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

tobeornot221b · July 27, 2014 7:44 pm

Surprisingly, we haven't discussed this yet. At least I haven't found it here.

The words that are floating around Mary, Sherlock's deductions about her, are the following:
linguist
Guardian
part time nurse
only child
shortsighted
clever
liar
secret tattoo
disillusioned
Lib Dem
size 12
bakes own bread
cat lover
romantic
appendix scar

The writers may have chosen mostly random characteristics to describe Mary - but some of them could be meaningful in the light of HLV.
One that struck me is "cat lover".

Since we haven't seen an actual cat in the Watson household - we could have actually expected so -
"cat lover" could refer to a person who is fond of shooting and guns:

Mary is such a person. I'm inclined to think that the writers meant "cat lover" that way.

gently69 · July 27, 2014 7:59 pm

That's interesting. Didn't know that. Seriously.

What's about bakes own bread?
Sorry, couldn't resist.

SolarSystem · July 27, 2014 8:01 pm

Aaahhh, what a clever observation, tobe...! That's really nice, I never would have realized this. Sometimes it's all in the details...

tobeornot221b · July 27, 2014 8:03 pm

gently69 wrote:
What's about bakes own bread?

Come on, gently, make a deduction!

SolarSystem · July 27, 2014 8:03 pm

gently, I actually had to think about "bakes own bread" just now... in German we have "sein eigenes Süppchen kochen", but I suppose there is no double meaning when you say that someone bakes his/her own bread?
"Shortsighted" might mean something else than just the need to wear glasses...?

tobeornot221b · July 27, 2014 8:09 pm

If Mary bakes her own bread in Baker street - does this qualify her for being part of the "family" or does it place herself outside? Hmm...

gently69 · July 27, 2014 8:23 pm

Good one, tobe.
I have to admit ... I am terrible on deductions.

Mattlocked · July 27, 2014 8:39 pm

Linguist might be the reason she isn't English but has no accent.

What does Lib Dem mean?

besleybean · July 27, 2014 8:45 pm

Liberal Democrat.
Traditionally a middle of the road political party.

Mattlocked · July 27, 2014 8:58 pm

Thanks!

A lovely light · July 27, 2014 9:12 pm

How on earth can Sherlock know about the appendix scar?
-----
I think important is the "guardian". For example she seems to follow John everywhere when it gets dangerous, can she be his guardian? The following question comes right away: who put her as a guardian? Because it would be a too big coincidence for an free lance assasin to start working in the same place with John...

If it was Mycroft, why woudn't she say to Sherlock that instead of trying to kill him. Which other person would have an interest apart from Moriarty and how Mycroft didn't know it? It would be too far away to think of an Afganistan connection....

BreathingIsBoring · July 27, 2014 9:53 pm

A lovely light wrote:
How on earth can Sherlock know about the appendix scar?

That's what I was wondering. That dress isn't sheer or clingy.

SusiGo · July 28, 2014 7:02 am

I think we had the "Guardian" discussion shortly after TEH aired. Of course it could be meant as guarding a person but could also apply to the newspaper. We cannot know for sure I guess because they used only capital letters at the beginning of the words if I am not mistaken.

And, yes, I was baffled by the appendix scar, too. And the secret tatttoo which could also be a sort of sign of a gang or secret organisation to which she once belonged.

besleybean · July 28, 2014 7:47 am

I thought it said: Guardian reader?
But then maybe we weren't sure if the two words were connected!
On both the scar and tattoo, may just be poetic licence...
But do people tend to touch where they have a scar and tattoo?

Last edited by besleybean (July 28, 2014 7:47 am)

Mattlocked · July 28, 2014 8:40 am

I've got my appendix scar when I was 7 and I haven't touched it for 37 years now, I think.
(Though I remember at the beginning I used it as a useful tool to remember where's "left" and "right". )

Just found this blog where it says it may also be "Secret" and "Tattoo" - separated:
http://myrenaissanceblog.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/who-is-mary-morstan/

EDIT: Just watched the scene again (for the xy time ) and "Secret Tattoo" appears definitely together.

Last edited by Mattlocked (July 28, 2014 8:49 am)

SusiGo · July 28, 2014 8:49 am

Thank you for this, Mattlocked. Of course it would make more sense if "tattoo" and "secret" were to be read separate from each other. The tattoo would be a random fact like cat lover or bakes her own bread whereas secret would point exactly to what is revealed later in HLV. So Sherlock would have been on the right track from the beginning and only chose to ignore it for John's sake.

Mattlocked · July 28, 2014 8:57 am

Right, Susi, but I just edited my post. It appears together "Secret Tattoo".
But then again there are floating some "Secret" all alone around it.....

I can't see a "Reader" appearing with "Guardian", btw....

Mattlocked · July 28, 2014 9:09 am

But then again you also have this: "Cat Lover" together and "Lover" separately.
Hm.... which could also be quite interesting. Does she have a lover? Next to John?
But honestly I'm starting to think that this is just a way of showing how Sherlock's deductions "fall together", so maybe nothing of big significance?

A lovely light · July 28, 2014 9:19 am

Is Guardian a paper which provide opinions of Lib Dem?

Liberty · July 28, 2014 9:37 am

Well, it's seen as a bit more left than the others. Some comedian (I forget who, sorry) described it as a paper for teachers.

TV Tropes has a quite a good article about the main papers. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers?from=Main.BritishNewspapers

I think Guardian (with a capital) means the paper. But it could have more than one meaning.

I also thought that size 12 meant he thought Mary was a dress size 12, but she's obviously a 10 at most. Strange, when he got Irene's measurements exactly! Unless size 12 doesn't mean dress size.

Last edited by Liberty (July 28, 2014 9:45 am)