Okay guys, just got here.
Sorry it took me so long, but I did have to check 15 pages of new posts, to set up my notifications for all of the new threads!
So it's quite a pleasant surprise to see you're only actually on page 6 here.
But I only have about half an hour before I need to go and get ready for work, so I won't be checking anybody else's posts at this stage.
I didn't sleep again, needless to say.
My hubby preferred this week's episode and I think largely I agree with him.
He immediately picked up on the obvious reference to Jimmy Saville being given the keys to the hospital, as did I.
Well I thought last week's was action packed, but they really ramped it up this time- the Steven effect?
At least we didn't have another harrowing death to follow Mary's last week...well done, Rosie, you've lasted so far!
However I could hardly watch Sherlock being suffocated, though I did guess he had changed the bags!
Okay I am going to try and be logical and deal with the events as they happened in the episode, but you know  me- I'll probably leap all over the place.
Or maybe I should jut deal with the main themes?
Okay:
1.  Mary: generally I thought it was beautifully handled.  A very accurate representation of the grieving still seeing their loved one alive and speaking to them. I loved how they cleverly let you first think this tied in with Sherlock imagining speaking to Faith, when actually at the very end, we see that Sherlock had seen and spoken to Mary, too. Incidentally, I think that will be the last we see of Mary. Now she has done her job of reuniting the boys.  What a gal, she is totally selfless even in her death. Considering I never wanted her in the series, I think she was a brilliant, strong female character and Amanda did a great job. I followed her story right through and it was completely logical and believable.
2. Sherrinford: well many of us actually guessed  it might be a sister(never for a moment did I believe the Hiddles rumours!), but of course we couldn't have known who.  So, did she set up the ' Miss me' thing, on all the TV screens I mean and is she connected to Moriarty? Oh and well done to the people who accurately observed that Sherlock's childhood playmate was female.  So here is the current theory I am kind of working on.  Sherrinford is older than Sherlock, I am guessing?  Anyhow, I wonder if the family had always had concerns about this difficult girl.  Then maybe when Sherlock was about 6, Sherrinford either kills or gravely harms Redbeard. Is she removed from the family at that stage?  Does she live in a secret bunker in Mycroft's big house, or at one of his offices?  I did wonder if she was moved into the house, once Daddy and Mummy retired to the cottage? But how has she become 'uncontained'?
Really clever how she planted herself as the bus woman and well done those who spotted she was in disguise.
3. Johnlock...I have seen the relevant threads and have so far stayed away.  I am sorry, but:  Sherlock, only ever kissed women. Now we have confirmed he was attracted to Irene and possibly still is but he holds back.  Incidentally I thought it was lovely how sweetly John dealt with Sherlock over that.  It does also fit in with what the team said about John being proud of getting the hot girl from the wedding, with Janine.  Though I maintain they did not show that well in HLV. But here, John's regard for Sherlock is real. He has lost the woman he loves and he doesn't want Sherlock to do the same. Fabulous that this was all brought together through them both just texting. Sherlock to keep away form the danger of emotional involvement, which poor grieving John is the embodiment of. Honourable John did consider texting and wanting an affair as cheating.  But he wants more: he loved Mary and he loves Rosie, but he thought he wanted a quiet life, as Mary did, but he isn't quite ready to settle down.  He is wanting more female relationships and Mary has given him her blessing. 
4. Culverton: scary and creepy, well done Toby.
I was so glad the Lestrade rumour wasn't true.  There was only ever going to be one lying detective.
Oh I thought Mrs H's reptile line was a waste.  Mycroft was just being a general arse, he hadn't done anything particularly bad, but boy does Mrs H know Sherlock! Good to get more on her.
Billy: SO good to see him again.
EDIT: one last point before I go.  I now see what Benedict meant about where the story is and when it's right to leave it.  Really, once we've done Sherrinford, what else is there to do?  A good end point.

Last edited by besleybean (January 9, 2017 7:27 am)

Did anyone recognise the line "It is what it is" as a quote from a rather famous poem by Erich Fried? It's from one of the most beautiful poems about love called "Was es ist" - What it is.


