BBC Sherlock Fan Forum - Serving Sherlockians since February 2012 / Why does the little girl scream? Why mercury?

**Posted by Mary Me** February 11, 2013 4:30 pm

Hm I've always assumed that Moriarty went to the factory first to check out the place and then returned to hide the children there. Though you're right, it's not very logical.

**Posted by miriel68** February 11, 2013 7:49 pm

I don't think it was Moriarty himself to abduct the children.... he doesn't like to dirty his hands. He only gives the orders. Also, in the glimpse of a flashback when Sherlock explains how it was possible for a stranger to enter the school we see a sospicious guy moving toward the entrance: it is definitely not Moriarty.

**Posted by RedJohnsButler** February 19, 2013 7:35 pm

If you watch the scene again, the girl doesn't react to Sherlock's appearance, she reacts to his voice ;) Far easier to obtain vocals and associate them with fear...

Mercury to send a message to Sherlock, ie, take me very seriously. Moriarty's previous crimes had been somewhat dislocated from him personally, but this one he perpetrates in a fairly hands-on way. He wants Sherlock to know how far he will really go. Remember Moriarty said something like 'I did warn you, if you keep meddling'...

Last edited by RedJohnsButler (February 19, 2013 8:03 pm)

**Posted by sherlockian111** February 20, 2013 7:17 am

Maybe Moriaty showed the kids a video of Sherlock...I don't know, being Sherlock? that could appear scary to little kids. and he would get the video from the camera he planted in the flat. But I still think that she screamed because of something else, not because of Sherlock's appearance

**Posted by Cabear5** March 26, 2013 7:11 pm

I posted a part of this on a different thread, but here are my observations about who and why she is screaming:

1) if you look at the assassin positioned on the stairwell during the fall, he is dressed andooks like Sherlock. Dark coat, dark curly hair, high cheekbones es, etc. I think that he, along with the other person I'll mention in in #2, worked together to kidnap the children. The girl easily could have mistaken that assassin for Sherlock.

2) the red-haired police officer at the computer screen when Sherlock states which factory they children are at, is Moriarty's mole. He conveniently throughout the episode and then rushes in to the factory in front of the rest of the police. I believe it is him whispering, "quietly, quietly" to the children as he snuffs out the candle and moves them to the location inside the factory where they are found.

He then is seen having a side conversation with Donovan after the girl screams at Sherlock in the station (easily planting doubt in her ear.)

he is, Imo, the only email looking at Lestrade through the blinds when the assassins are mentioned to Sherlock on the rooftop.

This guy is everywhere!

To further this, but possibly a stretch, is to say that together with the Sherlock-lookalike assassin, they resemble the Sherlock/John pair to a Mercury poisoned child and she could have been screaming/pointing at both of them. (the idea that she wasn't aiming at just Sherlock was mentioned earlier in this thread and this pairing might address that.)

**Posted by Cabear5** March 26, 2013 7:15 pm

Sorry, posted above using your phone and autocorrect got to it.

*email* should be *he is the man*

and I was trying to say that he "conveniently shows up throughout the episode", but some of that sentence went missing.

**Posted by AndyO.** March 26, 2013 7:44 pm

Cabear5 wrote:
1) if you look at the assassin positioned on the stairwell during the fall, he is dressed andooks like Sherlock.

I noticed it when I watched the episode for the first time =)

**Posted by Danielle80** April 10, 2016 6:00 pm

I also thought about the screaming girl a little while: I suppose a man was looking through the door with the hat from Sherlock which is also his trademark/brand. The kidnapper could wear this sherlock-hat and maybe this was enough for the traumatized girl. I did not understand why everyone thinks the girl never saw/hear Sherlock before. He was also in factory and saved the kids. I think she already had to recognize him at this place.