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Mycroft is, I think, an interesting character in the Shlock series. Very different from the Mycroft portrayed in the original stories. I thought it might be useful, and fun, to make a more detailed study of what we know about Mycroft.
I'll start it off with the bleeding obvious! Lol
Mycroft is Sherlock Holmes's older brother.
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He occupies a minor position in the British government. (He is the British government).
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He is on diet
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He cares about Sherlock and worries about him constantly. He's a secret softie underneath his cool exterior!
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He always carries an umbrella, no matter it's a sunny day (misterious umbrella, isn't it?)
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He is a member of The Diogenes Club.
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He doesn't like legwork.
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He can get your therapyst notes.
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He is even more brilliant in making deductions than his little brother.
He likes to drink something that looks like brandy.
He repeatedly threatens Sherlock with a knighthood.
He calls his mother "Mummy".
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He doesn't frequent cafes.
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Davina wrote:
He doesn't frequent cafes.
But IF he does, prior to that he smokes.
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He doesn't prefer to text. He likes to speak.
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Hmm.
These are just things noticed so far more than analyses; not even observations really. To add to the things noticed list I would say he lives in a big house with life sized chess pieces in the living room.
Analysis & observations: Mycroft has a sense of 'family' because he does 'look out' for Sherlock, regardless of their sibling rivalry banter. He is not afraid to ask for his brother's help & does so often, usually because it involves legwork which is is loathe to do.
He is also not one to hold back when angry, just look at the cutting remarks made at the end of Scandal.
However he oversteps the boundaries of 'brotherhood' by thinking that Sherlock's friends are naturally his friends. eg "shut up Mrs Hudson".
He is wary of John at the start & why wouldn't he be? Here is some guy who has moved in with his 'antisocial' brother. You'd certainly raise an eyebrow or two wouldn't you? His brother is a genius and some army dude has 'latched on'????
He certainly does have a very high intellect but the difference between himself and Sherlock is that he is more 'in touch' with the outside world. This is paramount in his position with the Government. eg Kept up with gossip & knew who Irene Adler was.
I don't think Mycroft is THAT much different in BBC than in the canon, just a more rounded character. Comparing his aloofness, his laziness from then to now I don't believe he has changed much at all.
And if you look at the Jeremy Brett interpretation, in one show he asks Sherlock ' Is that Father's magnifying glass" "why did he give it to you?". The inference there is of sibling rivalry so it has been a common theme throughout really.
However this rivalry was probably the 'save' for Mycroft in Reichenbach. Obviously Moriarty did not think the bond between them was strong enough to set Mycroft up for assassination. So in reality, the public rivalry worked to their advantage. By what degree will be interesting to discover.
I believe the contrast in 'involvement' with each other between BBC and canon is the fact that in this day & age, everyone is in constant contact with each other through electronic devices. It may not have been than 'canon Mycroft' was not that involved or interested in his brother but more to do with the constraints of communication at that time. These days, we can be in contact with anyone or even just 'follow' anyone via the internets, phone etc.
So, once again I say to you guys " Don't just SEE, OBSERVE".
Last edited by kazza474 (April 28, 2012 8:51 am)
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Good deductions!!
I don't really see that he's too different from Canon Mycroft either, it's just that Mycroft isn't really in the Canon that much, but what little we do see of him is pretty similar to BBC Mycroft. The joke about him being on a diet is a Canon nod which I know we mentioned at some point on another thread, because he's described as being "corpulent".
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Glad you agree on the 'not being too different' thing.
DO you see what I mean by 'things noticed vs observations vs deductions'?
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Yeah, I suppose it's like a process. First you notice or see something, then you observe things about what you've seen, then you make deductions based upon your observations. Except the average person just stops at the 'seeing' part.
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Analysis and deductions from an observation. He is a member of The Diogenes Club. There are many other grntleman's club in London that he could have chosen to be a member of.
Firstly, we can deduce that he has the standing required to be allowed to be a member of this exclusive club.
Secondly, he has chosen to belong to a club which has a rule of no talking, except in The Strangers' Room. This does, I think, tell us something of his character. That he is, like his brother, something of a loner socially.
Thirdly, It is also a club which is frequented by members of parliament and others of influence.; a place where people can get peace and quiet but where behind the scenes machinatioms could take place.
Fourthly, it is to this club that he has John Watson taken to explain about the assassins and The Richard Brook newspaper story; he knows that what goes on behind these doors, stays there.
Fifthly, It is here also, that after Sherlock's 'death' he is shown; he knows that here no questions can be asked of him. Interestingly the circumstances of his brothers demise has not affected his membership of the club.
To summarise:
Membership of the club underlines his membership of the establishment.
He likes to be less than sociable, at least at times.
He is a person involved in complex machinations who needs somewhere where nothing will be divulged.
He uses the club as his safe haven, it is a secure location for him emotionally.
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I think for the most part we can take it that the characters have been taken from the canon & expanded upon. That being the case, and from Mycroft's attitude in the club he is in fact a co-founder of the club.
I don't really think his membership of the club shows him to be a loner. His job with the Government demands a lot of contact with people this is one of the many contrasts he has with Sherlock's characters that stands out & adds to the 'conflict' they have.
I think his involvement with the club & its patrons shows how he appears to be a manipulative force within the Government actually.
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Mycroft is a co-founder of a club where, socially, people are forbidden to converse. Interesting. Contact with people through work does not necessarily require him to be sociable outside of work. Yes, agreed, a manipulative force both within government and, as Sherlock says, possibly outside of government. He is practically the British Government.
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Davina wrote:
Mycroft is a co-founder of a club where, socially, people are forbidden to converse.
That's an interesting tidbit for me. I'm new to much of the canon stuff and I didn't know this about The Diogenes club. I mean, I knew something was up when John came in and started talking to the folks who were just sitting around and they looked at him like he was nuts. The only other thing I ever knew about Mycroft was that he was usually portrayed as older and heavier, but Mark's version really works for me. I've often thought about their relationship and its roots and hoped to find out more, but sadly I heard Moffit say he had no plans to explore their past. I was very disappointed to hear him say that, it would be fascinating to know more about their childhood lives together.