kazza474 wrote:

KeepersPrice wrote:

So we know that in Afghanistan when John thought he was dying he asked God to save him.

He was wounded by a bullet, in his shoulder.I'd say more probable that he was referring to the dying soldiers he encountered on a regular basis. That would give him more of a broad idea as to what one would say in such a situation.There's nothing to suggest that John ever thought he was really dying.

I took that line in the show quite literally, that he knew exactly what he'd say, if he thought he were dying, because he'd had occasion to do just that. I didn't see it as him seeing it in the abstract, just from witnessing others praying for life in a desperate situation. The writers never really explained how badly injured John was when he was sent home, but even if not life-threatening, I imagine the pain and shock of the injury would have made even the most stoic of men wonder if that kind of pain was incompatible with life!

This is neither here not there, but I can remember during my last labor and delivery lying there in that bed and wondering if the pain would kill me. It went on for *hours*, and I seriously wondered if I was dying. And that was just childbirth! Imagine what it would be like in battle, with people screaming and dying all around you, and to suddenly find yourself one of them. So anyway, I took John's statement there quite literally, that it was he himself who asked to live.

I tend to think it's a mixture of both. Perhaps, after he was initially shot he may have thought, 'Don't let me die' and also having treated soldiers who were dying from their wounds, some of whom may have been close comrades and listening to their dying words. Whatever the case he doesn't need to imagine this situation, he has been there.

kazza474 wrote:

A doctor looking after a dying soldier is not abstract. He was there, he heard what they said. He was moved by those experiences & has spoken about them.His injury was a bullet wound to the shoulder. I doubt he would have believed it was going to kill him. He'd seen a lot of soldiers dying; that would stick in his memory and as I said, would give him his own kind of 'poll' as to what people in that situation would say.

A bullet wound to the shoulder made him limp and use a cane?  So the limp was totally 100% psychosomatic? How weird. I guess I never understood that, but that would explain how he was able to abandon the cane and race all over London with SH in ASiP.  I've only watched ASiP about 12 times.... maybe #13 will get through to me.

kazza474 wrote:

At the end of the show; after speaking with Mycroft:

JW: So, dim sum. Mmm!
SH: I can always predict the fortune cookies.
JW: No, you can't.
SH: Almost can. You did get shot, though.
JW: Sorry?
SH: In Afghanistan. There was an actual wound.
JW: Oh. Yeah, shoulder.
SH: Shoulder! I thought so.
JW: No, you didn't.
SH: The left one.
JW: Lucky guess.
SH: I never guess.

Tell me you don't have that memorized.

You know, they say a picture is worth 1000 words. When I saw the limping with the cane, even though I knew "psychosomatic", my poor inadequate brain supplied "leg or hip wound", in addition to the shoulder wound they talked about. I just figured the psychosomatic thing was making the leg wound feel worse than it should, not that it was entirely in his head. Duh.

Oh dear Kazza - please don't take this the wrong way because I mean this in a completely teasing, non-serious way, but when I saw that you were in the John and Sherlock relationship thread last night, my first thought was, "Anderson!  What are you doing here!" 

Of course, you can be on any thread, anytime, anywhere (after all you are a monitor) - it's just that I never expected to see you on such a Johnlocky thread.  It was a total surprise. 

Okay, digging myself in deeper now....have a good day my down-under friend 

KeepersPrice wrote:

A line in the script I wish I could rewrite:
My rewrite:
John:  Listen.....has he ever had any kind of...girlfriend, boyfriend....a relationship - ever?
Mrs. H: I think just you, dear.

I love how you think. If those writers only knew how much good help we fans could give them, if they'd just ask!

Davina wrote:

I tend to think it's a mixture of both. Perhaps, after he was initially shot he may have thought, 'Don't let me die' and also having treated soldiers who were dying from their wounds, some of whom may have been close comrades and listening to their dying words. Whatever the case he doesn't need to imagine this situation, he has been there.

I also always took "Please God, let me live" quote to be referring to a personal experience. One explanation is that there was an explosion- grenade, perhaps- which shocked John and led him to believe he was dying. He was wounded in a shoulder but felt it in a leg, as well, as it was an overall shock to the system. That would explain John being discharged, as well- he had not a clean shoulder wound, but  a very traumatic experience requiring a long recovery, physical and mental.
Also corresponds to the Canon-  Watson, at the beginning of the stories, says his physical health and his nerves are quite destroyed ( though there, as far as i remember, he had a prolonged illness after he was wounded)

ACD Study in Scarlet -  I was struck on the shoulder by a Jezail bullet, which shattered the bone and grazed the subclavian artery...I was struck down by enteric fever, ... For months my life was despaired of, ...my health irretrievably ruined,

John looked for accommodation saying  “If I am to lodge with anyone, I should prefer a man of studious and quiet habits. I am not strong enough yet to stand much noise or excitement. I had enough of both in Afghanistan to last me for the remainder of my natural existence."

Davina wrote:

The bond between John and Sherlock is likely to be a unique case for Sherlock but may ell not be quinquennial for John. The incredibly strong bonds between men, which are certainly not necessarily sexual, can be seen in the armed forces. The armed forces of which John until recently was a member. Not just a member sitting behind a desk in an office somewhere away from a war zone but a combatant. A combatant who would undoubtedly have had comrades he was very, very close to. After all, that is the motivation that soldiers fight for, the protection of their close comrades, their buddies. These men love their comrades. (The Spartans took this a step further but that is for another day).

Having been traumatised in action in Afghanistan and now out of the army environment John is actually missing the action that being in the Army gave him. I would contend that it is not just the military action he misses but also everything else that entails, especially the close bond with a comrade/s. Meeting Sherlock, with all his foibles, allows John back into a world of 'combat' albeit of a different kind and also provides him with a comrade, a buddy, someone to watch his back and someone he can help protect too. Very like serving in the Army, really.

Exactly so. Soldiers who have been on the battleline will tell you that they are/were closer to their fellow soldiers than to their brothers/sibling, and in some respects, their spouse. The link with Sherlock not only brought Watson 'back into combat', but also gave him some relief from the PTSD he was obviously suffering from. I hate to think what kind of emotional state Watson would have been in after seeing his closest friend commit suicide in such a horrible manner right in front of him. I can't help but think the writers would be spot-on if they have Watson dealing with severe PTSD symptoms (in EP 1 Season 3)

I'm new here and have just spent a fair portion of time reading this entire thread through. So glad to have a place where I can read and chat about all things Johnlock! At this stage I haven't got anything remarkable to say that hasn't already been said, but I wanted to register my appreciation of how eloquently some of the previous posts have summed up my feelings towards John and Sherlock's relationship.

I too am desperately looking forward to seeing the reunion in 3.1.. like one of the writers (I can't remember which one) recently said in an interview, I agree it would be quite in-character for John to let loose with a big stream of swears or something. But the one little thing my fangirly heart desperately yearns for (once John calms down) is a nice, big, juicy, emotion-fueled hug. From both parties, mind, none of this one-sided business. Do you think that's too much to ask for? Lol. I do thrive on the little tiny moments of physical contact between the two, so something like this would make my brain explode in delight. :D