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

**Posted by Kerkerian** January 13, 2014 4:52 pm

It was a very touching, heart-breaking moment for me. And I kept wondering about his choice of words: "They are putting me down, too"- knowing Moffat doesn't leave anything to chance, what do you make of that?

**Posted by besleybean** January 13, 2014 5:14 pm

No, I thought he meant Mary was putting him down!
But I did wonder if Redbeard had been put down for no reason.

**Posted by Kerkerian** January 13, 2014 5:41 pm

besleybean wrote:
No, I thought he meant Mary was putting him down!
But I did wonder if Redbeard had been put down for no reason.

Yeah, that was a little ambiguous.

**Posted by silverblaze** January 13, 2014 7:12 pm

Nah, it just means they're killing me too. As in, we'll both be dead now. Didn't read anything else into it.

**Posted by shezza** January 13, 2014 11:57 pm

That was heartbreaking Actually all the bits on Sherlock's childhood as he "died" were interesting. It seems he had his share of childhood trauma, what with the dog and Mycroft's bullying.

**Posted by kittykat** January 14, 2014 12:14 am

Anyone got any photos of Redbeard? He's a cutie!

**Posted by josabby** January 14, 2014 1:07 am

Isolated children often cling to their pets. I was always attached to my dog, when my family moved to a new town, I had trouble fitting in for a long time and my attachment to my dog increased a lot. Dogs sometimes sense when we feel sad and try to cheer us up, so it would have naturally upset young Sherlock when his dog had to be put to sleep. I heard Moriarty's taunt again about people getting attached to their pets in that scene.

Last edited by josabby (January 14, 2014 1:27 am)

**Posted by besleybean** January 14, 2014 6:55 am

Interesting.

**Posted by TeaTime** January 15, 2014 2:59 am

Sherlock Holmes wrote:
After much debating on the forum over the past week, we finally got to find out who Redbeard was/is...it's Sherlock's childhood dog!

I was really really happy with that actually, but I was wondering...what do you guys think happened to Redbeard? Obviously something bad that Sherlock was upset over, which is why Mycroft uses it as a sort of reminder for him not to get too attached or emotionally involved with anything.

So I"m so excited to find this thread because I think we might have it all wrong. When Sherlock is shot, the Mycroft in his mind palace tells him to find something to calm himself down to avoid the shock, and he finds Redbeard. That means Redbeard is a happy calming memory for him. So when in "The Sign of Three" Mycroft says "Redbeard" to Sherlock over the phone he's not trying to bother him or throw him off his game, he's actually being nice! He knows Sherlock is nervous about the speech he has to give and uses a calming trigger word to shock Sherlock into a better frame of mind. I mean this really made me look at the whole character of Mycroft differently. Sherlock is only mad with his "I'm not a child anymore Mycroft" response because he doesn't want to feel coddled.

Er.. maybe, or maybe Mycroft was also trying to remind him that things he gets attached to tend to die now that I think of it. Now I'm not sure. What do you guys think?

Also my whole theory has a pretty big hole in it from when Magnussen also uses the word Redbeard to put Sherlock off. I'm not really sure why he does that.. maybe to prove he's got Mycroft under his thumb? Otherwise it seems telling Sherlock that he knows the name of his dead childhood pet is hardly intimidating really... just sort of weird.

**Posted by besleybean** January 15, 2014 6:36 am

I took it as a threat that he could hurt the one Sherlock loved...Redbeard was taken from him before and so could John be.

**Posted by silverblaze** January 15, 2014 12:26 pm

Yes, Mycroft wants Sherlock to be more detached.

**Posted by Ozma** January 15, 2014 12:31 pm

Agreed. And he wasn't wrong - see what happened...

**Posted by Be** January 27, 2014 9:22 am

I am curious. What exactly happened to Redbeard? Was he ill and had to be put down by a vet?
In Hounds Sherlock was presumably unable to understand that the landlord was unable to put the dog down. If he himself made such an experience you would think that he understood this kind of sentiment.
Did he lie to John about his coolness or lack of sentiment?

The other option would be that Sherlock actually didn't understand the landlord's sentiment. How detached is he actually? Who killed Redbeard and why? Why did CAM know about Redbeard's existence? Moriarty indicated that there was a connection between Sherlock and pets, too. Maybe this Redbeard incident was not just a private problem with an ill dog, but something a bit public? Concerning Sherlock? Something with the potential of developing into a pressure point?

**Posted by SusiGo** January 27, 2014 9:29 am

I think in HoB he still distances himself from his feelings like he did in the previous episodes. The Mind Palace scene in HLV shows he deeply his memories of the dog are buried. He has go run down the stairs to reach them. So I do not think he tells John a deliberate lie but reacts based on his current emotional distance.

Did CAM know about Redbeard? Was it in his "file" on Sherlock? Maybe I did not see it then. Because I cannot remember CAM mentioning Redbeard, just Mycroft.

**Posted by Biscuits!** January 27, 2014 10:12 am

I think CAM mentioned Redbeard when was in Sherlock´s flat and read Sherlock´s file. I wonder how he could know about Redbeard....

**Posted by SusiGo** January 27, 2014 11:05 am

Biscuits! wrote:
I think CAM mentioned Redbeard when was in Sherlock´s flat and read Sherlock´s file. I wonder how he could know about Redbeard....

You are right. That's interesting. Does anyone have an idea about that? Could it be one of the things from Kitty Riley's articles, maybe even disclosed by Mycroft (which would have been quite a terrible breach of trust)?

**Posted by Willow** January 27, 2014 11:08 am

Biscuits! wrote:
I think CAM mentioned Redbeard when was in Sherlock´s flat and read Sherlock´s file. I wonder how he could know about Redbeard....

Yes; it is strange. It comes up as 'Redbeard: see file'; I wonder whether this is a cross reference to Mycroft who also knows about Redbeard. Alas, now that CAM has shuffled off this mortal coil we will never know what he thought it was all about, but perhaps it will crop up again...

**Posted by Be** January 27, 2014 11:08 am

SusiGo wrote:
I think in HoB he still distances himself from his feelings like he did in the previous episodes. The Mind Palace scene in HLV shows he deeply his memories of the dog are buried. He has go run down the stairs to reach them. So I do not think he tells John a deliberate lie but reacts based on his current emotional distance.

Did CAM know about Redbeard? Was it in his "file" on Sherlock? Maybe I did not see it then. Because I cannot remember CAM mentioning Redbeard, just Mycroft.

CAM mentioned Redbeard and the name was written in red letters in his file when in 221 B under pressure points.
How could CAM know about it?
There has to be something more...

**Posted by LoveIsAViciousMotivator** January 27, 2014 1:48 pm

Aw that scene really was heartbreaking. =( Redbeard was so cute.

**Posted by Tinks** January 28, 2014 9:15 am

I think the "see file" bit was relating to CAMs own files in his version of his Mind Palace.
My take on it is that whatever condition Sherlock has, doesn't allow him to cope very well with overriding emotions - this is clearly a source of great worry to Mycroft; look how concerned he becomes when he fears Sherlock is falling for Irene.
I think maybe Sherlock went beyond simply getting upset over Redbeard's death - maybe a breakdown or illness or something?
I think that's why Mycroft tries constantly to goad Sherlock into keeping a tight reign on his emotions.