"The Other One," or, "It's Never Twins"
We know Moriarty had a sibling in canon. We know that the Moriarty we knew blew his brains out. Could his brother be his Moran, planting the pre-recorded message and doubling as Richard Brook when necessary? We now know, or are supposed to assume, that there is a third Holmes brother, Sherrinford.
IMO, the significance of TAB in the bigger picture is threefold:
1) Sherlock bested Moriarty at the Falls because he was not alone. He has learned to let people into his life, his heart–his dear Watson foremost. But we also know that Mycroft truly cares about Sherlock, even if Mycroft’s admission of love and support on the plane was Sherlock realizing that fact in a drug-induced stupor.
2) “Once an idea exists, it cannot be killed.” This is obviously how Moriarty survives.
3) Sherlock has underestimated women in his life consistently. In the TAB fantasy/dream/stupor he *still* underestimates Mary. John underestimates Mrs. Hudson. Holmes underestimates Hooper. And he makes amends to Janine. He ends up admitting that women can be criminal masterminds and Mary could have worked for Mycroft, unnoticed by even Sherlock.
So what am I guessing or hoping from this?
When Mycroft mentions “the other one” he is trying to prove to his colleagues that he is not swayed by brotherly compassion, as in his own compassion. He never mentions that “the other” is a brother at all. Since that moment I have vigorously hoped that the other one is a Holmes sister. The role of women in TAB and Sherlock’s still-buried trauma make me hope harder, but not expect anything. (Unless “Sherrinford is actually a girl’s name.” I would love it if she were alive and going by the alias Sherri N. Ford. Maybe the flight attendant/Lady Carmichael subconsciously reminds Sherlock of his sister.)
Aaaactually, I think Watsons’s humorous twin theory in TAB that leads Sherlock to disdainfully spit out, “It’s never twins!” carries lots of weight here. It could just be a shoutout to House, M.D.’s “it’s never lupus!” Or it could be one of those rare instances where Watson provides insight that Sherlock would ignore. I rewatched the S3 wedding planning scene just today where John is reading boring cases aloud from Sherlock’s inbox and Sherlock is solving them rapid-fire. The solution to “My husband is three people”?Identical triplets. So it can’t actually NEVER be twins. Maybe “the other one” is Sherlock’s own twin.
I have read fan theories that Janine is Moriarty’s Moran and possible sibling. I just guess/hope that there is a new female character (or a new imagining of a known female character) who has major plot significance in S4. Even if it’s just Mary being a double/triple/quadruple agent all along.
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