Schmiezi, I think that's an excellent point, and the main reason I can think for leaving out the information is that there's going to be something more in S4, something we don't know about yet. 

I have wondered if another reason was just to keep things open from a writing point of view - at the moment, we don't know anything about Mary's background, where's she's from, what her name(s) were, who she worked for (apart from one organisation), all the details of what was true and what wasn't (did she train as a nurse?), who she assassinated, what she knows, who is in her past - it leaves it open to write almost anything they want as long as it ticks the boxes for approximate age, assassin background, etc.!  

But that's being cynical, and they do plan quite far ahead, don't they?   So must have had an idea of what they're going to show in S4.  In other words, I suspect Mary's story might not be finished - that she's not there as a sidekick in S4, but that she turns out to be a plot point, as in S3.  (But that's speculation on my part, of course).

However ... I think that at the moment, between S3 and S4 we are meant to think that Sherlock and John forgive her.  And the things they forgive her for seem to be the shooting and for lying to John, rather than being an assassin - they don't even explore that.   The information about the CIA and so on is revealed at Appledore, and shortly after Sherlock still goes ahead and kills Magnussen in Mary's name. 

@Nakahara, I think she almost is presented in that way up until the shooting - we don't suspect her, but there are clues that she's not what she seems, and that could have led Sherlock discovering she was a villain, which is what seems to happen when he is shot.   But the story continues beyond that, Sherlock's deduction ends up showing something different, and she becomes a client instead. 

Last edited by Liberty (May 7, 2016 8:00 am)

I think what Mark Gatiss said was interesting on how Mary was presensented - that they loved pulling that rug..
Then he went on to say She’d just have shot Magnussen, gone back to being Mrs. Watson – and not only that, they’d have carried on solving crimes together, with this lethal killer nurse wandering along behind them, picking off anyone who might put them in danger. 

I have a feeling Gatiss and Moffat are going to draw on canon for Mary's family and background, somehow combining what we have been given already (her assassin identity) with the character of Mary from The Sign of Four. Has anyone read that meta theory abut Mary and the Waters gang? I found it quite plausible, and we never did find out if the bank robbers were caught, so there is a dangling plot thread right there.

To me MG seems to be describing a classic psycopathic killer who doesn't let morality or conscience bother them.
It is a bit depressing like some kind of Carry on killing film 
They do like black humour though.
My guess is next time Mary will get caught beyond what can be covered up - or killed herself . As with Mrs Hudsons hubby.

Mothonthemantel wrote:

To me MG seems to be describing a classic psycopathic killer who doesn't let morality or conscience bother them.
It is a bit depressing like some kind of Carry on killing film
They do like black humour though.
My guess is next time Mary will get caught beyond what can be covered up - or killed herself . As with Mrs Hudsons hubby.

Yes, of course we have the mirror of Mrs Hudson and her husband. As we had her and chief bridesmaid Margaret as mirrors for John and Sherlock. This is giving me hope. 
 

SusiGo wrote:

Interesting points. And I am quite sure that Mary's past will become important again for several reasons, e.g. the so far unexplained connection between her and Mycroft as imagine (or presented as real) in TAB

But there is something else I have been thinking about for quite some time: Sherlock shoots Magnussen in the head because this is where the information on Mary is. But how can we be sure that this is enough? She has in all probability killed more than one person, people who have friends, family, associates, colleagues, co-conspirators, make your choice. And we are to assume that Magnussen was the only link between them and Mary? Not very likely, if you ask me.
 

Yes, realistically if Magnussen knew, then other people surely knew something (i.e. he got the information from other people - although it's possible that he was the only one to put the information together).   I think that possibly she might be even more at risk from being an agent than an assassin.  She might know too much.  But as far we know, at the moment, Magnussen was the only person who was threatening to have her killed/to use that information.

I also wonder if hanging out with Sherlock puts her more at risk, especially as he is in the public eye (and sometimes involved in international crime-fighting, etc.).  Anybody who does a background check on Sherlock's nearest and dearest would find what Sherlock found very easily (the fake ID). 

I hadn't thought of that, Besleybean, but I'm sure it's possible.  And that would put Mycroft in an interesting position ... what if he was even involved in ordering it?  There was a lot about the Sherlock/Mycroft relationship in TAB and a feeling that they might be setting something up there  - we talked about them setting up Mycroft's death, but what if it's something else?  If Mycroft ordered Mary's death, it would put a very poignant slant on everything in HLV, particularly towards the end (Sherlock shooting Magnussen, and Mycroft's involvement). 

besleybean wrote:

But the way Mark says that, it could imply that the boys continue to work together...Mary won't necessarily be with them. People will disappear, they'll both look at Mary and know it was her!

What moral right would they have to pursue other murderers? If they would tolerate this one and turn blind eye to her?

It makes them amoral even now that they shield the murderer from justice - but this would make them sink to the very bottom.

besleybean wrote:

Well I know it's not a competition, but Sherlock's already a murderer, too. Even Mycroft has sanctioned minions taking people out...that's what they do.
Anyhow, I don't necessarily see it that way, may just have been one of Mark's little jokes.

What kind of comparison is that? 
As you said in your previous post it was suggested that Mary would continue killing people and John and Sherlock would know if people disappear, but they´ll do nothing about it, because it´s Mary...
Now is that something that can be said about Sherlock? He would continue shooting people into their heads because he shot Magnussen once? He would dislike somebody and BOOM? Or Mycroft? He would kill people for money in the name of British Government? And everybody would just smile and shrug their shoulders because that´s what Holmes brothers do?
Of course not - therefore they cannot ever be compared that way.

 

But Sherlock is a British show.
Possibly you haven't heard the commentary, where Mark and Steven laugh hysterically when Sherlock shoots CAM!