I wonder if there might actually be no violence, nothing save perhaps these terrible swear words

I mean yes they might go for this but I think it would be interesting to see something else:  that rather than spent two years moping and venturing out only to see his therapist, he will have done something far more unsettling to Holmes which is to have grieved, raged and then moved on. If they follow the books, he might even have settled down with some nice young woman called Mary. 

I tend to see the show as in some ways John's journey. Because the show kind of focusses on Sherlock and his foibles -he's the title character-I think its easy not to see how deeply not perfect, how deeply screwed up and damaged John actually is. This is a man who is fine after shooting someone, who-I think we kind of realise in aSIB-has killed before (I think Sherlock-and our-assumption initially in SiP is that this was his first killing, perhaps overcome by the situation-whereas actually, he is calm and its premeditated). . He's someone who will defend to the hilt honesty and justice and all the rest but get on the wrong side or push him too far and he will snap. Someone who carries a concealed, loaded, weapon around London and shoots with it. Someone who can kind of be ok with a friend drugging him and scaring the life out of him in HOTB - I don't know why but I guess it might be because he has an adrenaline thing going on. People who carry loaded weapons around and punch their friends in the face, even with provocation, are actually not balanced people, not in 21c London.  He's an adrenaline junkie still recovering/processing PTSS who starts the series with a longing shot of a gun. And through the two series he gets better, gradually, to the point where, even in the scene with the therapist at the end he is still more functional, less defensive, for his two years or so with Sherlock than he was at the start.

So I wonder if, after Sherlock's "death", he actually does manage to pull himself through and work out a way to live a functional life. That would be consistent with the canon but it would also be consistent with where he was at anyway. I can see how it really needs to move out and strike out on his own now, but as long as Sherlock is there, he just won't. 

I think for Sherlock to come back and find out that John had continued his life, had grown and changed and moved on and no longer needed him-because John needs Sherlock as much as Sherlock needs John-would actually be far more of a blow to him than any string of swear words or a punch in the mouth could be. Sherlock's assumption-even hero Sherlock-will have been that he can go off for three years and come back and everything is great (the Jeremy Brett/Edward Hardwicke play is actually interesting on this because I think this is clearly his assumption in that and, iirc, he gets called on it)

And there's the other possibility-that Sherlock has grown up a bit too. I always wondered about this in the canon. Given that this guy, even as ACD portrayed him, was pretty socially inept and an extreme introvert what was he doing discovering new parts of  Norway and doing diplomatic work in the Sudan and Tibet (Sherlock doing diplomatic stuff?) Seems unlikely (though it would be an excellent line."What did you get up to anyway?" "Went travelling.")

Anyway, I wonder if it might mark a new, interesting, phase of their relationship, with both of them less screwed up, both a little older, closer to the not so co-dependent equals we see in the canon.

ETA sorry changed the Watsons and Holmeses to John and Sherlock, old habits...

ETA 2 (sorry really long now-I'm new here, I have too much to say!) The other option is that Sherlock says something like "Well there wasn't anything to be here for, with Moriaty gone.". And then John does more than faint.

Last edited by beekeeper (March 26, 2013 1:15 am)

ancientsgate wrote:

Myraya wrote:

I personally think that John is more the shout-and-swear-type instead of the punsh-him-in-the-face-type. But I could imagine hugs and tears as well, it never happened befor but also we never had such an emotional situation befor. And John did cry a bit at Sherlocks grave and Sherlock cried befor he jumped even though we don't know wheather that was real or fake.

Lots of men are capable of a good cry, but in front of each other? Not so much, not if they can help it.

Agreed. I doubt John would have a total breakdown in front of Sherlock (although it's not out of the realm of possiblity I guess). If he was going to I'd guess he'd do it alone. Generally men feel the need to be tough in front of people while woman are allowed to be 'softer' with their emotions.

Perhaps 'Thank god you're alive. I'll kill you' type response. I think that's how I'd feel!

Myraya wrote:

@ancientsgare and Michele: You are probably right and John is a pretty tough men, for example in TGG he is much calmer then all the other victims with a bomb vest. So probably no tears but I wouldn't exclude the option completly.

@beekeeper: I really like your post, yes it is quite long but you wrote down some things that I thought about as well. Someone who is addicted to danger after being shot in a war must have some problems. You gave this all a deep thought.
But do we actually know how long it will be until Sherlock returns? I mean it doesn't have to be the same time as in the books, it could be much shorter.

I don't doubt he'll have a cry but not in public anyway. With the bomb he was strong until Sherlock walked out of the room then he let his guard down and collapsed.

