BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 » IOU and it's potential meaning(s)

Sherlock Holmes · March 7, 2012 5:35 pm

Sometimes it is a fine line between being a good guy and a bad guy. Sherlock would have made an excellent criminal mastermind should he have been that way inclined.

Davina · March 7, 2012 5:42 pm

That's why people are so ready to believe that he was a fraud and behind everything.

Davina · March 7, 2012 5:47 pm

Ordinary people find him unsettling and freakish. Donovan calls him a freak more than once. So does Sebastian who knew him at University, in The Blind Banker. Anderson and Donovan think he is a psychopath and even when Anderson is corrected by Sherlock who describes homself as 'a highly functioning sociopath' this is frankly not much better. People often distrust what they don't understand and what is out of the ordinary and different. This is another reason why it is easy for Moriarty to sell the Big Lie to people.

Sherlock Holmes · March 7, 2012 6:14 pm

That's so true! Aww poor Sherlock, he's just misunderstood!

m0r1arty · March 14, 2012 4:54 pm

Davina wrote:
The question is, what fall does Moriarty owe him? Where has Moriarty fallen badly in a way that he can blame Sherlock for what happened? He has been hurt I think in his reputation as a consulting criminal

I don't think Moriarty places emotional investment on anything as trivial as his criminal reputation. Sherlock doesn't care what people think about him and I very much doubt Moriarty does either. Where is the appeal in being appreciated by simpletons?

Moriarty wanted to play with Sherlock, he set the cab driver onto him in 'A Study in Pink', he was aware of, and assisting, the Black Locus Tong in 'The Blind Banker', he got intimately involved with Sherlock in 'The Great Game' to the point of Sherlock thinking he was being distracted away from the Bruce-Partington missile plans - which was all a ruse as Moriarty threw the USB stick into the pool, he received a phone call which gave him a mind to depart from this elaborate situation and later used Sherlock to break a simple enough code of seating arrangements on an aeroplane in 'A Scandal in Belgravia', he was being questioned by Mycroft (And allegedly extracting Sherlock's life story) during 'The Hounds of Baskerville' before being released and again becoming intimate with Sherlock in an elaborate and life endangering affair in 'The Reichenbach Fall'.

Whilst "Burn" is used in both series "Fall" is only mentioned in the second. I suggest Moriarty's fall was when Sherlock had him beat at the end of 'The Great Game' by threatening to destroy everyone in the pool. Moriarty hadn't accounted for Sherlock going the extra mile and had been beaten because of that.

Now whether a phone call from Miss Adler (Apparently) could give him ample incentive to continue with his dull existence enough for him to walk out and plan a different way of destroying Sherlock (Where he thinks he has the upper hand) and why Mycroft, who labelled him as "The most dangerous criminal mind the world has ever seen", let him rejoin the general populous are believable enough within the constructs of this story... well that's the matter for amusing conjecture and the reason many of us are here.

Why the problem, the final problem, was 'our problem' is a matter I think is important. To return to the original point of this thread I, O and U is stated either enough to be of more importance than could be superficially assumed or indeed a massive red herring.

I don't think Sherlock will run much past the next series as both Benedict and Martin are booming in Hollywood so the elaborate brilliance Mr Moffat weaves into his Doctor Who shows over the course of years can't quite be as patient within this framework.

Now, do we have any more theories on what IOU could be or mean?

-m0r

Davina · March 14, 2012 5:46 pm

Apart from it containing both I and U (you) with O between, or zero/nought perhaps? Or an eternal circle, a ring, a connection?

m0r1arty · March 14, 2012 5:52 pm

That's beautifully elegant Davina.

I is Moriarty, O is the zero balance and U is Sherlock.

A perfect symmetry of eternal balance like yin and yang.

Top notch theory!

-m0r

tobeornot221b · March 14, 2012 6:07 pm

The IOU graffiti on the wall opposite 221b is the first to come together with wings.
And they are black and apparently not wings of an angel.
What, if Moriarty wasn’t responsible for this last one?
What, if someone who is clearly not an angel, who "misbehaves", is the author?
What, if the wings belong to an eagle, German: "Adler"?
What, if IOU means: "I owe you my life, now it’s my turn to save yours?"
Just an idea…

Davina · March 14, 2012 9:08 pm

That's a thought. Also remember however the wing motif on the seals, magpie wings? La Gazza Ladro, The Thieving Magpie.

Shenanigans · April 1, 2012 5:00 am

Hi all! Here are my discarded and working theories for what IOU stands for: Just food for thought! :D

First, the discarded theories!

