It is of course possible that Mycroft may have commented upon the silences and violin 'performances'. He does say to John that living with Sherlock must be hellish. Sherlock is oblivious to 'odd' behaviour. Had he not been he might have got to the flat well before John and tidied it up rather than realising later that some people might think that it was in a bit of a mess.

I absolutely LOVE when Sherlock takes John to show him the flat. He's like a big kid.
To me it really is like:  Look Mrs Hudson, I think I may have found a friend.
He so wants John to like the flat and come and play with all his toys!
Incidentally, give the guy a break.  He was still ' moving in'.
His moving in flat is tidier than my living in house!

Hello - I thought I'd throw my own 2 cents in. I see John Watson and Sherlock Holmes as two broken men who need each other.

Sherlock has little to no understanding of appropriate emotional-social behavior. He is so intent on his mind working overtime that "sentiment" just gets in the way. This is a trait that, to some degree, he shares with his brother Mycroft, making one wonder what their childhood must have been like. John provides Sherlock with a social and moral conscience. He acts as a GPS for the genius when he gets so lost inside his own mind that he forgets such simple things that the rest of the world takes for granted, such as sleeping and eating. John often acts as a guide to appropriate social behavior which seem to be quite beyond Sherlock. John acts as protector, and guardian in some ways, brother or confidant in other ways. He seems to be uniquely capable of taking in Sherlock's acerbic rhetoric and seeing past the barbs to hear the truth of what he is trying to convey. Basically John is Sherlock's filter, since he operates without one, hence the reason most people tell Sherlock to piss off.

John Watson is also broken, but in a very different manner. Somehow being sent home from the war in Afghanistan due to the injury he suffered destroyed his confidence in not only himself, but the world in which he lives. We see him dreaming of combat in the opening sequence and waking with a start. He is panting and upset and by observation he looks as though these images are haunting him. Mycroft Holmes on the other hand feels that John actually misses the war. I think that Mycroft only has it half right.
 
The war changed John as it would change anyone. He felt the most alive while in that combat situation because he needed to stay sharp and focused in order to survive. Now that he is back home in England with no war to keep his mind working on a survival basis, he doesn't know what to do with himself. He doesn't have the need for adrenaline surging through him to deal with day to day living and so the horrors he saw now have free rein over his subconscious. In some ways I see John as being similar to Sherlock in that he needs distractions to keep his own mind from eating him alive.

Meeting Sherlock threw John into a whirlwind of strange activities. He is clearly intrigued and impressed with Sherlock's cognitive prowess. It seems to me that Sherlock acted as a puzzle that John needed to understand. The man is maddening, but at the same time he is remarkable. That mirrors John’s own situation in some respect. John needs the action of war in order to deal with the traumatic experiences of war.
 
Sherlock knew from the beginning that John's limp was psychosomatic, but rather than give him a hard time about it, he simply treated it as though it didn't actually exist. Running through the streets of London was proof enough that the cane wasn't necessary and it was something that John ended up proving to himself with a bit of a nudge from Sherlock.
 
Sherlock needs John to keep him based in reality which is precisely what John needs. - To be needed. I believe that need to be needed is what drove John to become a doctor. Sherlock’s need for John as a stabilizing force in his life It isn't some weak attempt to placate the soldier's ego. That kind of false necessity would be seen through by the dimmest of minds.

Sherlock would be lost without John's constant pragmatic presence at his side keeping his head out of its own mind space, and John would be lost without Sherlock dragging him out of his own head and into an action packed life that gets his blood pumping and keeps his mind focused on something other than his own insecurities. This mutual need facilitated an instant bonding between the two of them that grew stronger with every passing day.
 
These two men complete each other on a basic level that has nothing to do with physical romance. This is the main reason I can not really understand why so many people see them as a couple. The relationship between John Watson and Sherlock Holmes is closer to the kind of relationship we see between Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee than the relation we would see between a romantic couple.
 
I have found over the years that many young people do not have a clear understanding that two people whether the same sex or opposite sexes can have an extremely close and loving relationship that is completely platonic. Romantic interest is only one side or one facet of love, but it does seem to be the side of love that almost all younger people focus on. Perhaps that is because as we grow older and experience more of life and relationships we learn that a physical romance is not always necessary between two people.
 
