You have a point there. For me her being an ex-assassin and (still) an excellent shot is a bit too much of a coincidence. 

@ ReReader. good point about Sherlock's return being the trigger for CAM looking into Mary's past.  That fits well with the telegram scene.  The trouble is that it still seems a coincidence that Mary happens to be an assassin.  She's just one of a few work colleagues of John's - what are the odds?  And ..

@ SusiGo, I don't think Janine being Mary's friend is a coincidence.  I think Mary befriended her because she was CAM's PA.  So it can't be true that Mary was only aware of CAM as a threat at the wedding.  She must have known before Sherlock returned and been planning to deal with it (by befriending Janine).

@Raven I don't want Mary to be working for Moriarty because I preferred CAM as a villain.  I could even see Mary as a villain in her own right.  But a connection does make sense.  It's strange that Moriarty appears at the end of the episode "about" Mary, and that of the people who saw Sherlock off on the plane, Mary is the least trustworthy. 

@Tykobrian I will try to read that (the length is a bit daunting), but I really don't want Moriarty to take over.  I liked that Sherlock turned out to be one step ahead of him all the way in TRF and that he outwitted him at the end. 

So, what I'm getting from this is that Mary's entrance into John's life was a set-up from the beginning. It took time to cultivate a relationship with Janine; it took time to place her in John's clinic as a nurse; here's one of my pet theories--

John grieved for quite a while, and I wouldn't be surprised if he dropped off the map for a bit. Meanwhile, Moriarty's dead-- and he leaves a power vacumn behind. But Sherlock is dead--right?

So when all of a sudden, somebody starts taking out Moriarty's network-- they have to wonder who that might be. Sherlock? Not dead? But they can't find him. How best to find him?

John Watson.

So they plant Mary with John, who has finally gone back to work--because they're sure that Sherlock would keep contact with him, or at least let John know if he was alive. And then, Mary could take him out. And possibly, John too-- at least originally. 

Remember in TEH, Sherlock's rats, or markers? I think that's what John was for Moriarty's people. 

In canon Sebastian Moran was Moriarty's right hand man. Suppose Mary is Moriarty's second in command? 

You'd have to be very, very good to be that duplicitous and convincing for that long.

Here's another thing I'm curious about-- what the heck did CAM have on Janine? Hmmmn. 

Last edited by RavenMorganLeigh (August 20, 2014 5:43 pm)

I agree with you, unless the team really are being devious in their portrayal.
As I've said before: we don't see John and Mary having sex on screen either, but we know they do that!

tykobrian wrote:

RavenMorganLeigh wrote:

Harriet wrote:

(Which is the plot of a great fanfiction, Shallow Grave, by Silent Auror, btw.)
 

Oh, she's fabulous.  I think there's also a meta called the M-theory that talks about it. Makes a lot of sense.

You've read M- thoery??  That's the meta I've just linked here. It is rather fabuos as I feel it succeeds in explaining pretty much all the mysteries and even the plot holes.
 

Oh, yes-- I read it quite a while ago. It's very thorough. 

Not so convincing, Swanpride, imho. Hardly a reply to the detailed and thoughtful essay.

This is something that has bothered me for a long time: there's a tendency to take criticism of Mary very personally, as if fans themselves are being attacked. What we're doing is discussing a fictional character. What would be appropriate here is a detailed, point-by-point article making a case for  a Pro-Mary viewpoint. It's rare to find an actual meta that does that. It's a shame, because there are many of us who would love to see one, regardless of what our stance on the subject is. 

besleybean wrote:

Well apart form her dodgy past, she appears to be the best example of  the modern woman: working, sexy, funny, game ...

She's all of those things, yes-- but she's also possibly the worst example I can think of when it regards women in love. You're afraid that your friend might reveal to your husband that you used to kill people for money, and that might cause you to lose his love? You shoot your friend. Not. Good. This isn't behavior to adulate or emulate. 

And again, liking her because she's got game isn't an explanation of why she should be regarded as a sympathetic character.

RavenMorganLeigh wrote:

This is something that has bothered me for a long time: there's a tendency to take criticism of Mary very personally, as if fans themselves are being attacked. What we're doing is discussing a fictional character. What would be appropriate here is a detailed, point-by-point article making a case for  a Pro-Mary viewpoint. It's rare to find an actual meta that does that. It's a shame, because there are many of us who would love to see one, regardless of what our stance on the subject is. 

^This^ - especially since I liked Mary for quite a long time... but I couldn't keep it up since there was too much evidence against her character.

 

besleybean wrote:

Well bearing in mind I never wanted John to get a wife at alI  I think what they came up with was about the best they could do in the circumstances.

Me, either! 

But then,since obiviously TPTB didn't stick to canon for Mary's character, did they feel the need to insert her--into the story, and between John and Sherlock?