My feelings on Season 3
aka. How I learned not to worry and dislike John.
Yup, because that exactly happened. After Season three, I don't love John any more.
Which is quite the shift in paradigm for me because if you look at any of my fics, any at all, it will be, ultimately, John-centric. I simply loved the character.
Here I should probably say that when I first heard about Sherlock, I had my doubts about Martin Freeman casting as John Watson. I didn't like Martin Freeman. I didn't like any of his roles. I didn't find him attractive at all - he's as far from my preferred type as he can be. What's worse, I didn't find him charismatic. All my initial objections against him hold, by the way. I still don't like his face and his manners. But I know now that he's a very good actor. Because his John of Season one and two was very, very good.
All that chemistry between Benedict and Martin on the set? Definitely there. In Seasons one and two. The whole TGG/SiB arc: pure delight to watch their interaction. Martin's acting included.
But in Season three I was suddenly faced with all my long buried fears. The chemistry? Gone. Martin's acting? Half-hearted at best. It only got worse when I got to see The Desolation of Smaug and realised that Martin is still a wonderful actor. That he can act when he tries. In The Hobbit, he "bounces off" the Dragon thousand times better than he does off Benedict in the whole Series three, and the Dragon is not even physically there on the set!
But, enough for Martin, back to John.
My first problem with him is that I think that he didn't actually forgive Sherlock. Yes, he says "of course I forgive you." But why? Because Sherlock is "the best and wisest man". Because John thinks that Sherlock had, objectively, higher reasons for abandoning him. That "of course" his actions should be forgiven. John sees this and acknowledges this, but all the same, does not identify with it. In other words: He agrees that Sherlock deserves to be forgiven, that it's the right thing to do, and of course John would do the right thing. But he doesn't feel like that.
I think that during the Season two, John was slowly developing "something" for Sherlock. Not even knowing about it, but at the end of Season two, his heart was well on the road towards Sherlock. And then it got hit by the Reichenbach lorry and all went to hell. John picked up the pieces of his heart and locked it away. He's not giving it away any more.
By the way, I don't think he loves Mary with all his heart. I think he loves her with his head. He makes a rational, conscious decision to love her. What does he tell her - "You're the best thing that could happen to me"? Sorry, if that was a compliment and someone had given it to me, I would be rather offended. Because the translation could be "Of all my miserable life you're the least miserable thing." And when he accepts her without knowing her past, all he says with it is "Keep lie to me. Because your lie is safer for my heart than Sherlock's truth."
Yes, I think John is well aware that Sherlock loves him. If not in TEH, then in HLV he would be blind not to see it. He sees it - just watch him how tense and guarded he's in every scene with Sherlock (safe for the drunk stag night one, of course, where he's boozed enough to let go of his resentment). Gone is the "easy-click" John from first two seasons. John sees the depth of that love, and is terrified by it. Because Sherlock's love is absolutely unconditional, and that is something not easy to accept, not to mention to reciprocate. So John rejects it and chooses Mary's comfortable, easily understandable love over it.
As to Mary and the everlasting question if she meant to kill Sherlock, my answer is YES. It was the logical solution in her situation, to shoot to kill and to aim for a slower kill at the same time. Let me explain my perspective of this scene:
She went to Magnussen's to threaten him and possibly to get her files. Then, suddenly, Sherlock appears. Which means John is not very far. Mary's first imperative is: John mustn't know her secret. They are now two witnesses to this secret. Magnussen won't talk: he would lose that leverage he has over her. But Sherlock? At this point, she had a choice. There were two possible ways out of this situation. First one: trust Sherlock. Say "Don't tell John I've been here, I'll explain later" and disappear. But she didn't trust Sherlock (and partly I think she was right not to) and what's more, she feared his love for John. The only solution that remains is then - silence Sherlock. And not just "buy some time to negotiate" - if she wanted to negotiate, she could have done so then and there. She shot to silence him forever. So you ask, why didn't she aim for the head or the heart? My theory is: because of John. To kill Sherlock on the spot and disappear and let John find Sherlock's dead body, he would be half-convinced that it's another trick. He would always expect Sherlock to come back. John HAD to see Sherlock die, he had to be in the ambulance with him, he had to be near the operation room to see Sherlock flatline. To make the kill slow was Mary's deliberate decision to make John absolutely certain of his death.
From medical point of view, the shot was lethal. Mary couldn't know that Sherlock would pull trough by sheer force of will. John must have known this - he's a doctor - and yet, he chooses not to address it. He actually believes the "I'm indestructible" bullshit Sherlock told him. He, who for two seasons dug around for any sign of feelings Sherlock was willing to display, in Season three suddenly spreads the opinion that Sherlock doesn't - can't - have feelings at all. "He's Sherlock, who would he bother protecting?"
Oh John. I am so disappointed in you.
*
That's why I barely can read about John nowadays and definitely can't write about him. I have another "Mononoke-verse" fic pre-planned in my head, and I already decided that it would contain no John, only mention him in passing.
