he chooses to save John over stopping the bomb, or just close enough that Sherlock might decide to do both on his own and fail. Of course calling in a bomb squad to deal with the Tube bombing would make most sense right now, though I somehow doubt that's going to happen. If Sherlock called the authorities every time he ought to, this would be a much shorter and less interesting show.
-Eeeeeheheheh! It does make more sense than a car (good to know Mary has one and can drive) but in London traffic a motorbike will be a lot faster.
(Raining at Baker Street now. Slightly less weather-related side-eyeing happening now.)
-Also hee!
-Well crap, why not add some time pressure while you're at it.
-"What are they going to do to him?" They don't necessarily have to do anything. If the drug they gave him is a paralytic, it could be progressing to shut down his breathing and heart if not reversed. Hard to pin that to a precise timeline though. Hm. There was light shining on him so he isn't buried alive... *ponders*
-Oh damn, cops. ...No, wait! RUN THE ROADBLOCK, THE COPS WILL FOLLOW YOU TO JOHN, AND THE SIRENS WILL CLEAR TRAFFIC FOR YOU! AND THEN YOU CAN EXPLAIN THE TUBE BOMB, even though you haven't made the connection that it's a bomb yet, I don't think, JUST RUN THE ROADBLOCK, IT'LL BE FINE!! \o/
-Or, you know, screw roads entirely! \o/
-AND run the roadblock! I love it when the people in my TV listen to my advice. \o/
-Sherlock's picked up a few interesting skills on his two year wander, like riding motorbikes down stairs.
-Oh well I guess that answers the what day is it (welcome to November 5th 2014, if you believe the moon, or 2013 if Sherlock's world doesn't have moon phases in sync with reality) question and OH GOD NO JOHN'S INSIDE THE PILE OF WOOD FOR THE FUCKING BONFIRE, ISN'T HE?? I DO NOT HAVE ALARMED AND DISTRESSED ENOUGH EMOTICONS FOR THIS SITUATION!!! DDDDD-:
-GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!
-Can move head and face, but not vocal chords, what the hell did they shoot him up with? Or is it some kind of spinal tap thing. I don't know but I AM MORE ALARMED BY THIS SITUATION THAN BY MOST MONSTER-THINGS ON SUPERNATURAL AND DOCTOR WHO. THIS IS APPROACHING WEEPING ANGEL LEVELS OF ALARM. O.O
-Hm. 'Hotting up' seems like it might be a bit of dialect that Sherlock can use to figure out who sent the texts, SOMETIME AFTER THEY SAVE JOHN.
-"I'll get something to help it along." OH GOD NOT AN ACCELERANT, GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
-KID IN MONKEY BOBBLE-HAT, IF YOU CAN HEAR HIM, SAY SOMETHING!!!
-TIME TO GO OFF-ROAD SOME MORE. Where the heck are the cops from the roadblock anyway, they should be roaring up soon.
-Or a straight line. *checks Google Maps* Straight through Vincent Square looks good. Just watch out for the fence. Oh good, there's a hospital right near the Church. Everything will be fine.
-Or an underground pedestrian way is good too.
-"Guy Fawkes, he doesn't like it."/"Stay back Zoe." PUT DOWN THE PETROL CAN AND LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIED DAUGHTER IN THE ADORABLE MONKEY-BEAR-FUR BEAST HAT.
-FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.
-AND THE TEXTING PERSON PUNS HORRIBLY.
-OHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCK AAAAAAHHHH!!! (I mean really this is ridiculous I know John will be fine somehow but I can't hear the sense of that right now over all the freaking out I'm doing because it's all on fire now oh fuck)
-"HELP!"/"*shriek*" THIS IS WHY YOU ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE CONCERNED CHILD IN THE ADORABLE BOBBLE HAT.
-GET OUT OF THE WAY! INCOMING HOLMES HERE TO SAVE HIS WATSON!
-I'm just going to cap now and stop screaming for a bit okay? Because I know everything's going to be fine. Because *KEYMASHINGS OF GREAT DISTRESS*
OH YAY. AND MARY MAYBE TAKING JOHN'S PULSE LIKE A GOOD MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL OUGHT IN THAT LAST CAP. GAH. *THUD*
-*FLAIL* GO TEAM AWESOME. Seriously, how good of a team did they make on that motorbike? Her showing him the texts as he drove and not ever showing the remotest hint toward any screaming ninny behaviour or any illogical insistence on stopping and getting the police which most average reasonable people would have done, knowing there was no time. And Sherlock not even hesitating that Mary's going to come along to help save John, and Mary not even hesitating to go with Sherlock on a stolen motorbike when she's got a car right there. Team. Awesome. Yes.
-Now, the real question is, if that wasn't the night they were setting off the bombs, what was the kidnapping and imperilment of John in aid of for the general plot... *ponders*
-Oh god, Sherlock's trying to deal with people solo.
People who seem to be taking a long time to get to any actual case. And yet Sherlock's not pitching them out the door. Not sure what that means, whether he's distracted and distressed about John or the terrorist case, or whether he's picked up some social abilities for dealing with the inane.
-"They weren't letting anyone into Parliament, some big debate going on." AH HAH. SEE? It all fits. Sherlock's only not got it yet because he didn't hear Mrs Hudson's radio. Things will start to slot together soon now. *nods*
-HI JOHN! HiJohnHiJohnHiJohn! Looking a little banged up but unsinged and upright and in 221B with Sherlock in it! *bounces* NOW TALK, YOU IDIOTS.
-"Ring mum more often won't you? She worries." OH MY GOD IS THAT HIS MUM AND DAD??? AND BY EXTENSION, MYCROFT'S MUM AND DAD?? Holy shit. If that's so, the apples didn't just fall far from the tree, they landed in a different orchard. On Mars. O.O
-"Just my parents." And about a billion headcanons go smash all over the place. But that's okay, that's what new canon is for. JOSSING EVERYTHING!\o/
-[ETA: AND. I found this out afterward while checking a reference link during the editing process of this monster, the actors playing the Holmes parents? ARE BENEDICT'S REAL PARENTS!!! I just love it when shows do that with multi-generational acting families. YAY! \o/]
-John's looking suitably stunned.
-Sherlock at a matinee of Les Mis. With Mycroft. And his parents. The French Revolution would pale in comparison.
