NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
I was waiting for this when you quoted the 'Ghosts we make ourselves.' line.
I suspected but didn't think they'd actually do it.
Moriarty's the bride. Of course.
Uh, did a zombie just jump on Holmes
I was waiting for this when you quoted the 'Ghosts we make ourselves.' line.
I was watching this half asleep, can someone please tell me what the connection between the two relevant cases from the episode is? I don't get it.
Both cases involved someone shooting themselves in the mouth and then seemingly rising from the dead.
The conclusion of all is that no one can survive a shot in the head. And that Mycroft is a feminist.
The titular mystery is placed in the background to tidy things up for the next series, which feels like a contradiction to the central message of the mystery ()gender inequality and the lack of representation for the women mistreated
oh, and I'm still going to assume Moriaty is some kind of computer program/digital trickery
Yep.It is pretty clear that the episode was entirely sympathetic with the suffragette movement, I mean Watson being a sexist is roundly mocked. Plus they explicitly say that it is best that the movement gets its way
Adam Scott was really giving it his all in that last scene.
I AM YOUR WEAKNESS
I AM THERE WHEN YOU FAIL
MCU Eddie Brock pls.
Andrew Scott. And we're in luck, The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses gives us Benedict versus Andrew, I hope.
I want it to be as simple as a twinI thought the "point" of this case was to show that moriarity was actually dead, and that a "secret society" is taking on his work. Just as the woman's group was.
That seemed pretty clear to me ...but maybe I'm missing something
Yep.
Although I do like how it played things a certain way that manages to get people saying different things depending on where their biases lie. It was a bit of a Gone Girl situation with a scenario where both feminists and misogynists find themselves feeling justified, which is something I find delightful from a writing standpoint.
Ok, so there is actually a lot more to this episode than what most people seem to be perceiving.
It wasn't just a bit of fun with an unexpected, but ultimately inconsequential tie-in to the modern series.
Neither was it spending 90 minutes to get from "What? Moriarty's back?" to "He's dead, Jim."
What we have is a carefully thought out, significant piece of canon that is going to be the driver for the next season. The best bit? The Moff has unambiguously, if indirectly, told us exactly what's going on, rather than his usual tactic of giving us just enough to go crazy with fan theories. You do need to pay attention though to pick up the clues he's left us.
So let's look at those clues:
The virus in the data?
There had been hints earlier, but this anachronism is point at which we're told "this isn't real." But why this phrase specifically? Mycroft could have used any number of modern phrases that wouldn't make sense in a Victorian context. Foreshadowing...
Moriarty's dead! / Not in your mind. I'll never be dead there. You once called your brain a hard drive. Well say hello to the virus.
Ah that's what Mycroft meant. There's a virus in Sherlock's brain and it's name is Moriarty.
You have a magnificent brain Moriarty [...] the equal of my own.
Double meaning here: Sherlock and Moriarty are equals in the sense that they are both incredibly intelligent sociopaths. But moreso, their brains are literally equal: they're the same brain.
Miss me?
This is the line that gave me shivers. Moriarty's words from Sherlock's mouth. This is the line that ties all the clues together.
Putting it all together: Moriarty is definitely dead. We're told this repeatedly. He shot himself in the head, no tricks, his magnificent brain exited the stage via the gaping hole in the back of his skull. Sherlock's brain, however, is so powerful it is capable of running an accurate simulation of Victorian London complete with all the people therein - including Moriarty. That's the virus. He's literally got into Sherlock's head and is "alive" as a simulation that can't be turned off. Sherlock has deduced this, which is why he knows what Moriarty will do next and why his first words on waking up were "miss me?"
I believe this conclusion is inescapable.
The following is conjecture as, unless I've missed something (which is entirely probable), we don't have enough information to draw definite conclusions.
Moriarty's plan
It's possible that the events of the Reichenbach Fall were designed by Moriarty to get into Sherlock's head. We know that Sherlock's brain is powerful enough to simulate Moriarty; as they are intellectual equals it stands to reason the inverse must be true. Moriarty could have used this to devise a plan so precisely that he was able to manipulate Sherlock's brain into recreating him. No wonder he didn't mind dying. This may be farfetched however; a simpler explanation is that Sherlock needs his nemesis in the same way that he needs drugs. He's an addict.
When can Moriarty come out to play?
Moriarty and Sherlock, we're told, are equally brainy. However in order to simulate Moriarty's brain, Sherlock's would need to be more powerful. How do we resolve this contradiction? The answer is drugs. Sherlock uses drugs to overclock his brain, which provides the additional power needed to run the Moriarty virus.