1) IOU in computer science terminology:
This IOU actually fits in quite nicely with my "theory in progress".

2) IOU as it pertains to an unusual role playing game. http://www.amazon.com/GURPS-Iou-Illuminati-University-Universal/dp/1556342063

Well, for a while I was sure Moriarty was talking about a virtual game and when I combined the terms angel/devil/ IOU in a Bollean search, this IOU was one of the things that came up. I have since dismissed it as highly unlikely (but interesting!)

3) IOU = airport IATA code: Ouen Island, New Caledonia: http://www.world-airport-codes.com/new-caledonia/ile-ouen-3100.html

Oh, I remember being so excited when I thought that IOU perhaps represented an airport code! (Airplanes/wings/IOU!!!!) But when I found out where the airport in question was; I had to ditch it. I just couldn't imagine Moriarty's bothering with a plane from such a small airport.

And here are the three IOU's that I'm working with. ;D

1) IOU=You; This seems like a popular one! I'll explain further once I get around to finishing writing my "theory in progress".

2) IOU=elements from the Periodic Chart (Iodine, Oxygen, Uranium) Possible atomic bomb... I dismissed this a while back because I thought it would be a stretch that Moriarty was talking about a nuclear disaster with respect to "The Game". I also couldn't make it fit into my working theory. ;D

However, when I re-watched RF, I noticed that Sherlock is repeating "IOU" in the lab while working on the "Hansel and Gretel" case. Perhaps the writers thought they would point us in the right direction by having Sherlock thinking about IOU at the same time that he's trying to figure out different molecular structures? This is the scene I'm referring to: (copied and pasted from someone else's transcript).

(Later, he has another sample on a slide and is looking at it in the microscope. He quietly murmurs to himself.)
SHERLOCK (softly): I ... owe ... you.
(He turns his head and looks at a computer screen nearby.)
SHERLOCK: Glycerol molecule.
(He sighs heavily as he struggles to identify the item, seeing it in his head....because you can't see molecular structure under a microscope. ;D
SHERLOCK: What are you?
(He looks into the microscope again as Molly stands beside him typing onto a laptop.)
MOLLY: What did you mean, “I owe you"?
(John walks across the lab on the other side of the bench. Sherlock raises his eyes from the microscope and watches him as he crosses the room.)
MOLLY: You said, “I owe you" . You were muttering it while you were working.

Anyway, I decided to re-visit "chemical" IOU when I needed Moriarty to still be causing trouble from beyond the grave. (again, for my theory in progress! LOL!) Then it hit me; like low level mercury poisoning, radioactive Iodine exposure can kill you slowly. Neat.

Remember this?

SHERLOCK: He didn’t need to be there for the execution. Murder by remote control. He could be a thousand miles away.

Just in case you're interested, here's more info on Iodine-131 (the by-product of uranium mono-oxyde nuclear fission.) Nice to see I'm putting my dusty biochem degree to good use! ;D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission_product (scroll down to "Iodine")

Okay, here's my last IOU hypothesis. It's still percolating in my mind... not sure if it will go anywhere.

3) IOU=I owe you

Moriarty says: I owe you a fall. I believe most of us would agree that Jim means a "fall from grace". I like it. But could it also have a double meaning?

I owe you a fall

I think Jim might actually be right, perhaps he does owe Sherlock a fall! *winks*

Remember how the "flight of the dead" never took off (and consequently never fell) because Jim interfered... wouldn't that mean Jim owes a fall?

And isn't "falling just like flying but with a more permanent destination" ?

Hmpf. I don't know. Far-fetched? Yes, probably. It seems to me that Jim probably owes Mycroft more than Sherlock for that one. :D

Relax, just brainstorming ideas.

Last edited by Shenanigans (February 20, 2013 9:07 pm)

sherlocked · April 4, 2012 1:11 pm

A website, which calls itself 'evilrouters.net', definitely needs to be checked out, especially, if it features this quotation (in the comments section):

'Cisco IOS on Unix (IOU) is a tool intended for internal use only. Distribution of IOU images to customers or external persons, or discussion of IOU with customers or external persons, is prohibited. DON'T DO IT OR WE'LL HAVE TO COME AND KILL YOU.' (the capital letters are mine)

IOU seems to be a virtual router program for network topology and configuration, which is apparently no stranger to the IT- community. Websites, like 'evilrouters' or 'routergods' discuss it, in Germany, there are blogs about 'Erfahrungen mit IOU' (experiences with IOU) , on youtube there are tutorials about troubleshooting with 'Asasel's IOU'.(Asasel is an Old Testament demon, by the way). It seems to be coveted, but not for free. When the bloggers are asked, where to get it, they become all mysterious and cite the above quoted firm policy. The German blogger talks about suspicions, that the Chinese have nicked it already.
http://www.cisco-forum.net/topic_3293.0.html

Too special and outlandish? Well, I'm no expert on those subjects, but, once I started to look into Prof. Grimm and his teachings a little closer, I found this version of IOU quite independantly from shenanigans, and it ties in neatly with the IT angle.`Jim and Sherlock's dialog is ambigous:

Sherlock: 'I never liked riddles'
Jim: 'Learn to, because I owe you a fall - I O U!