-"Those were your parents?"/"Yes."/"Well. That is not what I..." You are not the only one thinking that, but that's okay.
-"They're just so ordinary."/"It's a cross I have to bear." I am suddenly having no problem at all imagining the Christmas dinners. Silly paper hats and all. :-D
-"Did they know too?" Ow. Well, given how Mycroft venerates his mum, he probably let them in on it. So yes, ow.
-"So that's why they weren't at the funeral."/"Sorry, sorry again." Okay. This is the start of talking. Now. Sherlock, you actually explain the reason why you did all this without focussing on the clever bits in exclusion of the why, and John, you listen rather than throwing up walls of hurt everywhere. This will take a while and be made of ow, but really, guys, talk.
-"Sorry." Slightly better.
-"I prefer my doctors clean-shaven." Well, as long as it's about his profession and not him. *facepalm*
-JOHN'S SITTING IN HIS CHAIR! \o/
-And in the mirror at seeing this, Sherlock's face does a very subtle and complex thing. There's the start of a smile that fades almost immediately to a sort of pensive regret, as another part of his image of 'home' comes to roost, and yet he knows that it's just a temporary thing right now, and that there is a lot of denting yet to undo. And it's hard to say from this one moment, but something about that face makes it seem like he doesn't feel like he can be forgiven enough to try to heal the damage between them. All that, seen in a mirror. There's something meta-able about that.
-"Who did that, and why did they target me?" And I'd add, why did they call Mary, because that means they know about her too (though any restaurant John was throttling him in would know she was accompanying them and it wouldn't take too much effort to find out she was his fiancee), and if John was in danger, she is too.
-"Why would an agent give his life to tell us something incredibly insignificant, that's what's strange." It is, isn't it? No details, just they're planning something. *ponders*
-"He's been working for North Korea since 1996." Ah, and that guy is the one who planted the bomb. Maybe he's operating independently of the other rats? They can't all be working for the same masters, and every side has different priorities and different opinions on sharing plans. Sherlock's smirky intel-sharing face is adorable.
-Seven leave but only six arrive. Oh for pete's sake. But where's the carriage (car, whatever) if they left it in the tunnels between the two? There's trains running on that section all the time. Also, I'm kind of shocked that the train-spotter noticed the guy getting on the train but not off, and didn't notice a train car was missing. You'd think he'd see changes to the trains first.
-"Once you eliminate all the other factors the only thing remaining must be the truth." *fistpump of near ACD canon quote*
-"You're kidnapped and nearly burned to death at a fireworks party-" I do believe the penny has just dropped.
-"What's today's the date?"/"November... My god." I guess they do bonfires the night before too, then? Not sure of the tradition.
-"'Remember, remember.'"/"'Gunpowder, treason and plot.'" Yep! Now call in a bomb squad, shut down the Tube line between Westminster and St. James, and evacuate the crap out of the area. Or don't, because I'm sure you have reasons that won't work. Like tipping off the conspirators who would blow the joint early and disappear.
-Oh jeez. Not only do I love this guy and his train obsession (and how someone and their fannishness helps save the day (and I hope he becomes the expert Sherlock taps in future when trains come up on cases, like he does with Raz and graffiti)) and his awesome hat that he even wears indoors and chews on unselfconsciously, I love that there is stuff like abandoned unused train stations and tunnels underneath London to the point it's hard to keep track of it all (even though this particular one they mention is fictional), I love that they're using a Macbook, I love that Sherlock and John are working together again without even thinking about it (which was going to happen and we all knew it), but most of all. MOST OF ALL. I love that they are going to be following the 'biggest rat' of Sherlock's conspiracy into an abandoned underground station called 'Sumatra Road.' Making the conspirator, all together now, the "GIANT RAT OF SUMATRA" Slow clap for the epic ACD fanboyism of Mark Gatiss on that one. Well done. XD
-And off Sherlock goes, and off John follows. They'll get around to the talking later, but the foundations are being rebuilt under more important structural elements of their relationship than the walls keeping them from talking to each other.
-Speaking of the rat, there he is, safely out of the blast radius.
-"What are you doing?"/"Calling the police." Thank you! I'm sure there will be some reason it can't be done, but it's nice to have it mentioned as something that really should be done in cases like this since the police have an actual bomb disposal unit and legal authority and all that nice stuff.
-|NO SERVICE| And this is why you do the sensible logical thing like calling the police or finding out a better reason why it's not a good idea than "they get in the way" before you get down into the solid metal tubing of an abandoned underground line.
-*happy smile* Just, you know. Because.
-Mind Palace Macarena time again. And this time, John will be there and know you aren't having some kind of strange seizure.
-Eeek! Hm. So... maybe it's up the tunnel and the explosion will carry along farther and more intensely through the tubes than it will parked at the station? Is there a vent in the tunnel that would go up under the building, like a manhole access or something?
-Ooo! Guess so! Like a big chimney.
And if you've got the graphics team on hand, why the hell not indeed.
-Now I'm really thinking that it's a feint, meant to be stopped so the public or powers that be find out about it and the bill goes through unopposed. The rat might be working for the North Koreans, but unless that's the first shot of a shooting war, it's going to do nothing but get them serious worldwide blowback, UN action and up nearly everyone's terror alert levels for a minimum ten years.
-"Oh!"/"What?" He's bad at communicating things when it's not a finalized deduction.
-"Avoid the rails." Oh fantastic. So, electrocution also on offer tonight on the list of 'ways to get killed'. I'd wonder about the rail being on though. They would have needed it on to move the train car, but once it was moved, they wouldn't need it anymore and could switch it off to avoid power drain being noticed. Although the lights on the platform are on, so could still be live.
-Oh, well, crap. Train car full of explosives (maybe?) and the chimney heading upstairs loaded with explosive packs (definitely). Hm. They wouldn't have needed to move the train car down there if they were just using it to get into the tunnel to plant the other bombs, so it still has to have an explosive device on it, or something. Which makes climbing up that pipe and unsetting all the little bombs that much more tricky if there's a bigger bomb you're dealing with at the same time.
