But hereâs the thing: Sherlock Series 4 purposely took something from every member of the audience. It gave them plot points that didnât resolve. It baited them into watching the whole mess of a season because the writing implied it was going to make sense in the end. But it didnât. All people got baited by the narrative. This usually only happens to minority groups. But now everyone can see what it feels like to be strung along and let down. Now non-queer people have a slight taste of what itâs like to be taken advantage of and mislead. This is what happens when queer people watch television, except when the media baits queer people, the effect is detrimental to their sense of self and personhood. You canât take that from a heterosexual audience. But what you can take from them is their trust, time, and passion.
Did you find yourself asking these questions after âThe Final Problemâ?
** âWhat was the note John gave to Sherlock at the end of The Six Thatchers?â
** âHow did Sherlock and John survive an explosion that propelled them through a second-story window?â
** âWhy did Sherlock leave John to drown in the well?â
** âWhere did Johnâs chains go?â
** âWhy didnât Sherlock notice the glass was missing?â
** âWhy was every transition in The Six Thatchers wonky?â
** âWhy did they bring up âromantic entanglementâ if they werenât going to address it?â
There are many questions you should have after series 4. But those are questions a mostly heterosexual audience would ask.
These are questions the LGBTQ community is asking right now:
** âWhy were Moriarty, Magnussen, Irene, and Eurus all queer and predatory? Why canât one of the heroes be queer? Why am I always a villain on television?
** "What was the thing Sherlock wanted to tell John before getting on the plane and going to his death?
** "What was the stuff John wanted to tell Sherlock before he died but couldnât even muster telling his therapist?â
** âWhy did Sherlock leave Johnâs wedding early after blinking back tears?â
** âWhy does John dream of Sherlock and keep his bags packed a month after getting married?â
** âWhy did John ask Sherlock if he had a boyfriend while out for a candlelit dinner a few hours after meeting him?â
** âWhy does John raise his voice at Irene when he finds out sheâs still alive and texting Sherlock?â
** âWhy does John, whoâs so afraid of being mistaken for gay, never admit that heâs straight? Why is he always defensive instead of honest?â
** âWhy does John continue to ask about Sherlockâs sexual relationships for over five years?â
These are questions straight people might not even think to ask. Many probably didnât even notice these things. But queer people notice them. You bet they do. Because they see themselves on screen and wait eagerly for resolution that never comes. Thatâs queerbaiting. Being strung along, assuming your questions will one day be answered.
Nobody got their answers in series 4.
Theyâre at an all-time low.
If all writers treated every audience member the way writers treat queer people on a daily basis, look at what would happen. People would hate it. Of course they would. It would be a waste of your time and energy. Now imagine if your sense of self was also at risk. What if you had more to lose than a couple of hours on a Sunday night?
âThe Final Problemâ is about burning the heart out of Sherlock. Moriarty told us this years ago. But do you see how they did it?
They took the heart out of their own show.
They took the love story from us.
They took the crime, the cases, the deductions, and the logic from everyone else.
THAT is The Final Problem.
What makes Sherlock âSherlockâ are all of those things weâve come to know and love.
This is how I know weâre getting another episode this month. They left both audiences to dangle. They pulled a Reichenbach. Just like The Final Problem back in 1893.
As Mark Gatiss himself said: âI donât like loose threads. Not on my watch.â
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