BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / They never tell us how Sherlock faked his own death

**Posted by HL0000** February 19, 2014 11:22 pm

Am I the only person who's annoyed by the fact that we waited for a whole year to find out how he faked his own death and they gave us our own theories as explainations in the show??? How on earth did NOBODY asked him how he did it in the show??? Watson doesn't care, but what about Lestrade and everybody else??

Last edited by HL0000 (February 19, 2014 11:23 pm)

**Posted by John Harrison** February 20, 2014 4:04 am

I don't mind at all. We'll also never figure out the logistics of how he 'saved'
Irene at the end of ASIB, how he harpooned a pig on the subway, how
the elephant got into the room etc...

If ever he told John/Lestrade anyone exactly how he 'did it' , it may have happened off-camera.
In fact, it probably did. And, there are likely many elements of truth in his explanation to Anderson.

But at this point in their story, I really don't care, and it doesn't bother me that
things were a bit ambiguous. Nothing new there.

**Posted by Michele** February 20, 2014 4:40 am

John Harrison wrote:
I don't mind at all. We'll also never figure out the logistics of how he 'saved'
Irene at the end of ASIB, how he harpooned a pig on the subway, how
the elephant got into the room etc...

If ever he told John/Lestrade anyone exactly how he 'did it' , it may have happened off-camera.
In fact, it probably did. And, there are likely many elements of truth in his explanation to Anderson.

But at this point in their story, I really don't care, and it doesn't bother me that
things were a bit ambiguous. Nothing new there.

I agree. But seriously, how did the elephant get in the room!?!?!?!

**Posted by tobeornot221b** February 20, 2014 4:59 am

@HL0000: It wasn't one year, it was two years.
And: No, I don't care.

@Michele"Elephant in the room" is an English metaphorical idiom for an obvious truth that is either being ignored or going unaddressed. The idiomatic expression also applies to an obvious problem or risk no one wants to discuss.[It is based on the idea that an elephant in a room would be impossible to overlook; thus, people in the room who pretend the elephant is not there have chosen to avoid dealing with the looming big issue.
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephant_in_the_room

**Posted by HL0000** February 20, 2014 5:25 am

But do you think they will never explain it to us, ever? I mean, it was one of the biggest discussion within the Sherlock fandom before season 3 started. Well maybe I'm the only one here who's still wondering...

Also, @tobeornot221b it was an actual "elephant in the room." You can read about it in Watson's blog here: http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/blog/10june

**Posted by tobeornot221b** February 20, 2014 5:46 am

No, I don't think that we will ever get THE answer because there's no explanation which is absolutely watertight . The authors know that and prefer to present us with several of the fandom's own theories. Clever!

**Posted by John Harrison** February 20, 2014 6:44 am

Ah, thanks HL0000 for the link to John's blog about the elephant in the room! Great to hear it's real.

And sadly, no, I don't think we'll never hear a definitive explanation about his survival of the fall. We
may get further small tidbits of details over the years. Maybe even some cryptic future blog entries.

It's certainly fine to keep wondering, but it seems now there's just so much more to wonder about.
Lucky and frustrating for us!!

**Posted by dartmoordoggers** February 20, 2014 12:43 pm

In some ways they were painted in a corner with the level of interest in the fall. As they have repeatedly said there are only a few obvious ways to survive a fall; don't land or land softly. And I don't buy into this copying fan theories. We had two years where every possible and impossible theory was discussed and dissected. Hardly fair to expect someone to come up with a new solution after everyone else has had two years of debate. And it wasn't as though a simple solution would suffice. Critics also wanted to be amazed. A simple solution would have been for Sherlock to jump on an airbag and Brown to hypnotise Watson. After all Brown has shown he can control Freeman in real life. But people would have been disappointed. So I was happy with a Hollywood solution and a reasonably logical solution. Like many others it was the reunion that was important to me, not the fall.
I'm also mindful that Moffat maybe spending the next two years laughing at the critics of the fall; knowing that the outcome of 'Miss Me' will explain it all.