The subtitles are not helpful here; they say 'I owe you' but we don't know, if Jim says that, since 'IOU' sounds the same. (the subs are often not quite accurate anyway; I found other mistakes).
So IOU could well have a double function here and be part of a riddle.

So, maybe the assassins got shot by snipers, who were hired by disgruntled software developers, who considered uncharacteristical handshakes and bodily contact with Sherlock as a possible licence breech.

Irene Adler · April 4, 2012 1:44 pm

For the record, I've always found a bit odd the way Jim pronounces "IOU". I mean, to me it doesn't sound like "you" but "u". I don't know if this happens to English natives, but for me it sounds a bit different.
By the way, subtitles in Spanish are lame but well, it's a quite difficult thing to translate to Spanish keeping the real sense of it. And the dubbing is awful... Some days ago I had the bad luck of watching the roof scene dubbed in Spanish and I was about to faint... emotionless Sherlock, that's all I can say. And of course, no voice could match Benedict's...

sherlocked · April 4, 2012 1:59 pm

Irene, I'm no language expert, but my impression is, that 'I O U' and 'I owe you' sound the same in English, though Jim's pronounced emphasis on each letter 'I O U`' is interesting and made me think, that it is part of the riddle in it's double meaning.
I've the English dvd version with English subs only, but there are still mistakes. In Scandal they have 'short hair' instead of 'short hand' for example, when Sherlock analyses the jury.
How do they do the word play (IOU vs I owe you) in Spanish though?
Don't get me even started on Sherlock's German voice... I will only watch the German version on tv in May, when I can lure in some friends into new fandom, lol!

Irene Adler · April 4, 2012 2:15 pm

Yes, I know it sounds the same but... exactly? I don't know, I may be a bit paranoid by now hahaha. You're right, it must be only the emphasis. But it sounded weird to me the first time and it still does. I don't know...
The word play in Spanish is translated quite literally ("I owe you" = "te la debo") and the characters IOU don't make any sense because they used the Spanish ones (TLD) so... it's a pity. Besides, nothing about "te la debo" sounds like any character in Spanish so the word play is impossible (well, only "te" which stands for "T"). Anyway, they say "TLD" and you see "IOU" so it's difficult to link one thing to the other if you're watching the dubbed version. Something similar happened with the word "hound" in Baskerville and with Irene's passcode. Though I understand it's difficult to translate all of that with their full meaning.
A friend of mine watched TRF yesterday and didn't get anything of this IOU matter because dubbed it makes no sense (so I had to explain her and then she realized I was right to insist so much in the original version; she'll fix it soon, she told me).

sherlocked · April 4, 2012 2:23 pm

As I said, I'm not the best person to judge, if the two phrases sound the same - a native English speaker has to help out here, but since you are a music teacher, I trust your ear more than mine, Irene.
All dubbings and translations on this must end up really clunky, and potential clues might get lost.
Did they change the apple carving and the graffitty also in the Spanish version?

Shenanigans · April 4, 2012 2:23 pm

Sherlocked, I was re-reading the info on the link I posted and somehow, I still think Cisco IOU is too obscure/complicated to be a clue. BUT I might be looking at it differently than you because I don't have much expertise in terms of computer science and high tech. But do let me know if you find more links with "demons" ;D

I'm still exploring the possibility of the "chemical" IOU (Iodine, Oxygen and Uranium). As I said earlier in the thread, this idea is still percolating in my mind. I'm too lazy to write it out again, so I will just cut and paste what I wrote bellow. :D By the way, this is not my theory--it just wouldn't make sense on its own, kwim?--but it is a possibility (to explore) within the confines of what I think is going on globally. :D

IOU=elements from the Periodic Chart (Iodine, Oxygen, Uranium) Possible atomic bomb... I dismissed this a while back because I thought it would be a stretch that Moriarty was talking about a nuclear disaster with respect to "The Game". I also couldn't make it fit into my working theory. ;D

However, when I re-watched RF, I noticed that Sherlock is repeating "IOU" in the lab while working on the "Hansel and Gretel" case. Perhaps the writers thought they would point us in the right direction by having Sherlock thinking about IOU at the same time that he's trying to figure out different molecular structures? This is the scene I'm referring to: (copied and pasted from someone else's transcript).

