It was a very touching, heart-breaking moment for me. And I kept wondering about his choice of words: "They are putting me down, too"- knowing Moffat doesn't leave anything to chance, what do you make of that?

besleybean wrote:

No, I thought he meant Mary was putting him down!
But I did wonder if Redbeard had been put down for no reason.

Yeah, that was a little ambiguous.

That was heartbreaking  Actually all the bits on Sherlock's childhood as he "died" were interesting. It seems he had his share of childhood trauma, what with the dog and Mycroft's bullying.

Isolated children often cling to their pets.  I was always attached to my dog, when my family moved to a new town, I had trouble fitting in for a long time and my attachment to my dog increased a lot.  Dogs sometimes sense when we feel sad and try to cheer us up, so it would have naturally upset young Sherlock when his dog had to be put to sleep.  I heard Moriarty's taunt again about people getting attached to their pets in that scene.

Last edited by josabby (January 14, 2014 1:27 am)

Sherlock Holmes wrote:

After much debating on the forum over the past week, we finally got to find out who Redbeard was/is...it's Sherlock's childhood dog!

I was really really happy with that actually, but I was wondering...what do you guys think happened to Redbeard? Obviously something bad that Sherlock was upset over, which is why Mycroft uses it as a sort of reminder for him not to get too attached or emotionally involved with anything.

So I"m so excited to find this thread because I think we might have it all wrong.  When Sherlock is shot, the Mycroft in his mind palace tells him to find something to calm himself down to avoid the shock, and he finds Redbeard.  That means Redbeard is a happy calming memory for him.  So when in "The Sign of Three" Mycroft says "Redbeard" to Sherlock over the phone he's not trying to bother him or throw him off his game, he's actually being nice!  He knows Sherlock is nervous about the speech he has to give and uses a calming trigger word to shock Sherlock into a better frame of mind.  I mean this really made me look at the whole character of Mycroft differently.  Sherlock is only mad with his "I'm not a child anymore Mycroft" response because he doesn't want to feel coddled.  

Er.. maybe, or maybe Mycroft was also trying to remind him that things he gets attached to tend to die now that I think of it.  Now I'm not sure.  What do you guys think?  

Also my whole theory has a pretty big hole in it from when Magnussen also uses the word Redbeard to put Sherlock off.  I'm not really sure why he does that.. maybe to prove he's got Mycroft under his thumb? Otherwise it seems telling Sherlock that he knows the name of his dead childhood pet is hardly intimidating really... just sort of weird.  

Yes, Mycroft wants Sherlock to be more detached. 

I am curious. What exactly happened to Redbeard? Was he ill and had to be put down by a vet?
In Hounds Sherlock was presumably unable to understand that the landlord was unable to put the dog down. If he himself made such an experience you would think that he understood this kind of sentiment.
Did he lie to John about his coolness or lack of sentiment?

The other option would be that Sherlock actually didn't understand the landlord's sentiment. How detached is he actually? Who killed Redbeard and why? Why did CAM know about Redbeard's existence? Moriarty indicated that there was a connection between Sherlock and pets, too. Maybe this Redbeard incident was not just a private problem with an ill dog, but something a bit public?  Concerning Sherlock?  Something with the potential of developing into a pressure point?

I think CAM mentioned Redbeard when was in Sherlock´s flat and read Sherlock´s file. I wonder how he could know about Redbeard....

Biscuits! wrote:

I think CAM mentioned Redbeard when was in Sherlock´s flat and read Sherlock´s file. I wonder how he could know about Redbeard....

Yes; it is strange. It comes up as 'Redbeard: see file'; I wonder whether this is a cross reference to Mycroft who also knows about Redbeard. Alas, now that CAM has shuffled off this mortal coil we will never know what he thought it was all about, but perhaps it will crop up again...
 

Aw that scene really was heartbreaking. =( Redbeard was so cute.