BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » CROSSOVER: Comparison A Study in Pink and The Reichenbach Fall

tobeornot221b · June 3, 2012 7:56 am

I've just started to make a list of comparisons between my two favourite episodes ASiP (PINK) and TRF (FALL).
I've found that they have so many things in common, that they are "clearly linked", more than any other two episodes in Sherlock. This way they give me the impression of series 1 and 2 together being a well-rounded project.
Setting up a table would be easier to show that I mean but I hope the way I'm going to do this will be equally clear.
PINK = in bold
FALL = in italics

Observation:
PINK and FALL: the only two episodes where Lestrade, Donovan and Anderson appear together.

Parallel construction, mirror-like
Beginning of PINK: John without Sherlock - John as a soldier - John alone in room - John with therapist
End of FALL: John without Sherlock - John with therapist - John alone in 221b - John behaving soldier-like at gravesite

St. Bart's hospital marks the beginning of Sherlock's and John's relationship
St. Bart's hospital marks the – by then - end of Sherlock's and John's relationship

John and Sherlock running together through London
John and Sherlock running together through London (hand-cuffed)

John arrives in taxi for saving Sherlock from himself (successful)
(There wasn't actually the practical need to take an assumed poisonous pill, was it?)
John arrives in taxi for saving Sherlock from himself (failed).
(There wasn’t actually the practical need to climb up the roof to meet Jim, was it?)

Jeff, the cabbie: underchallenged genius driving a cab - is bored - lives alone - serial killer
Jim: underchallenged genius, acting as fake cabbie - is bored – lives alone (thinks of getting himself a live-in one) - serial killer (though he doesn't get his hands dirty)

Jeff: Jim Moriarty is "more than a man" - dead Jeff on his back in puddle of blood - shot into heart (love for children is "vicious motivator" for killings)
Sherlock: "Jim Moriarty is not a man, he is a spider at the centre of a web…" – dead Jim on his back in puddle of blood – shot into head (no "heart" available being shot into!)

Sherlock (at Angelo's): "Oh, that's clever. Is it clever? Why is it clever?"
Jim (at 221B): "Oh, that’s clever - that’s very clever - awfully clever."

Forced suicides (Sir Jeffrey Patterson, James Philimore, Beth Davenport, Jennifer Wilson)
Forced suicides (Sherlock, Jim), faked suicides, (Henry Fishguard, Sherlock, Jim?)

Lestrade to Sherlock in 221B: "Will you come?"
Lestrade to Sherlock in 221B: "Will you come?"

John's breakfast: tea/coffee? (from a military mug) plus apple
Jim's tea time at 221B: tea (from a cup with a painted crown) plus apple

Sherlock to John: "I invented the job."
Sherlock to John: "I invented Moriarty." (great inventor, he is!)

John (through window): "Sherlooooooock!"
John (upward the roof of St. Bart's): "Sherlooooooock!"

Any additions?

Last edited by tobeornot221b (June 3, 2012 8:02 am)

Irene Adler · June 3, 2012 8:23 am

Very nice points, tobe, thanks.
I'll think about it, I'm sure there has to be some more

Sherlock Holmes · June 3, 2012 9:01 am

Cool! It's probably slightly more than a coincidence because series often have regular phrases and images that are repeated, reused or rehashed throughout, it helps to create something familiar for the audience, it's a writing technique.

Not sure it has any other special significance other than that but very interesting none the less and nice work!

kazza474 · June 3, 2012 9:29 am

Yep, legwork makes the Holmes World go around.
And you never know, we may stumble upon something of real significance. Nice work tobe.

