Trying to crawl into the mind of the screenwriter again: protagonist has done something really horrible and will do something else that's also really horrible. How can we make sure he doesn't completely lose the sympathy of the viewer? Slap him a few times. Punish the evil deeds. 

Both Martin and the Moftiss says that John is the voice and the face of the audience. I believe many in the audience has been surprised at what Sherlock gets away with. So I think this was something many had been waiting for, for quite a while. Like silverblaze mentioned.

Having that said, I'm rewatching TEH now, and gotten to the scene where John visits Mrs. Hudson. And SHE is annoyed at HIM, because he hasn't contacted her at all in two years. 

Her line "Just one phone call" is eeringly similar to John's "Just one word". So maybe the good doctor has some skeletons in his own closet as well. (Then again, he actually took responsbility for it, and didn't expect the world to revolve around him).

It was just unfortunate John had to witness that...others had to believe Sherlock was dead.

I don't think Sherlock rationalised that at all... Moriarty's network needed dismantling, Mycroft and he planned it and sentimentality did not enter the equation,.

The deception was aimed at John so that he could be convincing for the rest of the world. It was deliberate, not collateral damage.

Everything was done to make good tv.

Yeah, as I said, Moftiss' sense of humour. 

The reunion we're talking about, right? Not the Reichenbach ending. 

Noble? You mean that he sacrificed his life in order to get rid of Moriarty. Yeah, that's noble. The role that John was forced to play in this... not so noble. 

I was really angry with Sherlock for a long time at what he put John through until I finaly realised that John witnessing the suicide was key to him believing it and he had to really believe it for Sherlock's story to hold. If John had even an inkling that Sherlock was still alive, the whole plan would have fallen apart.

And yet, and this is probably an even bigger realisation, Sherlock didn't mean for John to witness it. He had someone make the fake call about Mrs. Hudson being shot to get John away from the scene!

This is a complete about face for me as to my feelings about Sherlock's behaviour on the roof. Having been John on the ground, that took precedence over my analysing the goings on logically, which really shows how personal experience can colour one's opinion of fiction.

Mary

 

Unless someone could get the idea to plant a spy close to John, someone who would gain his trust by supporting him emotionally and then try to get information about Sherlock´s whereabouts.. someone who gets suspicious after all those miraculously solved cases that happen around the world.. maybe Anderson wasn´t the only one still believing in Sherlock Holmes..