Lupin wrote:

I don't think Sherlock is trying to be like Lost and placing really subtle hints that only the most die hard fans would find. It doesn't seem to me to be the aesthetic of the creators who are more like magicians entertaining with sleight of hand, showing you the whole stage.

I agree Sherlock played dumb. It's a reversal of The Great Game. He was wrong aout the Bruce Partington Plans which gave Moriarty the upper hand. In the Fall, Moriarty incorrectly guesses that Sherlock was relying on the key code, which gave Sherlock the upper hand.

I like the idea about Sherlock talking for too long being the clue that was missed, though that's again being more diligent than I think necessary. I think the clue that was missed is related to that though: Sherlock calling John at the end. In A Study in Pink, Sherlock says he doesn't call when he can text, the opposite of Mycroft. That seemed really out of character to me.

That's not typical for him, I agree. But Moffat said a clue everyone missed, I don't think there wasn't anyone who mentioned that in the theories Moffat read. Even if that is the clue, how does it relate to how Sherlock survived the fall? Knowing that he called instead of texting, doesn't tell me anything about how he did it .

Last edited by Ivy (January 29, 2013 6:19 pm)

Ivy wrote:

Lupin wrote:

I don't think Sherlock is trying to be like Lost and placing really subtle hints that only the most die hard fans would find. It doesn't seem to me to be the aesthetic of the creators who are more like magicians entertaining with sleight of hand, showing you the whole stage.

I agree Sherlock played dumb. It's a reversal of The Great Game. He was wrong aout the Bruce Partington Plans which gave Moriarty the upper hand. In the Fall, Moriarty incorrectly guesses that Sherlock was relying on the key code, which gave Sherlock the upper hand.

I like the idea about Sherlock talking for too long being the clue that was missed, though that's again being more diligent than I think necessary. I think the clue that was missed is related to that though: Sherlock calling John at the end. In A Study in Pink, Sherlock says he doesn't call when he can text, the opposite of Mycroft. That seemed really out of character to me.

That's not typical for him, I agree. But Moffat said a clue everyone missed, I don't think there wasn't anyone who mentioned that in the theories Moffat read. Even if that is the clue, how does it relate to how Sherlock survived the fall? Knowing that he called instead of texting, doesn't tell me anything about how he did it .

I don't see how speaking for more than 2 minutes is anymore of a clue, to be honest. That he played dumb I think is kind of well-understood by now and only suggests that he did have a plan when he went on the roof. It's not really an explanation as to how he survived, I think.

Well, in the canon, he leaves a letter for Watson, plus if you watch the scene he dials Watson just before Watson gets out of the taxi, suggesting he knew John would be at the scene when he got the call.

Last edited by Lupin (January 29, 2013 8:43 pm)

It just seems a little convenient that John would show up at St. Bart's right at that moment as Sherlock is about to jump.

Also, that statement by the creators about everyone missing something came out relatively soon after the episode aired, I think. By now, it's probably been brought up in some theory.

I agree that this is out of character (although he phoned his brother instead of texting in Baskerville, too) but what has this to do with how he did it? That's my problem.
Sure he needed to call John, for the reason alone to stop him from coming nearer, he couldn't text asking him that.

Lupin wrote:

I don't see how speaking for more than 2 minutes is anymore of a clue, to be honest. That he played dumb I think is kind of well-understood by now and only suggests that he did have a plan when he went on the roof. It's not really an explanation as to how he survived, I think.

Well, in the canon, he leaves a letter for Watson, plus if you watch the scene he dials Watson just before Watson gets out of the taxi, suggesting he knew John would be at the scene when he got the call.

Me neither, well it's not my theory. I just wanted to hear what you girls think about it.

I always thought that book was given to the siblings beforehand and they opened it.

Davina wrote:

It is out of character for Sherlock to call and not text though. A note is usually that, a written note. He had ample time to just send a text to John, if that was what he wanted to do. Therefore, as Sherlock never does anything without a logical reason, making a call and not texting must be relevant. A call allows him to manipulate John- not just emotionally but physically.

I agree that I think there's significance to the call, especially when one takes into account the importance of John's state of mind when he approaches the body.

As far as I'm concerned, he planned to have John arrive at the scene when he did. You see that Sherlock dialed the phone just before John gets out of the cab, not after seeing him.

