I was just reading "Empty House" and I was wondering [SPOILER]how much time will pass between TRF and the first episode of season 3? In Empty House it took Sherlock 3-4 years before he revealed to John that he's not dead. And during this time he traveled to Mekka, Tibet and so on. How long do you think will pass in this show? I'd say a few months at least, as it wouldn't be as effective if only a couple of days went by before John would get to know the truth. I think John must take longer to feel the pain of losing his friend so the impact will be stronger when he find's out Sherlock is fine and dandy. So what do you guys think?

Last edited by Dramagod (June 24, 2012 1:20 pm)

Excellent points, KeepersPrice; I hadn't thought of them before.  I especially like your point about John's grief.  But, don't forget--John is telling the tale three months after it happened, according to the subtitle shown on screen.  It's clear, though, that he hasn't yet fully recovered (not sure that's the right word, though), but I got the sense when he was talking to his therapist that he had somewhat accepted the fact that Sherlock was dead, though not the "fact" that he was a fake.  However, I do agree that there would be a bigger emotional impact on John if Sherlock were to reappear sooner rather than later.

I'm thinking still that  John will do one of these things---

1.  Punch sherlock in the face and knock him to the floor, 

2.  Grab sherlock by the neck  and push him against the wall "WHY  didn't you trust me enough to keep your secret?!!" 

3.  Not faint,  just turn around and walk away.   Sherlock goes after him,  and then they start fighting and throwing punches....

I'm actually thinking that John punching Sherlock would be somewhat overrated....I know a lot of people might not think so, but it doesn't seem like John to me anymore o:

I don't think I really know what John will do when he sees Sherlock, but punching him doesn't seem all that emotional....does it? 

Again, I'm pretty sure SM and MG will think of something totally amazing and worthy of the Sherlock series :3

Silent.Ecstasy wrote:

I'm actually thinking that John punching Sherlock would be somewhat overrated....I know a lot of people might not think so, but it doesn't seem like John to me anymore o: I don't think I really know what John will do when he sees Sherlock, but punching him doesn't seem all that emotional....does it?

John has a history in the series of being fully capable of punching someone in the face. In fact, both times I can think of, it was an emotional reaction. The first time, Sherlock ASKED him to hit him in the face, and when he refused, Sherlock punched John to get him going, and without two seconds of thought, John was all over him like white on rice, punching him right in the face and (as I remember) knocking him down. I would call that an emotional reaction. And then in TRF, he broke that police inspector's nose when the cop stood there and insulted Sherlock, calling him "some kind of weirdo, if you ask me" and then snarling, "What're you looking at?" when John gave him The Look. Bam! And I would call THAT emotional as well.

The only emotion most men admit to or think they know how to handle is anger-- you piss me off, you hurt someone I care about, you get in my way, then stand back, because I will lash out at you-- with my words, with my fists, with my influence. So to think that John wouldn't react to his first sight of a supposedly resurrected Sherlock with an right uppercut to the face-- well, he's got a history of doing just that, when provoked. So why not?

imane nikko wrote:

It's totally not John's character, but if someone I loved was "dead" and then reappeared, I'm pretty sure I'd just sob uncontrollably. Maybe some combination of tears and punching, then? 

Are you a woman? That's why the sobbing thing. Men strike out-- if not with fists (my own husband would never hit anyone, I don't believe-- it's not his training or personality), then with their words, their silence, a withholding of affection, or of using any kind of influence they have to make you pay. Men don't "sob"--  even with Sherlock's dead, bloody body sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of him, having actually seen him fall, John didn't cry. He bluffed his way into the crowd, "He's my best friend! I'm a doctor!" In other words, let me through! And only then did the soft groaning start, and he began to get weak in the knees. Men don't like feeling helpless-- it's in their biological make-up to fix things and to make it right, and poor John couldn't do either. Later on, there were tears in the cemetery, when he was alone (he thought), well after he'd had time to think about what had happened and meet with the psychologist, who would have been trying to get him to admit Sherlock was dead, actually feel his feelings about it, deal with his anger, etc. At the actual suicide scene, though, after seeing the fall and the blood, and when the shock started to hit him, John had no tears. I think at that point, he was still hoping against hope it was just another one of Sherlock's wonderful and annoying tricks. The show-runners didn't let us see what happened after they took Sherlock's body into St. Bart's, but I can imagine that John trailed along after them--  he was always moving in Sherlock's wake and had since they'd met!--  still hopeful and probably still not crying. Not at that point.

Gee, that was a long paragraph. Sorry. What I mean to say is, when Sherlock pops up alive in John's face one day, John will do first things first-- and I imagine, in his male-ness, the first thing will be fury and very probably an attempt to strike out in some way, fists, words, etc. We're not always our best selves when in pain, surprised, and scared to death.

So, when Sherlock returns, I would think John's first reaction would be relief. After all, his life was pretty dull before Sherlock came around. And Sherlock not being dead was his biggest wish, standing by that tombstone. But after he gets over that, he's going to be pretty mad.
Here's the scene in my head:
John, staring at Sherlock, can't quite believe his eyes. Realization sets in, his face hardens, he turns around and walks away.
Sherlock: "John!"
John keeps walking, a little faster.
Sherlock has no choice. He follows him. "John, wait!"
John abruptly turns around, hits Sherlock in the face.
John: "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! I THOUGHT-"
Sherlock attempts to explain through the pain of a bleeding nose. Finally (maybe a few days later) Sherlock gets a text.
So you're not dead. Let's have dinner. -JW
(Honestly no idea about the ending, just thought I'd throw that line in. Also, the dialogue here isn't great, but hopefully it makes sense.)

Last edited by The Skull (June 26, 2012 11:19 am)

Aww! That's really sweet and great acting from Mr. F.

 

ancientsgate wrote:

And imagine tall Sherlock instead of that woman, them standing in the yard at Christmastime-- maybe that's at John's sister's house or something, and Sherlock shows up, melting out of the bushes lining the yard. So sweet, that performance, the kiss, the alternating emotions. Lovely. "I should you knock you down, you stupid git, after what you put me through. Do you know how I cried? How I couldn't even talk about you or us or any of it to anyone? How I couldn't go back to Baker Street, lie in our bed, watch telly there, anything, for months? Do you know what you put me through?"

*sniff*

Do you mind me joining you?
*brings chocolate and shock blankets*

Big question that, isn't it?
I think the way John reacts to Sherlock in a very large part would depend on the State of Sherlock. In the Canon, Watson observes that Sherlock is thin and sallow and the life he led had not been healthy. Will Moftiss choose to make anything of it, or mostly ignore it?
If Sherlock is indeed in bad shape, I imagine all John's instincts of a friend and a doctor kick in. If Sherlock is fine, I personally hope that John learns to live, work and love on his own for a couple of episodes. Would serve Sherlock right for lying ( whatever justification he had). The amount of time that passes between the "death" and the Big Reveal would be absolutely crucial.
The fact that they film season 3 starting January probably means nothing to the plot ( I bet it's all about actor availability), but IF they indeed show it's winter, that means the action is either 6-7 months or 1 1/2 years later. In "The Empty House" the action is in the spring, late March.
Considering that Martin Freeman makes John impatient and rather volatile at times, I think some kind of a blow-up is imminent. And I am sooooo looking forward to it.

Last edited by deerstalker (June 28, 2012 4:53 am)