BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Pressure Points

**Posted by Mattlocked** January 13, 2014 12:25 am

Sherlock: Irene Adler, Jim Moriarty, Redbeard, Hounds of the Baskerville, Opium, John Watson

Why Hounds?

**Posted by Punch me in the face** January 13, 2014 12:32 am

Thanks for that! I hadn't had time to read everything while watching the episode and I won't be able to watch it again before tomorrow (it's 1.30am here)

We finally get to know Mrs Hudson's firstname. I think Martha suits her really well.

I still can't believe Sherlock is not one of John's pressure points.

And Hounds? Well, I think that's because Sherlock lost control during the case, and he obviously hated it and saw it as a weakness

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** January 13, 2014 12:32 am

Yeah, it's definitely odd that Sherlock wasn't on John's list of pressure points...but maybe Magnussen wasn't as all knowing and clever as he thought, if he didn't realise how much John would do for Sherlock.

**Posted by Punch me in the face** January 13, 2014 12:33 am

Oh and M.I.6 what does that mean? Does it refer to the 3rd Holmes brother? (i don't think so as "brother" is not plural)

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 12:34 am

I have been thinking about this. I think the pressure points aren't just things that are important to you, but things that can have an impact on you, whatever that impact is. So, Moriarty is a pressure point for that reason, and so are the hounds - because he got scared when faced with the hound in Baskerville.

John though - I am guessing he only has 2 pressure points listed because CAM doesn't know much about him, but I can't believe Sherlock is not one of them. I can't find an explanation for this,

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 12:35 am

Punch me in the face wrote:
Oh and M.I.6 what does that mean? Does it refer to the 3rd Holmes brother? (i don't think so as "brother" is not plural)

The MI6 is the British Secret Services, where Mycroft works.

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** January 13, 2014 12:36 am

Ozma wrote:
I have been thinking about this. I think the pressure points aren't just things that are important to you, but things that can have an impact on you, whatever that impact is. So, Moriarty is a pressure point for that reason, and so are the hounds - because he got scared when faced with the hound in Baskerville.

John though - I am guessing he only has 2 pressure points listed because CAM doesn't know much about him, but I can't believe Sherlock is not one of them. I can't find an explanation for this,

Yeah, CAM doesn't know as much as he thinks he does, basically.

And @Punch me in the face - MI6 is basically who Mycroft works for, essentially. Same organisation that James Bond works for.

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 12:39 am

Sherlock Holmes wrote:
Ozma wrote:
I have been thinking about this. I think the pressure points aren't just things that are important to you, but things that can have an impact on you, whatever that impact is. So, Moriarty is a pressure point for that reason, and so are the hounds - because he got scared when faced with the hound in Baskerville.

John though - I am guessing he only has 2 pressure points listed because CAM doesn't know much about him, but I can't believe Sherlock is not one of them. I can't find an explanation for this,
Yeah, CAM doesn't know as much as he thinks he does, basically.

but that's because, in order to know things, CAM needs to observe and collect info. I just think Sherlock should have been pretty easy to spot as a pressure point for John.

John, who's the machine now...

**Posted by Punch me in the face** January 13, 2014 12:44 am

Thanks Ozma & SH, it makes more sense

Yeah, I see pressure points as something that would not fail to get you emotional (whatever emotion it is: love, incomfort, angry, ashamed...) and that therefore can be used for blackmailing.

Anyway, that still doesn't explain why Sherlock is not one of John's. I mean, just tell him Sherlock is in danger and he will rush to save him, even if that would endanger his own life. And even if you don't know much about him, just observing a little in different situations would allow you to notice Sherlock is very important to him (just knowing he had made Sherlock his best man would be enough, and I do think Magnussen could have that kind of informations). So I really don't get it...

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 12:58 am

Big mistake on Mofftiss's part I think. I'm baffled.

**Posted by Punch me in the face** January 13, 2014 1:16 am

I just can't see them making such an enormous mistake! Maybe there's a rational explanation. I'm waiting for it, at least...

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 1:20 am

I think we had our logical explanation...

Pressure points are those things that elicit reactions in people, right?

Well.. Sherlock is leaving on a suicide mission, John won't see him for 6 months, but possibly ever again.
What's John's reaction? NOT.EVEN.ONE.LITTLE.TEAR.

Here you go. No pressure point for Sherlock there.

**Posted by Punch me in the face** January 13, 2014 1:24 am

Yeah, right. Like I said in another post, I'm really bitter about their goodbyes. Well, Sherlock seemed a bit moved, but I felt John was like "yeah, well, it's all been good and fun but now I have my life, a baby on the way, so well, goodbye huh?" (I need to watch this again because I may have missed things in the dialog) Yet John said in TSOT that Mary and Sherlock were the two people he loved most in his life, and he had shown many times in the past how much Sherlock was important to him, so I'm really confused... I mean Sherlock practically sacrificed himself for John and Mary (he did stick to his vow, wow!) and that's all he gets?

Last edited by Punch me in the face (January 13, 2014 1:25 am)

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 1:38 am

yes. Imagine if Mary had been the one having to leave. John would have caused a riot.

I guess he understood what Sherlock had done for him and that the alternative would have been jail, but is a suicide mission really any better?? And Sherlock clearly tells him they're never going to see each other again.

Arg, This is really hard to swallow.

**Posted by KeepersPrice** January 13, 2014 1:52 am

Porn preference: normal????? What????

**Posted by Wholocked** January 13, 2014 2:19 am

Pressure Points in Magnussen's world means "information this person doesn't want to get out, or people I can threaten to keep this person in line". Sherlock is not a pressure point for John. If Magnussen threatened Sherlock, John would believe 100% that Sherlock was well capable of taking care of himself. There's nothing Magnussen could threaten toward Sherlock to make John bend to his will because John doesn't see Sherlock as someone who requires his protection (and keep in mind we've seen no evidence that Magnussen resorts to physical violence, even though he has thugs; he plays a gentleman's game). Sherlock, however, sees John as someone who requires his protection and he is therefore a pressure point to Sherlock.

Make sense? It's all about Magnussen's motivation, not theirs.

**Posted by SusiGo** January 13, 2014 2:25 am

I fully agree with you, Wholocked.

**Posted by Schmiezi** January 13, 2014 8:09 am

Wholocked wrote:
Pressure Points in Magnussen's world means "information this person doesn't want to get out, or people I can threaten to keep this person in line". Sherlock is not a pressure point for John. If Magnussen threatened Sherlock, John would believe 100% that Sherlock was well capable of taking care of himself. There's nothing Magnussen could threaten toward Sherlock to make John bend to his will because John doesn't see Sherlock as someone who requires his protection (and keep in mind we've seen no evidence that Magnussen resorts to physical violence, even though he has thugs; he plays a gentleman's game). Sherlock, however, sees John as someone who requires his protection and he is therefore a pressure point to Sherlock.

Make sense? It's all about Magnussen's motivation, not theirs.

Makes perfect sense. I absolutely agree with you.

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 8:25 am

I understand that as: unless the person's porn preference is very high (which means they could have implicating pictures/videos or behaviours they can be blackmailed for) then the porn preference is 'normal' for everyone (meaning that he is not interested in finding out if the person has no interested in porn, for example)

1 thing: I didn't see the 'porn preference' option in Mrs Hudson's scan - is it there only for men?!

**Posted by Criosdan** January 13, 2014 8:32 am

Ozma wrote:
1 thing: I didn't see the 'porn preference' option in Mrs Hudson's scan - is it there only for men? !

That would be very sexist. And stupid. It could be such a good pressure point...