BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Mycroft's "I'll be mother"..

**Posted by The Doctor** August 29, 2012 11:46 pm

.. watched a few excerpts of Scandal with an uninitiated colleague who is quite young - and ended up discussing dialogue. And I realised I never quite thought about Mycroft's "I'll be mother". So I checked:

It's normally heard as Shall I be mother? meaning 'Shall I pour the tea?' It's used because pouring the tea has traditionally been seen as a mother's role. I suspect it's now heard less than it once was for various social rather than linguistic reasons. It's not slang and it's not facetious, but because of the nature of tea-drinking it's likely to be heard in informal situations.

We talked about British terminology before but seriously?

*wanders off in wonders*

**Posted by Wholocked** August 29, 2012 11:50 pm

Hehe I had to watch that sequence several times before I could figure out what he'd said. I love Sherlock's response "And there's an entire childhood in a nutshell"

**Posted by Ronny Dax** September 1, 2012 4:43 pm

I like to think anyway that Microft is kind of mother for entire Great Britain. Only a few minutes ago Sherlock said something like that:
John: "Are we here to see the queen?"
Microft appears
Sherlock "Oh, apparently, yes.

**Posted by Davina** September 1, 2012 4:46 pm

Yes but in English 'Queen' has a double-meaning. But Mycroft practically is the British Government.

**Posted by The Doctor** September 1, 2012 11:27 pm

oh, you cheeky people, even turning a completely innocent discussion regarding British Tea Tradition discussion towards, well, ...

What would my day look like without the smiles this forum is encouraging so easily?

**Posted by Davina** September 2, 2012 7:21 am

Just trying to let one of our new German members know that the word 'Queen' has a double-entendre. You know, like Queensland! Lol

**Posted by Ronny Dax** September 2, 2012 4:07 pm

I already knew. Not everyone has to have such ambiguous thougths. And The Doctor is right, we missed the topic.

Last edited by Ronny Dax (September 2, 2012 4:08 pm)

**Posted by Davina** September 2, 2012 4:52 pm

Only by...a royal mile! Lol

**Posted by absieb** September 9, 2012 7:29 pm

I found Sherlocks reply rather interesting 'there's an entire childhood in a nutshell'. What do you think he meant by that?

**Posted by Davina** September 9, 2012 8:13 pm

That Mycroft was always acting like a parent towards Sherlock, telling him what to do, trying to boss him about etc. Maybe?

**Posted by The Doctor** September 10, 2012 2:13 pm

Trying to guide and protect him, more likely?

**Posted by hypergreenfrog** September 10, 2012 3:06 pm

This is turning into quite an interesting thread...
A few months ago, I wrote a somewhat longish post on how Sherlock is the typical younger brother (see Character analysis thread "Sherlock's relationship with Mycroft").

There is of course a counterpart to that - Mycroft, the typical older/oldest sibling. Let's have a closer look...
As the Doctor said, he will do anything in his power to try and protect and guide young Sherlock. He literally feels like a second mother. He cannot help himself, he cannot possibly understand that his brother could cope without him, or that he needs to make his own mistakes.
This scene is the perfect example: Mycroft does not ask, as other people might, "Shall I be mother?" - No, he immediately assumes the role, taking it absolutely for granted that nobody else will.
It does not even occur to him that his behaviour might come across as patronizing, or as Davina has put it, bossing others around.

**Posted by Mattlocked** September 10, 2012 4:21 pm

hypergreenfrog wrote:
This scene is the perfect example: Mycroft does not ask, as other people might, "Shall I be mother?" - No, he immediately assumes the role, taking it absolutely for granted that nobody else will.
It does not even occur to him that his behaviour might come across as patronizing, or as Davina has put it, bossing others around.

Very good point, I didn't see that before!

**Posted by SusiGo** September 10, 2012 4:30 pm

Do you think Sherlock's reaction has something to do with Mycroft's choice of words? I suppose he could have expressed it in a different way without using the word "mother". Of course we know nothing about their parents. Just an idea.

**Posted by Ronny Dax** September 10, 2012 6:25 pm

Well, we know that Mummy was upset

**Posted by SusiGo** September 10, 2012 6:32 pm

Exactly. I smell some domestic problems there.

**Posted by Mattlocked** September 10, 2012 7:05 pm

I'm just watching SiB with audicomments.
It's interesting that Mycroft and Sherlock are talking to each other as brothers when they are alone and nobody's around, so they haven't to prove anything.
And it becomes clear that both know that they are different from normal people. "Freakish" I think it was called in the comments.

Last edited by Mattlocked (September 10, 2012 7:06 pm)

**Posted by absieb** September 10, 2012 7:14 pm

I heard that on one of the commentaries Benedict says that Sherlock found out that his father was having an affair. I'm thinking maybe a young sherlock told his mother this causing his parents to spilt up and his mother to withdraw leaving microft to raise him. Thoughts?

**Posted by Davina** September 10, 2012 8:54 pm

It is quite common when people are pouring tea to say 'shall I be mother?'

Last edited by Davina (September 10, 2012 8:57 pm)

**Posted by The Doctor** September 11, 2012 12:12 am

It's interesting that Mycroft and Sherlock are talking to each other as brothers when they are alone and nobody's around, so they haven't to prove anything.

I have been won over by Moftis and Gatiss' Mycroft interpretation, and am a big fan of those small moments where we see the brothers among themselves.

E.g., Sherlock looking to his older brother for guidance outside the mortuary on Christmas day..