BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Unanswered questions/ plot holes post S4

**Posted by TheOtherOne** January 17, 2017 12:46 pm

Wanted to start a thread to log all of the outstanding questions/ plot holes that remain post S4.

List so far (I'll keep adding to it) includes:

* What was in John's note to Sherlock at end of TST?
* Why was there a note which said "13th" on Mycroft's fridge? ("Where" was Mycroft in that scene? It certainly didn't look like the mansion setting in TFP?)
* Alicia/ Elizabeth Smallwood?
* Who was Culverton Smith and Eurus' "mutual friend"?
* What is Sherlock's recurring dream?
* How was Eurus actually "written out" from Sherlock's memories? (That's what she claimed in TFP).
* What were Sherlock's trigger words that Mycroft referred to? (Aside from the obvious one... Redbeard).
* If Moriarty's little "miss me" video was really Eurus all along, what did Sherlock "think" it meant when he told everyone at end of TAB that he knows "what he's going to do next"?
* If Moriarty knew Sherlock would end up in the locked room with Mycroft (Holmes killing Holmes) as part of Eurus' game, that meant he knew Sherlock would survive the fall! Why hire those assassins to target John, Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson??? He set all that up just to kill himself?
* Who is posting those "Miss Me" and "Miss You" DVDs for Mary post her death?
* Why is "Hound of the Baskervilles" one of Sherlock's pressure points? Why was it listed without a "see file" note on Magnussen's list?

Last edited by TheOtherOne (January 17, 2017 9:03 pm)

**Posted by Liberty** January 17, 2017 1:27 pm

Sherlock's recurring dream is the Redbeard/pirate one with Eurus singing in it, isn't it?

It's always difficult to know what Magnussen knows, but for Sherlock the Hound was a pressure point because he was genuinely scared and saw something he knew he couldn't have seen. It made him question himself and confront his fear.

Sherlock thought Moriarty's video meant he was playing a long game - that he had set up a game for Sherlock to run after his death. Sherlock just didn't realise that Eurus was behind it, and it would be her game. But maybe I'll think of making a list!

To be honest, there are loads of little inconsistencies and rather unbelievable things in this episode, which is why I tend to view at as more fantasy than the others. Think too much and it seems a bit silly ... but I think that is consistent with the style of the films Moftiss were emulating/referencing.

Last edited by Liberty (January 17, 2017 1:28 pm)

**Posted by Lis** January 17, 2017 7:16 pm

Not so much of a plot hole for series 4 but at the of of TAB Sherlock says "Moriarty is dead. More importantly, I know exactly what he's going to do next." but then in series 4 he doesn't seem to address this or know exactly what Moriarty is going to do next. In TST he says he is just going to wait for Moriarty to make his move. It's like instead of "exactly" he actually meant was "something, I know he is going to do something next" which isn't nearly as dramatic

In TST when Lady Smallwood asks Sherlock about his comment before Sherlock can answer Sir Edwin makes a comment and then Sherlock doesn't answer the question. Did Mofftiss just realise they couldn't have an actual answer for what Moriarty was supposed to do next and so just quickly glossed over it?

Last edited by Lis (January 17, 2017 7:17 pm)

**Posted by TheOtherOne** January 17, 2017 9:05 pm

Lis wrote:
Not so much of a plot hole for series 4 but at the of of TAB Sherlock says "Moriarty is dead. More importantly, I know exactly what he's going to do next." but then in series 4 he doesn't seem to address this or know exactly what Moriarty is going to do next. In TST he says he is just going to wait for Moriarty to make his move. It's like instead of "exactly" he actually meant was "something, I know he is going to do something next" which isn't nearly as dramatic

In TST when Lady Smallwood asks Sherlock about his comment before Sherlock can answer Sir Edwin makes a comment and then Sherlock doesn't answer the question. Did Mofftiss just realise they couldn't have an actual answer for what Moriarty was supposed to do next and so just quickly glossed over it?

Yup this is one of the items on my list... feels like a bit of a cop out to me.

**Posted by Oakwood375** January 18, 2017 12:20 am

Not sure if these belong here, since it's more nitpicking, but here goes.

Where exactly was that well? Who got John out of it?
How did Eurus get off the island?
How did Eurus keep footage of Moriarty all those years?
Did Smallcroft ever get anywhere?

