Another character that I struggle to frame is Sebastian Wilkes
Definitely put there to consolidate the backstory that Sherlock was considered a freack from the beginning. But metaphorically all this is unsatisfactory.
But Sebastian has some features of interest.
He works in the same bank where we see the portrait of a man who is similar to Doyle. In a room kept like a sanctuary. We canonically know that some of Watson's writings are kept in a box preserved in a bank.
So the bank is something that preserves the Canon. The founder is gone, but his memory is untouchable. Until of course it is. We see the painting scarred by a yellow sign. (x)
And in our reality a similar situation exists. The Doyle Estate retains much of the work of their illustrious ancestor, and still benefits from part of the copyrights, under which it also arrogates the right to lay down the laws on how the character created by the Doyle is used and above all interpreted. In recent times when copyrights are increasingly slipping through their fingers, they exercise this power also in a genuinely ridiculous way as the case of the veto to Enola Holmes attests. They have forbidden this with the excuse that a more humane and less machine Holmes is something which only transpires from the last stories of the Canon, casually the only ones on whitc they can still claiming of having rights.
Apart from the fact that there is a sincere doubt that they have ever read the Canon, why, seriously? Holmes' theme of humanization is definitely a goal for the BBC Sherlock. It comes even before Holmes' possible representation as homosexual. It is at a more superficial and decidedly less contestable level of reading.
The only bank's character we know is Sebastian. Except for the dead man and his lover, who will come to appreciate the value of his partner's love only after his death.
Sebastian shows that he has contempt for Sherlock, which obviously hurts the detective.
His sadness for never having been appreciated, for being considerated only for his "annoying" deductive talents and not for what could have been beyond deductions, is blatant.
But for Sebastian, Sherlock is just that. Someone who makes a fun (sometimes not too much) trick. But despite not knowing how to see anything else, he still needs him. He uses Sherlock for his own purpose.
Sherlock is even reluctant to take his money, as if he doesn't want to be bought.
It will be John who accepts the check, but after all it is a mirror for Doyle, the first to profit from the character of Sherlock Holmes. And is in this circustance that he takes care to make it clear that their relationship is purely working.
The case in particular has a solution that seems to have little or nothing to do with the bank, except for the fact that the two protagonists worked there. On the other hand, it is highlighted that the structure is vulnerable, and someon whit a certain skill can easily breack in to and create confusion.
It seems so likely that Sebastian Wilkes could represent Doyle Estate. And it is also possible that he was named after the man who hunted Holmes for a very long time (longer than Moriarty) not casually. Sebastian is the christian name and Wilkes the surname. Wilkes meaning is William's son and Sir William Shad is the name of the bank founder.
The Estate's website (x) is also interesting, except that it was probably created, or at least renewed, only in recent times.
However, to see that a building very similar to that used in TBB was used for the shooting and this kind of photo is the result, however, remains a curious fact.
I do not know if the Gattis' relationship with the estate was ever made explicit. Surely their Sherlock is widely used on their website, it is perhaps the Sherlock Holmes that they used the most.
But it could also be an attempt to mark the territory, something like "you exist because I allow you and you belong to me". But if we have understood something from Dracula (x) the Moffits do not have a great opinion of the Estate and are looking forward to being able to get out of it. (x x)
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