-I don't think it'd be out in the open, unless our rat fellow either took it out of his briefcase, or took it out of wherever it was hidden in place on the train. It couldn't be sitting in the open in case anyone else got on that car, or the cctv angles caught it, so either underneath or in an access compartment somewhere, and if it's in a compartment, why take it out at all? Just set it and leave. I'd start checking access panels, or maybe in behind the advertising panels. Very carefully.
-"The whole compartment is the bomb." Yeah, something like that, exactly... oh crap. O.o
-Oh fantastic, and that's a detonator, with a key and a button. And a spare key? What's that one for, putting under your doormat in case you lose the other? O.o
-Carefully now. These guys seem to be overconfident that no one will find their hidden missing train car in the train line no one remembers exists and isn't listed anywhere, but they might still have put in a trap-trigger in case of tampering. Out of habit or paranoia, you never know.
-You don't often see a bomb that looks a bit like a really uncomfortable milking machine.
-This is John's "Remind me why I follow you into crap like this?" face.
-"So what do we do now?"/"I have no idea." THANKS. Thank you. So much. That really helps. *headdesk* I mean didn't you get any demolitions experience while you were hiding out and doing covert-ops-y things for two years?
-"Well think of something." Because, really, what the hell else can you do at this point?
-"Why do you think I know what to do?" Aww. "Because you're Sherlock Holmes, you're as clever as it gets." Awwwwwww.
-"I wasn't in bomb disposal, I'm a bloody doctor."/"And a soldier, as you keep reminding us all." Now boys, save the sniping for later.
-See? What the heck is the spare key for? Is it like the programming key on a till? One key only lets you push the "make go boom" button, the other lets you get in and change the date and time and tax rates? Didn't need a key to arm it though, that just needed a code. Regardless, the timer's going to start counting down soon, so they'd better get their act in gear on the train.
-Now. I might be thinking uncharitably here, but I am now wondering why John was really kidnapped. And kind of wondering if, well, if it might have been Mycroft's crew. If the girl's dad hadn't gone and gotten the accelerant, the fire would have been a slow starter because of the damp wood, and John was laying on a bed of green boughs, which smoke and smolder more than burn quickly so another delaying factor, and John would have recovered his voice in time to shout long before the blaze really got going, so the chances he'd actually be badly hurt or killed had actually been minimized despite appearances, until the accelerant came into play. And the abduction was very successful in focusing Sherlock's attention on the terrorist plot and getting Guy Fawkes into their minds with a fresh reference. Maybe their "Rat" here is a double agent who is the one who gave them the intel and will be giving up his life? Hm. Something is still fishy about this and it smells like Mycroft. ...Not that Mycroft smells of fish, I'm sure he doesn't. ANYWAY. Had to say that because it's bugging me right now. *ponders*
-Well okay fine, push the button now. Don't sit and stare at it for another long while as Sherlock and John get themselves sorted below. They really only need two and a half minutes. Eep. O.o
-Just because I never actually caught this guy's name and I have a suspicion... *scrolls back* "Lord Moran, Peer of the realm. Minister for Overseas Development." AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAA! Yeah. Working for North Korea, and on weekends he likes to hunt tigers. Or... Oh hey... *quickly Googles* GUESS WHAT THE NATIONAL ANIMAL OF SOUTH KOREA IS. Yep. Tiger. This show is too damn clever sometimes.
Continued in...
PART FOUR
(PLEASE, NO SPOILERS OR REFERENCES TO ANY INFORMATION AT ALL FOR OR ABOUT EPISODES PAST 3.01 IN COMMENTS! )
Picspam Reaction for Sherlock Series 3 Episode 1 - Part 3
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE - "The Empty Hearse"
-Hi Mary! Ah, that's where the part-time nurse comes in I suppose, she works at the same clinic John does. Aw, workplace romance.
-"Undescended testicle." Ah. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it's actually Sherlock. Or Mycroft, if Sherlock booked the appointment since I don't think Mary has met Mycroft yet, or if she has, doesn't know him well enough to say he's an undescended testicle, no matter how apt it might be of either of them.
-John's office is rather nice. A bit under-lit for a medical office but nice and roomy.
-Ah. Or it's a 'gee, now that Sherlock's alive, my job is really frigging boring' moment.
-"I've talked to John. He's made his position quite clear." And jump to-
Pffft!
-"What did he say?"/"F-"/"Cough?" *SNEEEERK*
-"You wanted to see me?" HI MOLLY! HI!! Oh my god, how many patterns are you wearing? Stripes, scallops and some kind of crosshatch. Well, hey, go for it. Why not?
-Scarf length hints at closet Whovian tendencies maybe? :-)
-"Would you like to-"/"-have dinner?"/"-solve crimes-" Awwww. All the aw. He's thinking John's never going to talk to him again but still needs someone to be a sounding board, she's still got some kind of a crush going on, and the mutual faces of awkward and misunderstanding are just awww.
-"I'm recommending a course of-"/"-monkey glands." Heee, they are having some fun with this back and forth switching.
-Molly has an excellent smirk as well. And a very loud jumper. Like she's using it as a distraction from people actually looking at her, and looking at her jumper instead. *squints at background blur* That's a playing card there... looks like the Queen of Spades. The primary thing I know about the Queen of Spades is that it's not a good card to get in the game of Hearts unless you have collected all the rest of the Heart cards in the deck by the end, and Wikipedia says that in the game of Old Maid, the Queen of Spades is usually the 'Old Maid' card. It's rather oddly conspicuous there in the background behind Molly. Pretty sure that if that's a deliberate placement (and it's rather weird if it isn't), it doesn't bode well for her love life. Poor Molly.
-"Tell me about your case Mr. Harcourt." Ah, well, I guess that answers the 'have people started coming to him with cases again or is he still hiding being alive' question. And he doesn't seem too fussed about it, which lends more weight to the whole 'deliberate non-covert restaurant brawling' being a thing. Hope he gets what he needs out of it, because John will throttle him if he finds out that was all part of a plan. If it was.
-"Should I be making notes?" Aw. Molly Hooper, you are adorable. Of course you should be making notes.
-"It's just that's what John says he does." ... wait... did... did Molly call John up in a tizzy asking for advice on working with Sherlock??? Like, just a short while ago before clients turned up, since she's wearing the same jumper? Given John knows Molly knew Sherlock was alive the whole time, that would have been one hell of a conversation. Hmm... She probably didn't and just got that from previously talking to John, but still. O.O
-"You're not being John, you're being yourself." And Molly has this little pleased smirk. Aw.
