Mothonthemantel wrote:

Thread title. What is real in this episode.

I think Sherlock told Ella a random man in black with a hidden face killed Ajay is the same as when the writers said canon Waton claimed a random woman in black with a veiled face shot Milverton. But actually he was covering up for his friend. So I think the scene we saw was not reality.

That would be a very clever nod to canon. I like your idea!

I think they could be real police.
But yes, Mycroft might have instructed the authorities.
On my third watch, I'm gonna have to try and see Sherlock's reaction- to see if he was expecting the police to enter...do we think the boy fetched them?!

Mothonthemantel wrote:

Episode started with an explanation of how they would tell the world Magnussen was killed and Sherlock saying " that's not what happened at all" Then ended with Sherlock telling Ella his dream or version of what happened.

The question is why he's talking to Ella. He could really need help, and I believe he's there to seek help for John, not for himself, so maybe he tells her a story that somehow covers what happened, but only so much Ella needs to know.

JP wrote:

Mothonthemantel wrote:

Episode started with an explanation of how they would tell the world Magnussen was killed and Sherlock saying " that's not what happened at all" Then ended with Sherlock telling Ella his dream or version of what happened.

The question is why he's talking to Ella. He could really need help, and I believe he's there to seek help for John, not for himself, so maybe he tells her a story that somehow covers what happened, but only so much Ella needs to know.

 
Yes this is exactly what I think. Which means we can try to work out what really happened. but are unlikely to ever know.

Mothonthemantel, do I unterstand you correctly: you think that the whole episode might be Sherlock's narrative to Ella, but his words morph into the tv movie we watch?
If so, that's a very clever thought. It would account for a lot of oddities. It would be an unreliable-narrator case par excellence.
But if this is true we can't be completely sure of anything which happens before the last scene with Ella. Sherlock might distort things, he might not want that Ella learns certain things, he might want to look better in certain situations, he might want to protect people... and so on. The big question is of course: why did he seek out Ella in the first place?
And is it really possible to interpret the whole episode in this way? I was under the impression that he doesn't really tell Ella anything. That's why she remarks she can only help him if he opens up. Maybe, we are just privy to Sherlock's thoughts?

Last edited by sherlocked (January 4, 2017 8:57 pm)

Would Sherlock tell Ella about the D-Notice? I know he has no respect for authorities but it's his freedom we're talking about here...

Yes, and I was wondering, when would the telling start?  We're back to EMP again, in a way - if Sherlock is telling Ella about the MI5 meeting, then maybe he was telling her about being on the plane, and maybe about shooting Magnussen, and maybe about Mary being an assassin in the first place (because she'd need that background), so do we keep going back and back through the episodes to find out the point where he started talking to her?  Or do we just assume the beginning of the episode, but he filled her in on the backstory before we "joined" it? 

I don't get the feeling this is about Sherlock telling Ella the story, but I do think him talking to Ella will feed into the next episode (part of saving John Watson).
 

While it is a very clever idea - I don't think it will work to interpret the whole episode as Sherlock telling Ella what happened. But maybe we "see" Sherlock reflecting what he should tell Ella. My impression is that in the end he hardly tells her anything.

We'll see. :D
What really bugs me, is that Ella's office looks so weird. Not to mention not like her old office at all.

Maybe she's now on Mycroft's payroll