BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / John did have a point

**Posted by SusiGo** June 3, 2014 4:59 pm

Sorry, misunderstanding. I thought you were referring to a quote.

**Posted by besleybean** June 3, 2014 5:03 pm

No worries.

**Posted by tonnaree** June 3, 2014 5:09 pm

Sherlock is blunt and arrogant but I've never seen him as heartless. He just keeps everything tamped down so firmly so that it doesn't interfear with his work. To me that makes it all the more emotional when his vulnerable/emotional side slips out.

**Posted by besleybean** June 3, 2014 5:12 pm

Quite so.

**Posted by maryagrawatson** June 3, 2014 5:26 pm

Janine sums up Sherlock's default mode very well: "Heartless manipulative bastard." BUT I see his default mode as being a survival mechanism, not a character fault. Sherlock is so used to being bullied that that's how he lashes out first. It's only when he's called on his behaviour by good people that he breaks out of this pattern.

We've seen this with Molly, John, and even Janine (by his reaction to her saying that he should have been straight up with her -- wow, she likes me and she would have helped if I'd asked!).

Sherlock is really growing as a character as his circle of friends expands. He's beginning to understand the impact that his behaviour has on others and is working at improving himself. He's gaining more insight into himself (compare his ridiculous character analysis of himself in SIP versus that in TSOT).

Mary

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** June 6, 2014 11:51 am

Russell wrote:
How would Sherlock know that Moriarty would try to 'beat' him by suicide, and therefore not look down and see the not-fall he had planned?

This is for another topic but this is yet another thing that really annoys me about the 'explanation'. Sherlock says, "it was the one thing I didn't predict...his death wish..." And yet, if he hadn't have predicted it, how on earth did he expect to be able to jump off a building and into a big blue air bag without Moriarty peering over the top of the building and seeing it???

**Posted by anjaH_alias** June 6, 2014 11:56 am

It was one of 13 possible scenarios. He knew that Moriarty wanted to see him dead. But he didn´t know how this could possibly happen. It was only one plan to prove that he really died. And not only prove that to Moriarty himself - he possibly had to prove that to others. That´s what he considered in advance.

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** June 6, 2014 11:58 am

I don't think Sherlock's tears were real. I think he got so into acting his part that the tears dribbled out his eyes naturally, like they do with all good actors.

Having said that, I don't think he meant to hurt John on purpose either. He just didn't realise the effect his actions would have.

**Posted by anjaH_alias** June 6, 2014 12:03 pm

I disagree here - for me the tears were always real. But, real or not, he knew that it could be possible that he had to be convincingly dead for the outer world (not necessarily for Moriarty, and not neccesarily so for John - but if John is convinced he is dead the rest will be this as well).