But surely modern Sherlock is beyond that?

Liberty wrote:

But if the "problem" was just that he was gay, he could have sidestepped the issue by just going along with what Watson said.  But as you say, Besleybean, being gay isn't a problem in modern times, so why would Sherlock have it in his mind palace as something to be addressed?  Modern day Sherlock's issue can't be that his sexual orientation would be unacceptable in Victorian times.   It has to be something that bothers him in the modern day. 

Being heterosexual is even less a problem. So why wouldn´t Sherlock just say to his inner Watson: Ok, I find her attractive. What would he loose considering he is actually speaking to himself? He had absolutely no problem to imagine naked Irene in TSOT, he frequently watches porn as we get to know in HLV ... but he´s suddenly too squeamish to admit such banal thing even to himself?
 

It´s only weakness when you display it in front of other people who can use your feelings against you (the way Irene Adler did). But what weakness it is to admit to your own self: oh, that random woman had a nice pair of legs?

I don't think it's about heterosexuality either - I think sexual orientation is kind of irrelevant here.  It's about Sherlock choosing to detach himself from it, and suppress those feelings.  He chooses to be alone, and I think that's something that has come up in other episodes.  And I suspect it will come up in S4, one way or another.

Liberty wrote:

I don't think it's about heterosexuality either - I think sexual orientation is kind of irrelevant here.  It's about Sherlock choosing to detach himself from it, and suppress those feelings.  He chooses to be alone, and I think that's something that has come up in other episodes.  And I suspect it will come up in S4, one way or another.

But why is he supressing these feelings then?

Doting parents
Brother that spends all his time taking gentle care of you
Loyal friends 
Even your former enemy turns your biggest fan
Femme fatale you defeated in the past sends you roses after you were shot
Your landlady just adores you

Sherlock: Oh, woe is me! I am so hurt! I must supress all my feelings and always be alone!

Me: ?????

SolarSystem wrote:

Vhanja wrote:

There are movies and series I greatly dislike, but I don't go on fan forums to write why I dislike them, I just stay away from it all.

I agree. I would never join a fan forum dedicated to a tv show or movie I don't like. But what if you had fallen in love with a tv show years ago and then the show is taking a direction and the creators are making choices you aren't as happy with as you were before? Does that make you a bad fan? Does that take the right away from you to stay on a fan forum you've joined years ago? Does that take the right away from you to continue posting on that forum, even if your posts express your sadness and grief and also criticism?
Also, can you give examples for mocking and raging on this forum during the last few days? Or are you talking about tumblr? This forum is not tumblr, so please don't lump together fans on tumblr and this forum.
 

Thank you, Solar System. 

Again, I'm wondering if we're going to find out more in S4.   There's that whispered "Redbeard" right at the end of the conversation - a clue?   But "I made me" does suggest that it was a decision, rather than the effect of trauma (although both could go together). 

I agree, Nakahara, that so far, he's had a pretty OK life (that we know of).  He actually seems very resilient.   There does seem a choice to be above human affairs.  I thnk I would actually prefer if there wasn't some past trauma that created him (beyond losing his dog). 

besleybean wrote:

I too hope the dog is the only trauma.

Okay, I am a cat-lover, so please forgive me my question: how can taking down a dog be so traumatic that you shut yourself away from friendship and love? Painful, yes, of course, but traumatic?

He doesn't completely shut himself away from friendship, though.  He actively courts John as a friend and publicly says he loves him.  And he has other friendships which have developed a bit over the series.  

And loss (of a dog, or whatever) isn't the only story there.  There's also the relationship with Mycroft who seems to have brought him up to be emotionally detached, and to aspire to be more so.   I think there's also still an element of him believing that it makes him better at his work.  And there's the "proof" from Irene, that falling for somebody leads to disaster and humiliation. 

Maybe the loss of a dog could have that effect on somebody who was particularly vulnerable and emotional.  However, I agree that it's not such a big deal - it's probably part of many of our childhoods.  And the Sherlock we know now is emotional (although repressed), but not particularly vulnerable - as I said, he strikes me as quite resilient in some ways (being able to go through with what he did in TRF and afterwards would take quite a strong person, I think). 

Again, I'm coming back to "I made me".  It wasn't something that happened that made him that way against his will (he became incapable of romantic relationships), but he chose it, he worked at it, he created this version of himself.   A trauma could certainly have been the trigger and the reason he decided to do that, but it didn't "make" him.  Maybe. 

Me too.