BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Redbeard

**Posted by ukaunz** September 15, 2015 5:58 am

Yes, that meta definitely goes toward clarifying all the fuzzy threads of the pressure point/Redbeard clues for me, although there is no mention of Redbeard being a pirate reference/Sherlock wanting to be a pirate, so that's still a bit of a mystery.

I just wonder what CAM actually knows about Redbeard. He obviously knows the name Redbeard is significant, but does he know why? And why exactly would a dog, no matter how much he loved it and how sad he was when it was put down, be a pressure point for Sherlock?

**Posted by Yitzock** September 15, 2015 12:48 pm

OK...then I really just didn't remember that part about Magnussen actuallying saying it, although it sounds right now that you mention it.

As for Mycroft's mentioning of Redbeard over the phone, I don't know whether Mycroft used that as a test or not. He could have, but of course it also had the implication of reminding Sherlock why he had discouraged him not to "get involved." So maybe there's more than one reason Mycroft mentioned Redbeard.

**Posted by Lola Red** September 15, 2015 8:06 pm

In the meta it says that Sherlock thought that Redbeard was send to a farm when he was put down. Where is that part from? I must have missed it.

But I would agree that it is possible that CAM and Moriarty have worked together at some point, or more specific, during TRF. Moriarty suddenly talks about “pressure points”, he uses that exact term (instead of e.g. weak spots). That always makes me think that there might be a connection.

Last edited by Lola Red (September 15, 2015 8:10 pm)

**Posted by Liberty** September 15, 2015 8:45 pm

IIRC, my current profile picture was taken around the point where Sherlock hears Magnussen say "Redbeard". It intrigued me, because it made me think that Sherlock knew that Magnussen knew his true weakness. But he doesn't give that away to John, still playing along with the "drugs" idea.

I hadn't thought about Magnussen tapping the phone, but that would be a simple answer. In fact, he wouldn't even really have to know what "Redbeard" meant, just the word (to put Sherlock on edge). (And he had already tested Sherlock's feelings about John).

Last edited by Liberty (September 15, 2015 8:45 pm)

**Posted by ukaunz** September 15, 2015 9:18 pm

Lola Red wrote:
In the meta it says that Sherlock thought that Redbeard was send to a farm when he was put down. Where is that part from? I must have missed it.

Same here, I've been wondering that. I have a terrible memory, I forget things all the time and often mix up things I've read in metas with what actually happened on the show.

**Posted by RavenMorganLeigh** September 15, 2015 9:20 pm

ukaunz wrote:
Lola Red wrote:
In the meta it says that Sherlock thought that Redbeard was send to a farm when he was put down. Where is that part from? I must have missed it.

Same here, I've been wondering that. I have a terrible memory, I forget things all the time and often mix up things I've read in metas with what actually happened on the show.

And there's the Fandom in a nutshell.

Last edited by RavenMorganLeigh (September 15, 2015 9:21 pm)

**Posted by Yitzock** September 16, 2015 1:03 am

Liberty wrote:
IIRC, my current profile picture was taken around the point where Sherlock hears Magnussen say "Redbeard". It intrigued me, because it made me think that Sherlock knew that Magnussen knew his true weakness. But he doesn't give that away to John, still playing along with the "drugs" idea.

I hadn't thought about Magnussen tapping the phone, but that would be a simple answer. In fact, he wouldn't even really have to know what "Redbeard" meant, just the word (to put Sherlock on edge). (And he had already tested Sherlock's feelings about John).

Good point. Just because he knows it's a pressure point doesn't mean he necessarily knows anything else. There's an implication of him knowing more if he knows the name, and in saying it Magnussen can read from Sherlock's expression what it means to Sherlock, even if he still can't get specific details.

**Posted by ukaunz** September 16, 2015 4:15 am

RavenMorganLeigh wrote:
ukaunz wrote:
Lola Red wrote:
In the meta it says that Sherlock thought that Redbeard was send to a farm when he was put down. Where is that part from? I must have missed it.

Same here, I've been wondering that. I have a terrible memory, I forget things all the time and often mix up things I've read in metas with what actually happened on the show.
And there's the Fandom in a nutshell.

of course it is I just meant that some people have much better recall of the episodes than I do. No matter how many times I watch Sherlock, I still forget stuff.

Anyway, I found an interview where Moftiss talk about how they originally wrote an explanation about Redbeard into TSoT, that Sherlock was told Redbeard was sent off to a farm when the dog had actually died. So it's not quite canon, is it? Unless I've missed/forgotten something...
http://www.empireonline.com/features/sherlock-series-3-secrets/p18

Last edited by ukaunz (September 16, 2015 4:17 am)

**Posted by SolarSystem** September 16, 2015 4:39 am

I agree, I'd say it isn't canon. And it definitely wasn't mentioned in the show. I'm pretty sure that nobody ever even mentioned the fact that Redbeard was a dog. They mentioned the name, but apart from that we only know Redbeard is a dog because we saw it in Sherlock's Mind Palace. Or am I forgetting something here?

**Posted by Yitzock** September 16, 2015 1:09 pm

No, other than the Mind Palace seen we only ever hear the name "Redbeard." Until that scene we don't know what it refers to.