BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / The cases in TST

**Posted by Liberty** January 4, 2017 12:45 pm

Now, I'm aware that if you start to pick apart cases (including the ACD ones) they start to get a bit silly.   But I thought we could talk about the cases here.

Charlie dying in the car. I found it difficult to believe that Charlie, just back from Tibet, would go to the effort of sourcing a vinyl car seat "costume" suitable for his particular car, when he could have just hidden behind the front seat. Or not hidden at all and surprised his dad anyway. The sudden death was odd, but I suppose it does happen. It felt that this case was maybe partly about the video message - another case of a video being pre-recorded (like Moriarty's and Mary's), then doctored (like Magnussen's). I did really like that aspect of the case. It was very sad and grim.

The Thatcher busts, obviously from canon, and actually much the same story - I think even the names of the owners were the same. I thought Thatcher made a very good Napoleon substitute!   The AGRA stick came as a surprise to me - that was a great moment!

The main case, I thought was more confusing and complicated, especially as it spanned the whole episode.   I think I would have liked to see more of Norbury throughout the story.   It does feel like big coincidences that all these people are tied together - that Norbury is working with the brother of the person investigating, whose best friend is married to one of AGRA, and the ambassador that Norbury was dealing with got held hostage and AGRA, not anybody else, were sent in, etc., etc.   But I liked the setup of Mary saying that secretaries know everything.

There were a couple of smaller cases too - the guy with the tattoo, I thought it was interesting that Sherlock made up a story about his wife being an assassin (Mary) when in fact there were quite mundane causes for the breakup (made me think of John's "cheating"). There was also a mention of an assassin in one of the other cases. And somebody drowning but their lungs being filled with sand - sounded ominous, with all the water in the episode.

**Posted by nakahara** January 4, 2017 12:53 pm

Liberty wrote:
Charlie dying in the car. I found it difficult to believe that Charlie, just back from Tibet, would go to the effort of sourcing a vinyl car seat "costume" suitable for his particular car, when he could have just hidden behind the front seat. Or not hidden at all and surprised his dad anyway. The sudden death was odd, but I suppose it does happen. It felt that this case was maybe partly about the video message - another case of a video being pre-recorded (like Moriarty's and Mary's), then doctored (like Magnussen's). I did really like that aspect of the case. It was very sad and grim.

From the mystery-writer´s point of view, the car seat mask was neccessary to make the death look more mysterious, to explain why the death was not discovered immediately. But in true Holmes tradition, the answer to the mystery was quite simple.

Liberty wrote:
There were a couple of smaller cases too - the guy with the tattoo, I thought it was interesting that Sherlock made up a story about his wife being an assassin (Mary) when in fact there were quite mundane causes for the breakup (made me think of John's "cheating"). There was also a mention of an assassin in one of the other cases. And somebody drowning but their lungs being filled with sand - sounded ominous, with all the water in the episode.

I find it bizarre that Sherlock knew right away that the wife of this man was cheating, but he never noticed John´s cheating... hmmmm.
Is it possible that John is NOT cheating, after all?

Last edited by nakahara (January 4, 2017 3:15 pm)

**Posted by Liberty** January 4, 2017 1:01 pm

If the boy had died behind the front seat, the death wouldn't have been discovered either. But I suppose, detective-wise, the story needed something like "two types of vinyl"!

Sherlock may have deduced about John cheating (he must have at least wondered about John's comment about lies). Perhaps it hadn't really got much further than the text messages.

**Posted by Pops** January 4, 2017 1:31 pm

Liberty wrote:
The Thatcher busts, obviously from canon, and actually much the same story - I think even the names of the owners were the same. I thought Thatcher made a very good Napoleon substitute! The AGRA stick came as a surprise to me - that was a great moment!

I was 100% sure that the Black Pearl of the Borgias was in the bust !! I was O_0 when the stick was revealed !! And the Pearl is still lost...
It gave me the urge to watch the Jeremy Brett's Six Napoleons épisode, the resolution is quite brilliant !

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** January 4, 2017 1:43 pm

About the seat costume... it's a thing I've seen before; in funny clip shows... people wearing such a costume to prank people to think the car is empty; even driving while wearing it to give the illusion of a driverless car.

About John cheating... Sherlock may have seen it... but maybe he's trying to be nice, or saving it for later?

**Posted by Liberty** January 4, 2017 3:18 pm

Thanks, Phantom! I hadn't heard of such a costume, and it seemed far-fetched!

Yes, about John's cheating - what would Sherlock do anyway? Call them together and go through a quick-fire deduction about how he knows John has been having an affair? Tell Mary? Talk to John about it? It's not really his business - it's something for John to sort out.

**Posted by Whisky** January 4, 2017 3:50 pm

Not exactly about a single case, but:

I wondered about Mary and John trying to get Sherlock's attention while he is solving cases. Finally there's "Sherlock, you can’t go on spinning plates like this."

I wondered about this, because, isn't that what Sherlock has always done? What is different this time? And why can't he go on like that? I am not quite sure what they mean by it. Because of Moriarty? Or because he is going to be Godfather? I cannot think of a reason why. He looks pretty much like himself in the scenes. Or do they mean the manic behaviour he also showed in the opening scene in the office ("natural high")?

He solves the cases, he is arrogant about it, he is having fun - he is pretty much himself, isn't he, while solving them. What do John and Mary not like about it?

Last edited by Whisky (January 4, 2017 3:52 pm)

**Posted by This Is The Phantom Lady** January 4, 2017 3:54 pm

I don't know, perhaps John would rather see Sherlock getting some 'proper' help to deal with his drug problem rather than just distracting himself with cases and work? (I think I'm quoting my therapist here)

**Posted by Whisky** January 4, 2017 4:00 pm

But is he still on drugs? Would he be on drugs again, without the cases?

Actually, I would be interested in that... is he better now, on a whole? With John and Mary as friends, not on his way to certain death, back home...
Isn't there a chance that he could be fine without drugs, even without so many cases? He was before. I mean, he wasn't exactly behaving healthy when bored, but I think we have seen him clean before.
I think it's not only distraction. He also likes it.

Last edited by Whisky (January 4, 2017 4:01 pm)