BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » Poor Janine

Cat of Ulthar · January 14, 2014 7:25 pm

I feel she really got the worst deal - her best friend AND her boyfriend are only with her to get to her boss, who *flicks her eyes*. She's got a cottage now, but I expect she'll be sitting there not trusting anyone ever again ever.

KeepersPrice · January 14, 2014 7:53 pm

Hmmm...poor Janine, really? From what I could tell, she was going to do a "kiss and tell" about being with Sherlock to the newspapers for money. Sherlock played his game with her and she was playing her game with him. I don't feel sorry for her at all.
But that line about moving to the cottage in Sussex with the bees....I mean, Moftiss!! How to inject a sense of unease into the fandom, you bastards.

nicbooful · January 18, 2014 9:29 am

I feel she was presented as one of these women who date famous people so they can sell a story about them later. We can argue that she only did it for revenge but I think it was always her endgame.

She played the game and got exactly what she wanted from it. I don't feel sorry for her regarding Sherlock but she was probably desperate for a way out from working for Magnussen. She has my full sympathies for that.

belis · January 18, 2014 11:33 am

I don't think she needs sympathy. She is a cunning and calculating character herself. There is a reason why her and Mary get on together.

tonnaree · January 18, 2014 11:53 am

nicbooful wrote:
I feel she was presented as one of these women who date famous people so they can sell a story about them later. We can argue that she only did it for revenge but I think it was always her endgame.

She played the game and got exactly what she wanted from it. I don't feel sorry for her regarding Sherlock but she was probably desperate for a way out from working for Magnussen. She has my full sympathies for that.

The first thing we hear her say to him is "The famous Sherlock Holmes."

miriel68 · January 18, 2014 12:59 pm

And let's not forget that she was Magnussen's PA, I somehow cannot picture a really NICE girl getting such job . Also, no girl who calls Sherlock "Sherl" deserves my compassion, lol

Last edited by miriel68 (January 18, 2014 1:00 pm)

holmes23 · January 18, 2014 4:29 pm

I would love to see that scene

nicbooful · January 18, 2014 4:41 pm

The scenes in HLV were absolutely cringeworthy. He kept his mouth shut during the kiss too. Imagine if he hadn't she would have had her tongue down there in a second.

Regina Alexandra · February 2, 2014 3:12 pm

Neither Sherlock nor Janine came off as good or moral people. They used one another and in the end I believe they reached a truce of sorts. I think if Sherlock needed arm candy for some situation, she would be willing to go for a lark.
I find it interesting that many people are in favour of Sherlock and John as a couple but fans go nuts at the thought of Sherlock with a woman. Just my observation, nothing more.

Tinks · February 2, 2014 4:22 pm

I feel we've not seen the last of her - she was being blackmailed by CAM; they didn't just throw that in there for no reason, imo - she had something to hide.
I liked her though - she and "Sherl" seemed to understand each other.
Whether I'll still like her if she reappears in season 4 remains to be seen: I sort of hope they don't make her into another Irene Adler type character.

February 2, 2014 5:45 pm

I don't see a "poor Janine". They spent some time with each other. Sherlock had fun to play relationship and surprise John. I presume she had fun, too as long as their relationship went on and the priviledge to get to know Sherlock a bit (as much as one can get to know him). I don't think that she actually expected to marry him at some point or that Sherlock let her believe in a marriage. Maybe only for a few seconds.
She took revenge and got a lot of money and a cottage out of the whole incident and they both seem to be fine when they part. I don't think we need to feel sorry for her.
At the end she's better off that before. She got rid of CAM, too, and she can start over.

SherlocklivesinOH · February 8, 2014 4:07 am

Regina Alexandra wrote:
Neither Sherlock nor Janine came off as good or moral people. They used one another and in the end I believe they reached a truce of sorts. I think if Sherlock needed arm candy for some situation, she would be willing to go for a lark.
I find it interesting that many people are in favour of Sherlock and John as a couple but fans go nuts at the thought of Sherlock with a woman. Just my observation, nothing more.

My sympathy might depend on how involved she was in CAM's operations, but I'm not sure she had a conscious agenda where Sherlock was concerned.

I can see where Janine may have been attracted to "I'm dating the great Sherlock Holmes" rather than interested in the guy himself...but I didn't see her using him in any concrete way? She wasn't spying on him for Magnussen or anything, was she?

