The modern first and last scenes were real. The middle one, off the plane, was not.
Sherlock was not high on the tarmac. Mary’s cutting quip that he didn’t appear high to her, was very telling. She was watching like a hawk. She knows Sherlock has ‘tells’ when he is telling lies or fabricating to manipulate. Mary has an invested interest in Sherlock’s mental state. She is super observant and clever. Sherlock was not high on the tarmac.
The plane turned around due to the Moriarty hack. Not due to a medical emergency. John, Mycroft and Mary boarded the plane to consult with Sherlock, they were surprised to see him in his MP. They had not called an ambulance.
Mycroft raises the drug issue. Sherlock vaguely goes along with it. John, the MEDICAL man, is not concerned Sherlock’s health. Mary thinks it’s all a game and is enjoying herself stirring the pot.
Sherlock was heartbroken to be leaving John, he was reading John’s blog. He thought he was going on the suicide mission. After the call from Mycroft regarding Moriarty, he went not his MP and found a thread. The thread was a Victorian murder/suicide that had a clear parallel to Jim on the roof. He needed to remain in the MP until he solved both events.
While in the MO, his emotions sort resolution. He was in emotional trauma anyway as he was leaving John. The ‘emotional Sherlock’ demanded that Sherlock solve that case [his relationship with his own sexuality, John and repression] before he move onto the Ricolleti/Moriarty case. We saw this exchange act out literally in the modern grave yard scene where Sherlock was arguing with John.
The Abominable Bride was Mary. All other threads linking her to Moriarty unfolded for Sherlock. As did the links to Janine and Molly to Moriarty, they were acolytes of Jim, the final bride, in the crypt. [YES, I think Molly is the big reveal in future series as to being a Moriarty operative. She even introduced Jim to S&J]
Sherlock sat in a Bird House [the Bird Cage] and had his heart to heart with himself, revealing the fact that Sherlock knows John needs to have ‘the talk’ or they won’t move on in their relationship. Somehow Redbeard is linked in to Sherlock’s repression of his sexuality. [We heard him say the name at the end of this scene. It also arose at John’s wedding via Mycroft. We then see the name Redbeard just before Mycroft passes over the baton to John for Sherlock’s care]
Mycroft is dying. His choices, compromises and fate have led him there. Sherlock knows it, Mycroft knows it. The metaphor of eating himself to death shows us this. Mycroft is resigned to his demise. It’s all for Sherlock.
Lestrade is Sherlock’s right hand man, his support in all things. Quietly always present. Sherlock never doubts Lestrade, Greg is in it up to his neck [we saw this] with Sherlock to the end.
The writers had to tie 1895 Holmes and Watson to their modern counterparts in order to move TJLC on, they did this beautifully. They even left the two Victorians in a happy place for those that require them to stay there. For most of us TJLC folks, it was a nice goodbye to the Victorian genesis and a reveal of why they do need to move into the future.
Sherlock sees Mary as already having lost John [the deduction he does when he first encounters her in 221B dressed in widows weeds] and he sees the Watson house as empty and cold [the John at breakfast scene] He also puts himself in that Watson house as a sassy maid who challenges John’s perception of his marriage. Sherlock has John voice the idea [in the crypt] that he thinks he has lost Mary; note here it is the jaunty fun Mary persona that John regrets losing. It’s the Mary Morstan persona that wooed John in his grief for Sherlock. The real Mary is the ‘client’ Mary in black, and the Diogenes Mary is AGRA.
The Reichenbach Fall scene is the climax, to both Sherlock’s Moriarty demon [sexuality] that has been haunting him, but also to the entire Holmes and Watson 130 plus years journey. It’s the big fix for Steven and Mark. Sue let them have it. It is the point in the arc when everything changes.
In the ending scene, again on the tarmac, Sherlock has a plan, he has not only worked out the Moriarty issue he has worked out he already has John Watson.
I refer to all the wonderful metas written by much better thinkers than myself for all the nuances and beautiful metaphors found in TAB. I am sure there are far more to come. I just wanted to get my own conclusions noted in my archive after 2 weeks of constant reading and musing on TAB. I reserve the right to change my mind.
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
gummygunk
