BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / How Sherlock faked his death

**Posted by detectiveconan** October 27, 2013 3:32 am

I've read some theories about this and I thought, those are very clever, but here's a simple one. So, here are my thoughts on how he faked his death.

Remember the 1st Episode of Season 2, the Scandal in Belgravia? There was an event where Irene Adler "The Woman" faked her death, (and yes it was Christmas). Sherlock and Mycroft both checked the corpse, Molly said, "the face was a bit bashed-up so it might be a bit difficult" to confirm if it was the Woman's body, Sherlock opted to check the whole body and confirmed that it was Irene's. That is why Sherlock picked a place where one could get a bashed-up face, the Rooftop, where he can commit suicide and have his face bashed-up. Imitating Irene's trick in faking her death is enough to fool all the characters, (or the whole country, =)).

Now he needed a witness, (or witnesses, whatevs). In the episode "the Reichenbach Fall" on the part where Sherlock stands on the edge of the rooftop, John Watson comes to the building and calls Sherlock. Now, how could Sherlock make his suicide look very real? He just needed the drug in the Episode 2 season 2 the Hounds of Baskerville, remember that the drug was referred to as an Aerosol Dispersant. the drug is found in the fog therefore can be inhaled. In the scene where Sherlock gives his "Last Note" to John, you can clearly tell that Sherlock wants to get John into the spot where the Drug can be released via air, so when John runs to come inside the building, Sherlock instructed John to "Turn around and walk back the way you came", then there was their dialog in the phone, that was to recondition John's mind into thinking that Sherlock would commit suicide, but John really wanted to get inside the building and to get Sherlock but Sherlock insisted and said "No. Stay exactly where you are." Now we can assume that Dr. Watson is now drugged and so Sherlock now "commits his suicide". Then there was a scene when John walks into the Sherlock's "body" and a man riding a bicycle bumped and knocked him, That is for the second drug to take effect. What drug? Again, recall the 1st episode of season 2, in Irene's flat, where Irene wants to get her phone back from Sherlock, she injected a drug to Sherlock and hit him for the drug to take effect.
I dont know why Sherlock had to do it, but I think that is to disable John's skill of examining a dead body. I dont really know. As to whether the body was a fake or not? I dont know.

Now Sherlock can't do this all by himself, so he needed an assistant, that is Molly (and of course, the Homeless Network).

Just a theory. =)
Now, where is Moriarty??? =)))))

**Posted by sirlockofthesher** November 7, 2013 6:07 pm

I do not think John was drugged. In that moment Sherlock counts on what a normal reaction to seeing a best friend standing on the roof delivering "the note" would be. Shock..surges of adrenaline...a hit from the bike to disorient...the touch of the wrist to note no pulse (that would be the rubberball technique)...and then Molly Hooper certifying the death of Sherlock. All this-the magic trick Sherlock eluded to.

Someone who may have been drugged was Moriarty...the scene on the roof where Moriarty seems to unravel psychologically. It's a quick leap from functional psychopath to suicidal psychopath. Where was it administered?(When Sherlock grabs Moriarty and hold him out over the roof to get him to divulge his friends that are targets probably) What was it? (the aerosal from Hound probably)

I have a theory that I will post and would love to have you guys add on or detract from it. My family is having a Sherlock Party and we have to submit how he did it. The one closest to Sherlock's plan wins We also have to answer a few more questions like is Moriarty really alive? (if you have any good questions let me know- I have the task of making them up)

**Posted by fraudrhaase** December 10, 2013 9:16 am

I dont think that moriarty is still alive. Maybe because i don't like him :D

**Posted by jaynosan** December 30, 2013 12:03 am

It has come to my attention that we need a good theory.
Well here it is.

First, sherlock slowed his heart and pulse to an almost state of death. Next, he waited untill he could feel the rate of his heart fading, his life floating away and pins and needles all over, and then jumped. Snagging his foot on the building, he broke his leg and smashed his head on the truck below, just above ground. Because of the pins and needles, he felt no pain and crashed harmlessly on the ground. Blood seeped from his wounds giving the impression he was dead. Blood everywhere, skin as white as ice. seemingly dead. they assume he is dead because, afterall, no-one likes to see some distant child's role model lying on a surgery table being cut open to be sure they have kicked the bucket(or snuffed it, as he did with Henry Baskerville's ciggarette in the preivious episode)

**Posted by jaynosan** December 30, 2013 12:09 am

To sirlockofthesher
I also think this as my second theory(see my first above this one) Refering to the previous episode, we found out that fear can stimulate everything. Maybe all this was John's disorientation. His peer-fear. His mind manipulation of when he saw sherlock on the building, he immediately took it the wrong way. he dreamed a dream that went horribly wrong which then caused him to seek his therapist again.

