BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / The memory stick

**Posted by Fefster01** January 13, 2014 11:01 pm

Hello, I'm new, but love Sherlock. I noticed this clue...

The memory stick in Baker Street said : A.G.RA

The memory stick in the Christmas scene that Watson has in his hand said : A.G.RA

BUT

The memory stick Watson threw into the fire clearly said : A.G.R.A

It seems Dr Watson is keeping some insurance....

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 11:09 pm

Fefster01 wrote:
Hello, I'm new, but love Sherlock. I noticed this clue...

The memory stick in Baker Street said : A.G.RA

The memory stick in the Christmas scene that Watson has in his hand said : A.G.RA

BUT

The memory stick Watson threw into the fire clearly said : A.G.R.A

It seems Dr Watson is keeping some insurance....

haha, well spotted! Could be just a mistake, but interesting.

**Posted by Fefster01** January 13, 2014 11:10 pm

No way, no mistake. They wouldn't make a mistake like that.

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 11:13 pm

Fefster01 wrote:
No way, no mistake. They wouldn't make a mistake like that.

So he would have made the gesture of chucking it into the fire, just a symbolic thing?

**Posted by Fefster01** January 13, 2014 11:16 pm

No, he had a copy that went into the fire - but he wrote the initials slightly wrong on the copy by mistake. Why?

Because she has the thing most precious to him - the baby. He needs her to believe she is forgiven until the baby is born.

John Watson would never forgive her for shooting Sherlock, never.

So he had two memory sticks in his hands and the fake went into the fire. Then when she has the baby, he will give her the chance to leave and the memory stick will be his blackmail!

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 11:21 pm

Fefster01 wrote:
No, he had a copy that went into the fire - but he wrote the initials slightly wrong on the copy by mistake. Why?

Because she has the thing most precious to him - the baby. He needs her to believe she is forgiven until the baby is born.

John Watson would never forgive her for shooting Sherlock, never.

So he had two memory sticks in his hands and the fake went into the fire. Then when she has the baby, he will give her the chance to leave and the memory stick will be his blackmail!

well I have to admit I did wonder if John wasn't just swallowing the whole situation just for the moment... but then what?

really, go back to Baker Street with the baby and raise it with Sherlock?

**Posted by Fefster01** January 13, 2014 11:24 pm

Well, who knows? Sherlock and John will have a plan . John could safely have lots of babysitters, leaving him free to sleuth away. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch.

**Posted by Ozma** January 13, 2014 11:35 pm

yes but what would be the point of the baby in the story?

the baby has no point even with Mary there - even less without her...

**Posted by Fefster01** January 13, 2014 11:36 pm

No point, except to give John a reason to pretend to accept and forgive Mary. You probably wouldn't need to see that much of it once she is gone.

Last edited by Fefster01 (January 13, 2014 11:37 pm)

**Posted by Weirdness** January 13, 2014 11:52 pm

The quality of the stream I have I can't see that detail. Sorry to be a sceptic but can anyone provide a screen shot? This could be an opening for a fascinating amount of possibilities.

**Posted by Wholocked** January 14, 2014 1:16 am

Baker Street:

Fireside at Christmas:

In the fire:

I'll leave you to your deductions...

**Posted by Ozma** January 14, 2014 1:18 am

well, the writing is definitely different. I wonder if it's just a continuity error, or if it means anything.

**Posted by Wholocked** January 14, 2014 1:20 am

I suspect it's probably a continuity thing as they're both in the same handwriting; and there is a period in the first one it's just blended into the tail of the R.

However, it would be very interesting if John destroyed a fake and kept the original.

**Posted by Weirdness** January 14, 2014 1:34 am

Thanks for the screenshots! I'm thinking continuity error also but can't wait to find out for sure.

**Posted by Mrs. Watson** January 14, 2014 1:44 am

It looks like the same memory stick to me. The writing in the one that John throws into the fire is faded which makes sense because several months have passed.

**Posted by Wholocked** January 14, 2014 4:37 am

Mrs. Watson wrote:
It looks like the same memory stick to me. The writing in the one that John throws into the fire is faded which makes sense because several months have passed.

You're missing that the second and third image are in the exact same scene.

The second image (first above) is him holding it before throwing it into the fire. The third image (above) is when it's actually been thrown into the fire.

Having said all that, I think it's just a props/continuity error since the letters are clearly in the same hand; and given he throws one version into a live fire, I don't doubt they would have had multiple versions of the prop.

**Posted by Fefster01** January 14, 2014 5:47 am

I think it's obviously a different one. The writing is different.

In the memory stick that goes into the fire, there is a clear dot after the R and the A has a curved downstroke.

I don't think it Is an error for a few reasons :

I think we can say almost certainly that this is a different memory stick. Why would they make more than one prop?

The other reason (and the reason I spotted this is the first place) is that the camera is virtually shoving it down your throat. The memory stick is screaming 'look at me' in three scenes. It's been deliberately filmed that way for us to see.

Remember, there are no coincidences.

I could be wrong though

**Posted by Fefster01** January 14, 2014 5:53 am

Someone has kindly created a new screenshot for me which is clearer:

http://m.imgur.com/hidSwyS

**Posted by Wholocked** January 14, 2014 7:06 am

Fefster01 wrote:
Why would they make more than one prop?

You almost always make more than one prop. And when you're going to throw one in a fire, you definitely make more than one prop. There's never only one take.

**Posted by zeratul** January 14, 2014 7:11 am

I also think it is an error as they had to have multiple versions to tape that scene ;).