BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / What was the final problem?

**Posted by besleybean** January 21, 2017 11:44 am

I don't think it was about sexuality.
I think it was about emotions, letting go and trusting others enough to be vulnerable with them.
Well I don't think there will be another series.
I don't even know if any future episode would delve much more into Sherlock's emotions, personally I think they've done that.
He may just go on texting Irene, rather than anything else.

Last edited by besleybean (January 21, 2017 11:46 am)

**Posted by Schmiezi** January 21, 2017 11:50 am

SusiGo wrote:
Well said, athameg. Sherlock had to find out what made him like that. The only thing that does not work for me in this respect is this: In TAB he connected this question expressly with his impulses = his sexuality. This was in his own mind, he was searching himself. Now that he has solved this problem and found an answer, I would hope to see him in the "romantic entanglement" that would "complete him as a human being". But maybe there will be another series or episode giving us this answer as well.

Well said. :-)

**Posted by Liberty** January 21, 2017 12:19 pm

I don't really want to see him romantically entangled. I think it suits the character not to be. They've kind of left it open for a relationship with Molly (Sherlock was so upset about hurting her), but I would not like to see that, personally. It works the way it is, for me.

But if there's ever a fifth series, they could choose to go in a completely different direction with the character.

**Posted by Azor** January 21, 2017 2:08 pm

I agree with athameg.
For me it seemed obvious that the final problem for Sherlock was to solve the puzzle of his own inner world. And if we remember, in the scene before Moriarty killed himself, he was ruminating about Sherlock being like him or not.

On the other hand, both "problem" involved the threat of his friends (and/or family), so decisions that concern love.
Maybe the final problem was if Sherlock could love at all. (Or is he really just a genious sociopath fooling us all along.) Maybe when Moriarty tested him choosing between the life of his own and his friends, it was part of Eurus's plan. I maybe overthink it, but I can imagine that she wanted to test his love and his genie at the same time. He either let his friends or himself die, he wouldn't be ready to save Eurus.