I wrote an article about this very issue a few years back. If anyone is interested I would be happy to dig it out of mothballs and post it.
 

@Alicel and Besleybean... I love you two (in a strictly platonic sense of the word you understand )

I understand how people can see them as a couple in their own headcanons. I have nothing against the JohnLock-ers of this world! (In fact I can appreciate the well made stuff as much as the next person.) But when I look at the show itself this platonic relationship is the only kind of relationship that I can see.

Well we know they're not a couple. in the strict sense of the term.
Incidentally, I still think we will see John married, or at least in a committed relationship.
I can only repeat what I keep saying(and yes it is a personal thing), in my dreams/ fantasies: Johnlock.
But for Canon/BBC Sherlock: bromance;  a close, loving friendship.

Last edited by besleybean (February 9, 2013 11:19 am)

I certainly wouldn't.  But I accept it may happen.

... but then he would move out of Baker Street. Naahhh, maybe I will not see him married. 

Mary Me wrote:

... but then he would move out of Baker Street. Naahhh, maybe I will not see him married. 

You will see whatever it is the powers that be for the show have determined that you will see in this next season, as will we all. Like it or lump it. But I presume that if we've liked it so far, we will continue to do so. No reason to fear that they'll change anything basic about Sherlock, John, or the dynamic between the two of them.

ancientsgate wrote:

AliceI wrote:

...These two men complete each other on a basic level that has nothing to do with physical romance. This is the main reason I cannot really understand why so many people see them as a couple... I have found over the years that many young people do not have a clear understanding that two people whether the same sex or opposite sexes can have an extremely close and loving relationship that is completely platonic. Romantic interest is only one side or one facet of love, but it does seem to be the side of love that almost all younger people focus on. Perhaps that is because as we grow older and experience more of life and relationships we learn that a physical romance is not always necessary between two people....

I am in my 60s, so I was "younger people" a long, long time ago. Liking/enjoying the idea of romance and a physical relationship between Sherlock and John (fan fic, fan art) has nothing to do with age and stage of life. You are making broad, sweeping generalizations-- you have a right to do so, but they are only your opinion. Hey, it takes all kinds; if Johnlock doesn't it do it for you, it's certainly easy enough to avoid the fan fic and fan art that features it. But please leave us who do enjoy that fictional aspect of their relationship to do so in peace and without judgment.
 

I'm with you on that, AG!

ancientsgate wrote:

AliceI wrote:

...These two men complete each other on a basic level that has nothing to do with physical romance. This is the main reason I cannot really understand why so many people see them as a couple... I have found over the years that many young people do not have a clear understanding that two people whether the same sex or opposite sexes can have an extremely close and loving relationship that is completely platonic. Romantic interest is only one side or one facet of love, but it does seem to be the side of love that almost all younger people focus on. Perhaps that is because as we grow older and experience more of life and relationships we learn that a physical romance is not always necessary between two people....

I am in my 60s, so I was "younger people" a long, long time ago. Liking/enjoying the idea of romance and a physical relationship between Sherlock and John (fan fic, fan art) has nothing to do with age and stage of life. You are making broad, sweeping generalizations-- you have a right to do so, but they are only your opinion. Hey, it takes all kinds; if Johnlock doesn't it do it for you, it's certainly easy enough to avoid the fan fic and fan art that features it. But please leave us who do enjoy that fictional aspect of their relationship to do so in peace and without judgment.
 

 
I am somewhat confused as to why you think I am judging you. This is an observation that I have made over some number of years. It has no bearing on my opinion of people who like slash. I personally love the character Captain Jack Harkness.

I am someone who prefers the characters I read about to remain in cannon. That is where much slash diverts me. It would be the same if Moriarty began saving orphans and John Watson began robbing banks of the weekend. Those behaviors are out of character for them so that is why I pretty much avoid AU stories. For me in most cases slash falls into that same catagory. It is OOC.

I fell in love with these characters as they were written, so why would I change them?

I am sorry that you took offense to my opinion. It was not meant to slam you or anyone else. It is simply that - my opinion and observations that I have made over some number of years living on the planet.