BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Why the M16 Mission?

**Posted by SherlocklivesinOH** February 14, 2014 2:47 am

What was the problem with putting Sherlock in an actual prison? Does Mycroft think he's smart enough to escape? Even under extreme security conditions? Is he afraid Sherlock fans (readers of John's blog) will riot? A case could be made for prosceuting John too, as an accomplice, even if from we what we saw, he wasn't, morally.

(Pretty ironic - Moriarty "smeared" Sherlock but his reputation has been so thoroughly turned around that when he actually kills someone, it's not safe to prosecute him in the normal way.)

Or could it be that Mycroft advocates this punishment because he secretly believes Sherlock will actually survive the M16 mission? Perhaps Sherlock did something very like, and survived, during his two years of hiding? It's supposed to be "hardly merciful," and mean near-certain death, but it also seems like the kind of adventure Sherlock would be amenable to, and therefore, not entirely a punishment.

Or does Mycroft know/believe that the REAL punishment, in the sense of the thing that truly hurt and upset Sherlock, is the separation from John?

I'm wondering, too, about the accuracy / honesty of NOT exiling Sherlock because he's the only one who could stop Moriarty: what about Mycroft himself? Seems like Sherlock's out-gambiting Moriarty before took a LOT of involvement by Mycroft...

**Posted by Tinks** February 14, 2014 6:33 am

Mycroft's argument for not sending Sherlock to prison was that no prison could hold him - he'd escape.
So he chooses to pass what's basically a death sentence on him instead.
My own belief is that it may have been difficult for Mycroft to pull him out of a prison once a sentence had been officially handed to Sherlock, but he could bring him back from the MI6 mission by saying something more pressing had turned up at home, but that's just my speculation.

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** February 14, 2014 7:46 am

I both think that Mycroft feel that a prison wouldn't be stong enogh to hold his little brother and perhaps he also hopes that sending him on the mission that would ensure his death; Sherlock could find his way out as he seems to be indestructible...

**Posted by TeeJay** February 14, 2014 7:57 am

I've been wondering about this too, and I agree with what has been said before. While the MI6 mission came with an expiry date for Sherlock, I'm sure that either Mycroft or Sherlock would have found a way to get Sherlock out alive, especially after Mycroft openly admitted to Sherlock how much he would miss him.

Also, assuming Sherlock would be held in a prison where he couldn't easily escape, Mycroft knew this would be the worst torture imaginable for Sherlock. In a cell all day with only books to distract him. No or very little intellectual stimuli, he would be falling back into drug habits before you could say "needle". I think Mycroft would want to avoid that at any cost.

Last edited by TeeJay (February 14, 2014 7:57 am)

**Posted by Wiggins** February 14, 2014 8:05 am

I've been wondering since reading some threads sayinf moriarty really is dead and obviously that wasn't his real voice....

Could mycroff have set that up so he had the reason to being to sherlock home four minutes into exile?

Would be quite easy for mycroff to broadcast it nation wide...

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** February 14, 2014 8:14 am

But then again, after we see the photoshopped loop 'did ya miss me?' sequence we see a real glimpse of Moriarty... I don't know. But I do like the idea of Mycroft doing that, just to save his little brother!

**Posted by Tinks** February 14, 2014 8:23 am

I do like to believe that Mycroft was behind his appearance as a way of preventing his Brother being sent away - just to ease some of the sadness of the episode *sob•
I think the bit after the end credits may have just been the writers teasing us.

Last edited by Tinks (February 14, 2014 11:11 am)

**Posted by lil** February 14, 2014 10:05 am

Think the exile option is as much cover up as punishment.
Sherlocks/Mycrofts "secret government" work and state secrets would be exposed in a trial.
Pretty sure Mycroft had some kind of extraction plan, even if it isn't the Sherlock as the Moriarty expert one.

**Posted by Willow** February 14, 2014 1:29 pm

Tinks wrote:
Mycroft's argument for not sending Sherlock to prison was that no prison could hold him - he'd escape.
So he chooses to pass what's basically a death sentence on him instead.
My own belief is that it may have been difficult for Mycroft to pull him out of a prison once a sentence had been officially handed to Sherlock, but he could bring him back from the MI6 mission by saying something more pressing had turned up at home, but that's just my speculation.

I think that in this instance your speculation is entirely justified!