BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Which are the 'Johnlock' moments from Canon ?

holmes23 · June 29, 2013 9:54 pm

Which are your favourite Johnlock moments from Canon? Or can you come up with such moments from Canon?

It can be an incident, a gesture, a piece of dialogue or narrative that can be (mis)interpreted as Johnlock

As for me there are many, but to start with here I go..

From The Sign of Four

" 'Look here, Watson; you look regularly done. Lie down there on the sofa and see if I can put you to sleep.'

He took up his violin from the corner, and as I stretched myself out he began to play some low, dreamy, melodious air--his own, no doubt, for he had a remarkable gift for improvisation. I have a vague remembrance of his gaunt limbs, his earnest face, and the rise and fall of his bow. Then I seemed to be floated peacefully away upon a soft sea of sound until I found myself in dreamland, with the sweet face of ...........(I cut off the rest since I don't want to spoil the game )

We haven't seen as yet Sherlock playing specially for John, so hope we would find something like the above in series Three

Last edited by holmes23 (June 29, 2013 10:18 pm)

SusiGo · June 29, 2013 10:11 pm

Lovely idea. I don't have a quote at the moment but somewhere on the Net there's a very comprehensive site listing the "Johnlock" elements in all canon stories. I'll try to find it and post it here.

holmes23 · June 29, 2013 10:42 pm

I would like to read them

Every time I reread canon, I discover tiny pieces of Johnlock moments to my pleasure. For example,

Slipping through the shouting crowd I made my way to the corner of the street, and in ten minutes was rejoiced to find my friend’s arm in mine....(Scandal in Bohemia)

Even this picture from Resident Patient, by Paget is a Johnlock one

Last edited by holmes23 (June 30, 2013 2:19 am)

Harriet · June 30, 2013 10:58 am

I like this thread

tobeornot221b · June 30, 2013 11:48 am

From "The Adventure of The Empty House":

"The place was pitch-dark...Holmes's cold, thin fingers closed round my wrist and led me forwards down a long hall…My companion put his hand upon my shoulder and his lips close to my ear.
An instant later he pulled me back into the blackest corner of the room, and I felt his warning hand upon my lips. The fingers which clutched me were quivering. Never had I known my friend more moved, and yet the dark street still stretched lonely and motionless before us."

crazybbcamerican · June 30, 2013 1:17 pm

There's a superlative website that I've just recently discovered: http://nekosmuse.com/sherlockholmes/subtext.htm

It's really insightful, but quite long. I'm still working my way through it...but trust me, any Johnlocker should seriously take a look :D

holmes23 · June 30, 2013 3:52 pm

Tobe, that passage from Empty House is a very sensual one. It is passages like this which make me think Doyle himself is a Johnlocker .

crazy, I have gone through these writings when I was first introduced to the idea in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, and I agree they're quite insightful. But I have to say the writer goes quite extreme sometimes.

Back to the topic........

Holmes prompting Watson to hide behind the head of his bed in Dying Detective so he could overhear Holmes' conversation with Culverton Smith
"There are the wheels, Watson. Quick, man, if you love me! "

Then in the end we hear Holmes saying
Watson, you must help me on with my coat.

the_dancing_woman · June 30, 2013 7:07 pm

Oh, beautiful moment there in "The Empty House".

Well, I don't know if this counts as a JohnLock moment, but in "the five orange pips" John's wife goes off to visit her aunt and John moves straight back into Baker Street. Seems a little odd to me, I am sure John and his wife had houeshold staff or at least a maid to look after him even with his wife not being at home, and anyways, shouldn't he be old enough to look after himself for a few days? So I never got why John immediately moves back in with Sherlock the moment his wife is gone. (And oh yes, John's wife, come and gone at random in the canon )

This here is also from "Orange Pips" :
"Why.", said I, glancing up at my companion, "that was surely the bell. Who could come tonight? Some friend of yours, perhaps?"
"Except yourself I have none," he answered. "I do not encourage visitors."

Though to me those are rather examples of their deep friendship or brotherhood/bromance, which is how I see their relationship.

Last edited by the_dancing_woman (June 30, 2013 7:15 pm)

SusiGo · June 30, 2013 7:26 pm

Lovely collection. And Crazy's link is the one I was thinking of.

And then there's the scene from "Three Garridebs" in which Watson is shot.

Then my friend’s wiry arms were round me, and he was leading me to a chair.
“You’re not hurt, Watson? For God’s sake, say that you are not hurt!”

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.

“You are right,” he cried with an immense sigh of relief. “It is quite superficial.”

“By the Lord, it is as well for you. If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive.”

tobeornot221b · June 30, 2013 8:13 pm

Another one - from "The Crooked Man":

Watson's wife has already gone to bed when Sherlock Holmes visits him at his home.

"Could you put me up tonight?"
"With pleasure."
"You told me that you had bachelor quarters for one, and I see that you have no gentleman visitor at present. Your hat-stand proclaims as much."
"I shall be delighted if you will stay."

SusiGo · June 30, 2013 8:18 pm

Mary's gone to bed. How practical. Sorry, this is giving me ideas.

Harriet · June 30, 2013 8:33 pm

What kind of ideas?

Davina · June 30, 2013 9:53 pm

I always find the passage where Watson has been shot to be very moving. It reveals how Holmes is not the cold, calculating machine he presents himself to be.

SusiGo · July 1, 2013 6:06 am

Harriet wrote:
What kind of ideas?

Interesting ideas.

Harriet · July 1, 2013 8:08 am

I should have known

Jacco111 · July 1, 2013 10:23 am

Holmes and Watson are not gay. Please stop this nonsense.

Punch me in the face · July 1, 2013 11:09 am

Oh God! I've only read A study in scarlet so far, but this topic certainly makes me feel even more eager to read the other books!

SusiGo · July 1, 2013 11:25 am

Jacco111 wrote:
Holmes and Watson are not gay. Please stop this nonsense.

I think everybody has the right to open a thread and voice his/her opinions as long posts/subjects are not insulting or offensive. This one isn't IMO.

holmes23 · July 1, 2013 4:00 pm

This passage from Thor Bridge

......in his nervous restlessness, he could not sit still, but paced the carriage or drummed with his long, sensitive fingers upon the cushions beside him. Suddenly, however, as we neared our destination he seated himself opposite to me –we had a first-class carriage to ourselves–and laying a hand upon each of my knees he looked into my eyes with the peculiarly mischievous gaze which was characteristic of his more imp-like moods.

It's true that Holmes' restlessness and excitement is caused by the fact that he's about to solve the problem. Nonetheless it's fun .

SusiGo · July 1, 2013 5:44 pm

I find this quite funy and fitting for this thread. And linguistically relevant:

http://gunslingerannie.tumblr.com/post/29438377009/a-study-in-white-the-5-best-uses-of-the-word