BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / The lady in pink

**Posted by Davina** March 7, 2012 5:35 pm

I love the bit where Sherlock laughs and say,' She's cleverer than all of you! And she's dead!'
Also the bit where he cannot understand how the lady could still be upset 14 years later by the death of her stillborn daughter. He just has that slightly worried look on his face as he realises he has said something inappropriate followed by his asking John, 'not good?' He uses John as his gauge of 'normal' behaviour.

**Posted by Ceto** March 7, 2012 6:04 pm

I know! It's so funny XD it's like John is Sherlocks 'human translator' :L They just fit each other perfectly!

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** March 7, 2012 6:17 pm

Oh my God, I love those bits too. Sherlock's so sweet the way he doesn't have a clue about accepted social behaviour.

**Posted by Sherli Bakerst** June 3, 2012 9:14 pm

Ceto wrote:
it's like John is Sherlocks 'human translator'

Yes, that's a great description!

Sherlock Holmes wrote:
Sherlock's so sweet the way he doesn't have a clue about accepted social behaviour.

I find it rather interesting that Sherlock comes to rely so quickly on John as his interpreter of social norms. But, a big part of the appeal of the show, for me, is Sherlock's ignorance of what most people do/think. His lack of awareness makes it clear to the audience what the accepted social conventions really are and, as a result, we can judge for ourselves if they make sense or not or if they are really worth conforming to.

**Posted by tobeornot221b** August 14, 2012 6:34 pm

Re-watching "Unlocking Sherlock - The Making of", I just spotted a not yet murdered Jennifer Wilson talking on her pink phone.
I find this interesting because we haven't seen her this way in PINK.

**Posted by Mattlocked** August 14, 2012 7:02 pm

My god, what else did you find? Where have I been when we watched it??? lol

**Posted by veecee** August 14, 2012 7:03 pm

Finally, we can actually see her face.

Sherlock does and doesn't have a clue. He can play Molly, for example, when he has to, but then doesn't understand (or care) when he's insulting her or not being kind by saying that her boyfriend is gay. He understands how to get information out of people (they don't want to tell you things, but they love to contradict you), but he doesn't understand the sentiment re the Pink Lady's stillborn daughter or the dog in Hounds.

So what do we make of that?

**Posted by Arya** August 15, 2012 3:03 am

veecee wrote:
Finally, we can actually see her face.

Sherlock does and doesn't have a clue. He can play Molly, for example, when he has to, but then doesn't understand (or care) when he's insulting her or not being kind by saying that her boyfriend is gay. He understands how to get information out of people (they don't want to tell you things, but they love to contradict you), but he doesn't understand the sentiment re the Pink Lady's stillborn daughter or the dog in Hounds.

So what do we make of that?

Sentiment is where Sherlock makes mistakes. Yes, he can play Molly--but he didn't know she liked him until SiB. Most of Sherlock and John's arguments are about sentiment, wether it's because Sherlock has been rude enough to John that John snaps, like in HoB, or because Sherlock is being overly uncaring, like in TGG. Sherlock understands sentiment, but only to a certain extent.

**Posted by Smoggy_London_Air** August 17, 2012 2:50 am

tobeornot221b wrote:
Re-watching "Unlocking Sherlock - The Making of", I just spotted a not yet murdered Jennifer Wilson talking on her pink phone.
I find this interesting because we haven't seen her this way in PINK.

That truly is a heinous color.

**Posted by kazza474** August 17, 2012 5:04 am

veecee wrote:
................... doesn't understand (or care) when he's insulting her

Sherlock doesn't insult Molly. He speaks facts to her.

or not being kind by saying that her boyfriend is gay.

Again, that is simply a fact.

he doesn't understand the sentiment re the Pink Lady's stillborn daughter or the dog in Hounds.

These two are slightly different. Rather than calling these facts, they are both situations where he has applied common sense.
Losing a child is obviously a hurtful experience. Common sense would say don't have something that reminds you of this daily.
The dog was a danger. Common sense says have it destroyed.

The difference between the delivery of the lines and the receiving of the lines is WHO receives them. They are the interpreters.
Sherlock has no intent to make anyone uncomfortable (after all, who can get uncomfortable over words?)

So what do we make of that?

What I make of it is simple. A purely logical mind in an illogical setting.

Smoggy_London_Air wrote:
That truly is a heinous color.

And yet it's been worn for decades. Must be something to do with sentiment, attracting attention or some other heterosexual mating ritual.

**Posted by Smoggy_London_Air** August 18, 2012 2:34 am

kazza474 wrote:
Smoggy_London_Air wrote:
That truly is a heinous color.
And yet it's been worn for decades. Must be something to do with sentiment, attracting attention or some other heterosexual mating ritual.

Choked on my tea when I read this.

**Posted by jhony** December 6, 2012 12:36 pm

I love the bit where Sherlock laughs and say,' She's cleverer than all of you! And she's dead.....!!!

**Posted by Caroll** December 12, 2012 12:26 am

Everytime I watch ASiP I think of her:

**Posted by equiraptor** December 12, 2012 12:42 am

kazza474 wrote:
The difference between the delivery of the lines and the receiving of the lines is WHO receives them. They are the interpreters.
Sherlock has no intent to make anyone uncomfortable (after all, who can get uncomfortable over words?)

Somewhat related to the tact filters discussed here:
http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/tact.html

Sherlock has an impartial understanding of how and when to apply tact / when and how to modify his language to match others' expectations. When he wants something or needs something and wishes to manipulate, he can. But when he's just... talking, as in a conversation with a friend, he is "himself" - his tact-filter-on-incoming (well, really, tact-filter-not-needed) self.

As a side note, "manipulate" often has negative connotations. I don't necessarily mean to imply those connotations, but it most certainly is manipulation.

**Posted by tobeornot221b** June 15, 2014 6:14 pm

It only occurred to me yesterday.
Sherlock, explaining to John why the cabbie had to rid of the pink lady's case:

Now I like the idea of a Sherlock in his great coat, with those cheekbones and his coat collar up carrying an alarming coloured pink case around London.
A minute later Sherlock will tell John that he preferred him to his skull when walking through the streets because the skull (and it isn't even pink!) attracted too much attention...How does that fit together?

**Posted by SusiGo** June 15, 2014 6:16 pm

Maybe he does not really mind to be seen with a pink case. Or a purple shirt.

**Posted by tobeornot221b** June 15, 2014 6:20 pm

Or a silly hat...He's above such things!

**Posted by SusiGo** June 15, 2014 6:28 pm

Exactly. And he knows that the people who matter do not care that he is different.

**Posted by maryagrawatson** June 15, 2014 6:43 pm

SusiGo wrote:
Exactly. And he knows that the people who matter do not care that he is different.

I find it interesting what bothers Sherlock. He'll make a fool of himself for a case (whimpering clergyman, for example) and doesn't care if someone who is for all intents and purposes a colleague calls him a freak, but he still very much gives a damn that his old uni frenemy thought he was an annoying know-it-all.

I agree that the pink case isn't the kind of thing he'd worry about. It doesn't reflect on who he is as a person and folks who matter to him wouldn't think less of him for carrying it. It's just a case that happens to be bright pink and he needs to get it home. I'm much more concerned about how bad he must have smelled after all that time spent in the skips!

Mary

**Posted by SusiGo** June 15, 2014 6:53 pm

Well, he makes a fool of himself to get on with his investigations. But with Seb Wilkes it is different - he expressly presents John as his friend, John more or less denies this and then Seb tells John that everybody hated Sherlock. Must have touched a nerve. I suppose his days at uni have not been too happy.