-"Weight loss, hair dye, botox, affair. Lawyer. NEXT!" HEEEEEEEEEE!! (And a cap in case anyone wants to know what law firm he's providing references for. Looks like Bryce & Morc...something.
-"This is Mr. Blake. Piles." And on it goes for John. On and on and on... heh. You know. If Mary's the front office nurse, and this is a drop-in type clinic with several other doctors, she could be doing something sneaky here and funneling all the boring/annoying/embarassing patients to John's queue. She's talked to him a bit about Sherlock, but we haven't seen a real "sit down and talk" bit on the subject, and to be honest, I don't think that would help the situation. John needs to work the stuff through in his own head, and if Mary helps that along by secretly demonstrating to him how dull, routine and annoying his day-to-day job can be, well. Whatever works. ;-)
-Oh dear god, he's trying to be emotionally supportive to random clients. Run for the hills.
-Is he doing it because Molly asked him to be nicer to people? I'm not sure what that look implies. O.o
(The blouse that was under the jumper is equally as loud and distracting if not more. Molly's method of distracting people from asking nosy questions about things she's keeping secret would seem to hinge on visually aggressive clothing. The secret's out now, but she still has the habit. Either that or she's doing it to appear more bold and confident but is actually looking more like she's hiding behind her clothing.)
-"Mr Wiegebank, you have been a complete and utter-"/"Piss pot." Oh come on, that's hardly the proper term for it, though at this stage of his day, John's likely getting a little punchy. There are a lot of other medical stuff that would have been a lovely alternative, (bowel obstruction, fecal impaction, etc) though those wouldn't have had a nice sudden safe visual.
-"I run a little shop (...) magazines, DVDs. Brought along a few." Ahahahahaha! Okay, so we're getting the same 'old bookseller' character Sherlock was pretending to be (with the jowly cotton mentioned before) when he returned in the books and other interpretations of them, visiting John at his clinic/practice, without it being Sherlock. Moffat and Gatiss are such fanboys, it's so damned cute!
-"Have you come to torment me?" And John assumes it's him!! XD
-Oh god. John, seriously, just go talk to Sherlock if you're going to assault patients who happen to resonate strongly with your echo-lives' Watson memories. XD
-"It's fine." Pffft. No it actually isn't, and you're going to have to do a lot of fast talking to get the poor old man calmed down. At least Mary has an idea of what the shouting was about.
-Lestraaaade! Hi Lestrade! I know I said hi to him before, but it's been two goddamn years so I'll be saying hi a lot to everyone. HI!
-Molly at a crime scene is... almost feeling natural, which is so weird. Although I suspect that's about to go sideways. Hm. Two clients and a case from Lestrade. Considering Molly is wearing the same outfit, it's quite a busy day for Sherlock. Though the clients are probably half there due to the notoriety and take maybe 5 minutes a piece.
-As to the crime scene Lestrade probably... hm. I'd say he had this one set aside as a cold case except the body is still there. Though it looks far too clean to be an actual corpse, more like a medical model. Maybe he's set this up as a fake "welcome back from death" crime scene, and people are going to jump out of the shadows and yell "surprise"? Or... not. That would be a little much. I'm saying fake crime scene though, whether Lestrade set it up or someone else. Not nearly enough grue for there to have been flesh on those bones before it was walled up. I mean look at that shirt. It should be foul, it's practically still white.
-Oh god, now Lestrade is killing me with his face.
-Hm. Tree smells which are from new mothballs, carbon residue which is from a fire, but it doesn't look scorched. Hm. I still say fake. No scavengers and no light to bleach the bones. And no grue.
-Meanwhile, Molly's too damned adorable for words.
-|SHOW OFF|/"Shut up, John." Ohhhhhh!!!! *FLAIL* Talking to the John in his head even though he's not there! I bet he's done the same for the past two years! *so much flaaaaaaaaail*
-Speaking of too damned adorable. Aw. Smoochings! *draws hearts*
-"So John?"/"Not really in the picture anymore." Awwwwww. Just, the whole thing of someone getting really mad at you (for admittedly justifiable reasons) and then assuming that that's it, there's no hope of them ever forgiving you and/or that what you've done is unforgivable, so it's best to move on and try not to think about it, just ow. Give John a bit of time so adjust, and try giving him an actual explanation for why you did it with some details and all, he'll come round and you'll get your homecoming yet (with the addition of Mary, who is an awesome and smirky bonus), even if you're living in different locations. *pats Sherlock*
-And Molly's little look here at that. Aw.
-"Trains." They're under the Underground? That would make this space really old then wouldn't it? Though that still doesn't explain why the shirt's so white, and new mothballs would imply it's been in storage somewhere. Hm. Clothes don't look like an old enough fashion that this is someone trying to fake up an "I've found Shakespeare's body in my basement" thing but all I know about suit fashion can be written on a postage stamp and still have room for the Queen. Sorry. Babbling. I'll stop.
-|JEALOUS?|/"Shut up!" HEEEEE!!! Aw. Just go talk to him you idiot.
-"Six months old." See! I knew there was something fake about it. Hm. Same number of months as John has known Mary. That's an odd coincidence...
-Pffft! Ahahaha. Okay, so not Shakespeare, but same idea. Fake a notorious death. XD
-"That's impossible!"/"Welcome to my world." You know, as a stand-in Watson, Molly's not doing too badly. And Sherlock gets to be dramatic at her in ways that would make John either roll his eyes or laugh up a lung.
-Or call him a smart arse. This whole twitching and telling your inner John to shut up is really not making you look terribly sane in front of your friends, Sherlock. TALK. TO. JOHN. The real one, not the one in your head. He's a Watson, they always come around.
-Hahahahaha. Sherlock's head!John is a bit more casually nasty to him than the real one, I think. But his inner Watson is being fueled by his own distress and guilt and things, so it's understandable where the extra bit of ow is really coming from there.
-"Bought at auction a week ago." Ah, so that's as early as this could have been set up, not six months.
-"So the whole thing was a fake?" Yep. Called it. *fistpump* Not like it didn't look as fake as a Halloween display, but still. Lestrade's kind of adorable too.
-"Why indeed, John?" Oh ow. Seriously, dude, go talk to him.
