BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / The Password

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** June 25, 2012 10:33 pm

I know someone's posted before saying they weren't too keen on the deduction process used to work out the password (Maggie). Personally I don't have a problem with that. The thing that kind of nags at me...is the fact that someone so high up in the government, someone who works on a top secret military base...would NEVER have a password that was just one word...it would have at least one number, one capital letter, one unusual character (- _ # ~ etc)...they would be trained to have complicated passwords surely??

That's the only thing that kind of annoys me...

**Posted by imane nikko** June 25, 2012 10:52 pm

True. I can confidently say that Sherlock could not deduce my password. (I read this excellent article about making passwords more secure: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/06/linkedin_hacked_fix_your_terrible_insecure_passwords_in_one_minute_with_this_foolproof_technique_.html)

But "Maggie" was a clever scene, so it didn't bother me overmuch. The character is rigid and traditional, after all -- and by archaic standards, "Maggie" isn't so terribly insecure... it doesn't use his family or significant dates or a pet's name, which are the things I was taught to avoid back in the dark days of online security.

**Posted by veecee** June 25, 2012 11:14 pm

But these days they tell you it shouldn't even be a word in any language. Still, the scene was cute so I forgave.

**Posted by Sherli Bakerst** June 25, 2012 11:39 pm

And this goes to the heart of another thread: How far does one want the writers to go in terms of being authentic, realistic, believable versus entertaining, enjoyable, and fun for viewers? compromises have to be made; the questions is: Where and how do you make them? If the show were completely realistic, I think it would become almost a documentary or at least a docudrama, instead of a "pure" drama. I think there are a lot of little things the writers and producers know/knew would not be done in the real world but for the sake of creating a good TV show, they let them slide. And that's okay with me, even if sometimes I do get annoyed by certain things. I guess what I think is that if it doesn't detract in a huge way from the story/plot--that is, it doesn't hinder the momentum of the story--then it's okay if sometimes authenticity is not the paramount consideration.

**Posted by imane nikko** June 26, 2012 12:45 am

Yeah, if it's a HOUND-era password (meaning it was specific to that file), "Maggie" is a likely password.

Even if it was meant to be a more general "higher clearance access password," which is how I interpreted the scene, Major Barrymore is an old stick in the mud; it's in character for him not to stay up on changing password protocols.

**Posted by hypergreenfrog** June 26, 2012 6:38 pm

Sherli, thank you for acknowledging my thread !

My issue with this scene is actually pretty much opposite to yours, Sherlock Holmes (the user). I didn't mind the password being "Maggie", as long as the systems allows people to use simple passwords, they will. I have colleagues who still use "Mickey Mouse" and the likes.
However,it did strike me as a little simplified to assume that the answer could be found in the room, and that Barrymore would keep all these "private" books at his desk.

I guess it just proves the point that it is very hard to please everyone in terms of accuracy and believability.

**Posted by Maren** June 26, 2012 9:26 pm

hypergreenfrog wrote:
I guess it just proves the point that it is very hard to please everyone in terms of accuracy and believability.

It's very hard to please everyone in terms of anything!

Although it can be maddening when they do things that are hard to believe, we have to remember that this is fiction and entertainment, not real life.

But I know what you mean!

**Posted by Sherlock Holmes** June 27, 2012 4:45 am

imane nikko wrote:
Yeah, if it's a HOUND-era password (meaning it was specific to that file), "Maggie" is a likely password.

Even if it was meant to be a more general "higher clearance access password," which is how I interpreted the scene, Major Barrymore is an old stick in the mud; it's in character for him not to stay up on changing password protocols.

Hmm, I can accept this as a reasonable explanation actually!

**Posted by Sentimental Pulse** June 30, 2012 12:20 am

Where i work you are obligated to change your password every 60 days. I wonder if Major Stuffy Drawers had a whole litany of gung ho Conservative passwords made up in advance?

**Posted by besleybean** October 6, 2012 7:37 pm

That wouldn't be good enough, for a man like that!

**Posted by beekeeper** April 2, 2013 6:54 pm

I just enjoyed the gratuitious dig at the tories really. its nice to see an example of the people who voted them in, how proud they must be ;-)

**Posted by besleybean** April 2, 2013 6:58 pm

Yes I also enjoy the digs at 'queen and country'!

**Posted by beekeeper** April 2, 2013 7:07 pm

yes tbh I really like Sherlock being such an anarchist,

Liked the Afghanistan dig too

**Posted by besleybean** April 2, 2013 7:11 pm

Altho a tad ironic, in John's case!

**Posted by beekeeper** April 2, 2013 7:59 pm

Yeah what I liked about it was that, given Sherlock's probable class, that is not the line you'd expect him to take. Its not something Mycroft or Harry the equerry would come out with. So it establised him very clearly, I felt, as a loose canon, at odds with the establishment.

**Posted by besleybean** April 2, 2013 8:05 pm

And made me love him even more.

**Posted by Liberty** July 13, 2014 3:30 pm

The password bothered me a little too. Not just for the reasons given (single word, clues in the room, password with meaning instead of random, etc.), but because surely Barrymore would have to regularly change the password? It's a government computer, not a private one. He could have started out with maggie, but would have had to change to maggie1, maggie2, etc. at the very least, meaning that the password would become difficult to guess after the very first password change. It's not a question of how clever Sherlock is.

**Posted by besleybean** July 13, 2014 6:42 pm

It's artistic license.

**Posted by Liberty** July 13, 2014 8:17 pm

Yes, and it doesn't have to be exactly like real life (I wouldn't want a good story to be spoiled for the sake of accuracy ). But it comes straight after Scandal in Belgravia, where a password was key to the story. This felt very clumsy in comparism.

In contrast, I loved the scene where he he talks about the mother and her unemployed son: those scenes are fun and so close to the original stories. There was another one near the beginning, with the "disappointing breakfast".

I think I'd rather have had another way of getting the information. If there were t-shirts, then the info was at least partially public and there may have been another way of getting to it (an internet search? A photo in Frankland's desk? Stapleton having some inside information?).

**Posted by Whisky** July 22, 2014 11:00 pm

It felt right to me. Real life isn't perfect either. It's full of mistakes people make.

I once accidently logged out on a work computer, without having the password. I did exactly what Sherlock did and thought about the person who set the password up. Got it right on the third try - not because I'm brilliant, but because the password was way to obvious and plain. It happens in real life all the time, and I'm pretty sure it happens also in high up places... if it wouldn't, there wouldn't be scandals all over the news every few weeks. For me the scene worked perfectly

edit: oops, old-ish thread nevermind

Last edited by Whisky (July 22, 2014 11:02 pm)