I think part of the problem is that people either don't realize how much Sherlock has changed or that they just don't know what to do with a Sherlock who has emotions.  For example, even though he taught John to dance, I'm betting John doesn't know he "loves it."  John would there for not expect Sherlock to have his feelings hurt if he has no one to dance with. 

I think the slower deduction time is an after effect of the hiatus.  There may be some lagging while Shelock completely processes what he went through and learns how to handle himself now that emotions are involved.

In terms of emotions... today I suddenly thought: what if we will see a slightly changed Sherlock in HLV once again, a Sherlock that tries to distance himself from emotions again? Because he realized in TSoT that emotions can cause a lot of pain, because he still seems to be the odd one out, even though he tried to do emotions? Maybe we will see a Sherlock in HLV that reminds us more of the Sherlock from the first two series again?
I think it is kind of tragic: he tries to be more emotional, he tries to bond with other people - but in the end he's alone. I wonder what he will make of this. I'm not sure he can live with it, so maybe he will come to the conclusion that 'doing emotions' has been a failed 'experiment'...?

LoveIsAViciousMotivator wrote:

I'm actually worried about Sherlock's mental and emotional state ever since the TEH aired and what has happened this episode. Has anyone been noticing he has been having trouble in his deductions? I mean he can observe people but when he goes inside his mind palace, he looks like he is in pain. 

He actually looks like he is about to snap or breakdown. I don't know. At first, this shift in Sherlock's character has been jarring, but maybe that is what the writers wanted. Something doesn't feel right with Sherlock. Something just doesn't add up. 

I really want to know what happened between TRF and TEH..

You have a point there. These are two different things - the new emotional side which is fine for me and the slips and weaknesses regarding his mental acuity that are somehow disturbing. 


 

Very good and to the point, Silver. 

Yes, that hitting himself thing was very strange. There are many signs that something is not right. 
When they are standing in front of Sholto's locked door the fingers of his right hand are jerking. It may be a gesture of impatience but I am not quite sure. Knowing Benedict's acting every small detail is well planned and not without purpose. 

SusiGo wrote:

Yes, that hitting himself thing was very strange. There are many signs that something is not right. 
When they are standing in front of Sholto's locked door the fingers of his right hand are jerking. It may be a gesture of impatience but I am not quite sure. Knowing Benedict's acting every small detail is well planned and not without purpose. 

Very interesting thread, Susi!

I agree about something not being right, and just like you, I don't think that anything we saw was a coincidence. The slapping of the face in particular was worrisome, I've already begun writing a small fic on that matter because I couldn't stop thinking about it.

We've discussed the beating in TEH in another thread, and I'd just like to say that I think Sherlock hasn't entirely processed what has happened to him (in that regard, I found it very interesting that John said to Major Sholto "therapy helps a lot" but we don't know whether he's even once asked Sherlock what he did during those two years. Probably not surprising though, since he appeared outwardly unscathed). Supposedly, judging from the length of Sherlock's hair when he's caught, the events of the minisode seem to take place before Serbia, and who knows how much time he spent there. Maybe he's not even been caught for the first time. Altogether, I think the hiatus on the whole was a somewhat gruesome experience for Sherlock, and it's impossible that he's not changed.

I'm also curious whether the change we've seen in him so far is permanent, but it seems that he, John and Mary have an understanding.
I am very afraid of what might happen in HLV, it can't be good from all one hears and sees. And maybe, since Sherlock is unstable (and apparently scared or at least intimidated by CAM, judging from the trailer), he will resolve to using drugs again, which might explain some of the setlock.


 

SolarSystem wrote:

Kerkerian wrote:

Supposedly, judging from the length of Sherlock's hair when he's caught, the events of the minisode seem to take place before Serbia,

Correct me if I got something entirely wrong, but I thought the events of the minisode take place even before TRF...?!

Er- they take place before TEH, I assume that's what you meant?
In the minisode, which definitely takes place between TRF and TEH, Sherlock (or rather, what we see of him), looks pristine and his respective environments are nothing like Serbia. Therefore, it must be before he's caught there.

I also forgot to mention something:
I don't think his deductions are generally slower than usual, but in the scene where he tries to find the Mayfly Man, he is simultaneously trying to keep up his speech and deduce every single person in the room in order to find out who'd be the target, and all the while, he consults with Mycroft in his Mind Palace. That must be hard.

The minisode itself takes place after TRF. The video IN the minisode is from before, of course.

Kerkerian wrote:

...

I also forgot to mention something:
I don't think his deductions are generally slower than usual, but in the scene where he tries to find the Mayfly Man, he is simultaneously trying to keep up his speech and deduce every single person in the room in order to find out who'd be the target, and all the while, he consults with Mycroft in his Mind Palace. That must be hard.

I agree with you here. Therefore the speech was a bit .... out of control, too. Talking about John cooking...peas, singing...
But still I also think that something might be wrong. I noticed at first when he was inside his mind palace while being in the train with John. He really looked almost as if it hurts. (Although I'm not sure if this was already acting for John.)
And the Mycroft thing. Mycroft said on the phone something like: "So we will see each other more often, just like before."
Before John or after The Fall or both. But Sherlock wants the encouragement from John, not from Mycroft; therefore he tries to get rid of Mycroft again and back to John. Which seems to be hard, obviously.

Just watched it a third time and I think I will have to watch it again and again just until someone will run after Sherlock when he's leaving the wedding.....
And again I remember Mrs. Hudson at the beginning talking about her friend leaving her wedding early. *sob*

I think, and I will never get tired to repeat this - Sherlock's change has A LOT, if not all, to do with John's new situation and Mary.

I am still not very sure why Sherlock has been so accepting to her - had it been earlier he would have made it more difficult, if not when he was still trying to get John to forgive him, for sure after that - with her, it's like he's trying to please her or be liked by her. When Mary pushes John to take Sherlock out on a case and John asks him, Sherlock almost says no and looks shocked, as if it's an incredulous thing to do. Can you imagine, before, in the past seasons? He would have dragged John out without a second thought!

Sherlock had found a soulmate in John and someone who he could really trust - something that had never happened before in his life I am assuming - he therefore has lowered his defensive walls, and now though this has been taken away - in a way or another, it has. It's just like Mycroft says - he wasn't just taunting him.  So Sherlock is unstable, feels he is missing something, something which he maybe can't even pinpoint; and this is why he is sad at the end, when he leaves the wedding - not because of the bridesmaid, at all, but because he realises he has indeed lost what was so important in his life before (as it was, he has surely lost John. The empty chair is such a powerful metaphor).

This said, Sherlock has definitely made a mistake...and I think his mistake is that he hasn't deduced Mary correctly, and this will make him, and therefore John, unprepared for what will happen...