-*gives sudden random conspicuous snow/sleet flurry a severe side-eyeing* I mean it's late October early November so far less unlikely for snow/sleet than June, but still.
-Yeah, I didn't think it was really Sherlock's hat. Given the "mind the gap" doorbell, I'd say this guy's a sort of train-spotter for the Underground? Which would then be a step in the 'terrorist plot' direction, because real world history and also strategic thinking would make the Underground a most likely target. (That and the extended "John riding the Underground" bit at the start was rather obvious foreshadowing.) :-/
-Ahahaha, or he's a train nut in general, not just the Underground. XD
-"My girlfriend's a big fan of yours."/"Girlfriend? *snorts*" Ha! Never assume, Sherlock. Though I am gonna say unless we see otherwise, I'm going to assume she's the Sherlock/Moriarty shipper from Anderson's club, because obsessives tend to understand each other when no one else does.
-And with a look she gets him to apologize. Molly is really doing a pretty darn fine job of being a stand-in John. Though after the little display at that crime scene and her own role in things, I'm thinking she'll be giving Sherlock a serious talking to about this whole 'John will never ever ever forgive me so I'll just pretend like I don't need him' business before too much longer.
-"I like trains."/"Ye-es?" Heee!
-This guy is just a one-off character and all but I can't help but be so happy for him that he's working on the Tube. He's living his fannish dream. :-)
-Watch out, Sherlock, your head!John's going to give you heck for being a smart arse again.
-Molly might get a bit of a talking to too.
-Ah, so somewhere between stations the guy on the train disappeared. Now Sherlock's interested. (And don't think I haven't noticed that the wallpaper curse has infected this guy's place too. It just sort of suits the railway theme by being a bit track-y. It's using camouflage... *side-eyes wallpaper*)
-"No maintenance tunnels, no side tunnels, nothing on any map." *twitches* Damn it. *gets on Google for half an hour* That section of the Underground goes under or near a lot of things, including the Chinese Embassy London Visa and Legalisation Services, Document Legalisation London FCO and Embassy Apostille Services (which probably isn't as impressive a target as it sounds), Judicial Appointments Commission, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Center, Central Hall Westminster Conference Center, a Barclays Bank, Her Majesty's Customs and Revenue (aka the taxation department), Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and - hellllo - the Supreme Court, the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament, the House of Lords.... I don't think it would be possible to have a single more target-rich environment. Looks like someone's going to give the Gunpowder Plot a do-over for Guy Fawkes Day. Now. Alternate tunnels are probably not even relevant, though it's all awfully close to the Thames and an old buried river or drainage tunnel might be somewhere under there, though I can't see anything like that being left unblocked or unknown, and really all they'd need is to place an explosive along the line itself to make the point. I don't know if Sherlock et al would need to time how long the train took to get from one station to the other and compare it to the usual, but keeping an eye out for anyone appearing out of the tunnels (probably without that briefcase he was carrying) after a while would be wise. There wouldn't be much in the way of places for that guy (heh) to stay down there.
-"I know that face." Oh, no way, is it Moran? I've been wondering if he'd show up, since Empty House is his big story in the books.
-Have I mentioned yet how much love Sherlock's demonstrations of the practical and strategic value of area knowledge? Tube maps, yay!
-Oh they are having some fun with the visuals.
-Aw, John's come by to see if Sherlock's in, but he's out solving crimes with Molly. Who is probably, along with the train-spotter fellow, standing there watching Sherlock do the Mind Palace Macarena and wondering what the hell is wrong with him.
-And get randomly bumped by suspicious passers-by, because that always works out so well for John. Is he going to get abducted now? It's been a few years, he won't be watching for it anymore.
-Crap. Yep. Sherlock's alive, time to abduct John Watson. Though he did do okay in the not getting abducted department in Series Two. Now. Are they going to abduct him and strap him to the bomb, like the old Boss did, or are they going to do the smart thing and abduct him and stick him somewhere way the hell and gone away that will eventually turn lethal, but with enough clues left for Sherlock to see them and have to make a choice between going after the Westminster bomb or go save John.
-Ow, ow, ow, needle pulling out of neck by force at an angle, ow, ow.
-Even drugged, John Watson will attempt to fuck you up.
-Have I also mentioned yet how much I love John getting whumped or imperiled? Because I really really do.
-Normally five minutes, took ten. Hm. If he was just planting a pre-set briefcase bomb, he could have done it and gotten back on the train and not been noticed missing, even removed the bomb from the briefcase in case anyone was paying attention to whether he had his briefcase or not. The only tell then would have been if anyone was sharp-eyed enough to notice that the briefcase he was carrying looked like it weighed less. Hm.
-"Did you get him off a murder charge?"/"Nope, I helped him put up some shelves." Heee! Molly's sounding quite tired, but in her defense, she hasn't been subjected to an entire day in the life of Sherlock Holmes before.
-"What was today about?"/"Saying thank you." Awwwwwww. Not really entirely, but still, AWWWWWWW.
-"The one person he thought didn't matter at all to me was the one person who mattered the most." D'AWWWWWWWWW. And again, not really entirely, but still AWWWWWW.
-"But you can't do this again, can you?"/"I had a lovely day." There's quite a bit of tension in those neck muscles and grit in those teeth to be 100% lovely there, Molly, but nice try. And really, that was an rather busy day for Sherlock, so it's totally understandable being a bit dragged out by it. John would probably be griping for tea about now too.
-"Congratulations, by the way." Ah yes... oh crap, it's not the guy from the train she's engaged to, is it? It was a distant image and Sherlock had to think about it to get a better idea of his face so... really hope it's not though, because Molly needs some luck in the romance department. And yet, Queen of Spades.
-"*stream of babble* I have no idea why I'm telling you this." Aw. Because you're excited, and you've still got a crush on Sherlock on some level, and he was really nasty about your last boyfriend who also turned out to be a psychopathic mass murderer, so it's part excitement, part closing off the crush aspect of your relationship, and part trying to let him know that you've done the background research on the guy (through the usual social ways of talking to friends and family) and aren't involved with another person who's going to murder dozens of people, strap Sherlock's best friend to a bomb, and try to ruin his life and force him to fake his own death so he needs go underground for two years. You know, the usual. As one does.
