Also, what was the big deal when Ian Monkford's wife referred to her husband in 'past tense'?   

monitaa wrote:

Also, what was the big deal when Ian Monkford's wife referred to her husband in 'past tense'?   

This meant she was already indicating to everyone that Ian was dead when no body had yet been found to prove that point; therefore, Sherlock knew she was in on the plan to make it appear he was dead in order to collect the insurance money and live happily ever after in Columbia. Make sense?

@KeepersPrice...
Oh okay.. that ways.. got it now!! :D

Yeah, I think he just kept the shoes for his own amusement long before Sherlock became well known as a detective and long before he had heard of him. Then he decided then shoes would be a fun part of his game.

I've often wondered how he got into the flat too, although remember it's unlikely that Moriarty himself did it, he probably got one of the many people who worked for him to do it, and possibly a lock picker who could pick the lock, let himself in, leave the shoes, then locked it up after himself again. Sherlock probably noticed the break in the dust line but it wasn't particularly important to mention it because it was obvious someone had been in there.

I just rewatched this episode on German TV (usually watch the original version on the DVD's) and besides being again (even after the tenth time of watching it) fascinated about how amazing it is, I first realized there was a scene I didn't quite understand:

When John and Sherlock go to the Vauxhall Arches in order to search for the Golem, they spot him and hide behind a wall. Now John apologizes to Sherlock about something.
Does anyone know what it is?
Thanks in advance. 

Fetchinketch wrote:

I think you mean when he realizes that he forgot to bring his gun...and then Sherlock hands it to him.

Thank you very much for your answer!
Yes, I rewatched it and you're right, it was about his gun, thanks again. 

Yeah, I absolutely love the Casebook for those little bits.

anjaH_alias wrote:

2. Yes, I think, Moriarty got aware of Sherlock Holmes after the Carl Powers murder. He was the murderer and must have been very observant to everything what was going on afterwards. Sherlock himself mentions that he tried to make the police aware of the fact that the shoes were missing, but nobody listened to him at that time. Somehow Moriarty must have heard about that. So this means that he knew Sherlock for a long time - maybe it was the point where his obsession started.

IIRC, Moriarty took the shoes because Sherlock was right - they were the key to determining that it was murder, not an accident.  The laces had traces of Carl's eczema medicine, which had the poison in it.  Years later, Sherlock apparently put a stop to one or several of Moriarty's schemes prior to ASiP, and Moriarty contracted with the cab driver to create a case that would reel him in.

So, was Moriarty keeping tabs on Sherlock the whole time, or was it not until he crossed paths with him later that he realised that the person who was now interfering with his 'work' was the same person who had made a fuss about the shoes?  I don't think the obsession could have started until he knew more about Sherlock - he wouldn't have been more than an annoyance at first.  So, it must have been after Sherlock put up his web page and solved a few of Moriarty's crimes that he began to see Sherlock as not just an adversary but as a mirror of himself.

anjaH_alias wrote:

monitaa wrote:

Hi
I was watching 'The Great Game' for the 2nd time time today...And two questions sprung into my mind. I would appreciate if you guys help me in finding their answers....
1) How did Moriarty enter 221C and put the shoes there when Mrs. Hudson said that she hadn't opened the door for a long time..how did Morairty get the access to that room?
2) Has Moriarty been knowing Sherlock for last 20 years? Did he murder Carl Power and keep his shoes with him to play 'the game' 20 years later with Sherlock?

That's it for now

1. Very likely Moriarty (or one of his ´colleagues´) have taken the key in an unobserved moment - Mrs. Hudson just says that nobody wanted the key from her, nobody wanted to see that flat again, that she didn´t open the door for a long time.
2. Yes, I think, Moriarty got aware of Sherlock Holmes after the Carl Powers murder. He was the murderer and must have been very observant to everything what was going on afterwards. Sherlock himself mentions that he tried to make the police aware of the fact that the shoes were missing, but nobody listened to him at that time. Somehow Moriarty must have heard about that. So this means that he knew Sherlock for a long time - maybe it was the point where his obsession started.
This does not necessarily mean that they knew each other physically - Sherlock doesn´t anyway, he obviously hasn´t faced Moriarty before his performance as IT-Jim -, but the whole start of TGG makes no sense otherwise. If there wasn´t any connection to Sherlock, Moriarty hadn´t chosen this case as the first of the five pips.

 
I also wonder whether there was an earlier (school or neighbourhood)  connection between Richard Brook and Sherlock:
I got suspicious when Sherlock said:" It's where I began." Instead of when I began.
After reading The Casebook my questions remain:
Was Sherlock probably a pupil who took part in the swimming event in London? The Casebook mentioned that it was an event where several schools sent pupils to.
Was Sherlock even there to see the locker himself?
Sherlock told John that "there was no sign of his shoes in the locker".
How could Sherlock possibly tell that there was no sign? Except, if Sherlock was there to see the locker.
The Casebook provides us with  a newspaper article, but no hint about the locker and  missing shoes there. So Sherlock must know more than what was mentioned officially.
I imagine that Sherlock, Richard and Carl took part in the sports tournament. It would provide an explanation why Richard knew Sherlock and maybe why Sherlock looked for the botulinum toxin which is "virtually undetectable".
If there was a history between Richard and Sherlock or just a history between Carl and Sherlock it would also explain why Sherlock said that he knew Ian Monkford.
Was Sherlock just inventing something or did he see an actual pattern? Were the cases in TGG constructed to confront Sherlock with his own and Richard's past?
This is about you and me. Janus=pást and future. Memory stick. Getting to know you present.
Maybe Richard /Moriarty wanted to tell Sherlock that they shared a history and a future?

I am aware that the writers said that Sherlock's past is sacred land and that they will open little windows for us. Maybe we will get some background information when everything is revealed about Richard/Moriarty.

 

Moriarty can break into the Bank of England, Pentonville Prison, and the Tower of London simultaneously -- surely, he could have easily broken into the flat where he put Powers' shoes. 

Besides, he also picked the lock of 221B in the Reichenbach Fall to pay Sherlock a visit after he was acquitted of all charges and was a free man. 


Lastly, Moriarty TOOK the shoes initially because they were potential evidence, since they had traces of the poison.  As to why he KEPT them, I'm not sure; he could've burned them completely and it would've been a cold case. 

The more likely theory or explanation is that Moriarty has the profile of most serial killers -- he likes to keep trophies and mementos of his criminal conquests, in this case, Carl Powers' shoes.