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July 5, 2012 11:36 am  #1


Fear of Moriarty?

Please excuse me if anyone mentioned that already; I couldn't find it anywhere in this section.

I watched this episode again and found one scene particularly interesting. When they return to Dewer's Hollow at the end, Sherlock confronts Frankland who is wearing the protective mask. There are once again drug vapours rising from the ground and Sherlock suddenly sees Moriarty instead of Frankland. The drug's effect seems to be that it shows people their deepest fears, e.g. for Henry's it's the "Hound" that killed his father. But what does that mean for Sherlock? Is there something like fear mingling with his previous excitement at the challenge presented by Moriarty? Of course the drug intensifies the feat but it has to there in the first place. And shortly after that we see Moriarty being released from his cell.


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"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 5, 2012 12:00 pm  #2


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

Well he knows he is planning something, Mycroft would have told him that.
So when he doesn't know exactly what is going to happen, any 'fear' would be of the unknown. However, the 'fear' is a heightened & exaggerated emotion being influenced by the drug. So perhaps its original form was trepidation.


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Also, please note that sentences can also end in full stops. The exclamation mark can be overused.
Sherlock Holmes 28 March 13:08

Mycroft’s popularity doesn’t surprise me at all. He is, after all, incredibly beautiful, clever and well-dressed. And beautiful. Did I mention that?
--Mark Gatiss

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
Robert McCloskey
 

July 5, 2012 12:04 pm  #3


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

I suppose you could be right. I think it's an excellent foreshadowing of the things to come, especially in connection with the crazy Sherlock graffiti in Moriarty's cell.


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"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)



 
     Thread Starter
 

July 5, 2012 12:07 pm  #4


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

It's the prelude to their 'final problem' really.
And I tend to believe it was all staged exactly as Sherlock wanted  it to be; but that's another thread/section, lol.


____________________________________________________________________________________________
Also, please note that sentences can also end in full stops. The exclamation mark can be overused.
Sherlock Holmes 28 March 13:08

Mycroft’s popularity doesn’t surprise me at all. He is, after all, incredibly beautiful, clever and well-dressed. And beautiful. Did I mention that?
--Mark Gatiss

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
Robert McCloskey
 

July 5, 2012 2:48 pm  #5


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

In the Jeremy Brett series, "The Adventure of the Devil's Foot" has a similar scene, with Holmes (in a drugged state) seeing the face of Moriarty.  I think it was a Moftiss homage, as well.


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It was worth a wound–it was worth many wounds–to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.
 

July 5, 2012 4:49 pm  #6


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

I think Sherlock's afraid of Moriarty, but he's got control of it under normal circumstances. The drug took away that control, which is also why he feared the hound  (or more accurately, feared the fact that he saw something he knew to be impossible).

 

July 5, 2012 5:48 pm  #7


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

Well, it makes sense that Sherlock's afraid of Moriarty, doesn't it? I mean, he's kind of just like Sherlock, except he doesn't care about other people, and he doesn't care about dying. There's a thread somewhere about Sherlock having Asperger's vs. Moriarty being a high functioning sociopath. I guess that's why Sherlock's afraid of him.

 

July 7, 2012 3:23 pm  #8


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

I'd certainly have a healthy regard for the danger inherent in trying to predict and outwit a maniac. He was though thrown by suddenly not being able to trust his own eyes. Fear is nature's way of alerting the body to go up a gear for fight or flight for self-preservation.


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We solve crimes, I blog about it and he forgets his pants, so I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. (Scandal in Belgravia)

I asked you for one more miracle. I asked you to stop being dead..........I heard you.(The Empty Hearse)
 

July 7, 2012 5:54 pm  #9


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

There is a related thread here: http://sherlock.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=1095, in which I asked some questions about Sherlock seeing Moriarty's face and what happened at the end of the episode.


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Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.  -- Helen Keller
 

July 7, 2012 6:08 pm  #10


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

Thank you, Sherli, I'd looked for it before opening this thread but I couldn't find it.


------------------------------
"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)



 
     Thread Starter
 

July 8, 2012 5:00 am  #11


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

You're welcome, SusiGo.  Sometimes, it's hard to find things around here because there's so much information.  But that's a good thing!   


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Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.  -- Helen Keller
 

July 15, 2012 8:51 am  #12


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

kazza474 wrote:

It's the prelude to their 'final problem' really.
And I tend to believe it was all staged exactly as Sherlock wanted  it to be; but that's another thread/section, lol.

Looks that way to me too.


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We solve crimes, I blog about it and he forgets his pants, so I wouldn’t hold out too much hope. (Scandal in Belgravia)

I asked you for one more miracle. I asked you to stop being dead..........I heard you.(The Empty Hearse)
 

July 31, 2012 12:32 am  #13


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

I agree with kazza. It's a setup for The Reichenbach Fall(and along with my theory on the fall, connects the two episodes), just as is the final scene with Moriarty and Mycroft.


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Is the foil of a detective a thief or a magician?

My Theory on the Fall: http://sherlock.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?pid=21539#p21539
 

July 31, 2012 11:03 am  #14


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

I agree with what has been written earlier on this topic. For Sherlock, most problems and adversaries do not pose much of a challenge. Moriarty and Irene force Sherlock to be at his best so if he has any insecurities at all it would be those two, especially Moriarty, who brings those fears and insecurities out in him.


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Disguise is always a self portrait
 

October 6, 2012 7:34 pm  #15


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

I think it's interesting that the drug makes you see what you most fear...for John it could be the death of Sherlock.


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

April 13, 2016 8:38 pm  #16


Re: Fear of Moriarty?

I dont think that you see the "worst fear" with this drug I think it is more like combinating a current fear with an actual existing living beeing or similar. E.g. I dont believe that Henrys worst fear used to be a killer dog bevore he saw the man who kills his father with a dog-shirt. One of my theory because Sherlock saw Moriarty is that he guessed that he cracked the computer for him and so Moriarty now gets all information from the Hound projekt. So the case with Henry could be only a distraction. Anyway it seems a little bit strange that a 8 year old girl contact a detective because her rabbit disappeared as well it glows in the night. Ok,it could be real but maybe it was planned. And maybe Henry was the second try.

Last edited by Danielle80 (April 13, 2016 8:39 pm)

 

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