Wow, I took  a lot of notes for this one, even though I was enjoying the grammar scene before I remembered to take notes!
Great episode, so much in it, I suspect it may still be Mark's finest individual Sherlock work.
A few Russian connections in this one, I think there were a few in TST?
Of course post-intro we have the classic 'shooting the wall' scene. I immediately thought of Shakespearean Sherlock going beserk in TLD, but of course it references the re-painting of the smiley face in TFP, too.
Of course the 221 B windows explode in here, whereas I guess in TFP they explode out!
I liked the line of Sarah's telling John he's have to make his own breakfast, reminded me of Mrs H telling Mycroft he has to make his own tea, in TFP.
I like the post explosion scene: whereby it's the Holmes brothers and John in the room, a bit like when it explodes in TFP.
Mycroft and Sherlock of course display ' the deduction' thing over John sleeping on the lie-lo/sofa. Sherlock acknowledges Mycroft is right.
Sherlock plays the violin in anger after Mycroft leaves, where of course in TFP he plays it to heal Eurus.
John mentions the 'sibling rivalry' to Sherlock, which matches his 'middle child' comment in TFP.
(Again this episode is full of beautiful shots of Benedict)
The letter sent for Sherlock is not 'booby trapped', which made me think of the grenade on the drone in TFP(tenuous link, I know!) But they are both sent by a woman!
Sherlock says that 'boom' will happen again...how right he was!
They have the connection with the killer through the phone, as they have the connection with 'The Little Girl'(Eurus) in TFP.
Quite sexualised messages from Moriarty and we get a few of those in his TFP recorded messages. Both times it is Moriarty who is the messenger.
The woman is 'just a hostage', as with the governor's wife in TFP.  The old woman here doesn't fair so well.
Sherlock is unintentionally unkind to Molly over Jim being gay, as in TFP, though in the latter case he was trying to save her life.
Of course the Carl Powers case is directly referenced by Eurus, in TFP.
We have the visible number countdown, like Jim's 'tick tock' in TFP.
The hostages are saved when Sherlock gets the right answer, as long as the victim doesn't deviate by one word from the message...he kind of has to do it the right way, in TFP. Both times a woman dies because the method isn't correct.
Here John is  Sherlock's 'best man', by TFP, he is family.
Mrs H jumps and nearly drops her tray, which reminded me of her dropping the tea in TLD.
"You've stolen another voice" says Sherlock, a bit like Eurus adopting the little girl's voice.
Sherlock is set increasingly harder puzzles to solve, as in TFP.
Sally tells John to get a hobby as it's safer than hanging out with Sherlock, how right she is!
(Sorry about my obsession on this point: but Sherlock definitely not wearing gloves at Janus cars!)
"The clue's in the name" for Janus cars, same as in for Eurus...of course 'the girl' won't give her name in TFP.
I liked the fact the lights go out as Sherlock and John walk through the car park...reminds me of the lights coming on as Sherlock approaches Eurus' cell.
"The bomber's playing a game with you", John says:  just as Eurus plays a game with him in TFP.
There is the brother and sister combination of Connie and Mr Prince, made me think of Sherlock and Eurus.
Sherlock has to deduce the killer, as he does with the 3 Garridebs in TFP.
"We didn't always see eyes to eye, but my sister was very special to me", says Mr Prince...I wonder if Sherlock would have said that about Eurus.
"There was no love lost with her brother", Mrs H says of Connie...wonder if Eurus felt a little of this with either of her brothers.
Connie's brother is left the house...which is more than happened with Musgrave Hall!
I wondered if Sherlock like cats, as he likes the dog in TST.
"too random and too clever for the brother" says Sherlock, again wonder if Eurus would think that about him.
"I knew I could save the old woman" states Sherlock, but he can't, like nobody can save the governor's wife in TFP.
(Hell, I was struck by the image of the blown up tower block...reminded me of Grenfell.)
During the infamous argument where John nearly walks, he accuses Sherlock of not caring about people...well hell, he certainly does by TFP!
Sherlock he insists he is not a hero and I bet he feels this in TFP, when he can't bring Eurus home.
John needs prompting to help Sherlock, but he needs no such prompts by TFP.
There's another 'deep water' reference(that Eurus mentions in TFP) with the guy hauled out of the Thames.
"You see but you don't observe" Sherlock says to Greg.  I believe Eurus says this to Sherlock in TFP.
Sherlock acts as a security guard at the Hickman, like he does as the worker at Sherrinford.
"I don't work here", he says to Ms Wencelesslas...just as he says to Eurus at Sherrinford.
Sherlock gives John the gun under the Arches, as he hands the gun to John in TFP.
The interrupted projected film of The Planets, reminded me of Mycroft's interrupted movie in TFP.
(Another random note: just the use of classical music, in Sherlock, right through.)
Sherlock solves the puzzle and saves the child...unlike him failing to solve the rhyme and save Victor, in TFP.
(EDIT: I've come back after posting this yesterday:  I remembered when I first watched this how struck I was by the lady who flat shares with the star gazer.  She is quite insistant that they were just sharing, emphasisng no relationship and I think John really reates to this.  At that time he possibly felt that he and Sherlock were 'just sharing', too.  Yet once more, think of how by TFP he and Sherlock had becone 'family'.)
Mycroft texts 'my patience is wearing thin' to John. He becomes impatient with Eurus in TFP.
Again we see the importance of the name: Moriarty represents an organisation, well in TFP, Eurus is an individual.
When Joe the cyclist is being interviewed by Sherlock: he is seated and they stand either side of him...it mimics the client seat we see in TFP!
Sherlock chooses the Pool to meet Moriarty(with its 'deep water' sign).
"bet you never saw this coming" Moriarty says to Sherlock: Sherlock certainly doesn't see the Redbeard reveal in TFP.
"Nice touch, the Poll where little Carl died" says Moriarty, again foreshadowing Eurus specifically mentioning the case in TFP.
Moriarty puts on a childish voice with " I gave you my number..." again linking to Eurus adopting the girl's voice.
"I just made a fleeting impression you, but then that was kind of the point" says Jim, again referencing to Eurus dressing up in TLD. Plus specifically John's comment about the Holmes boys' dressing up in TFP.
"The flirting's over, Daddy's had enough now", mirror's Jim's "this is where I get off ", comment in TFP.
Sherlock asks John if he's alright, as he does in TFP.
"I'll burn the heart out of you", predicts Jim.  Well, he helps Eurus do so.
Sherlock says he hasn't a heart, which mirrors Mycroft saying the same of himself in TFP.
Sherlock says "Catch you later," to Jim...and he does!
Sherlock says he fine when he is visibly rattled, but holds it together a bit better than when he goes to pieces in TFP.
Sherlock being willing to set off the suicide jacket is like him going to shoot himself in TFP.

EDIT: (back nearly a week later, for another thought!)
On the way to Joe the cyclist's: Sherlock says ' we do have a secret sevice' and John says he knows as he has met some of them...I know Mary only works with the secret service for that one job, but funny to think 2 series later he would be married to one of these types.
 

Last edited by besleybean (July 12, 2017 7:30 am)