LightPurple wrote:

silverblaze wrote:

Ben looked really close to tears there. Very realistic acting IMHO.

gently69 wrote:

He looked very serious. No sign of tears. (We talking about the end of TRF?) Near to tears he showed convincing in HLV.

mrshouse wrote:

I thought he looked really sad at the graveyard, not close to tears though

Thank you, you just proved the point I was trying to make: Some people think Sherlock looked close to tears there, some think he looked really sad but definitly not close to tears, some think he looked serious and some think he looked cold (I don't, I was just kind of playing devil's advocate there for a bit) or at least not moved enough after seeing John's grief. His expression can be interpreted differently, but no one ever thought of questioning BC's acting there (and to say it again, neither do I). 

So John's expressions and behaviour at the airport in HLV can be interpreted defferently by people as well, but why do they start to question MF's acting there? There's absolutely no reason to belive that he didn't perfectly deliver what the writers wanted in that scene, and I think the people who think that John acted coldly base this at least as much on his refusal to call his daughter "Sherlock" (something MF can definitly not be blamed for) as on anything else in that scene. 
 

I never doubted Martin's acting skills in tthis scene. IMO he did it perfect. Benedict and Martin are totally different in their expressions and that's fantastic. It would be boring for me if they both act in the same way. I loved both performances which showed me their harm in different versions. Both fit to the characters.
And my explanation for "near to tears"... I see that if the eyes starting to get wet... didn't see that at the end of TRF... compared to several scenes in S3. His whole face changes then. Benedict can control that perfectly.

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LightPurple wrote:

So John's expressions and behaviour at the airport in HLV can be interpreted defferently by people as well, but why do they start to question MF's acting there? There's absolutely no reason to belive that he didn't perfectly deliver what the writers wanted in that scene, and I think the people who think that John acted coldly base this at least as much on his refusal to call his daughter "Sherlock" (something MF can definitly not be blamed for) as on anything else in that scene. 
 

 I don't think there is a need to get defensive about MF acting abilities or - on another level - John Watson being a true friend of Sherlock. These are not competitive performance: they are complementary. And I am HUGELY grateful to the writers that they didn't go for some syrupy display of emotions in the airport scene. And yet... I am trying to nail my mixed feelings about the scene and I've got an impression the way it was written didn't give to MF a clear direction as to what were exactly John's feelings and consequently how to play them. There is one fleeting and wonderful moment, though, which is John's reaction to Sherlock's "who knows"", truly magnificent piece of acting.
 

No I don't think it's cold, but I don't think it's tearful either...it's thoughtful.  Pensive.

Last edited by besleybean (January 24, 2014 9:32 pm)

Davina wrote:

We seem to be confusing the actor's choice and the director's choice in scenes. The role of the director is never to be underestimated. Yes, of course, sometimes actors can come up with their own ideas, especially in improv, and no doubt different approaches may be filmed in different takes but the director is very, very important.

That's a good point; Nick Hurran commented that:

'To have an episode where Sherlock Holmes makes one or two mistakes, you witness him realising these mistakes he keeps making. A terrific, terrific project to be involved with.'

which gives us some idea of the way he viewed the episode. He also said that he had been very hands on in his direction of the scene where Sherlock discovers it's Mary, with particular reference to Amanda, and I can understand why; the temptation for any actress who has up until now played the character as a very appealing person is going to be to try to soften it in some way. And that really wouldn't work...





 

lil wrote:

Sherlock has been a bit of an emotional teenager this series ( tantrums, drugs, sex, picking on his big bro with his mates lol) but by the airport scene we see how he has grown , he is the mature one..making jokes and making it easier for John.
John here reminds me of the session with Ella at the start of TRF...he still cant  talk about things....or face things(denial).The same as burning Mary's past.
He's still quite repressed and unwilling to face things (like it might be the last time he see's Sherlock) .
only now Sherlocks s more open, John seems more closed.

Idk/couldn't see anyone thinking he was "cold" , but I think on reflection this subtle change between them might be what people are picking up.

Prob see some kinda confrontational scene next series where John has to face things and grow some maybe.

 

I've been thinking some of the same thoughts, lil. And there are times we have seen John open, unguarded and emotional.  He broke my heart on the sidewalk in front of Barts when Sherlock fell - and I've loved him beyond reason ever since.  Is it wrong to say I want him to do that to me again. LOL.

KeepersPrice wrote:

  He broke my heart on the sidewalk in front of Barts when Sherlock fell - and I've loved him beyond reason ever since. Is it wrong to say I want him to do that to me again. LOL.

 After TRF I have been thinking much more about John than about Sherlock and MF was so incredibly brilliant in conveying his grief. So probably it is a sort of "justice" that after HLV I was all aching for Sherlock and his grief. He is so incredibly intense in the airport scene, I feel almost ill every time I watch it - and the fact that he comes back from the exile after only 4 minutes doesn't change it, because it is all genuine feeling, differently than what we saw on the rooftop in TRF.
 

Oh I think Sherlock's love for John has always been there and yes indeed it just grows.
I think he 1st relalised his love at the Pool.