**Posted by SolarSystem** January 18, 2017 5:33 am

Liberty wrote:
To be honest, there are loads of little inconsistencies and rather unbelievable things in this episode, which is why I tend to view at as more fantasy than the others. Think too much and it seems a bit silly ... but I think that is consistent with the style of the films Moftiss were emulating/referencing.

But it's not consistent with the rest of the show, and to me that's more important than TFP being consistent with some movies Mofftiss felt like referencing.

**Posted by besleybean** January 18, 2017 6:55 am

I give them full artistic licence.
It's the last one, they went wild.
It's their show, why should't they?
It worked for me.

**Posted by Liberty** January 18, 2017 7:59 am

I think the other episodes have an element of that too. Look too closely and you see it. It's not "real" but a kind of fantasy version of reality. What about the ambulances that take exactly eight minutes to arrive, for instance? There are lots of examples ... I feel I have to accept I'm in a different world with it. This episode just took it a little further.

**Posted by diva** January 25, 2017 9:42 am

Not a plot hole but does anyone else think it's a bit sad that we still haven't seen anything about John's background? S4 gave us Mary's backstory as international agent/assassin and told us a lot about Sherlock's childhood but still have zero about John. If they should ever do S5 I hope this will be addressed.

**Posted by nakahara** January 25, 2017 1:46 pm

diva wrote:
Not a plot hole but does anyone else think it's a bit sad that we still haven't seen anything about John's background? S4 gave us Mary's backstory as international agent/assassin and told us a lot about Sherlock's childhood but still have zero about John. If they should ever do S5 I hope this will be addressed.

Yes, they gave us plenty of details about Mary (and Eurus), who was merely a side-character, but completely glossed over John, one of two main heroes of the story. What a pity.

Also, I would like to know something more about Molly, Lestrade or Mrs. Hudson too, but they barely gave them any time onscreen.

**Posted by besleybean** January 25, 2017 5:45 pm

I guess there wasn't much time in such a packed episode.

**Posted by Liberty** January 25, 2017 8:31 pm

I'm fine with it. I think John is just as we see him ... for now, anyway!

**Posted by besleybean** January 25, 2017 8:33 pm

I think they were all left in a good place and I assume that was the intention.

**Posted by nakahara** January 25, 2017 8:56 pm

Liberty wrote:
I'm fine with it. I think John is just as we see him ... for now, anyway!

Well, I am not.
How did his injury happen before ASIP?
Is he really a former surgeon? Culverton Smiths doubts he is a doctor, why?
Why is he so bitter with Harriet, his sister?
His violent tendecies - is he OK with them or does he fight them inside his mind?
Why did he wanted "more" during TST and cheated on Mary because of that?
What was in his letter at the end of TST?

Etc. Etc.
I would rather have answer to those questions than entire Mary´s past, TBH.

**Posted by besleybean** January 25, 2017 9:03 pm

John has an old war injury.
He is a retired army doctor.
He is concerned about Harry's drinking.
I think John is now beginning to realise he needs to control his violence.
John is a hot blooded, heterosexual male and like some new fathers, seeks a bit of excitement elsewhere.
I'm not that bothered about his letter, because I think he's past that now.
It's sad if a show doesn't ended in a satisfactory way for people.
I was so pleased it ended in a way I loved.

Last edited by besleybean (January 25, 2017 9:04 pm)

**Posted by nakahara** January 25, 2017 9:07 pm

besleybean wrote:
It's sad if a show doesn't ended in a satisfactory way for people.
I was so pleased it ended in a way I loved.

How does my curiousity about John´s past impact your viewing pleasure is beyond me....

**Posted by nakahara** January 25, 2017 9:09 pm

besleybean wrote:
John has an old war injury.
He is a retired army doctor.
He is concerned about Harry's drinking.

We were only told these things but nothing was ever shown to us, unlike Mary´s past.

**Posted by besleybean** January 25, 2017 9:09 pm

Impact?
It doesn't impact it at all.

EDIT: well I'm happy tp be told things.

Anyway, we did see John in army medic mode.

Last edited by besleybean (January 25, 2017 9:32 pm)

**Posted by Liberty** January 25, 2017 9:30 pm

I think Culverton is playing with him - he's suggesting he has a doctorate rather than being medically qualified. But he's also drawing attention to the fact that Dr Watson is not "attending" to his friend.

The difference with Mary was that it was part of the story. We actually were shown very little of her life pre-John.

**Posted by besleybean** January 25, 2017 9:31 pm

Some people had wanted to know her story, as well.