I sort of got the feeling Sherlock didn't even know how to go about faking a relationship.

And if we take the "waiting until marriage" line at face value, I give Sherlock a few decency points for not taking advantage of the situation to get sex...but Janine doesn't appear to see it that way. She seems like she would rather he'd wanted the sex, even if he didn't want to marry her.

And I think she has some odd ideas of what revenge means: the story in the tabloid wasn't "I cared about him and he was just using me," it was "We did it seven times a night!"

That's not a reputation most men would object to having.

By the way, for anyone who doesn't know, Sherlock's use of Janine is actually faithful to Doyle's canon, in which Holmes (in disguise) cozies up to a maid employed at the blackmailer's residence, even going so far as to get engaged. Back then, we were supposed to assume that engaged couples didn't have sex...in the series starring Brett he kisses her, and Brett has stated publicly he thought that out of place because Holmes' sexuality was so ambiguous.

Last edited by SherlocklivesinOH (February 8, 2014 4:10 am)

Zatoichi · February 8, 2014 5:00 am

SherlocklivesinOH wrote:
By the way, for anyone who doesn't know, Sherlock's use of Janine is actually faithful to Doyle's canon, in which Holmes (in disguise) cozies up to a maid employed at the blackmailer's residence, even going so far as to get engaged.

I watched the interview at the apple store yesterday, and thought it was interesting that Moffat was really bothered by Sherlock´s behaviour when he read that particular story as a kid. He said that by giving Janine have her revenge on Sherlock at the end he comforted his 12-year-old self. So I think at least he felt a bit bad for her..

This Is The Phantom Lady · February 8, 2014 5:47 pm

I have a feeling Janine might have known; maybe not Sherlock's entire plan but had a feeling all along. Like it has been said I also feel like she would have sold her story to the press in the end...

And hey; what wouldn't one do for those cheekbones??

SherlocklivesinOH · February 8, 2014 10:57 pm

This Is The Phantom Lady wrote:
I have a feeling Janine might have known; maybe not Sherlock's entire plan but had a feeling all along. Like it has been said I also feel like she would have sold her story to the press in the end...

And hey; what wouldn't one do for those cheekbones??

Well, she could very well have been under CAM's thumb not-so-voluntarily and WANTED him gone. And been turned on by Sherlock in a "hero who slayed the dragon imprisoning me" kind of way.

Thinbeard · May 3, 2014 2:38 am

I'm wondering if there isn't another reason for the Janine character. A Moriarty family connection? How might she and Mary have come to know each other? Why are we informed about the cottage and the bees? Why are we informed that CAM flicked her eye? What did he have on her? And, by the way, how did Mary get into CAM's office? Sherlock says she left the way she came but that isn't explained? Wouldn't Janine have seen the person who bashed her in the head? Any thoughts?

Last edited by Thinbeard (May 3, 2014 2:39 am)

besleybean · May 3, 2014 7:24 am

Well Mary's training would well allow her to creep up on somebody.
Elsewhere, many of us have spoken about Irish Janine who could pass as Jim's sister!
There has also been suggestion that CAM could have slept with Janine..
Sherlock says to Mary why she got to know Janine...the same reason as he did!
Cottage and the bees is a reference to Sherlock retiting to a cottage with bees.

Last edited by besleybean (May 3, 2014 6:41 pm)

Thinbeard · May 3, 2014 5:54 pm

I still don't see an explanation for the referance to flicking Janine's eye and I also don't see how Mary got into the offices. My suggestion is that Janine might have let her in. I'm currently predicting that Billy Wiggins is going to produce a deduction that will reveal the truth about either Janine, Mary or both. We'll learn a lot when/if the actors who portray Billy and Janine reprise their roles. Thanks for responding!

besleybean · May 3, 2014 6:42 pm

Loving your theories.

Russell · May 3, 2014 8:33 pm

-Why are we informed that CAM flicked her eye? What did he have on her?
To simply continue painting a creepy picture of his character? Who knows… be fun to hear.

-Wouldn't Janine have seen the person who bashed her in the head? Any thoughts?
If Mary is as skilled of an agent as hinted, probably not. And maybe she rappelled down into the window. Plus everything besley said.