MaggieM · September 25, 2012 1:55 am

Very nice. I believe no one episode can be "ignored". I think the writers put in nothing gratuitous or which was not a brick in the whole story arc.

jenosborn · September 25, 2012 5:34 am

Agreed, MaggieM! Nothing is gratuitous in this masterful writing,whether using techniques to make us more familiar- or whether they are crafting situations with subtle symmetry to hook us. (ASIB is another episode full of bookends and symmetries, all on it's own.)

and tobe, I loved all your examples, I had made a list of some others in those 2 episodes (ASIP/TRF) , maybe I'll dig it up and list them here...

tobeornot221b · September 25, 2012 3:35 pm

Thanks, jenosborn for revitalising this thread. I'd completely forgotten about it.
Back in June, I didn't know yet how to do the colours... Thanks to Connie Prince I'm now capable of marking letters in colour. So ...here's the result:

tobeornot221b wrote:
I've just started to make a list of comparisons between my two favourite episodes ASiP (PINK) and TRF (FALL).
I've found that they have so many things in common, that they are "clearly linked", more than any other two episodes in Sherlock. This way they give me the impression of series 1 and 2 together being a well-rounded project.
Setting up a table would be easier to show that I mean but I hope the way I'm going to do this will be equally clear.
PINK = in bold
FALL = in italics

Observation:
PINK and FALL: the only two episodes where Lestrade, Donovan and Anderson appear together.

Parallel construction, mirror-like
Beginning of PINK: John without Sherlock - John as a soldier - John alone in room - John with therapist
End of FALL: John without Sherlock - John with therapist - John alone in 221b - John behaving soldier-like at gravesite

St. Bart's hospital marks the beginning of Sherlock's and John's relationship
St. Bart's hospital marks the – by then - end of Sherlock's and John's relationship

John and Sherlock running together through London
John and Sherlock running together through London (hand-cuffed)

John arrives in taxi for saving Sherlock from himself (successful)
(There wasn't actually the practical need to take an assumed poisonous pill, was it?)
John arrives in taxi for saving Sherlock from himself (failed).
(There wasn’t actually the practical need to climb up the roof to meet Jim, was it?)

Jeff, the cabbie: underchallenged genius driving a cab - is bored - lives alone - serial killer
Jim: underchallenged genius, acting as fake cabbie - is bored – lives alone (thinks of getting himself a live-in one) - serial killer (though he doesn't get his hands dirty)

Jeff: Jim Moriarty is "more than a man" - dead Jeff on his back in puddle of blood - shot into heart (love for children is "vicious motivator" for killings)
Sherlock: "Jim Moriarty is not a man, he is a spider at the centre of a web…" – dead Jim on his back in puddle of blood – shot into head (no "heart" available being shot into!)

Sherlock (at Angelo's): "Oh, that's clever. Is it clever? Why is it clever?"
Jim (at 221B): "Oh, that’s clever - that’s very clever - awfully clever."

Forced suicides (Sir Jeffrey Patterson, James Philimore, Beth Davenport, Jennifer Wilson)
Forced suicides (Sherlock, Jim), faked suicides, (Henry Fishguard, Sherlock, Jim?)

Lestrade to Sherlock in 221B: "Will you come?"
Lestrade to Sherlock in 221B: "Will you come?"

John's breakfast: tea/coffee? (from a military mug) plus apple
Jim's tea time at 221B: tea (from a cup with a painted crown) plus apple

Sherlock to John: "I invented the job."
Sherlock to John: "I invented Moriarty." (great inventor, he is!)

John (through window): "Sherlooooooock!"
John (upward the roof of St. Bart's): "Sherlooooooock!"

Any additions?

This morning, under the shower, two more parallels came to my mind:

Roof jumping (during the taxi chase)
THE roof jumping

Sherlock is/was on Angelo's side.
Sherlock is "on the side of the ANGELS".

Last edited by tobeornot221b (September 25, 2012 3:37 pm)

jenosborn · September 26, 2012 9:13 am

I'm enjoying the PINK !

tobeornot221b wrote:
Thanks, jenosborn for revitalising this thread. I'd completely forgotten about it.
Back in June, I didn't know yet how to do the colours... Thanks to Connie Prince I'm now capable of marking letters in colour. So ...here's the result:

tobeornot221b wrote:
I've just started to make a list of comparisons between my two favourite episodes ASiP (PINK) and TRF (FALL).
I've found that they have so many things in common, that they are "clearly linked", more than any other two episodes in Sherlock. This way they give me the impression of series 1 and 2 together being a well-rounded project.
Setting up a table would be easier to show that I mean but I hope the way I'm going to do this will be equally clear.
PINK = in bold
FALL = in italics

Observation:
PINK and FALL: the only two episodes where Lestrade, Donovan and Anderson appear together.