-"I hope you'll be very happy, Molly Hooper. You deserve it." Aw. "After all not all the men you fall for can turn out to be sociopaths." Probably should have stopped a little earlier there, but I think he's including himself in that assessment too, so awwww.
-Awwww, a kiss for Molly. And without grievously insulting her first. Being out in the field for two years has changed Sherlock this way too, maybe. He appreciates what it is to have people who will risk their livelihoods for you. Or even just be your friend when all hell is breaking loose in your life.
-"Maybe it's just my type." Oh I hope not. Though promo shots imply it may be otherwise. Eeeek.
-Seriously, random snow or snow-like precipitation! It wasn't snowing at Baker Street. Why is it snowing here? They're doing this just to taunt me, I swear.
-They've left John out in the bush somewhere. And it's a full moon so... *looks up lunar charts* Er. October 18th? Hm. Little bit too early given Guy Fawkes day is November 5th. Unleeeeeeessssss.... it's a not-quite full moon and it's November 4th or 5th 2014, because the full moon will be on the 6th of November. Hm. Or the moon's on a totally different cycle in Sherlock 'verse. Or it's a shout out to all the myriad werewolf AUs out there in fanfic land. *handwave* Regardless, John Watson, recently abducted and left outside in the dark in late October/early November where in pockets of London, random snow is falling. On top of everything else, it's frigging COLD.
-Also not terribly mobile, so it's at least partly a paralytic he's been shot up with. Also with a minor head wound, delivered after he was unconscious/subdued. The bastards.
-Ahahahah. Okay. That's a canon reference. In one of the stories, Mary gives John's first name as James (because Arthur Conan Doyle didn't exactly give a crap about continuity for the most part), which leads to a Victorian era fanon handwave involving John's middle name Hamish being a variation on James and so on. Cute. But eeek if Mary's getting cryptic notes about saving John.
-Even more cryptic. Ah, hahaha. John or St. James Station. HA! SO! They are using John's abduction in a strategically sound manner, by putting his life at odds with stopping the bomb, because they know what value Sherlock has placed on John's life in the past. *eyes capitalization of Less* that means something, not sure what.
-"I think someone's got John." How to get the attention of everyone in 221B in 5 easy words.
-"I'm his fiance." Mrs Hudson looks demented at the news, though considering how hard she ships John/Sherlock and that Sherlock is back, she's bound to have conflicting feelings on some level about Mary. Those are some conflicted eyebrows.
-"Mary?" He remembered her name, that bodes well. Aw, and he got his fish and chips all alone. That's another thing an extended period of undercover field operation will teach you. Eat and sleep while you can. *nods*
-"It's a skip code." Oh for- *facepalm* Of course it is. Arg. So first word of each line? No, every third word. "Save John Watson, Saint James the Less." Church of St. James the Less is about 2 kilometers from Westminster Tube station. Just far enough to get them out of the way, not far enough that Sherlock won't see the explosion if he chooses to save John over stopping the bomb, or just close enough that Sherlock might decide to do both on his own and fail. Of course calling in a bomb squad to deal with the Tube bombing would make most sense right now, though I somehow doubt that's going to happen. If Sherlock called the authorities every time he ought to, this would be a much shorter and less interesting show.
-Eeeeeheheheh! It does make more sense than a car (good to know Mary has one and can drive) but in London traffic a motorbike will be a lot faster.
(Raining at Baker Street now. Slightly less weather-related side-eyeing happening now.)
-Also hee!
-Well crap, why not add some time pressure while you're at it.
-"What are they going to do to him?" They don't necessarily have to do anything. If the drug they gave him is a paralytic, it could be progressing to shut down his breathing and heart if not reversed. Hard to pin that to a precise timeline though. Hm. There was light shining on him so he isn't buried alive... *ponders*
-Oh damn, cops. ...No, wait! RUN THE ROADBLOCK, THE COPS WILL FOLLOW YOU TO JOHN, AND THE SIRENS WILL CLEAR TRAFFIC FOR YOU! AND THEN YOU CAN EXPLAIN THE TUBE BOMB, even though you haven't made the connection that it's a bomb yet, I don't think, JUST RUN THE ROADBLOCK, IT'LL BE FINE!! \o/
-Or, you know, screw roads entirely! \o/
-AND run the roadblock! I love it when the people in my TV listen to my advice. \o/
-Sherlock's picked up a few interesting skills on his two year wander, like riding motorbikes down stairs.
-Oh well I guess that answers the what day is it (welcome to November 5th 2014, if you believe the moon, or 2013 if Sherlock's world doesn't have moon phases in sync with reality) question and OH GOD NO JOHN'S INSIDE THE PILE OF WOOD FOR THE FUCKING BONFIRE, ISN'T HE?? I DO NOT HAVE ALARMED AND DISTRESSED ENOUGH EMOTICONS FOR THIS SITUATION!!! DDDDD-:
-GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!
-Can move head and face, but not vocal chords, what the hell did they shoot him up with? Or is it some kind of spinal tap thing. I don't know but I AM MORE ALARMED BY THIS SITUATION THAN BY MOST MONSTER-THINGS ON SUPERNATURAL AND DOCTOR WHO. THIS IS APPROACHING WEEPING ANGEL LEVELS OF ALARM. O.O
-Hm. 'Hotting up' seems like it might be a bit of dialect that Sherlock can use to figure out who sent the texts, SOMETIME AFTER THEY SAVE JOHN.
-"I'll get something to help it along." OH GOD NOT AN ACCELERANT, GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
-KID IN MONKEY BOBBLE-HAT, IF YOU CAN HEAR HIM, SAY SOMETHING!!!
-TIME TO GO OFF-ROAD SOME MORE. Where the heck are the cops from the roadblock anyway, they should be roaring up soon.
-Or a straight line. *checks Google Maps* Straight through Vincent Square looks good. Just watch out for the fence. Oh good, there's a hospital right near the Church. Everything will be fine.
-Or an underground pedestrian way is good too.
-"Guy Fawkes, he doesn't like it."/"Stay back Zoe." PUT DOWN THE PETROL CAN AND LISTEN TO YOUR WORRIED DAUGHTER IN THE ADORABLE MONKEY-BEAR-FUR BEAST HAT.
-FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.
-AND THE TEXTING PERSON PUNS HORRIBLY.