**Posted by tonnaree** February 20, 2014 2:18 pm

HL0000 wrote:
But do you think they will never explain it to us, ever? I mean, it was one of the biggest discussion within the Sherlock fandom before season 3 started. Well maybe I'm the only one here who's still wondering...

Also, @tobeornot221b it was an actual "elephant in the room." You can read about it in Watson's blog here: http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/blog/10june

Yes, in the show there actually was an elephant in a room but I think the writers tossed it in as a joke because of the well known saying and the elephant that is "johnlock."

**Posted by saturnR** February 20, 2014 6:21 pm

I thought the theory he told Anderson was the real one.

**Posted by CaseyB** February 22, 2014 1:43 am

tonnaree wrote:
Yes, in the show there actually was an elephant in a room but I think the writers tossed it in as a joke because of the well known saying and the elephant that is "johnlock."

Ha! I like this - I hadn't thought of it that way, but its a neat little nod to the fandom or at least a cool way to look at it.

**Posted by lil** February 22, 2014 8:57 am

Never expected it to be explained and was surprised by the many people that did.
The writers never had any intention to explain the fall, it was meant to be and always will remain an unexplained magic trick.
Just one more miracle of Sherlocks.
It would become meaningless and bleh if it was explained..and Sherlock would become ordinary and boring....

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** February 24, 2014 9:46 am

Initially, I was so incredibly disappointed and angry that they hadn't explained it properly. I thought it was a complete cop out and lazy writing. I know many people who still feel this way, especially people who aren't involved in the fandom.

Having thought about it a little more, and given the series time to sink in, I've now come not only to accept it but to actually quite like the fact that we don't know. It's that old adage of "a magician never reveals his tricks" and also, if you watch the DVD extras, Moffat and Gatiss explain that they actually took the idea from another Sherlock Holmes movie where Holmes is trapped in an inescapable situation - in a locked room surrounded by fire on all sides. Then the next scene, he is sat in Baker Street perfectly fine. Watson is amazed and asked him how he managed to get out. All Holmes replies is "I am known to be indestructable" and that's literally the only explanation you get.

So no, I don't think we will ever get a true explanation. You're left to continue theorising and you can essentially believe any theory you want to. None of us are wrong and none of us are right. I can, therefore, continue to believe my own theory, safe in the knowledge that Sherlock would most definitely have done it my way. ;)

**Posted by SherlocklivesinOH** February 24, 2014 10:29 pm

The writers are sort of behaving like Sherlock is a real person and he hasn't told them how he did it.

Which is kind of like how the original Watson operated: he was writing Holmes' adventures, but he admitted there were things he couldn't tell, and he admitted there were things about Holmes he didn't know. He has Holmes give an explanation for faking his death and his three-year hiatus, but it has some plausibility issues.

**Posted by besleybean** February 25, 2014 8:48 am

I do also think they were poking fun at the obsession over how he did it.
I qute enjoyed this, as I got it straight away that it didn't matter how he did it...I was much more interetsed in the reunion!

**Posted by OnlyinWestwood** February 28, 2014 1:15 pm

What if Sherlock's death hasn't been explained yet, because it's connected to Moriarty's fake death?
I'm guessing Mycroft/Sherlock & Moriarty had some agreement for some future reason. It's a wild guess, but that's the fun of it sometimes!
And then maybe those "fake" scenes filmed between Mycroft & Moriarty will be scraped off the cutting room floor, lol!

**Posted by besleybean** February 28, 2014 5:11 pm

Doubt it.

**Posted by natal** March 11, 2014 2:39 pm

saturnR wrote:
I thought the theory he told Anderson was the real one.

I believe the same thing. I dont think that the production will bother with this anymore as I dont think that we ll see moriarty again.

**Posted by Willow** March 11, 2014 9:39 pm

natal wrote:
saturnR wrote:
I thought the theory he told Anderson was the real one.

I believe the same thing. I dont think that the production will bother with this anymore as I dont think that we ll see moriarty again.

Unless, of course, Moriarty had an identical twin; I do wonder whether the case involving the woman married to identical triplets was a small hint in this direction...

**Posted by besleybean** March 11, 2014 9:40 pm

Ooh.