BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / What did Sherlock Know and When Did He Know It?

**Posted by SusiGo** February 22, 2014 6:26 pm

Well, being a mother myself I can understand her feelings quite well. If someone did this to my son, I would like to have a word with that person, too. And revenging someone may be a sign of affection.
As for the potatoes - sorry, but I just find it funny. I do not see any deeper meaning to this apart from the fact that it is totally unlike Mycroft to take his most secret information to a Christmas dinner with his parents and leave it on the kitchen table.
There are things beneath the surface but IMO they are not about the family but about the Sherlock-John-Mary and by extension CAM.

**Posted by Be** February 22, 2014 6:42 pm

This whole Christmas scene is so ridiculous that I really don't know what to say. Look at this fluffy kitchen. Mycroft says exactly what I thought: Why are we doing this? We never do this.
As if the writers ask themselves and us: Look at this silly Christmas scene. This doesn't make any sense.
Come on, the potatoes on the labtop. It is so wrong that I can't even say how wrong it is. Look at Mr. Holmes and his silly red bow tie.
It is as if we are slapped in the face with sillyness.
I don't say that it is in fact silly. It is genuinely clever.

**Posted by SusiGo** February 22, 2014 6:48 pm

I think we have to agree that we disagree on this.

**Posted by Mattlocked** February 22, 2014 6:50 pm

IMO it's not ridiculous. It's normal. Christmas in a family. Ridiculous.

**Posted by Be** February 22, 2014 6:55 pm

IMO, it is overdone. It's camp. Just too much to be true. I don't mind some scenes like that for example the Christmas scene in 221 B or the scene with Sherlock in the blanket. These are scenes which are wonderfully constructed and just a little bit ridiculous. Very funny but still balanced beautifully.
But now everything is just a tiny bit too much (for me at least).

**Posted by Harriet** February 22, 2014 7:01 pm

No, I agree with Mattlocked. Just the way family life often takes place. Actually, I was surprised to find them so normal.

And by the way, this has become way off topic now

Last edited by Harriet (February 22, 2014 7:05 pm)

**Posted by SusiGo** February 22, 2014 7:08 pm

Personally I love the idea of them having "normal" parents. It was so against every headcanon and fanfic constructs with sprawling manor houses and mothers with ridiculous names. Moftiss really managed to surprise and made me wonder how on earth these sons could come from this family. And I like being surprised.

P.S. You are right, Harriet, we are off topic here.

Last edited by SusiGo (February 22, 2014 7:10 pm)

**Posted by Mattlocked** February 22, 2014 7:50 pm

SusiGo wrote:
Personally I love the idea of them having "normal" parents. It was so against every headcanon and fanfic constructs with sprawling manor houses and mothers with ridiculous names. Moftiss really managed to surprise and made me wonder how on earth these sons could come from this family. And I like being surprised.

P.S. You are right, Harriet, we are off topic here.

Yes. And Yes.

**Posted by Willow** February 22, 2014 8:54 pm

I must confess that I do love the scenes with the family; there are so many perfectly right notes which epitomise the way in which families do, sometimes against all odds, work out rather well.

As to Sherlock's knowledge, or lack thereof, I see no reason to doubt that he didn't do the research until he'd been shot. It was a profound mistake, but he paid a very heavy price for it...

**Posted by Tinks** February 23, 2014 8:39 am

I thought The Holmes family seemed relatively normal, actually - Mycroft is obviously the real genius in the Family who takes a bit of a high and mighty attitude with his Parents and Sherlock, but you could sense the love underneath it all, I thought, and Mrs Holmes seemed a typical, doting Mother - I didn't pick up any tension or lack of love between her and Sherlock.
The only thing "wrong" with the picture is that it didn't fit with what we'd previously been led to believe about the Brothers and their Parents.
I'm curious about something else regarding Mary, though - Sherlock had found she'd taken the identity of someone who died in 1972, I believe?
Didn't Mycroft refer to something that happened in 1972 earlier in the series?
Coincidence?

**Posted by 1895** February 23, 2014 8:51 am

I think Mycroft saying " we dont want a repeat of 1972" is a coincidence. He said it to John before John had even met Mary, and even Mycroft couldnt know that John would meet and marry someine who took the identity of someone who died in 1972.