-OHFUCKOHFUCKOHFUCK AAAAAAHHHH!!! (I mean really this is ridiculous I know John will be fine somehow but I can't hear the sense of that right now over all the freaking out I'm doing because it's all on fire now oh fuck)
-"HELP!"/"*shriek*" THIS IS WHY YOU ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE CONCERNED CHILD IN THE ADORABLE BOBBLE HAT.
-GET OUT OF THE WAY! INCOMING HOLMES HERE TO SAVE HIS WATSON!
-I'm just going to cap now and stop screaming for a bit okay? Because I know everything's going to be fine. Because *KEYMASHINGS OF GREAT DISTRESS*
OH YAY. AND MARY MAYBE TAKING JOHN'S PULSE LIKE A GOOD MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL OUGHT IN THAT LAST CAP. GAH. *THUD*
-*FLAIL* GO TEAM AWESOME. Seriously, how good of a team did they make on that motorbike? Her showing him the texts as he drove and not ever showing the remotest hint toward any screaming ninny behaviour or any illogical insistence on stopping and getting the police which most average reasonable people would have done, knowing there was no time. And Sherlock not even hesitating that Mary's going to come along to help save John, and Mary not even hesitating to go with Sherlock on a stolen motorbike when she's got a car right there. Team. Awesome. Yes.
-Now, the real question is, if that wasn't the night they were setting off the bombs, what was the kidnapping and imperilment of John in aid of for the general plot... *ponders*
-Oh god, Sherlock's trying to deal with people solo.
People who seem to be taking a long time to get to any actual case. And yet Sherlock's not pitching them out the door. Not sure what that means, whether he's distracted and distressed about John or the terrorist case, or whether he's picked up some social abilities for dealing with the inane.
-"They weren't letting anyone into Parliament, some big debate going on." AH HAH. SEE? It all fits. Sherlock's only not got it yet because he didn't hear Mrs Hudson's radio. Things will start to slot together soon now. *nods*
-HI JOHN! HiJohnHiJohnHiJohn! Looking a little banged up but unsinged and upright and in 221B with Sherlock in it! *bounces* NOW TALK, YOU IDIOTS.
-"Ring mum more often won't you? She worries." OH MY GOD IS THAT HIS MUM AND DAD??? AND BY EXTENSION, MYCROFT'S MUM AND DAD?? Holy shit. If that's so, the apples didn't just fall far from the tree, they landed in a different orchard. On Mars. O.O
-"Just my parents." And about a billion headcanons go smash all over the place. But that's okay, that's what new canon is for. JOSSING EVERYTHING!\o/
-[ETA: AND. I found this out afterward while checking a reference link during the editing process of this monster, the actors playing the Holmes parents? ARE BENEDICT'S REAL PARENTS!!! I just love it when shows do that with multi-generational acting families. YAY! \o/]
-John's looking suitably stunned.
-Sherlock at a matinee of Les Mis. With Mycroft. And his parents. The French Revolution would pale in comparison.
-"Those were your parents?"/"Yes."/"Well. That is not what I..." You are not the only one thinking that, but that's okay.
-"They're just so ordinary."/"It's a cross I have to bear." I am suddenly having no problem at all imagining the Christmas dinners. Silly paper hats and all. :-D
-"Did they know too?" Ow. Well, given how Mycroft venerates his mum, he probably let them in on it. So yes, ow.
-"So that's why they weren't at the funeral."/"Sorry, sorry again." Okay. This is the start of talking. Now. Sherlock, you actually explain the reason why you did all this without focussing on the clever bits in exclusion of the why, and John, you listen rather than throwing up walls of hurt everywhere. This will take a while and be made of ow, but really, guys, talk.
-"Sorry." Slightly better.
-"I prefer my doctors clean-shaven." Well, as long as it's about his profession and not him. *facepalm*
-JOHN'S SITTING IN HIS CHAIR! \o/
-And in the mirror at seeing this, Sherlock's face does a very subtle and complex thing. There's the start of a smile that fades almost immediately to a sort of pensive regret, as another part of his image of 'home' comes to roost, and yet he knows that it's just a temporary thing right now, and that there is a lot of denting yet to undo. And it's hard to say from this one moment, but something about that face makes it seem like he doesn't feel like he can be forgiven enough to try to heal the damage between them. All that, seen in a mirror. There's something meta-able about that.
-"Who did that, and why did they target me?" And I'd add, why did they call Mary, because that means they know about her too (though any restaurant John was throttling him in would know she was accompanying them and it wouldn't take too much effort to find out she was his fiancee), and if John was in danger, she is too.
-"Why would an agent give his life to tell us something incredibly insignificant, that's what's strange." It is, isn't it? No details, just they're planning something. *ponders*
-"He's been working for North Korea since 1996." Ah, and that guy is the one who planted the bomb. Maybe he's operating independently of the other rats? They can't all be working for the same masters, and every side has different priorities and different opinions on sharing plans. Sherlock's smirky intel-sharing face is adorable.
-Seven leave but only six arrive. Oh for pete's sake. But where's the carriage (car, whatever) if they left it in the tunnels between the two? There's trains running on that section all the time. Also, I'm kind of shocked that the train-spotter noticed the guy getting on the train but not off, and didn't notice a train car was missing. You'd think he'd see changes to the trains first.
-"Once you eliminate all the other factors the only thing remaining must be the truth." *fistpump of near ACD canon quote*
-"You're kidnapped and nearly burned to death at a fireworks party-" I do believe the penny has just dropped.
-"What's today's the date?"/"November... My god." I guess they do bonfires the night before too, then? Not sure of the tradition.
-"'Remember, remember.'"/"'Gunpowder, treason and plot.'" Yep! Now call in a bomb squad, shut down the Tube line between Westminster and St. James, and evacuate the crap out of the area. Or don't, because I'm sure you have reasons that won't work. Like tipping off the conspirators who would blow the joint early and disappear.
