I think the simplest explanation is that he does have feelings, urges, emotions, etc. (towards the objects of desire mentioned, although probably not exclusively!), but suppresses them.    (As I said, I don't think this is about sexual orientation, beyond the fact that the two examples given are female, but I do think it's quite clear that he doesn't feel "that way" towards John.  If he did, he'd have avoided getting close to hiim too, and wouldn't have lived with him.   He openly admits to his feelings for John too, publicly.   He already is, in a sense, "in a relationship" with John - but it's a friendship). 

The portrait - remember that he keeps Irene's phone too!   They're directly comparable, so I don't think it's at all strange that he would keep a memento of her in his mind palace.  Obviously, Sherlock wouldn't have imagined a phone for his Victorian self, but this is pretty close.    And it's at the point when he's talking about romance that it comes into his mind.   His Watson does not appear at all jealous in that scene (in my opinion) - he's questioning him about why he chooses to be alone (not about why he might prefer Irene over him). 

Last edited by Liberty (January 17, 2016 6:43 pm)

I don't get the impression that he was trying to cop a feel! 
 

Liberty wrote:

I don't get the impression that he was trying to cop a feel! 
 

Never said he did. But he got quite intrusive.
 

The universe is rarely so lazy.

Susi, he was becoming verbally intrusive, much more so than in is usual in "real life", but I keep remembering that he is Sherlock's creation.  It's not actually John questioning Sherlock, but Sherlock questioning himself, being uncomfortable with admitting things to himself.  It's not really about John's feelings, jealousy or otherwise, I don't think. 

Where do you see jealousy about Irene?

I just think he feels Sherlock is interested in Irene and John(rightly)thinks she is bad news.

I'm not saying Sherlock was...
But John thought he was.

I didn't see jealous at all.

Just want to jump in and remind that in ACD canon, Holmes kept Irene's photo as his only payment for the case, a memento of the woman who beat him - in BBC Sherlock this was cleverly transformed into a phone, but in TAB it makes sense to revert to the original form of a photo. I like that they did this

In A Scandal in Bohemia, Watson is there when Holmes asks for and keeps the photograph. Watson states clearly that Holmes did not feel any emotion akin to love for Irene, but says that when Holmes talked of her, he always referred to her as the woman. It was an honourable title. In ASiB, John is there when Sherlock asks for and keeps the phone, but he doesn't seem to understand why Sherlock wants it. Throughout the whole episode he's not sure what Sherlock, if anything, feels for Irene. I think in TAB the scene shows us again that John doesn't understand the reason behind Sherlock keeping Irene's photo. Sherlock imagines John prying into his personal belongings - his pocket watch - and prying into his feelings, trying to understand him. His imaginary John assumes Sherlock must have feelings akin to love or attraction to her, but Sherlock tells him that he keeps the photograph to remind himself of the remarkable adventure with a formidable opponent. I believe this is why Sherlock keeps Irene's phone, too.