Sherlock
Here be theories.. also ranting.. first off, I have to say that Martin Freeman blew my little socks off with his performance in this one. I have, admittedly, been a tiny bit in love with him since The Office, and always wished he'd had better material since, but I thought he was absolutely awesome in this.
And Benedict Cumberbatch was more touching than I ever expected his Holmes to be. That phone conversation when he was on the roof just about broke my heart.
It was really really good television. It may be the best fictional show I see all year. So why did we need all this ridiculous hoopla about whether Holmes lives and whether there would be another series? Anyone who has read anything about Holmes, or knows any of the canon, or has, you know, grown up in the English speaking world knows that Holmes apparently died with Moriarty at the Reichenback Falls, then Conan Doyle relented and brought him back. So having him "not be dead" at the end of the story is hardly the devastating twist in the tail that The Moff and Gatiss seem to think they've pulled off. Canon aside, the Beeb were hardly going to let them kill off a huge export success like Sherlock after only 6 shows. So when Captain Smugpants Moffat tweeted immediately post show "Gotcha" I had to reply "No, no you didn't. It was about as surprising as the Doctor not dying". And for the same reasons.
And whilst I'm mid-rant, can I just ask why , in killing but not killing both his main protagonists withing a few months of each other, did he have to use such similar rationales? I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear Sherlock tell John that "It's the only way, then they can all forget me. I got too big, .., too noisy. Time to step back into the shadows.". Moffat said in an interview that Sherlock is just Doctor Who shown an hour later, and it's bloody true! He writes them almost exactly the same in terms of characterisation and now they're even sharing plots. Herrumph. Although the surely inevitable Children in Need Sherlock/Who spin-off would make it almost worthwhile..
So, the theory.. Sherlock has realised that Watson's right, he's become too big, too noisy etc.. By the time Molly talks to him about her Dad he's decided to go away and duck into the shadows, leaving Watson. At the very latest, he realises that Moriarty won't stop until he's dead during the conversation at Kitty's flat. He sends John away to leave the coast clear for him to put his plan in action.
He goes to Molly.. (I have a little filthy shippy fantasy here) and then has all night to put everything in place. Mycroft's clearly in on it. No-one's that stupid.
It's daylight by the time he calls John back to the lab. He works out how Moriarty planted the code, even though I don't think he believes it'll actually work. Then John gets the phone call that Sherlock's arranged to get him off the scene. He knows how long it'll take to get to and from Baker Street at that time, and that John'll turn straight round.
We have all the to-ing and fro-ing with Moriarty on the roof and then he's watching for John to come back. When he sees him get out of the cab he tells him to go back and then stay exactly where he is. This conveniently puts a low building between John and Sherlock, which will block John's view of the last two storeys of Sherlock's fall.
Sherlock jumps into the laundry/rubbish van and someone throws a body out of the building. Molly, no doubt with Mycroft's help has procured a body which looks sufficiently like Sherlock. I know I'm not the first person to point out that Sherlock jumps perpendicular to the building but the body lies parallel to it. John runs to the scene, but is knocked over by a bloke on a bike. But I think he also gets injected with something, because he's an ex soldier and therefore pretty tough, so why would he fall over and knock himself out after being clipped by a chap on a pushbike. And he does seem awfully woozy afterwards. John's phone rings, just once and I can't think why. Sherlock threw his phone away on the roof before he jumped.
We don't know how long John's unconscious for. But he never gets a clear look at Sherlock's face, and my money is that he got injected with the drug from the Baskervilles that makes you see what you expect to see. So he saw Sherlock jump, and he saw a body that looked enough like Sherlock for him not to question that it was him. Molly and Mycroft between them can easily make the death look official. Job's a good un.
And Benedict Cumberbatch was more touching than I ever expected his Holmes to be. That phone conversation when he was on the roof just about broke my heart.
It was really really good television. It may be the best fictional show I see all year. So why did we need all this ridiculous hoopla about whether Holmes lives and whether there would be another series? Anyone who has read anything about Holmes, or knows any of the canon, or has, you know, grown up in the English speaking world knows that Holmes apparently died with Moriarty at the Reichenback Falls, then Conan Doyle relented and brought him back. So having him "not be dead" at the end of the story is hardly the devastating twist in the tail that The Moff and Gatiss seem to think they've pulled off. Canon aside, the Beeb were hardly going to let them kill off a huge export success like Sherlock after only 6 shows. So when Captain Smugpants Moffat tweeted immediately post show "Gotcha" I had to reply "No, no you didn't. It was about as surprising as the Doctor not dying". And for the same reasons.
And whilst I'm mid-rant, can I just ask why , in killing but not killing both his main protagonists withing a few months of each other, did he have to use such similar rationales? I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear Sherlock tell John that "It's the only way, then they can all forget me. I got too big, .., too noisy. Time to step back into the shadows.". Moffat said in an interview that Sherlock is just Doctor Who shown an hour later, and it's bloody true! He writes them almost exactly the same in terms of characterisation and now they're even sharing plots. Herrumph. Although the surely inevitable Children in Need Sherlock/Who spin-off would make it almost worthwhile..
So, the theory.. Sherlock has realised that Watson's right, he's become too big, too noisy etc.. By the time Molly talks to him about her Dad he's decided to go away and duck into the shadows, leaving Watson. At the very latest, he realises that Moriarty won't stop until he's dead during the conversation at Kitty's flat. He sends John away to leave the coast clear for him to put his plan in action.
He goes to Molly.. (I have a little filthy shippy fantasy here) and then has all night to put everything in place. Mycroft's clearly in on it. No-one's that stupid.
It's daylight by the time he calls John back to the lab. He works out how Moriarty planted the code, even though I don't think he believes it'll actually work. Then John gets the phone call that Sherlock's arranged to get him off the scene. He knows how long it'll take to get to and from Baker Street at that time, and that John'll turn straight round.
We have all the to-ing and fro-ing with Moriarty on the roof and then he's watching for John to come back. When he sees him get out of the cab he tells him to go back and then stay exactly where he is. This conveniently puts a low building between John and Sherlock, which will block John's view of the last two storeys of Sherlock's fall.
Sherlock jumps into the laundry/rubbish van and someone throws a body out of the building. Molly, no doubt with Mycroft's help has procured a body which looks sufficiently like Sherlock. I know I'm not the first person to point out that Sherlock jumps perpendicular to the building but the body lies parallel to it. John runs to the scene, but is knocked over by a bloke on a bike. But I think he also gets injected with something, because he's an ex soldier and therefore pretty tough, so why would he fall over and knock himself out after being clipped by a chap on a pushbike. And he does seem awfully woozy afterwards. John's phone rings, just once and I can't think why. Sherlock threw his phone away on the roof before he jumped.
We don't know how long John's unconscious for. But he never gets a clear look at Sherlock's face, and my money is that he got injected with the drug from the Baskervilles that makes you see what you expect to see. So he saw Sherlock jump, and he saw a body that looked enough like Sherlock for him not to question that it was him. Molly and Mycroft between them can easily make the death look official. Job's a good un.