**Posted by saraothman** December 31, 2013 9:32 pm

to jaynosan,
you have good theories! but the first one i think was better, he couldve used a drug to slow his heart rate so yours could be correct....? but there are also theories on youtube too so check them out before tomorrow!!!! x

**Posted by TeeJay** February 16, 2014 11:35 am

Sorry for abducting the thread, but I'm in the mood for something more humorous this morning.

And then the reunion scene between Sherlock and John:

John: Say, Sherlock, how on earth did you survive that fall?

Sherlock: Oh, you know, easy. Didn’t I tell you? My coat has magic qualities. It gives me the ability to fly. Like… like that bloke from the comics.

John: Spiderman?

Sherlock: No. Spiderman couldn’t fly, could he? The— the bat guy.

John: Batman.

Sherlock: Yeah, that’s it.

John: Wait a minute, you flew off the roof? With your coat. Then how did I see you lying dead on the pavement?

Sherlock: Identical twin. Had to bribe him to do this. Sorry I never mentioned him. We don’t get along.

John: (shakes his head) This takes ‘bizarre’ to whole new levels.

Last edited by TeeJay (February 16, 2014 11:38 am)

**Posted by SpiralStaircase** February 16, 2014 1:34 pm

TeeJay wrote:
Sorry for abducting the thread, but I'm in the mood for something more humorous this morning.

And then the reunion scene between Sherlock and John:

John: Say, Sherlock, how on earth did you survive that fall?

Sherlock: Oh, you know, easy. Didn’t I tell you? My coat has magic qualities. It gives me the ability to fly. Like… like that bloke from the comics.

John: Spiderman?

Sherlock: No. Spiderman couldn’t fly, could he? The— the bat guy.

John: Batman.

Sherlock: Yeah, that’s it.

John: Wait a minute, you flew off the roof? With your coat. Then how did I see you lying dead on the pavement?

Sherlock: Identical twin. Had to bribe him to do this. Sorry I never mentioned him. We don’t get along.

John: (shakes his head) This takes ‘bizarre’ to whole new levels.

The first time I saw that brilliant gif I nearly wet myself laughing! Thanks for sharing it again!

**Posted by stoertebeker** July 3, 2014 5:37 am

But during the phone call between John and Sherlock, he already stood on the rim of the roof. At the point where Sherlock told John that he invented Moriarty he looked back towards the body. So obviously the discussion scene and the fall took place on the same spot on the roof.

**Posted by OnlyinWestwood** July 21, 2014 1:57 am

I still think that whatever used by Moriarty to knock the guard out in the Tower of London, might've been the stuff that came out of his fake gun, to knock himself out. A sniper probably shot a blood pack on his collar.
And I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks Sherlock drugged Moriarty on the roof. Moriarty's personality change was obvious.

**Posted by Maurolukos** November 8, 2014 7:59 pm

Did anyone notice that when Sherlock jumps off the building,he faces the road but his corpse lands with his back and faces the sky????

**Posted by besleybean** November 8, 2014 7:59 pm

Yes.

**Posted by nakahara** November 8, 2014 11:23 pm

Maurolukos wrote:
Did anyone notice that when Sherlock jumps off the building,he faces the road but his corpse lands with his back and faces the sky????

That´s because the camera in this episode and later in TEH constantly cheats on us.

Moriarty and Sherlock meet on a roof at Saint Bart´s in a middle of the street with another building quite close nearby:

But when Sherlock jumps, he jumps from the corner of a building, with no trace of another building in front of his nose - just the opposite, there is a huge open space in front of him.

When Sherlock supposedly lands, we see this:

The street behind the fake body is entirely empty. Which is weird because the street should be full of people in that very moment. Not to mention that huuuge matress on which Sherlock lands:

The authors just mess with us. It nothing unusual to be confused by their shenanigans.