BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / The series can have the baby but…

**Posted by BrettHolmes** August 29, 2014 9:28 pm

…only if is going to get a low amount of screen time.

I can live with the idea of the show going through with this development but I don’t want too much attention to be focused on it. If I see any scenes in which Uncle Sherlock has to babysit at 221b or if I see John rolling the baby in a stroller when he’s at a crime scene with Sherlock, then that is going to be dealbreaker for me. Now, I’m ok if we see the baby in brief scenes. The best thing would be for it to stay at home with Mary so that Sherlock and John can still go out and have their adventures.

Still, I don’t have a good feeling about it. When you bring in a baby or a little kid it can often a ruin show because it makes things too cutesy or sentimental. Many Holmes experts have believed that Conan Doyle realized he made a mistake by having Watson marry Mary Morstan in The Sign of Four, so thus she was quietly written out and Watson became a bachelor again. While having John and Mary wed was true to the canon, I feel that adding a baby takes things too far. I hope that Mofftiss know what they are doing but I think they have painted themselves into a corner with this and not in a good way.

Last edited by BrettHolmes (August 30, 2014 1:01 am)

**Posted by MartaSt** August 29, 2014 10:10 pm

Agree in 100%. I've noticed that most (or at least a lot of) films where kids are involved (especially very small kids) are usually comedies (often slapstick comedies). I generally have nothing at all against this kind of films but I really don't want to see this in Sherlock. It will absolutely spoil the atmosphere of this series. But I have faith in Moffat and Gatiss and I believe that they will find good solution to this.

Last edited by MartaSt (August 29, 2014 10:17 pm)

**Posted by Liberty** August 30, 2014 6:51 am

I'm going to try to have faith too. Remember what Steven Moffat did with the baby in Doctor Who?

For those of you who don't watch it, there was a vaguely similar setup. The Doctor's companion at that time was Amy. She married her boyfriend, Rory, and got pregnant around the time of the wedding.

Anyway,

pregnant Amy was kidnapped and imprisoned until she gave birth. After the birth the baby was taken away to be raised as a weapon of war. Her daughter's story did continue, and was very complicated, but we certainly did not see the Doctor and companions cosily bringing up a child.

I thought that was extremely dark, and it certainly avoided all the cutesy baby stuff in a big way! If Moffat can go as dark as that in a children's TV programme, then I'm reassured that he'll be able to do it in Sherlock.

Last edited by Liberty (August 30, 2014 7:07 am)

**Posted by Zatoichi** August 30, 2014 7:33 am

That´d be horrible, and I´m still too full of " mother hormones" to be able to cope with that.. I had to stop Game of Thrones in S2 because of what they did to the babies, and the abducted children in TGG were already borderline for me.. so I really don´t know if I could continue watching. I usually avoid everything that toys around with pregnant women and/or infants. The thought of "Uncle Sherlock" is kind of scary, but I´d take this over miscarriage/abduction/death any time..

**Posted by besleybean** August 30, 2014 7:35 am

But miscarriage happens...as does abduction and indeed death.
I do think the best solution is Mary taking baby away, for whatever reason.

**Posted by Zatoichi** August 30, 2014 8:01 am

I know that only too well, and I know about the emotional impact on the people involved, that´s why I prefer not to include it in my entertainment choices.

I agree, Mary taking the baby away would be the best solution (or if Mary dies, John could let the baby live with his parents or sister).

Last edited by Zatoichi (August 30, 2014 11:06 am)

**Posted by besleybean** August 30, 2014 8:09 am

That latter sounds good, except I don't know if Harry could be trusted with a baby...maybe it will be the making of her.
I get the impression John's parents aren't around.

**Posted by Liberty** August 30, 2014 11:08 am

They don't seem to be around, or at least John doesn't seem to have contact with them, and they could be a little old to bring up a child on their own. (I'm imagining they're around 70 - chances are that they wouldn't live to see the child through school). Harry seems to be an alcoholic and might find it difficult to be a good parent. It would make more sense for John to bring up the child himself. But that probably wouldn't fit the plot well, so I agree that the baby might be farmed out.

It's hard to imagine Mary taking the baby away without John dedicating his life to trying to see the child, and being hugely changed by the experience .. BUT I don't know why I feel that way, because this is probably the most common real life scenario. Couples split up and parents lose contact all the time, and lives go on.

Yes, the Doctor Who storyline was upsetting, one of the saddest of them all.

And it got me thinking because nobody died, the baby survived and went on to have a full and exciting life and Amy had lots of contact with her over the years. But most of that contact wasn't as mother and child. Amy didn't technically lose her daughter, but she lost the experience of being a mother to her daughter.

. So I don't think they'll be afraid to use a story which might be distressing.

**Posted by Zatoichi** August 30, 2014 11:58 am

According to John´s blog Harry seems to be dry now.

But I agree to that:

Liberty wrote:
So I don't think they'll be afraid to use a story which might be distressing.

I´m already very afraid..

**Posted by Liberty** August 30, 2014 12:42 pm

She still seems to be having difficulties at the time of the wedding (John says that maybe it was for the best that she didn't come as there was a free bar).

**Posted by Whisky** September 1, 2014 11:08 am

BrettHolmes wrote:
I hope that Mofftiss know what they are doing but I think they have painted themselves into a corner with this and not in a good way.

I think they have to proof now what they can do. But I'm sure they thought about a resolution already. It would be stupid to just throw something in and not know how to get things working with that turn of story. They're too professional for that I suppose.
I'm just worried that I won't like their resolution for the baby problem... because series 3 had also elements which weren't exactly my cup of tea.

Why don't they get Molly pregnant. I'd love that.

**Posted by Mattlocked** September 1, 2014 11:11 am

Why do we have two Baby-Watson threads now?
Just asking................

**Posted by Whisky** September 1, 2014 11:22 am

Mattlocked wrote:
Why do we have two Baby-Watson threads now?
Just asking................

Because it's just THAT annoying...

:D

**Posted by Mattlocked** September 1, 2014 12:27 pm

**Posted by Schmiezi** September 1, 2014 7:12 pm

Mattlocked wrote:
Why do we have two Baby-Watson threads now?
Just asking................

Make that three.
Maybe Mary is expecting triplets?

**Posted by besleybean** September 1, 2014 7:41 pm