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July 27, 2014 7:44 pm  #1


Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Surprisingly, we haven't discussed this yet. At least I haven't found it here.

The words that are floating around Mary, Sherlock's deductions about her, are the following:
linguist
Guardian
part time nurse
only child
shortsighted
clever
liar
secret tattoo
disillusioned
Lib Dem
size 12
bakes own bread
cat lover
romantic
appendix scar


The writers may have chosen mostly random characteristics to describe Mary - but some of them could be meaningful in the light of HLV.
One that struck me is "cat lover".



Since we haven't seen an actual cat in the Watson household - we could have actually expected so -
"cat lover" could refer to a person who is fond of shooting and guns:



Mary is such a person. I'm inclined to think that the writers meant "cat lover" that way.


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John: "Have you spoken to Mycroft, Molly, uh, anyone?"
Mrs Hudson: "They don’t matter. You do."


I BELIEVE IN SERIES 5!




                                                                                                                  
 

July 27, 2014 7:59 pm  #2


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

That's interesting. Didn't know that. Seriously.

What's about bakes own bread? 
Sorry, couldn't resist.


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Ten:" I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

Sherlock: "I heard you.”

"Temptation coursing through our veins " 
(Tony Hadley)

 
 

July 27, 2014 8:01 pm  #3


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Aaahhh, what a clever observation, tobe...! That's really nice, I never would have realized this. Sometimes it's all in the details...


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

July 27, 2014 8:03 pm  #4


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

gently69 wrote:

What's about bakes own bread?

Come on, gently, make a deduction!

 


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John: "Have you spoken to Mycroft, Molly, uh, anyone?"
Mrs Hudson: "They don’t matter. You do."


I BELIEVE IN SERIES 5!




                                                                                                                  
     Thread Starter
 

July 27, 2014 8:03 pm  #5


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

gently, I actually had to think about "bakes own bread" just now... in German we have "sein eigenes Süppchen kochen", but I suppose there is no double meaning when you say that someone bakes his/her own bread?
"Shortsighted" might mean something else than just the need to wear glasses...?


___________________________________________________
"Am I the current King of England?

"I see no shame in having an unhealthy obsession with something." - David Tennant
"We did observe." - David Tennant in "Richard II"

 
 

July 27, 2014 8:09 pm  #6


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

If Mary bakes her own bread in Baker street - does this qualify her for being part of the "family" or does it place herself outside? Hmm...


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John: "Have you spoken to Mycroft, Molly, uh, anyone?"
Mrs Hudson: "They don’t matter. You do."


I BELIEVE IN SERIES 5!




                                                                                                                  
     Thread Starter
 

July 27, 2014 8:23 pm  #7


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Good one, tobe.
I have to admit ... I am terrible on deductions.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ten:" I'm burning up a sun just to say goodbye."

Sherlock: "I heard you.”

"Temptation coursing through our veins " 
(Tony Hadley)

 
 

July 27, 2014 8:39 pm  #8


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Linguist might be the reason she isn't English but has no accent.

What does Lib Dem mean?


__________________________________

"After all this time?" "Always."
Good bye, Lord Rickman of the Alan
 

July 27, 2014 8:45 pm  #9


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Liberal Democrat.
Traditionally a middle of the road political party.


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http://professorfangirl.tumblr.com/post/105838327464/heres-an-outtake-of-mark-gatiss-on-the
 

July 27, 2014 8:58 pm  #10


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Thanks! 


__________________________________

"After all this time?" "Always."
Good bye, Lord Rickman of the Alan
 

July 27, 2014 9:12 pm  #11


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

How on earth can Sherlock know about the appendix scar? 
-----
I think important is the "guardian". For example she seems to follow John everywhere when it gets dangerous, can she be his guardian? The following question comes right away: who put her as a guardian? Because it would be a too big coincidence for an free lance assasin to start working in the same place with John...

If it was Mycroft, why woudn't she  say to Sherlock that instead of trying to kill him. Which other person would have an interest apart from Moriarty and how Mycroft didn't know it? It would be too far away to think of an Afganistan connection....
 