I guess they would stick to the sort of time gap between season 2 and 3 which feels about a thousand years. Would seem weird to set it in the past (like if he turned up a week later) but if they stick ridgedly to the 3 years that would set it a bit in the future.

Actually though-assuming we are looking at a very late 2013/ 2014 air date, aren't we probably looking at nearly three years anyway? Or does it just feel that way? Near enough anyway.

Was it actually three years in canon? ACD was a bit random with dates anyway at times.

Do you know what my hunch is about that episode? That it will be like the first Dr Who after he reunites with Donna. They spend a whole episode nearly finding each other and not quite. I think this will have some intrugue and adventure for John and we'll also see his relationship with his wife as completely separate and developed through the episode. It will be a mature relationship, which is fitting since they may have spent more years togther now than John and Sherlock . We'll get, basically, a healed, family man John who occasionally, sentimentally, might think of his exciting past but as something done and gone. And then a weird or unusual series of murders or something starts up and he gets dragged in somehow and Sherlock comes along and saves the day. And then what happens is anyone's guess.

Oh and then she has to die I guess because that is basically what Mary Morsten is there for, to take John away from Sherlock for a bit, grow up up a little, and then hand him back when stories need to be told. 

Last edited by beekeeper (March 27, 2013 9:07 am)

yeah I hope they stick to canon here. Mary Morsten was seriously kick -ass and also, I think, far more interesting than either canon or Sherlock Irene Adler who is a bit 2D imo...

I confess I am intrigued by the official announcmernt that Amanda's major character will have serious impact on the lives of both Sherlock and John.

I´s so funny, I just have to mention: We don´t know nothing . We don´t know which character AA plays. We don´t know why John is angry. We don´t even know which episode they are shooting right now: 3 episodes, two are made now, one in early summer. Do we know, which two are the first in their production schedule (if they have said that, I have forgotten it)? And very likely, like before, they are not shooting according to chronology. So, these scenes could be out of episode one, two or maybe even out of episode three. Whatever.... I mean here in this forum everybody is civilized , but I have read tweets and blogs in which people were concerned, sad, moaning, complaining, even threatening - hell, we don´t know nothing.
Edit: Spoilers are not the only reason why I have decided now to stay away from tumblr or the setlock tag in twitter, e.g. Stupid.... I just follow the officials (like I did before), that´s enough info right now´.

Last edited by anjaH_alias (March 28, 2013 4:53 pm)

I think it will depend on what John has been doing in the time Sherlock is believed to be dead.  He was clearly distraught at the end of RF (who wouldn't be after seeing one's best friend leap to his 'death').  He mentioned losing friends in the war (in the pilot at least) and I wonder is that is part of what led to the psychosymatic limp.  I imagine John will be go through anger, wondering if it was some sort of game Sherlock was playing.  Gatiss has said there will be potty language.  John will then be confused.  He will learn that Sherlock did it to keep John as well as Lestraude and Mrs. Hudson from getting killed.  He will get over his shock and they will have one of their wonderful scenes where they laugh at the absurdity of their situation.

Sherlock Holmes wrote:

Mary could actually be quite a cool character, if done in the right way.

In the canon, even when Watson was married, it didn't stop him going off with Holmes on adventures, although obviously they didn't live together, and I don't think that'd quite work in the same way in BBC Sherlock.

D'you remember Moffat said the end of Series 3 would be just as frustrating/heartbreaking....wonder if that might be the death of Mary? Although, for the audience to be actually upset/bothered over it, she'd have to be written really well as a character and we'd have to really grow attached to her.

Sorry, I'm really going off track on the original "how will John react..." topic.


EDIT: I just edited my own post for spoilers! *face palm*

Still guessing - I know nothing, have seen no spoilers - but the 'significant impact' bit pretty much confirms that she is going to be John's wife.  They've got an uphill haul to get the audience to care about her, though.  Three 90-minute episodes don't leave much time, and the Johnlock fandom is simply going to hate her from the outset.  (I do understand how they feel - I'm not thrilled about it, either.  And I liked Sarah, so Mary is going to have to outdo her.)

Realistically - and I know it sounds a bit mean, especially as she's Martin Freeman's real-life SO - half the fandom might be hoping for her death in the cliffhanger.  Then again, this is Moftiss here, and if anyone can pull it off, they would be the ones to do it.

The Doctor wrote:

She could be John's sister?

Yes, someone suggested that somewhere already. Could be, we don't know, we can only speculate.