The pressure point CAM could be thinking about exploiting is the same thing Kitty the reporter tried to use in TRF. "You and John Watson, just platonic?"

RavenMorganLeigh wrote:

Ozma wrote:

I think we had our logical explanation...

Pressure points are those things that elicit reactions in people, right?

Well.. Sherlock is leaving on a suicide mission, John won't see him for 6 months, but possibly ever again.
What's John's reaction? NOT.EVEN.ONE.LITTLE.TEAR.

Here you go. No pressure point for Sherlock there.

I agree. I got the feeling that Sherlock cares a lot more for John, than John cares for Sherlock. I mean, he didn't see him for a month, didn't ask about what happened during the hiatus, he certainly wasn't at Sherlock's side in the hospital....they've become distant. At least, for John. 

Er...he most definitely WAS at Sherlock's side in the hospital. We see that several times. He's there when Mary arrives and tells her Sherlock's first word was 'Mary'. He's there when Lestrade arrives and tells him that's Sherlock's on morphine and babbling. He never seems to leave the hospital.

I think, it's crucial to understand what pressure point really means. (Which I don't entirely, but I'm trying.)

The thing is, it's not about caring. It's not about who you love the most, because it's not about life-saving. (The bonfire scene being an exception, an experiment.) CAM is not a murderer. If he was, Sherlock would be John's pressure point, too, i'm sure.  

Pressure points are about black-mailing people.

Can you imagine John paying money or deviating from his moral compass so a secret of Sherlock's can stay in the dark, no matter how much he cares about him? Because I can't. He would simply tell Sherlock about the black-mailing and they would try and stop it together. John believes Sherlock to be almost invincible and if he ever makes a mistake there's Mycroft to sort it out. That's what John  basically thinks - and what's also basically true.

Furthermore, John isn't really aware of the fact that Sherlock has his secrets. Remember when he didn't believe Sherlock to be taking drugs? Even if, John thinks that Sherlock doesn't care, whether his secrets get out in the open. John might care, but since TRF John knows that Sherlock doesn't.  Additionally, Sherlock doesn't have many people that are important to him... or so John thinks. So,  there just isn't  a whole lot potential for black-mailing John with Sherlock, which means there is no real pressure point.

I guess, CAM stores only the "best" pressure points, not in a "who do you love the most?"-sense, but in a practical sense. You can surely black-mail John much easier with information about Mary und Harry than with information about Sherlock. (See above.) 

Sherlock on the other hand seems to have several equally good pressure points. Sherlock would do almost anything to stop Moriarty and see what he's done for Irene Adler. He clearly has an addiction to drugs, which he can only control by playing detective.  I'm not sure about Redbeard and the hounds.

Davina wrote:

Everyone assumes Sherlock shoots CAM 'just' to protect John and 'Mary'. Has anyone else considered that he may have killed him to protect all those others people but also HIMSELF?

Definitely! He even said something like "people who are different." I don't remember the exact words, I guess I have to watch it again.

Criosdan wrote:

Davina wrote:

Everyone assumes Sherlock shoots CAM 'just' to protect John and 'Mary'. Has anyone else considered that he may have killed him to protect all those others people but also HIMSELF?

Definitely! He even said something like "people who are different." I don't remember the exact words, I guess I have to watch it again.

 
He shot CAM to protect/avenge anyone CAM had every threatened.  Remember how much Sherlock hated CAM.  I mean HATED.  CAM's particular brand of evil "turned his stomech."

Last edited by tonnaree (January 14, 2014 2:16 pm)

tonnaree wrote:

Criosdan wrote:

Davina wrote:

Everyone assumes Sherlock shoots CAM 'just' to protect John and 'Mary'. Has anyone else considered that he may have killed him to protect all those others people but also HIMSELF?

Definitely! He even said something like "people who are different." I don't remember the exact words, I guess I have to watch it again.

 
He shot CAM to protect/avenge anyone CAM had every threatened.  Remember how much Sherlock hated CAM.  I mean HATED.  CAM's particular brand of evil "turned his stomech."

