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1 of 1- Miss Brainy
- Wrong!
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- Posts: 6
Coffee to go - But why?
I just rewatched HLV and there is something that has been bothering me since the first time I saw it. So I will try to open up my first thread to see if anyone has any ideas about it. Please don't be to hard on me in case I overlooked that it has already been discussed somewhere else 
When Sherlock and John enter CAM's office building for the first time, they don't hold anything in their hands, but after having passed the first security barrier, both of them are holding a cup of coffee. This seems really odd to me. Why should they take the time to buy coffee before breaking into CAM's office? They are never drinking a coffee to go, so why now? Also they just take a sip and then John throws the cups away when they enter the elevator...
Do you think the coffee is supposed to mean anything? The only explanation I could come up with, is that Sherlock says their security cards can only get them as far as the canteen. But why should they go and check out the coffee you can buy there? As you can see I am really confused 
Last edited by Miss Brainy (April 8, 2016 7:42 pm)
- Yitzock
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Re: Coffee to go - But why?
While I am open to other possibilities, I think it's probably just a continuity error. And maybe also there might be more cuts in time than we are supposed to see? Maybe they are supposed to have had enough time to drink more of it before they go in the elevator? Either that, or they just get them so as to look more normal there, to be less suspicious, since there are probably a lot of people who get a coffee before going to someone's office.
Clueing for looks.
- nakahara
- Threatened Knighthood
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Re: Coffee to go - But why?
I think so too. They probably bought cofee to blend in, to make themselves look like they belong there and not be so conspicuos while ogling CAM´s headquarters.
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I cannot live without brainwork. What else is there to live for? Stand at the window there. Was there ever such a dreary, dismal, unprofitable world? See how the yellow fog swirls down the street and drifts across the dun-coloured houses. What could be more hopelessly prosaic and material? What is the use of having powers, Doctor, when one has no field upon which to exert them?
- Miss Brainy
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Re: Coffee to go - But why?
Okay, that makes kind of sense, but on the other hand, there are two reasons why I think the coffee makes them even more suspicious: First of all, the scene takes place in the evening and even if it is a news agency where some people are probably working over night, I still think there won't be everybody running around with a cup of coffee in their hands. I assume this would mostly be the case in the morning. But more importantly, I think it is far more suspicious to throw two cups of coffee out of a closing elevator which is the only access to CAM's office. This way they leave a very obvious trace in the lobby that something unusual might be going on up there. So it would have been far less suspicious not to have had any coffee in the first place...
Last edited by Miss Brainy (April 8, 2016 8:38 pm)
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Thread Starter- Ariane DeVere
- Lestrade's Aide
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Re: Coffee to go - But why?
I saw it as there being a passage of time between the boys arriving at the entrance and then walking to the escalator and then the lift. And I agree that they bought the coffee to blend in a bit. Staff at a news corporation work all hours of the day and night, and those just arriving for the night shift are just as likely to buy a coffee to take to their desk as those arriving in the morning.
The throwing away of the coffee cups was poorly filmed. In some of the long shots of the lift, there is clearly a rubbish bin just to the left of the doors, but later in the scene - and particularly just before John drops the cups - the bin is missing. It therefore initially looked like John dropped the cups on the floor, which never made sense to me, but then someone pointed out the bin to me and I realised that we were meant to think that he was dropping the cups into the bin.
The bit that still confuses me is Sherlock's assertion that the key card only gives access as far as the canteen. I assumed that the card which he nicked was Janine's, but why would her card give her such limited access? How is she supposed to get to her office every day?!
- Vhanja
- One More Miracle
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Re: Coffee to go - But why?
Just an odd stray thought, but it is normal for people with such work to buy coffee? I figured that when you work in an office building, you get coffee for free. I've worked for various companies and in big corporations like that, there are always numerous coffee machines. So I would think they would actually stick out of the crowd bringing take-away coffee instead of carrying around in-house coffee.
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- Liberty
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Re: Coffee to go - But why?
The last time I had regular free coffee at my workplace was over 20 years ago. So .... it depends! Most places I've worked provide water and electricity for you to make your own, if you buy it and take it in. A big place might have a canteen with (usually crap) coffee, or a coffee machine. But I suppose some people like to go out and buy a takeaway one from a proper machine.
Last edited by Liberty (April 11, 2016 12:35 pm)
- Yitzock
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Re: Coffee to go - But why?
Ariane DeVere wrote:
The bit that still confuses me is Sherlock's assertion that the key card only gives access as far as the canteen. I assumed that the card which he nicked was Janine's, but why would her card give her such limited access? How is she supposed to get to her office every day?!
But wouldn't Janine have needed her card to get in herself? She's already there when Sherlock and John get there, so I'd assume she'd have her card with her. Maybe he stole the card he got from someone else, an employee lower on the hierarchy, that we don't see? It would make sense for him to use Janine's card otherwise, but if she's already there I'm not sure how Sherlock would have got his hands on Janine's card after she goes into the office upstairs.
Clueing for looks.
- Vhanja
- One More Miracle
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- Registered: December 11, 2014
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Re: Coffee to go - But why?
The last time I had regular free coffee at my workplace was over 20 years ago. So .... it depends! Most places I've worked provide water and electricity for you to make your own, if you buy it and take it in. A big place might have a canteen with (usually crap) coffee, or a coffee machine. But I suppose some people like to go out and buy a takeaway one from a proper machine.
Ah, ok, different practices, then. I just assumed a corporation as big as Magnussen's would have coffee machines for the employees.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"We'll live on starlight and crime scenes" - wordstrings
Team Hudders!
- Ariane DeVere
- Lestrade's Aide
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- Registered: August 19, 2015
- Posts: 123
Re: Coffee to go - But why?
But wouldn't Janine have needed her card to get in herself? She's already there when Sherlock and John get there, so I'd assume she'd have her card with her. Maybe he stole the card he got from someone else, an employee lower on the hierarchy, that we don't see? It would make sense for him to use Janine's card otherwise, but if she's already there I'm not sure how Sherlock would have got his hands on Janine's card after she goes into the office upstairs.
That's a good point, although if she had had her card nicked yesterday, she could presumably have got another one from Security since then.
So maybe Sherlock met her for lunch at the canteen yesterday and swiped one of the catering staff's cards, which is why it only accesses the canteen?