Parallel construction, mirror-like
Beginning of PINK: John without Sherlock - John as a soldier - John alone in room - John with therapist
End of FALL: John without Sherlock - John with therapist - John alone in 221b - John behaving soldier-like at gravesite

St. Bart's hospital marks the beginning of Sherlock's and John's relationship
St. Bart's hospital marks the – by then - end of Sherlock's and John's relationship

John and Sherlock running together through London
John and Sherlock running together through London (hand-cuffed)

John arrives in taxi for saving Sherlock from himself (successful)
(There wasn't actually the practical need to take an assumed poisonous pill, was it?)
John arrives in taxi for saving Sherlock from himself (failed).
(There wasn’t actually the practical need to climb up the roof to meet Jim, was it?)

Jeff, the cabbie: underchallenged genius driving a cab - is bored - lives alone - serial killer
Jim: underchallenged genius, acting as fake cabbie - is bored – lives alone (thinks of getting himself a live-in one) - serial killer (though he doesn't get his hands dirty)

Jeff: Jim Moriarty is "more than a man" - dead Jeff on his back in puddle of blood - shot into heart (love for children is "vicious motivator" for killings)
Sherlock: "Jim Moriarty is not a man, he is a spider at the centre of a web…" – dead Jim on his back in puddle of blood – shot into head (no "heart" available being shot into!)

Sherlock (at Angelo's): "Oh, that's clever. Is it clever? Why is it clever?"
Jim (at 221B): "Oh, that’s clever - that’s very clever - awfully clever."

Forced suicides (Sir Jeffrey Patterson, James Philimore, Beth Davenport, Jennifer Wilson)
Forced suicides (Sherlock, Jim), faked suicides, (Henry Fishguard, Sherlock, Jim?)

Lestrade to Sherlock in 221B: "Will you come?"
Lestrade to Sherlock in 221B: "Will you come?"

John's breakfast: tea/coffee? (from a military mug) plus apple
Jim's tea time at 221B: tea (from a cup with a painted crown) plus apple

Sherlock to John: "I invented the job."
Sherlock to John: "I invented Moriarty." (great inventor, he is!)

John (through window): "Sherlooooooock!"
John (upward the roof of St. Bart's): "Sherlooooooock!"

Any additions?
This morning, under the shower, two more parallels came to my mind:

Roof jumping (during the taxi chase)
THE roof jumping

Sherlock is/was on Angelo's side.
Sherlock is "on the side of the ANGELS".

Brilliant! Some very nice shower thinking there!

Okay, here were some I noticed:

-- use of schools:

Roland-Kerr Further Education College- scene of the cabbie case
St. Aldate's Boarding School- scene of the kidnapping case

- mobile phone:

We are introduced to Sherlock via an onscreen text ("Wrong!")
Ends with him tossing the mobile phone on the roof

-- shock blanket, to get his way:

(after the shooting at the end) Sherlock abruptly removes it- after dissuading Lestrade from pursuing further questioning
(school house mistress Miss MacKenzie) Sherlock abruptly removes it from her - shocking her into speaking quickly

--- P.O.V:

First time we see Sherlock "Fine, we'll start with the riding crop" - The camera angle is from the point of view of the dead body.
Last time we see Sherlock - scene is from the point of view of the "dead" Sherlock.

--- random use of German:

Rache - revenge - Rachel
Reichenbach - Rich Brook

--- Mycroft:

We're introduced to Mycroft (mysterious) as he confronts/corners John.
Last scene with Mycroft he's still being mysterious - but John is angrily confronting/cornering him.