I wonder if he did it to try to trigger John's PTSD. From the first episode, we know that he already suffers from flashbacks and was seeing a therapist. He also had an auditory hallucination after being clipped by the bike.

Swanpride wrote:

Perhaps he did "deduce" that the cap might hold John. To me the main reason he called was to ensure that John would not come nearer, but watch from the position where he couldn't see the ground.

I think it's reasonable to say Sherlock would deduce that John would come back to the scene after discovering the hoax but to say he knew it would be that cab at that moment is more prescience.

I can deduce that you will reply to this thread but to know that you'll be the next person to reply would be foresight.

besleybean wrote:

Possibly Sherlock was stalling until John did get back or perhaps it was just unfortunate that John got back.

I'd say: "All part of the plan." The writers wanted Sherlock "to die in John's arms" - as they said in an interview. So he had to come back exactly when he came back. And in canon Watson came back, too, after having been called off to an allegedly dying English woman. (Mrs Hudson "dying" is a nod to this.)

“Somehow, this is all part of his scheme” – Sherlock (about Moriarty)
Maybe this is a clue for us, too? I think of this as something similar to what John said about the hanged mannequin – “Did you just talk to him for very long?” Maybe parts of their conversations were counter-productive or something, giving John (and us) clues.
 
Maybe he’s planned it from the very beginning, and knowing John would be traumatized and such after his ‘death’, maybe Sherlock thought John would be brilliant enough to remember their conversations and notice a pattern. But I’m not really sure about this, though, maybe I’m just overthinking this, maybe I’ve just watched TRF one too many times, but here you go. Something to consider.
---
“You look sad when you think he can’t see you” - Molly
I don’t think Sherlock was acting when he was on the phone with John. He’s human, after all. “You’re right. I don’t have friends. I just got one”. Perhaps the tears were side effects of the drug he used to temporarily stop his heart beat, but no one can tell me otherwise that John meant nothing to Sherlock. He was the only friend he had.
---
Sherlock in the cab alone – not acting, definitely scared.
I don’t think he was acting in the cab, either. Sherlock only acts when he needs information. Acting scared in the cab didn’t gain him anything.
---
I’ve noticed a pattern:
3 major cases that Sherlock solved
3 places that Moriarty broke in
3 Magpie-sealed envelopes (and I've deduced that it was a Magpie seal because I searched 'Magpie' and it looked similar, and when Moriarty broke in, "The Thieving Magpie" was playing in the background)
3 IOUs
Just something to consider.
---
Pupils dilated when Sherlock sees Molly “You do count”
If you have the copy of the show, play it on the part where Molly asked, “What do you need?” “You”. Specifically somewhere along 1:02 – 1:03. Sherlock’s pupils were big and dilated. Maybe fear? Maybe the same feeling Irene had for Sherlock? I don’t know.
---
Another out-of-character thing to add on the list:
“That’s what people do don’t they?” – He never follows what other people do.
That’s what makes him so special (and to others, that’s what makes him a freak, a weirdo, a psychopath). “I don’t care what people think” He never does what people think or do! So why would he ‘leave a note’?
 
I think we all know the answer – because he wants John to solve this. He knew he was going to scar John, his only friend, for life. But he also knew that John was not as stupid as everyone else thinks him to be. He knew that John was going to repeat the events again and again in his mind and he knew that one day, John will snap out of his grief and realize that – ohmygod, no, Sherlock is not dead.
 
 He knew John will find out one day. He knew because they lived together. Surely he knows how John’s mind works by the now? And he used that knowledge to carve out his plan. He knew. He planned it all. For John. Just as MoGiss planned it all. For us.
 
All the clues. Set by Sherlock. For John.
All the clues. Set by MoGiss. For us.
Brilliant, isn’t it?

besleybean wrote:

This is a bit random but...
Remember the safety deposit box from SCANDAL?
Did it exist, was there anything in there?
I really don't think they would have been thinking of Reichenbach when writng SCANDAL, but it just made me think...

 
That bit about Molly sauntering down to the bank to retrieve the contents of Sherlock's lock box was a trifle amusing. Are we to believe that Sherlock and Molly opened the box together, or that the bank has a policy of letting just anyone walk in and clean out the contents of any random box?