I visit a centre for sexual counseling (is that the right word) with my pupils regularly. They always teach that today there is no accidential pregnancy any longer. So I am with you completely, Fix.
 

SusiGo wrote:

Good point, Fix. So how do you interpret Mary's reaction the dance floor? Is her surprise and shock just an act for Sherlock and John? Or is it something like "Oops, it really worked!"?
 

 
I think Mary is a clever lady and a consummate actor.

I see your point.  But it seems to me that if they had been 'trying' for a baby, even to the degree of just 'seeing what happens', then Mary, if not John, would have been more aware of her symptoms, and they wouldn't have appeared so gobsmacked at the wedding.

But you may be right.  Perhaps we'll find out in Season 4....

I just know that nothing is %100.  Had a cousin that was using condoms and on the pill and still got pregnant.  Stuff happens.

I do agree that at first Mary seems more upset than John.  John looks shocked but happy.  Mary at first looks like she's about to throw up.  

Last edited by tonnaree (August 16, 2014 9:50 pm)

tonnaree wrote:

I just know that nothing is %100.  Had a cousin that was using condoms and on the pill and still got pregnant.  Stuff happens.
 

Yes, it does happen all the time! (In real life, people could be prescribing contraception, but useless at using it themselves!).  But usually, in Sherlock Holmes stories, things are more predictable - can't think of any examples right now, but the stories kind of rely on people acting in a way that fits with what Sherlock might deduce about them. 

I don't know how things work outside the UK, but here GP practices are usualy very involved in contraception.  Practice nurses (like Mary) in particular, can have quite a big role.  The government encourages GPs to prescribe long-acting reversible contraception (injections, IUS, etc.), because they're considered more effective, and John and Mary would be aware of this. 

So it's safe to say that John and Mary would be able to make a very informed choice about contraception.  If they definitely wanted to avoid pregnancy, they'd go for a more reliable method, such as an implant.  Of course, Mary might have some condition that makes certain contraception less suitable, but we're not told about anything like that.   Otherwise, if Mary got pregnant, then she probably had made a decision to stop using the implant or whatever it was.  John may or may not have known about that. 

So far, nobody  here has mentioned that there's also the possibility that John is not the father.
There might have been an unexpected opportunity (and therefore maybe without contraception precautions) for Mary to meet her usual "shoulder to cry on", David. For instance on that day when she sent John and Sherlock away to investigate the Brainbridge case. Then being pregnant around the wedding date would also match with the timeline.
And then there is this conversation between Mrs Hudson and John after the stag night where she talks about her husband "and all the other women". Apparently her husband had cheated on her.
And don't forget that David, being seated at the top table closest to Mary, optically is very similar to John. It seems we should get prepared by the writers to consider the possibility that Mary is cheating on John as well. Sherlock's deduction then would explain why Mary was actually panicking.
 

More devastating emotions? You are a greedy girl, Schmiezi. 

But, yes, the outward similarity between John and David is striking. And his position of honour quite near to the bridal couple is strange regarding the fact he is Mary's ex. 

Swanpride wrote:

They writers just make a point that John is Mary's "type".

And if getting pregnant from John is unlikely, getting pregnant from a "shoulder to cry on" while being with John is even MORE unlikely. Mary isn't the youngest, and uses protection, and while she might forgo the condom in the relationship with John, she certainly wouldn't if she had an affair with some dude who might or might not carry some sexual illness (John is on the other hand "safe", as is she, because in their job they should get tested at least for HIV from time to time). So any scenario not involving John is way too much out there.

And why should Mary want to get pregnant while CAM is breathing down her neck? For me it looks like she is initially happy about the baby, but then she remembers Magnussen and starts to worry. After all, nothing as great as being eight month pregnant when you have to flee the country because the police and a bunch of assassins are on your heels.

I don't think they would be regularly tested for HIV in their jobs.   Otherwise I agree.  And at that point in their relationship, they appear to be genuinely in love and not looking for others - Mary's big secret is her past and I don't see her risking such a mundane secret as a fling with an ex.   I think you are right that when her face falls she is thinking about Magnusson. 

Mary started the job before she was pregnant.
No need for pregnancy tests, staff protect themselves from Xrays etc anyway.

Oh, good point Sherlockismyfix, never thought about it before. But of course, they are old enough to know this stuff. The question is, did Mofftiss think about it, too or is it totally unimportant? We saw in the past series that not everything we thought is super-important was important at all.