(Later, he has another sample on a slide and is looking at it in the microscope. He quietly murmurs to himself.)
SHERLOCK (softly): I ... owe ... you.
(He turns his head and looks at a computer screen nearby.)
SHERLOCK: Glycerol molecule. (chemical formula is shown)
(He sighs heavily as he struggles to identify the item, seeing it in his head....because you can't see molecular structure under a microscope. ;D
SHERLOCK: What are you?
(He looks into the microscope again as Molly stands beside him typing onto a laptop.)
MOLLY: What did you mean, “I owe you"?
(John walks across the lab on the other side of the bench. Sherlock raises his eyes from the microscope and watches him as he crosses the room.)
MOLLY: You said, “I owe you" . You were muttering it while you were working.

Anyway, I decided to re-visit "chemical" IOU when I needed Moriarty to still be causing trouble from beyond the grave. (again, for my theory in progress! LOL!) Then it hit me; like low level mercury poisoning, radioactive Iodine exposure can kill you slowly. Neat.

Remember this?

SHERLOCK: He didn’t need to be there for the execution. Murder by remote control. He could be a thousand miles away.

Just in case you're interested, here's more info on Iodine-131 (the by-product of uranium mono-oxyde nuclear fission.) Nice to see I'm putting my dusty biochem degree to good use! ;D

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission_product (scroll down to "Iodine")

Irene Adler · April 4, 2012 2:35 pm

sherlocked wrote:
As I said, I'm not the best person to judge, if the two phrases sound the same - a native English speaker has to help out here, but since you are a music teacher, I trust your ear more than mine, Irene.
All dubbings and translations on this must end up really clunky, and potential clues might get lost.
Did they change the apple carving and the graffitty also in the Spanish version?

Ok, let's hope some of our natives can help us... it can be just a silly thing, but I still find it odd. When I started learning English, my teacher always pronounced "you" and "u" a bit differently and I may be paranoid as I said before
They didn't change the carving, the graffity nor the windows in front of Scotland Yard. They just let the IOU be but translated it when the characters were talking. A complete mess, you can imagine. They did translate phone messages and that sort of things that appear on the screen, but not the IOU. Bad choice, I think there'll be a lot of people missing this.

By the way, Shenanigans, I have to take a look to all you're posting with some calm. I'm leaving in a few minutes but I promise to read it all slowly and share my impressions. It looks quite interesting

sherlocked · April 4, 2012 2:52 pm

shenanigans, I wouldn't put it past Moriarty, to call a nuclear disaster part of a game, but I can't see, how 'Oxygen' fits into this scenario, but I'm no expert here. Also, if we look for an alternative meaning of IOU, I would look for something, where these letteres forms an entity as a whole, some people might recognize. As I said, if you look for IOU as something, the IT-community might know about,there is far more than the 'evilrouters' website, and it's in many languages. Also it ties neatly with 'Jim from IT' and Prof. Grimm's teachings. The question is, if something like that lends itself to crime, if used and altered by the wrong persons.
I noticed Sherlock's muttering in the lab, and interpreted it as him being in his mind palace, searching for a meaning by association. But it's interesting, that you mention this scene, because it shows , that Sherlock doesn't leave things with just 'I owe you a fall', but he is searching for alternative interpretations, just as we are.
I like your idea of Moriarty trying to cause damage from beyond the grave, and, at least concerning Sherlock and his friends, he certainly has succeeded, but maybe, there's more to come.

Last edited by sherlocked (April 4, 2012 3:01 pm)

Shenanigans · April 4, 2012 3:20 pm

Thank you, Sherlocked!

I thought Oxygen was used in the detonation process (as opposed to spontaneous fission of Uranium) BUT I can't find any evidence of that at the moment!!

I'll be happy if I can eliminate one possibility.

Any physical chemist out there who can help us out!!?

(this is fun!)

m0r1arty · April 4, 2012 3:34 pm

Hi Shenanigans - I'm not sure what you are asking with regards to chemistry assistance.

Iodine, oxygen and uranium cannot exist solely. There would need to be, at least, some hydrogen in there to balance it out.

I hope that was of some help, again I didn't quite grasp what you were asking.

-m0r