---- Lestrade and gang at Sherlock's flat in ASIP mock drugs bust, and there again in TRF, when Lestrade arrests him- Donovan actually spells out the
symmetry to John in that scene when she quotes herself from the first episode "First time we met. Solving crimes won't be enough. One day he'll cross the line."

Davina · September 26, 2012 9:35 am

Not so random a use of German as, of course, they both appear in the original Conan Doyle stories.

tobeornot221b · September 26, 2012 4:46 pm

jenosborn wrote:
Okay, here were some I noticed:

-- use of schools:

Roland-Kerr Further Education College- scene of the cabbie case
St. Aldate's Boarding School- scene of the kidnapping case

- mobile phone:

We are introduced to Sherlock via an onscreen text ("Wrong!")
Ends with him tossing the mobile phone on the roof

-- shock blanket, to get his way:

(after the shooting at the end) Sherlock abruptly removes it- after dissuading Lestrade from pursuing further questioning
(school house mistress Miss MacKenzie) Sherlock abruptly removes it from her - shocking her into speaking quickly

--- P.O.V:

First time we see Sherlock "Fine, we'll start with the riding crop" - The camera angle is from the point of view of the dead body.
Last time we see Sherlock - scene is from the point of view of the "dead" Sherlock.

--- random use of German:

Rache - revenge - Rachel
Reichenbach - Rich Brook

--- Mycroft:

We're introduced to Mycroft (mysterious) as he confronts/corners John.
Last scene with Mycroft he's still being mysterious - but John is angrily confronting/cornering him.

---- Lestrade and gang at Sherlock's flat in ASIP mock drugs bust, and there again in TRF, when Lestrade arrests him- Donovan actually spells out the
symmetry to John in that scene when she quotes herself from the first episode "First time we met. Solving crimes won't be enough. One day he'll cross the line."

Wow, jenosborn - so many more parallels between ASiP and TRF - very well observed!
Maybe I should have a shower now ... there have to be more similarities...

besleybean · October 5, 2012 6:54 pm

Er, aren't all of these intentional because it's the end of the Moriarty arc?

Davina · October 5, 2012 6:56 pm

They are intentional. The thread is just to help pull them out and make the comparisons clear.

besleybean · October 5, 2012 9:52 pm

Thank You.

tobeornot221b · October 13, 2012 4:19 pm

One more:

Sherlock:"...just passing the time and proving a point."
John: "What point?"
Sherlock: "YOU."

Molly: "What do you need?"
Sherlock: "YOU."

tobeornot221b · October 14, 2012 3:15 pm

Another one:

Cabbie: "I'm alive ... I've outlived four people."
Moriarty: "STAYING ALIVE ... it's so boring!"

So many similarities between PINK and FALL!
This is all the more astonishing and awesome because PINK was written by Moffat and FALL by Thompson.

besleybean · October 14, 2012 4:03 pm

Tho presumably they do speak to each other and we know Steven wrote his last!

tobeornot221b · October 14, 2012 4:15 pm

besleybean wrote:
Tho presumably they do speak to each other and we know Steven wrote his last!

I am of course assuming that they talk to each other but that doesn't fully explain this wonderful, well-rounded composition.

SusiGo · November 14, 2012 5:39 pm

Here's another observation I like very much:

http://bbcsherlockftw.tumblr.com/post/22595085441/i-just-thought-of-something-that-breaks-my-heart

besleybean · November 14, 2012 5:41 pm

Yep, good one.

Sherlock Holmes · November 19, 2012 11:15 pm

You guys are so good at spotting these!

I think on the whole, symmetry is definitely written in, but some of the more obscure examples are probably entirely coincidental, so I think there's a mixture of the two here.

It's also possible that some were written in accidentally/on purpose if you know what I mean. So Steve Thompson knew Moffat's script fairly well anyway, and when he was writing Reichenbach, some of the themes slipped into his writing without him even realising it. Others will have been done on purpose and discussed at script/storylining meetings.