Yup, because that exactly happened. After Season three, I don't love John any more.
Which is quite the shift in paradigm for me because if you look at any of my fics, any at all, it will be, ultimately, John-centric. I simply loved the character.
Here I should probably say that when I first heard about Sherlock, I had my doubts about Martin Freeman casting as John Watson. I didn't like Martin Freeman. I didn't like any of his roles. I didn't find him attractive at all - he's as far from my preferred type as he can be. What's worse, I didn't find him charismatic. All my initial objections against him hold, by the way. I still don't like his face and his manners. But I know now that he's a very good actor. Because his John of Season one and two was very, very good.
All that chemistry between Benedict and Martin on the set? Definitely there. In Seasons one and two. The whole TGG/SiB arc: pure delight to watch their interaction. Martin's acting included.
But in Season three I was suddenly faced with all my long buried fears. The chemistry? Gone. Martin's acting? Half-hearted at best. It only got worse when I got to see The Desolation of Smaug and realised that Martin is still a wonderful actor. That he can act when he tries. In The Hobbit, he "bounces off" the Dragon thousand times better than he does off Benedict in the whole Series three, and the Dragon is not even physically there on the set!
But, enough for Martin, back to John.
My first problem with him is that I think that he didn't actually forgive Sherlock. Yes, he says "of course I forgive you." But why? Because Sherlock is "the best and wisest man". Because John thinks that Sherlock had, objectively, higher reasons for abandoning him. That "of course" his actions should be forgiven. John sees this and acknowledges this, but all the same, does not identify with it. In other words: He agrees that Sherlock deserves to be forgiven, that it's the right thing to do, and of course John would do the right thing. But he doesn't feel like that.
I think that during the Season two, John was slowly developing "something" for Sherlock. Not even knowing about it, but at the end of Season two, his heart was well on the road towards Sherlock. And then it got hit by the Reichenbach lorry and all went to hell. John picked up the pieces of his heart and locked it away. He's not giving it away any more.
By the way, I don't think he loves Mary with all his heart. I think he loves her with his head. He makes a rational, conscious decision to love her. What does he tell her - "You're the best thing that could happen to me"? Sorry, if that was a compliment and someone had given it to me, I would be rather offended. Because the translation could be "Of all my miserable life you're the least miserable thing." And when he accepts her without knowing her past, all he says with it is "Keep lie to me. Because your lie is safer for my heart than Sherlock's truth."
Yes, I think John is well aware that Sherlock loves him. If not in TEH, then in HLV he would be blind not to see it. He sees it - just watch him how tense and guarded he's in every scene with Sherlock (safe for the drunk stag night one, of course, where he's boozed enough to let go of his resentment). Gone is the "easy-click" John from first two seasons. John sees the depth of that love, and is terrified by it. Because Sherlock's love is absolutely unconditional, and that is something not easy to accept, not to mention to reciprocate. So John rejects it and chooses Mary's comfortable, easily understandable love over it.
As to Mary and the everlasting question if she meant to kill Sherlock, my answer is YES. It was the logical solution in her situation, to shoot to kill and to aim for a slower kill at the same time. Let me explain my perspective of this scene:
She went to Magnussen's to threaten him and possibly to get her files. Then, suddenly, Sherlock appears. Which means John is not very far. Mary's first imperative is: John mustn't know her secret. They are now two witnesses to this secret. Magnussen won't talk: he would lose that leverage he has over her. But Sherlock? At this point, she had a choice. There were two possible ways out of this situation. First one: trust Sherlock. Say "Don't tell John I've been here, I'll explain later" and disappear. But she didn't trust Sherlock (and partly I think she was right not to) and what's more, she feared his love for John. The only solution that remains is then - silence Sherlock. And not just "buy some time to negotiate" - if she wanted to negotiate, she could have done so then and there. She shot to silence him forever. So you ask, why didn't she aim for the head or the heart? My theory is: because of John. To kill Sherlock on the spot and disappear and let John find Sherlock's dead body, he would be half-convinced that it's another trick. He would always expect Sherlock to come back. John HAD to see Sherlock die, he had to be in the ambulance with him, he had to be near the operation room to see Sherlock flatline. To make the kill slow was Mary's deliberate decision to make John absolutely certain of his death.
From medical point of view, the shot was lethal. Mary couldn't know that Sherlock would pull trough by sheer force of will. John must have known this - he's a doctor - and yet, he chooses not to address it. He actually believes the "I'm indestructible" bullshit Sherlock told him. He, who for two seasons dug around for any sign of feelings Sherlock was willing to display, in Season three suddenly spreads the opinion that Sherlock doesn't - can't - have feelings at all. "He's Sherlock, who would he bother protecting?"
Oh John. I am so disappointed in you.
*
That's why I barely can read about John nowadays and definitely can't write about him. I have another "Mononoke-verse" fic pre-planned in my head, and I already decided that it would contain no John, only mention him in passing.