BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / "I prefer my doctors to be clean shaven."

**Posted by besleybean** February 26, 2014 8:49 am

I just hope like me, Sherlock thinks facial hair is revolting.

**Posted by Wiggins** February 27, 2014 6:48 pm

This Is The Phantom Lady wrote:
I do see that qoute as two things; firstly I do think Motiss loves to tease the Johnlockers; I bet they laughed their pants off when they wrote that!

Secondly I think it also shows Sherlock's manipulative side. He needs to control the people he is around in order to feel right.

I also think about what John told Lestrade in THoB, that his Asperbergers makes him like to have the 'usual' faces around. the mustache isn't Watson's 'usual' look and what Sherlock is used to...

I have a friend who is mentally ill. Granted she does not have Aspberger's but if I wear bright colours or white around her instead of black like she knows me she can barely look at me...

I think you're spot on with all of the above and also lets not forget Mary admitted she didn't like it either.

Not to mention everyone else he's heard it from- so with those two ganging up the Stache I think he waved the white flag of shaving cream and said to hell with it.

But OF COURSE they're going to tease the John lockers or even if its not that they've had the long running not gay joke the whole entire life of the show. Even before johnlockers came about the writers joked about it. Perfectly natural to continue it since they stated it in the first place.

**Posted by SusiGo** February 27, 2014 8:05 pm

I just looked again at the scene. Read as a whole it goes:

SHERLOCK: See you’ve shaved it off, then.
JOHN: Yeah. Wasn’t working for me.
SHERLOCK: Mm, I’m glad.
JOHN: What, you didn’t like it?
SHERLOCK (smiling): No. I prefer my doctors clean-shaven.
JOHN: That’s not a sentence you hear every day!

Now this seems like bantering, maybe even a little bit flirtatious. But what struck me most is that John is repeating a line from Molly when Sherlock referred to her lipstick (which she put on just for him): "It wasn't working for me."

**Posted by Zatoichi** February 27, 2014 8:34 pm

Maybe he is just vain and wants all his accessories to look as good as possible . "I can´t be seen hanging around with an old man" comes to mind..

(Now I imagine him say "I prefer my shirts tight and purple." - PSoS corrupted my mind. )

But I also agree with the opinion it was a little treat for the Johnlockers.

@SusiGo: Interesting observation ! I do think both care about Sherlock´s opinion very much.. though maybe for different reasons.

Last edited by Zatoichi (February 27, 2014 8:36 pm)

**Posted by Willow** February 27, 2014 11:45 pm

SusiGo wrote:
I just looked again at the scene. Read as a whole it goes:

SHERLOCK: See you’ve shaved it off, then.
JOHN: Yeah. Wasn’t working for me.
SHERLOCK: Mm, I’m glad.
JOHN: What, you didn’t like it?
SHERLOCK (smiling): No. I prefer my doctors clean-shaven.
JOHN: That’s not a sentence you hear every day!

Now this seems like bantering, maybe even a little bit flirtatious. But what struck me most is that John is repeating a line from Molly when Sherlock referred to her lipstick (which she put on just for him): "It wasn't working for me."

I hadn't noticed that; thank you for pointing it out. Moftiss are so brilliant at these little touches which may mean everything or nothing, but I am increasingly coming to the conclusion that if it's there then they intended it.

Which is nice because there is a treasure trove of stuff there waiting to be sifted through, for those flashes of gold, and the occasional diamond...

**Posted by Morton** March 16, 2014 2:08 am

I was trying to think of a non-flirtatious explanation that is in universe the only thing I could think of was that Molly may be a Doctor rather than a Miss as her medical title. I think John took it as one of those 'people will talk' in-jokes they have. They have a language of their own I think.