Was es ist

Es ist Unsinn
sagt die Vernunft
Es ist was es ist
sagt die Liebe

Es ist Unglück
sagt die Berechnung
Es ist nichts als Schmerz
sagt die Angst
Es ist aussichtslos
sagt die Einsicht
Es ist was es ist
sagt die Liebe

Es ist lächerlich
sagt der Stolz
Es ist leichtsinnig
sagt die Vorsicht
Es ist unmöglich
sagt die Erfahrung
Es ist was es ist
sagt die Liebe

i'm-so-cHAngeAbLE wrote:

Guys... I was right about the red letters spread through out the end credits being important! Yes! TST end credits spelled "THE SIX NAPOLEONS." 
The Lying Detective spelled this: "ONCE MORE UNTO THEBR (HEBR???) EACH"
The fourth word just didn't make any sense, but I'm looking into it. The other words defiantly are right, I double checked names. If anyone has a clearer image of the fourth word, that would be awesome. 
And oh, I love you guys! So many theories were actually correct! I got my guess on Sherrinford being a sister right, bus stop lady and Culverton's daughter same person right, the therapist lady being bad at end, and so many more! This episode was insane... AND THE WHOLE MISS ME TOO, AND CULVERTON QUOTING MORIARTY WHEN MORIARTY SAID HE WAS A BIG FAN OF SHERLOCK'S. AAAHHHH.

Once more unto the breach!  I missed the red letters, but Sherlock quotes this speech from Henry V quite extensively during one of the scenes!  I enjoyed that! 

Tom Hiddleston kept being mentioned as the third Holmes' brother, and Mark encouraged it ... Tom played Henry V in The Hollow Crown series, with Benedict as Richard III.  So I wondered if there was a bit of a nod to Tom, and a third brother! 

There was also quite a lot of existing classical music used on the soundtrack, Beethoven, etc.  It reminded me of TRF, but I was also wondering if the music was some sort of code, or hint? 
 

SolarSystem wrote:

miriel68 wrote:

For me the best since TRF. Positively loved it.

I absolutely agree. This was so much better than TST... I actually can't believe how much better it actually was. What an improvement...! Maybe it's due to Nick Hurran, I don't know, but this felt absolutely right again.
And Benedict and Martin both gave a hell of a performance.
 

Amazing is not enough to describe that episode. I was really disappointed after TST and hoped that I could enjoy this one just a litlle bit more. But it simply blew me away. Even Mary's participation didn't bother me. And that is a real kudo coming from me.
 

@besleybean
For me, the reptile line from mrs Hudson referred to Mycroft's behaviour. He is always observing, watching, predatory, in case something goes wrong or not to his taste,nand he has to interfere.
I think that he now wants to observe Marys note and John's grief makes her lash out like this. And she has never been fond of him, while she loves Sherlock, John and also Molly very much.
I dont think anyone who isn't nice to Sherlock stands a chance to get into her good books. and part of that dislike is maybe also that he maybe first considered her as "just the housekeeper" as well. She is acting on behalf of John and Sherlock all episode, and I don't find her wording too strong. I think it is rather nice she lets us know how she sees him.

Last edited by Whisky (January 9, 2017 11:00 am)

Everytime Sherlock has taken drugs, it has been when he is about to leave John (or John is about to leave him). He does always find a case as a reason/excuse to do so, but that emotional trauma is always the catalysator for it.

Swanpride wrote:

Though....did he actually take drugs or did he just pretend that he did? Billy might have lied about that for him.....

I think he did, but it was not to get off on them, but to provoke John out of his self-imposed isolation.
 

Vhanja wrote:

He didn't lie, not according to Molly.

On the other hand, Molly is willing to lie for Sherlock - she proved it when she was his biggest accomplice in TRF.

Another thought  - I was suprised at how closely it followed the original story.  It might as well have just kept the title of The Dying Detective.  (Or is Lying giving us a clue about something for TFP?). 

CS at Sherlock's hospital bed:
I always felt it was pity the CAM hospital scene didn't make it but I'm glad they reused the idea here. It was very, very creepy. First CS mucks around with the corpse's jaw/mouth and then leans in to Sherlock's face and whispers "Lovely"... And the eye contact till the very end... This is like, the best thump!Sherlock John-to-the-rescue fanfictions I've ever read. Or wait, it's canon!

Whisky wrote:

Rewatching. This I did miss the first time The dialogue between Mycroft and Lady Smallwood.
M: "I have, I think, apologized extensively."
L S: "You haven't made it up to me."
M: "How am I supposed to do that?"
different scene, Euros/c.'s daughter: "Sex."

So someone of the writers had this imagine in his mind? Ha!
 

That transition was pretty jarring for me! Steven must have giggled like a schoolgirl writing it and Mark while reading it :D

Last edited by ewige (January 9, 2017 1:56 pm)