Sherlock Series 4 and 5 speculation: Mrs Watson and Mrs Holmes

[marysutherland]

A lot of people I follow on Tumbler, LJ etc seem to be either baffled or upset about the fact that Series 4 of Sherlock may include not only Mary but also the Watsons' baby and feel that this is somehow going to change the dynamic of the show completely, and we're going to have nothing but Parent!Lock etc. I think what Series 3 and His Last Vow in

Comments

[thesmallhobbit]

I don't feel particularly concerned about Mary and/or child at this stage. Although maybe I should throw in: although Mary said she was an orphan, her parents have now turned up and they look after the baby ;)

I seem to have started writing something that will be relevant kid!fic, although maybe not along quite the usual lines.

[marysutherland]

I'll be interested to see your kid!fic when it comes along - and coming from someone who's raised a family, it may be a little more realistic than some I've seen. Presumably Lestrade is involved, since he's one of the few of the characters I'd be willing to let near any child of mine for an extended period.

I can understand that if you don't care for Sherlock then Mary won't appeal to you as a character, because there are definite similarities. I think what series 3 had shown is that most of the friends of Sherlock are actually pretty weird and that's the only reason they stay friends with him: both John and Mrs Hudson are revealed as a lot less "normal" than they were previously. And even Molly, who's one of the saner characters can't be happy with ordinary if boring Tom.

[thesmallhobbit]

I seem to be writing quite a lot of kid!fic at the moment, not really sure why. Like you I find a number unrealistic, where the writers clearly haven't experienced the day to day child caring aspects. My Unexpected Family 'verse has Sherlock and Lestrade raising two adopted children from babies to the older one having a child of her own (doting grandfathers).

As for my Miss Watson fic, it's rather more complicated and whilst Lestrade is involved there are a number of additional factors, and it's one of those stories where even I don't always know where it's going, definitely muse led ;)

[kalypso_v]

The amusing thing is that, with honourable exceptions (such as The Baker Street Imp), I run a mile from kidfic, but I'm perfectly happy about the idea of a baby in the TV series. Evidently I do trust the writers, after all. I expect the next episode to be "Can they solve the mystery and make it back to the delivery ward in time?" After that, I expect Mary to handle herself capably when villain-of-the-week thinks kidnapping John's family is a cunning plan. And I'm not going to worry about what happens after that, for the time being.

I'm very glad Mary is still with us, and I'd be sorry if they kill her; I can imagine a scenario in which she decides her cover is fatally blown and she moves on, taking the baby with her, though I'm not quite sure how she'd square that with John.

I do think her change of career wasn't merely an attempt to save her skin; I believe the "disillusioned" Sherlock saw in The Empty Hearse is a key term, signifying that she didn't like what she became and wanted to become someone she could respect

[marysutherland]

Baker Street Imp was premised on the idea that both John and Sherlock could be great (if unconventional) carers for a very limited period of time - just as Sherlock and Archie are a natural match. But children are for life and neither of them strike me as remotely up to the long-term grind of serious parenthood, which is where a lot of kidfic breaks down. You may well be right about an episode on getting back in time for the birth, which probably gets the balance right of John's vague intentions to be a good husband/father getting totally sabotaged by his fascination with Sherlock