BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Mary's Choice

molly212 · September 6, 2014 3:32 pm

I am new to the BBC Sherlock Series. I am not a fan of detective movies/novels, which is why I've only just decided to watch the show. Once I watched a few episodes, I got hooked. I've only finished watching all the episodes (twice) last week.

I am not here to discuss Mary's character in depth. I've seen dozens of threads on this topic. I just have one very specific question: Why did Mary have to shoot Sherlock? Couldn't she just knock him out instead? It would be a lot less demaging. She is extremely skilled at combat, and should be able to knock Sherlock out in a swift move. At that point CAM would have pushed the alarm button anyways so a few extra seconds spent to knock Sherlock out wouldn't have changed anything. Why does she have to shoot him? I read many posts, but still couldn't find an answer. Thanks.

maryagrawatson · September 6, 2014 3:35 pm

I think she has to shoot him to get him out of commission long enough to figure out what to do now that he knows her true identity. Just knocking him out wouldn't give her enough time.

Mary

molly212 · September 6, 2014 3:45 pm

Still not sure why she had to incapacite Sherlock. She could just tell Sherlock "Don't tell John", and quickly leave the building the same way she came. CAM wouldn't tell John that Mary was here in either scenarios. Why does she have to shoot Sherlock?

Last edited by molly212 (September 6, 2014 4:23 pm)

maryagrawatson · September 6, 2014 4:27 pm

Because "Don't tell, John" doesn't guarantee her Sherlock's silence while she figures how to deal with this. Shooting Sherlock does.

Mary

molly212 · September 6, 2014 4:37 pm

But Sherlock will eventually wake up (since she knew she didn't kill him). By then he could be so mad at her and it would harder to appease him (to not tell John). It seems to me that shooting Sherlock is the least optimal solution.

besleybean · September 6, 2014 4:40 pm

I think at the moment, it's John's choice thst's more important.

molly212 · September 6, 2014 4:41 pm

could you elaborate? not quite sure what you mean.

besleybean · September 6, 2014 4:43 pm

Well John appears to have chosen Mary, for now at least.

maryagrawatson · September 6, 2014 4:52 pm

molly212 wrote:
But Sherlock will eventually wake up (since she knew she didn't kill him). By then he could be so mad at her and it would harder to appease him (to not tell John). It seems to me that shooting Sherlock is the least optimal solution.

It is the least optimal solution, but we can't look at her decision rationally. Like I wrote in another Mary thread, Mary is essentially brainwashed. She's a government-programmed assassin. This is likely how she's been taught to deal with threats.

Mary

molly212 · September 6, 2014 4:56 pm

I did not see your previous post, but what you said makes sense. Mary probably thinks very differently from an average person. Thanks!

Liberty · September 6, 2014 5:04 pm

I've wondered about this too (because I've been trying to see if I can believe the "surgery" explanation). I think there would have been a number of difficulties:

1. Hitting him on the head would be less precise and difficult to judge. What are the changes that it would cause unconsciousness for the required amount of time? There are a number of other possible outcomes: enough damage to kill him right away, brain haemorrhage (which may or may not have allowed him to talk when John arrived), permanent brain damage with or without speech that could give her away, not managing to knock him out or do much damage at all, etc. No idea how easy it is to knock somebody out with a gun.

2. She's a skilled assassin, but Sherlock puts up a good fight and is taller (she'd be hitting him from below). He could block her blow - it could all go wrong. Going for a fight would put her in a much more risky position than pointing a gun at him.

3. He'd still get taken to hospital, but John might be with him all the time, and he could spill the beans at any time. The shooting means that he's in theatre and away from John. (John is still with him when he wakes, so not that great planning, but there's still a lot of time when he wouldn't have been able to talk to John). With a head injury, he might not even be kept in if it was mild, so would have gone home (probably with John), so lots of chance to talk and little chance for Mary to get him alone.

Last edited by Liberty (September 6, 2014 5:23 pm)

molly212 · September 6, 2014 5:26 pm

Valid points! I agree knocking Sherlock out wouldn't be a good solution then. She could have just walked away without doing any damage to Sherlock, but as Mary pointed out, she is pre-conditioned to solving conflicts with bullets.

Liberty · September 6, 2014 6:02 pm

She could have, but she was determined not to let John know. (Also, John might well have let the police know, even if he did inadvertently, and she'd have had to disappear).

She could have run for it immediately, without showing her face. Magnusson may or may not have revealed her identity (it might have suited his purposes to keep it secret for now), but Sherlock might have guessed as Magnusson had said it wasn't Lady Smallwood.

