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

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** January 13, 2014 12:38 am

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.

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 12:41 am

Redbeard got put down.

So heartbreaking, I just can't....

**Posted by tonnaree** January 13, 2014 1:01 am

I like that the Redbeard explanation was something simple and human. Sherlock wasn't always as shut down as he has been as an adult.

**Posted by sj4iy** January 13, 2014 1:03 am

Yeah, Sherlock says "They're putting me down, too, boy".

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 1:17 am

Christ Moffat, after everything else, now the doggy that has been put down.

Why are you so cruel.

**Posted by Punch me in the face** January 13, 2014 1:20 am

Sorry, but "put down", does that mean you take the dog to the vet because he is ill or wounded, so that the vet euthanize it?

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 1:21 am

It means to be put to sleep...

**Posted by Wholocked** January 13, 2014 2:40 am

Yep. So, based on the previous conversation, Sherlock got "too involved" with Redbeard and became distressed when he lost him as a child, presumable.

Awww poor Sherlock.

**Posted by Sherli Bakerst** January 13, 2014 2:42 am

Wait--Redbeard was a dog?!? I totally missed that. Yet another reason to watch HLV again, this time with subtitles. I feel like I missed a lot of the dialog in this episode, and I'm a native English speaker.

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 8:42 am

Lol, what? But....he called him as the dog was running towards him?

**Posted by sherlocked4ever** January 13, 2014 11:08 am

I liked the idea of Redbeard, the dog of Sherlock

**Posted by Mirthxx** January 13, 2014 12:21 pm

I thought Redbeard was a teddybear with a pirate patch so got that wrong! LOL.

However, it was from childhood and taken away and Sherlock cared too much, but then again how many of us DIDNT guess that! LOL.

When he reverted to the little boy ruffling Redbeards fur, I thought the dog was going to get ripped away from him, maybe like it had when he was little and that nearly brought a tear to my eye. The thought of that little boy, so happy and engrossed in his dog, suddenly being bereft.

Mxx

**Posted by Mattlocked** January 13, 2014 12:58 pm

I also had to watch it twice until I got it. Have no idea why I missed it, I guess it just was all too much when I watched it at first.

**Posted by the_dancing_woman** January 13, 2014 1:37 pm

sj4iy wrote:
Yeah, Sherlock says "They're putting me down, too, boy".

This is when I got really emotional for a moment, hearing him say that!

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 1:40 pm

Oh, I certainly cried.

**Posted by dartmoordoggers** January 13, 2014 2:18 pm

Mirthxx wrote:
I thought Redbeard was a teddybear with a pirate patch so got that wrong! LOL.

However, it was from childhood and taken away and Sherlock cared too much, but then again how many of us DIDNT guess that! LOL.

When he reverted to the little boy ruffling Redbeards fur, I thought the dog was going to get ripped away from him, maybe like it had when he was little and that nearly brought a tear to my eye. The thought of that little boy, so happy and engrossed in his dog, suddenly being bereft.

Mxx

Fine bit of acting from the young Moffat.

Last edited by dartmoordoggers (January 13, 2014 2:18 pm)

**Posted by Clueing_for _looks** January 13, 2014 2:59 pm

I wonder why CAM explicitly referred to Redbeard. How did he know how important Redbeard was to Sherlock (and still is, actually)?

**Posted by SilverMoonDragonB** January 13, 2014 3:12 pm

I'm a major animal lover, have had both dogs and cat my entire life. Redbeard was just...heartbreaking, poor Sherlock

**Posted by silverblaze** January 13, 2014 3:18 pm

I just love the fact that that was SM's son. He looks the part and he can act really well, amazing.

About CAM, well I guess I'd find it rather creepy if a supervillain knew a painful childhood memory of mine. Think that'd rather upset me.

**Posted by besleybean** January 13, 2014 4:48 pm

Yes, but that was Sherlock thinking of it himself, at that particular moment...