I wasn't sure where to post this, so I decided to put it here.

I am a huge fan of all things Douglas Adams, and have always felt that the John/Sherlock friendship in the TV series is somewhat similar to the Ford/Arthur relationship in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe (this is not because Martin played Arthur in the screen adaptation, although I must admit he was the perfect choice for the role IMO).

Following this idea of mine, I remembered the scene at the beginning of Life, the Universe and Everything, when Arthur and Ford meet again after four years (Chapter II).
Try reading it as John meets Sherlock again after the "fall":

"[...]It wasn't all the pastoral delights that were making Arthur feel so cheery, though. He had just had a wonderful idea about how to cope with the terrible lonely isolation, the nightmares, the failure of all his attempts at horticulture, and the sheer futurelessness and futility of his life[...].
`I will go mad!'' he announced.
``Good idea,'' said Ford Prefect, clambering down from the rock on which he had been sitting.
Arthur's brain somersaulted. His jaw did press-ups.
[...]
``Where have you been?'' interrupted Arthur, now that his head had finished working out.
``Around,'' said Ford, ``around and about.'' He grinned in what he accurately judged to be an infuriating manner. ``I just took my mind off the hook for a bit. I reckoned that if the world wanted me badly enough it would call back. It did.''
Arthur shook his head and sat down. He looked up.
``I thought you must be dead ...'' he said simply.
``So did I for a while,'' said Ford, ``and then I decided I was a lemon for a couple of weeks. A kept myself amused all that time jumping in and out of a gin and tonic.'' [...]
``I may,'' he added with a grin which would have sent sane men scampering into trees, ``have been imagining it.''
He waited for a reaction from Arthur, but Arthur knew better than that.
``Carry on,'' he said levelly.
``The point is, you see,'' said Ford, ``that there is no point in driving yourself mad trying to stop yourself going mad. You might just as well give in and save your sanity for later.''
`And this is you sane again, is it?'' said Arthur. ``I ask merely for information.''
``I went to Africa,'' said Ford.
``Yes?''
``Yes.''
``What was that like?''
``And this is your cave is it?'' said Ford.
``Er, yes,'' said Arthur. He felt very strange. After nearly four years of total isolation he was so pleased and relieved to see Ford that he could almost cry. Ford was, on the other hand, an almost immediately annoying person.


Works, doesn't it?