Of course.
Most widowers find it difficult to get back into relationships, at least for a while.
For someone who suffers with PTSD anyway and who has possibly witnessed his wife(and child) suffering the most horrendous death:
I think it's a given that John will be terribly traumatised...but I hope not for the rest of his life.
He may decide never to marry again, but it would be nice if he could find some happiness once more.

EDIT: and yes Liberty, bereavement can often have strange effects upon people...doesn't always change their sexuality!

Last edited by besleybean (May 24, 2016 7:54 pm)

Liberty wrote:

John pretty much denies that it could have been a man he fell for ("of course it's a woman").  So if he's bisexual, it looks like he hasn't realised it yet.

I think that if they were going to show him dating men, it would have worked best to just throw one or two in amongst the women, rather than introduce one after Mary's death (and then we could have had a bisexual John all along).

It wouldn't be canon if he did, and in all that really matters, Gatiss and Moffat have chosen to respect canon.  The ACD Watson was straight, and the BBC John has been shown to be straight as well.  Otherwise--well, it wouldn't have been Sarah and several other women he fell in love with a dated, nor would it have been Mary he ended up marrying.  He has always been shown dating a woman, and the person he chose to marry and spend the rest of his life with is also a woman.
 

Last edited by kgreen20 (May 24, 2016 8:36 pm)

Well if the trauma's as great as I suspect...I think it will affect both of them.
I hope it brings Sherlock and John closer.
I am sure Sherlock will be a great support to John.

I don't want to be graphic about this, because it's so not my area...
But I suspect widowers don't lose their sex drive, at least forever and John may eventually go back to dating.
I remember the early days of Sherlock and people endlessly going on about John being a 'ladies man'.

(ASIDE): are we accepting that Canon John is straight?

Last edited by besleybean (May 24, 2016 8:42 pm)

SusiGo wrote:

I think it is not so much about her dying but about her leaving the show or not. They could come up with all sorts of solutions - escape, divorce, imprisonment, witness protection, whatever. But if she remains, the whole Holmes/Watson dynamic will be irrevocably changed and - IMO - not in a good way.

Exactly. In the ACD stories Mary was given an exit of one line – "In some manner he (Holmes) had learned of my own sad bereavement" – and never mentioned again, then in later stories Watson is apparently married again. What if Moftiss have decided to send Mary and baby away rather than killing them off? Witness protection or whatever, as Susi says. This could "fit canon" if Moftiss choose to interpret it this way (they have many of their own ideas and headcanons apparently!). John could move back to Baker Street, un-devastated by grief, and Moftiss could avoid being horrible people who kill off inconvenient plot babies. They'd hardly even have to refer to Mary and the baby in future episodes, and life could go on. We wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of John ever dating again either.

I have my own personal wishes, but I could live with Mary and the baby in witness protection or just gone.

Me, too.
 

I think it depends on how you construct those stories. The three possibilities you've mentioned, ukaunz, might work very well. But if for example "Mary and baby both go away" is constructed in a way that makes me think they both could easily return two episodes later, this won't work for me. If they go, I want them gone for good. Well, I want them gone for good and I don't really care if they both die or just go away... but I have to be able to believe that they'll never return.
And yes, that sounds harsh.  

Unless maybe we are all in on a fake death, so Mary can escape an enemy.

I don't think they need to stick to canon at all in regards to sexual orientation.  But so far, John has only been shown dating women, and has made it clear he's straight.  I think they could bring in him dating men after Mary's death, but it would be a missed opportunity (he could have been shown as bisexual all along).  I'm guessing, but I think the reason for not showing him as gay/bi so far is that it would instantly create some sexual tension with Sherlock - why wouldn't he fancy Sherlock if he fancied men?  If that was brought in after Mary's death then it would raise that question too.   Not that there can't be close friendships between people who could be attracted to each other, but in practice it's difficult to avoid the question coming up, in When Harry Met Sally fashion.  

So they don't need to stick to canon, but it depends what they want to show. 

In some opinions there already IS sexual tension between John and Sherlock.