-Oh jeez. Not only do I love this guy and his train obsession (and how someone and their fannishness helps save the day (and I hope he becomes the expert Sherlock taps in future when trains come up on cases, like he does with Raz and graffiti)) and his awesome hat that he even wears indoors and chews on unselfconsciously, I love that there is stuff like abandoned unused train stations and tunnels underneath London to the point it's hard to keep track of it all (even though this particular one they mention is fictional), I love that they're using a Macbook, I love that Sherlock and John are working together again without even thinking about it (which was going to happen and we all knew it), but most of all. MOST OF ALL. I love that they are going to be following the 'biggest rat' of Sherlock's conspiracy into an abandoned underground station called 'Sumatra Road.' Making the conspirator, all together now, the "GIANT RAT OF SUMATRA" Slow clap for the epic ACD fanboyism of Mark Gatiss on that one. Well done. XD
-And off Sherlock goes, and off John follows. They'll get around to the talking later, but the foundations are being rebuilt under more important structural elements of their relationship than the walls keeping them from talking to each other.
-Speaking of the rat, there he is, safely out of the blast radius.
-"What are you doing?"/"Calling the police." Thank you! I'm sure there will be some reason it can't be done, but it's nice to have it mentioned as something that really should be done in cases like this since the police have an actual bomb disposal unit and legal authority and all that nice stuff.
-|NO SERVICE| And this is why you do the sensible logical thing like calling the police or finding out a better reason why it's not a good idea than "they get in the way" before you get down into the solid metal tubing of an abandoned underground line.
-*happy smile* Just, you know. Because.
-Mind Palace Macarena time again. And this time, John will be there and know you aren't having some kind of strange seizure.
-Eeek! Hm. So... maybe it's up the tunnel and the explosion will carry along farther and more intensely through the tubes than it will parked at the station? Is there a vent in the tunnel that would go up under the building, like a manhole access or something?
-Ooo! Guess so! Like a big chimney.
And if you've got the graphics team on hand, why the hell not indeed.
-Now I'm really thinking that it's a feint, meant to be stopped so the public or powers that be find out about it and the bill goes through unopposed. The rat might be working for the North Koreans, but unless that's the first shot of a shooting war, it's going to do nothing but get them serious worldwide blowback, UN action and up nearly everyone's terror alert levels for a minimum ten years.
-"Oh!"/"What?" He's bad at communicating things when it's not a finalized deduction.
-"Avoid the rails." Oh fantastic. So, electrocution also on offer tonight on the list of 'ways to get killed'. I'd wonder about the rail being on though. They would have needed it on to move the train car, but once it was moved, they wouldn't need it anymore and could switch it off to avoid power drain being noticed. Although the lights on the platform are on, so could still be live.
-Oh, well, crap. Train car full of explosives (maybe?) and the chimney heading upstairs loaded with explosive packs (definitely). Hm. They wouldn't have needed to move the train car down there if they were just using it to get into the tunnel to plant the other bombs, so it still has to have an explosive device on it, or something. Which makes climbing up that pipe and unsetting all the little bombs that much more tricky if there's a bigger bomb you're dealing with at the same time.
-I don't think it'd be out in the open, unless our rat fellow either took it out of his briefcase, or took it out of wherever it was hidden in place on the train. It couldn't be sitting in the open in case anyone else got on that car, or the cctv angles caught it, so either underneath or in an access compartment somewhere, and if it's in a compartment, why take it out at all? Just set it and leave. I'd start checking access panels, or maybe in behind the advertising panels. Very carefully.
-"The whole compartment is the bomb." Yeah, something like that, exactly... oh crap. O.o
-Oh fantastic, and that's a detonator, with a key and a button. And a spare key? What's that one for, putting under your doormat in case you lose the other? O.o
-Carefully now. These guys seem to be overconfident that no one will find their hidden missing train car in the train line no one remembers exists and isn't listed anywhere, but they might still have put in a trap-trigger in case of tampering. Out of habit or paranoia, you never know.
-You don't often see a bomb that looks a bit like a really uncomfortable milking machine.
-This is John's "Remind me why I follow you into crap like this?" face.
-"So what do we do now?"/"I have no idea." THANKS. Thank you. So much. That really helps. *headdesk* I mean didn't you get any demolitions experience while you were hiding out and doing covert-ops-y things for two years?
-"Well think of something." Because, really, what the hell else can you do at this point?
-"Why do you think I know what to do?" Aww. "Because you're Sherlock Holmes, you're as clever as it gets." Awwwwwww.
-"I wasn't in bomb disposal, I'm a bloody doctor."/"And a soldier, as you keep reminding us all." Now boys, save the sniping for later.
-See? What the heck is the spare key for? Is it like the programming key on a till? One key only lets you push the "make go boom" button, the other lets you get in and change the date and time and tax rates? Didn't need a key to arm it though, that just needed a code. Regardless, the timer's going to start counting down soon, so they'd better get their act in gear on the train.
-Now. I might be thinking uncharitably here, but I am now wondering why John was really kidnapped. And kind of wondering if, well, if it might have been Mycroft's crew. If the girl's dad hadn't gone and gotten the accelerant, the fire would have been a slow starter because of the damp wood, and John was laying on a bed of green boughs, which smoke and smolder more than burn quickly so another delaying factor, and John would have recovered his voice in time to shout long before the blaze really got going, so the chances he'd actually be badly hurt or killed had actually been minimized despite appearances, until the accelerant came into play. And the abduction was very successful in focusing Sherlock's attention on the terrorist plot and getting Guy Fawkes into their minds with a fresh reference. Maybe their "Rat" here is a double agent who is the one who gave them the intel and will be giving up his life? Hm. Something is still fishy about this and it smells like Mycroft. ...Not that Mycroft smells of fish, I'm sure he doesn't. ANYWAY. Had to say that because it's bugging me right now. *ponders*
-Well okay fine, push the button now. Don't sit and stare at it for another long while as Sherlock and John get themselves sorted below. They really only need two and a half minutes. Eep. O.o
-Just because I never actually caught this guy's name and I have a suspicion... *scrolls back* "Lord Moran, Peer of the realm. Minister for Overseas Development." AHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAA! Yeah. Working for North Korea, and on weekends he likes to hunt tigers. Or... Oh hey... *quickly Googles* GUESS WHAT THE NATIONAL ANIMAL OF SOUTH KOREA IS. Yep. Tiger. This show is too damn clever sometimes.
Continued in...
PART FOUR
(PLEASE, NO SPOILERS OR REFERENCES TO ANY INFORMATION AT ALL FOR OR ABOUT EPISODES PAST 3.01 IN COMMENTS! )