She could have tried to talk to Sherlock - maybe a quick threat to kill him or John, to buy her some time until she could talk to him properly. That may have worked. It would have relied on Sherlock lying to the police too (which Magnusson does).

I like the idea of her kidnapping Sherlock, but obviously that would be impossible!

I have to say, although I don't think I believe the surgery story, there aren't many other viable options for Mary at that point.

A lovely light · September 6, 2014 6:32 pm

I am asking myself the same question.
Re time: she incapacitated both Janine and the bodyguard with head hits and that allows her enough time to deal with CAM. So she knows how to hit people that they don't die or suffer major problems but be just inconscious for enough time - other way she would have choosen other method. Mary is efficient and good at her work, other way: she woudn't have gain acces to CAm's office, she woudn't have worked for CIA or on free basis.

As much as the hit was in a part of the body where the future damages are under check, any bullet wound has too many unknown variables (how powerfull a person body is, how quick an ambulance come - really come an ambulance in London in 8 minutes?, how skilled the doctors are). If it was a matter of a couple of minutes like Sherlock tells John (between 1 and 6-7 minutes if we think that it took a little time for John to come to the upper room and that the ambulance didn't come right the next moment , other way John would have been very intrigues) how this thinking of "surgery" works is beyond me to understand....

As much as i think, i still cannot buy the "surgery" and the "she saved my life".Sherlock must have learnt something in the time between hospital when he still thinks that "this wife" is a danger for John and the 221B scene when he already knows whose name Mary has token and when he said John that John can trust Mary.

Punch me in the face · September 6, 2014 6:50 pm

I think she shot him because he clearly wasn't expected it, he thought she wouldn't go as far as shooting.

If she had tried to hit him (ie. like she did with Magnussen), he would have had fractions of seconds to realise what was coming and that she was determined to knock him out. Sherlock is really good at reading body language and I guess that (even though the Gollem scene didn't really convince that) he could be a strong opponent in a fight. And even though I have trouble imagining Sherlock beating a pregnant woman, she wouldn't take the risk. Plus, being really good at shooting and fearing John might come in at any moment, it was much easier and quicker for her to shoot Sherlock rather than to try to hit him. Well, I don't know...

Liberty · September 6, 2014 7:17 pm

Yes, and thinking of it, she waited until he started to take a step towards her. Maybe there's a possibility that she might have switched to a different plan if he hadn't done that - like just threatening him.

Using the gun as a club would have meant a small amount of time to reverse the gun in her hand. And then she wouldn't have had a gun as a weapon, just a ... gun-club. Magnusson doesn't seem to be a fighter but even he might have become a threat if she didn't have a gun to point - there would be two of them against one. I don't think Sherlock would have attacked her, but he could maybe have restrained her or just warded off blows. Or even run downstairs.

I assume she sneaked up on Janine and the bodyguard to attack them, which would have given her an advantage (she didn't arrive by the expected route). Knocking them out is still a bit unpredictable, but I assume Janine didn't see her face, so wasn't such a risk.

Zatoichi · September 6, 2014 7:23 pm

Yes, knocking out Sherlock is not too easy, even for someone trained in combat.. she had to think quick, she is a disillusioned trained assassin (and as such probably not able to trust anybody) and Sherlock ignored her warning.. so it probably was the best choice for her in that moment.

On condition that she rather risks the life of her good pal Sherlock than risking her untruthful marriage, that is.. *tries to be rational about it but fails..*

Last edited by Zatoichi (September 6, 2014 7:34 pm)

mrshouse · September 6, 2014 7:28 pm

Good thread, molly212.
I have such trouble with the shooting. Sherlock was unarmed, he clearly and without a possible misunderstanding offered his help. I wouldn't actually know about this brainwashing @Mary keeps mentioning and I'm not sure if I want to know about it or want it for her reasoning. I might understand this very situation and that there might be a bit of short-circuit in her action. But it's difficult to align with what comes after that: threatening Sherlock in his hospital bed and being prepared to finish him for good in Leinster garden. That what makes the shooting hard to understand.

Last edited by mrshouse (September 6, 2014 7:29 pm)

Zatoichi · September 6, 2014 7:34 pm

Agree 100%, mrshouse!

Liberty · September 6, 2014 7:45 pm

Yes, she never seems horrified that she almost killed him instead of incapacitating him. If anything, she seems disappointed that he survived (possibly. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh there). Not that I think she really wants him dead, but she makes it clear that she would kill him if she thought he would give her away.