And don't forget Mycroft. CAM was trying to get to him through Sherlock and he would have succeeded. With Mycroft in his power, CAM would have control of the whole nation. Sherlock was saving the country. 

RavenMorganLeigh wrote:

I got the feeling that Sherlock cares a lot more for John, than John cares for Sherlock. I mean, he didn't see him for a month, didn't ask about what happened during the hiatus, he certainly wasn't at Sherlock's side in the hospital....they've become distant. At least, for John. 

Well, yeah!    John has lots of friends--well, people he knows and can hang out with...he's "normal," to all outward appearances, anyway.  But Sherlock only has one friend: John.  So the gap in his life caused by Sherlock's absence, while devastating at first, eventually dulled and can be filled in a way by being around other people he gets along with.  But Sherlock doesn't have other people he can hang out with, so he feels the absence of John more deeply.  That's why Sherlock shows emotion in the farewell scene but John doesn't.  Sherlock needs John but John doesn't need Sherlock to be happy.

Tetrisash wrote:

Sherli Bakerst wrote:

RavenMorganLeigh wrote:

I got the feeling that Sherlock cares a lot more for John, than John cares for Sherlock. I mean, he didn't see him for a month, didn't ask about what happened during the hiatus, he certainly wasn't at Sherlock's side in the hospital....they've become distant. At least, for John. 

Well, yeah!    John has lots of friends--well, people he knows and can hang out with...he's "normal," to all outward appearances, anyway.  But Sherlock only has one friend: John.  So the gap in his life caused by Sherlock's absence, while devastating at first, eventually dulled and can be filled in a way by being around other people he gets along with.  But Sherlock doesn't have other people he can hang out with, so he feels the absence of John more deeply.  That's why Sherlock shows emotion in the farewell scene but John doesn't.  Sherlock needs John but John doesn't need Sherlock to be happy.

Reading this legitimately made me feel really, really sad. I'm big on the bromance between the two, but I understand after what Sherlock did to John, John would feel more distance from him.

but this could be temporary, and if you think about it, it is also understandable. I do feel what you feel, and I was too upset by John's behaviour, so I'm not saying it's normal - it's not.
But perhaps it was indeed John trying to protect himself from possibly experiencing heartbreak again because of Sherlock - and remember, Sherlock has just now begun to really work hard to earn John's complete forgiveness and trust back. So maybe once John realises that, things will be better...

shezza wrote:

I think that by HLV John has completely forgiven Sherlock. His composed reaction at the goodbye scene I think is due to three things:

a) he's a married man with a kid on the way. Like y'all are saying, he's moved on. He has other responsabilities now, and he has "a new game" to play (namely fatherhood). It's Sherlock who hasn't moved on (how could he?).

b) He doesn't know Sherlock's in mortal danger. Even if Sherlock outright tells him it's unlikely they'll ever see each other again, that must be small fries in comparison with the grief he felt after he saw his best friend jump to his "death" two years earlier. He's probably thinking that Sherlock will reappear, like he always does.

c) There's his wife and Mycroft looking on.

I think the fact that Mary, and especially Mycroft are there looking at them is one of the main things for John. As we've seen in TEH, in the underground scene, John found it hard but still forced himself to say the words he wanted to say to Sherlock - because they were alone. So much so that he even made him swear not to tell anyone once he found out they were safe.

At the airport they are not alone, and even though probably Mary and Mycroft are unable to hear them, they can still see them and this is a problem for John.

 

shezza wrote:

I mean, it's like a scene between two people who've already told each other everything. They are both completely aware by HVL of just how much they care about each other. What can you add to that? Nothing.

Which is why, although at first I wished for a hug, later I felt that they'd already done that and there was no need to do it again.  They'd already said all there was to say.  A handshake is a formal gesture and also kind of just going through the motions (I'm tempted to write [e]motions!).  It can have as much or as little meaning as one wants.  It can also signify an agreement to something, a contract, as in "shake on it."  So maybe the handshake between Sherlock and John had the meaning of they will always be friends, they will never forget, they are bound to each other.