 

July 27, 2014 9:53 pm  #12


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

A lovely light wrote:

How on earth can Sherlock know about the appendix scar? 
 

That's what I was wondering. That dress isn't sheer or clingy. 


_________________________________________
Life is always more interesting when one escalates sibling rivalry to that of a minor land war.

 

July 28, 2014 7:02 am  #13


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

I think we had the "Guardian" discussion shortly after TEH aired. Of course it could be meant as guarding a person but could also apply to the newspaper. We cannot know for sure I guess because they used only capital letters at the beginning of the words if I am not mistaken. 

And, yes, I was baffled by the appendix scar, too. And the secret tatttoo which could also be a sort of sign of a gang or secret organisation to which she once belonged. 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
 

July 28, 2014 7:47 am  #14


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

I thought it said:  Guardian reader?
But then maybe we weren't sure if the two words were connected!
On both the scar and tattoo, may just be poetic licence...
But do people tend to touch where they have a scar and tattoo?

Last edited by besleybean (July 28, 2014 7:47 am)


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http://professorfangirl.tumblr.com/post/105838327464/heres-an-outtake-of-mark-gatiss-on-the
 

July 28, 2014 8:40 am  #15


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

I've got my appendix scar when I was 7 and I haven't touched it for 37 years now, I think. 
(Though I remember at the beginning I used it as a useful tool to remember where's "left" and "right".  )

Just found this blog where it says it may also be "Secret" and "Tattoo" - separated:
http://myrenaissanceblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/who-is-mary-morstan/

EDIT: Just watched the scene again (for the xy time  ) and "Secret Tattoo" appears definitely together.

Last edited by Mattlocked (July 28, 2014 8:49 am)


__________________________________

"After all this time?" "Always."
Good bye, Lord Rickman of the Alan
 

July 28, 2014 8:49 am  #16


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Thank you for this, Mattlocked. Of course it would make more sense if "tattoo" and "secret" were to be read separate from each other. The tattoo would be a random fact like cat lover or bakes her own bread whereas secret would point exactly to what is revealed later in HLV. So Sherlock would have been on the right track from the beginning and only chose to ignore it for John's sake. 


------------------------------
"To fake the death of one sibling may be regarded as a misfortune; to fake the death of both looks like carelessness." Oscar Wilde about Mycroft Holmes

"It is what it is says love." (Erich Fried)

“Enjoy the journey of life and not just the endgame. I’m also a great believer in treating others as you would like to be treated.” (Benedict Cumberbatch)



 
 

July 28, 2014 8:57 am  #17


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Right, Susi, but I just edited my post. It appears together "Secret Tattoo".
But then again there are floating some "Secret" all alone around it.....



I can't see a "Reader" appearing with "Guardian", btw....


__________________________________

"After all this time?" "Always."
Good bye, Lord Rickman of the Alan
 

July 28, 2014 9:09 am  #18


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

But then again you also have this: "Cat Lover" together and "Lover" separately.
Hm.... which could also be quite interesting. Does she have a lover? Next to John?
But honestly I'm starting to think that this is just a way of showing how Sherlock's deductions "fall together", so maybe nothing of big significance?


__________________________________

"After all this time?" "Always."
Good bye, Lord Rickman of the Alan
 

July 28, 2014 9:19 am  #19


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Is Guardian a paper which provide opinions of Lib Dem? 

 

July 28, 2014 9:37 am  #20


Re: Sherlock's deductions about Mary

Well, it's seen as a bit more left than the others.  Some comedian (I forget who, sorry) described it as a paper for teachers.

TV Tropes has a quite a good article about the main papers. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers?from=Main.BritishNewspapers

I think Guardian (with a capital) means the paper.   But it could have more than one meaning.

I also thought that size 12 meant he thought Mary was a dress size 12, but she's obviously a 10 at most.  Strange, when he got Irene's measurements exactly!  Unless size 12 doesn't mean dress size.

Last edited by Liberty (July 28, 2014 9:45 am)

 

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