Redbeard
Sherlock's dog who was put down when he was a child. Magnussen had him listed as a pressure point and Mycroft has the name in capitals with a box drawn around it in his notebook (which on the same page contains some matrices and equations, the significance of which escapes me - probably meaningless). When Watson and Sherlock are staking out the Carmichael manor, John asks "what made you like this?" Sherlock tries to claim nothing did, but is interrupted by the sound of a dog barking, which prompts him to ask "Redbeard?"
Theories: Redbeard's death was so traumatic to Sherlock (why?) that it triggered his downward spiral into drug addiction. Mycroft has also deduced that Sherlock's brain is running Moriarty v2.0 and that, like Redbeard, his brother will have to be put down.
Moffat self insert
The Moff periodically comes under fire for not being able to write women and has even been accused of misogeny. The scene in the church which is spliced with all the women Sherlock has wronged is Moffat holding his hands up and saying "sorry ladies, I'll try to do better." The reaction? Angry feminists. Obviously.
edit: forgot to add this quite major one to the list
Fat Mycroft
Obviously there is a reason why Sherlock's brain made Mycroft morbidly obese. We know he dislikes his brother so it's possible this is simply for his own amusement, however I discount this theory out of hand as it's not like Sherlock to waste brainpower on such frivolity. That leaves two possibilities: Sherlock has deduced that Mycroft is dying. This is substantiated by his "you've put on weight" line to his brother when he wakes up, and by the "take care of him" from Mycroft to Watson as they disembark the plane. Alternatively Fat Mycroft killing himself through his addiction to eating could be a (possibly subconscious) surrogate for Sherlock himself realising that his drug use is killing him. Of these, I favour the latter.
...he has no ambition and no energy. He will not even go out of his way to verify his own solutions, and would rather be considered wrong than take the trouble to prove himself right...
Mycroft Holmes was a much larger and stouter man than Sherlock. His body was absolutely corpulent
Gatiss' transformation to a heavier Mycroft (more along the lines of Doyle's description) caught me off-guard. Such a contrast to the health-conscious modern version. But that said, I didn't think Doyle's depiction of Mycroft is that "heavy".
I like the little attention to detail with Mycroft's appearance, not just with the fat suit prosthesis, but also with the yellowing eyes and arcus senilis. At least, I could see it.
I loved this episode and have been critical of the series quite often. Especially the wedding one which I thought was dreadful. Maybe because I'm in love with jeremy brett, but not just that, everything worked. The tale within a tale (within a tale) even the slightly pandering fanservice worked because it was so smartly inserted. Even fat mycroft worked because of the bet and because I think Sherlock knows subconsciously his brother is dying. This might be my favorite episode of the whole run. Clever, funny, good mystery and all well executed. Yay.
Opposite reaction for me as a Brett fan after watching it last night. First impression is that it's bloated, indulgent, devoid of charm or warmth, too clever for its own good, and chock-full of mansplaining.
I really love the modern interpretation premise of Sherlock, I love the casting, but I realize that it's not a show that works for me anymore.
Wait, so this wasn't season 4? Do we have word of when that'll start?
Opposite reaction for me as a Brett fan after watching it last night. First impression is that it's bloated, indulgent, devoid of charm or warmth, too clever for its own good, and chock-full of mansplaining.
I really love the modern interpretation premise of Sherlock, I love the casting, but I realize that it's not a show that works for me anymore.
Opposite reaction for me as a Brett fan after watching it last night. First impression is that it's bloated, indulgent, devoid of charm or warmth, too clever for its own good, and chock-full of mansplaining.
I really love the modern interpretation premise of Sherlock, I love the casting, but I realize that it's not a show that works for me anymore.
When it's revealed to not be "really" the story it makes me kind of stop caring
I think that's why they don't do the reveal until towards the end. The mystery is mostly wrapped up at that point.
I had fun, but I agree that ever since Moriarty died, the show has been sort of an aimless mess.
It still didn't disappoint me as much as the s3 resolution, probably because I had expectations in check.
The show has a good energy though, and that makes it fun to watch, even if the dumb shit sometimes gets too far.
Watched this last night.
I don't know. I feel like Moriarty is kind tame, now that we've seen Magnussen. The former might be Sherlock's equal, but the latter is far superior to him and even smarter than Mycroft. I really feel like series 3 wasted a ton of potential by losing that character.
wut?
i don't even remember anything about that magnussen character other than sherlock killed him, totally forgettable imo