“Don’t get involved” and why that scene has always bothered me - A Johnlock meta post
Let’s talk about my favorite scene in The Sign Of Three. The infamous phone call with Mycroft. "Don't get involved."
I have thought a lot about this scene since seeing it for the first time. And even after watching season four, I can’t wrap my head around its meaning. What is going on here? Why does that phone call feel like it leaves a whole paragraph of things unsaid? What the hell is it what we see on screen, what happened that caused it, and how do you read it in a logical, in-character way? Is it even possible to do so without making it some blatantly in-your-face Johnlock?
I. What is the setting? (Introduction)
It’s the wedding day. Sherlock is calling his brother sometime between meeting Major Sholto (and being absolutely jealous, there is no other way to read his behaviour) and giving his best man speech.
II. What do we learn? (Introduction)
Sherlock is incredibly tense and nervous the whole time. It doesn’t take Mycroft long to realize that “It’s today, isn’t it?”, most probably by the way Sherlock acts and talks. The way he phrases that sentence suggests that they have already talked about it in person. Reminder: Talking to Sherlock about the wedding looks like this and rather is a monologue than a conversation:
He wants Mycroft to come over and join the celebration. Mycroft refuses. Instead, he reminds his brother that “This is what peole do, Sherlock. They get married. I warned you, don’t get involved”. Sherlock repeatedly claims to not be involved in whatever they are talking about, and everytime he does, Mycroft gives him a pretty knowing look.
III. Questions (Main Part)
When I first saw that scene, my mind was full of questions. I now have watched it several times as TSOT is my favorite episode and most of them remained. Let’s establish the main three ones really quick:
Why is Sherlock really calling Mycroft?
What is he involved in, in what way, and why does he deny it?
Why does Mycroft mention Redbeard at the end of the call?
IV. Answering the questions (Main Part)
A) Why is Sherlock really calling Mycroft?
I do not think that Sherlock wanting Mycroft to come over is the (only) reason for the call. They seem to have already talked about that before, agreed on the fact that Mycroft won’t come (why should he? He isn’t that important to John or Mary, so this would only be for Sherlock) and Sherlock doesn’t put a lot of effort in trying to convince him otherwise. This question seems like a pretence for the actual reason for the call which is also supported by the fact that Sherlock doesn’t hang up immediately after Mycroft says he definitely won’t come.
So let’s look a little deeper.
Besides all his struggles, Sherlock is a grown man. Still, he seems to need a little support in that moment and that is absolutely valid. If you go for the straight-forward Johnlock reading, he is devastated that John is marrying someone else. Otherwise he might simply be overwhelmed by all the people or nervous to hold the speech. No matter what’s going on, it definitely shows his more vulnerable side. This is not about inviting Mycroft. He is pacing nervously, his voice and facial expressions are quite stiff and he is incredibly fast to talk back to Mycroft which suggests a high emotional tension.
So Sherlock chooses to talk to someone for a little support (and ask that person to come join him in person for some companionship). Notice how all the people he would normally talk to about something like that are already present in the room?
Still, he calls his brother. The only one who’s not a wedding guest. A person he called his enemy in ASIP. Their relationship is loving in some way, they take care of each other and help each other out, but I don't expect them to talk a lot about feelings. Mycroft thinks that “Caring is not an advantage”, so I doubt they do at all.
And I don't expect Sherlock to show weakness in front of him by telling him how much he struggles with John getting married (or talking in front of people; you see, this reading gets more and more absurd). He wants others to believe he is a sociopath and even in front of his brother, he is hiding behind that mask. Still, Mycroft remembers the date so I think Sherlock told him about the wedding itself and was emotional enough to make it possible for Mycroft to read his emotions and his struggle without having to mention it ,despite trying to hide it.
He may have chosen Mycroft out of all people because he could not open up about it but knew Mycroft would understand him nevertheless. He has known him since his birth.
Also, might it be that Sherlock is so upset about something the guests of a wedding should not know about their best man?
That scene tells us a lot about their relationship and their past. The Holmes brothers don’t talk about their feelings a lot, but they for sure know what’s going on with the other one. There is no need to talk about it because it’s already so obvious.
(A little addition that reaches a little further from the actual topic: I love the headcanon that Mycroft could reach Sherlock in his darkest times with the addiction when his parents couldn't anymore because Sherlock for sure doesn't talk about it. The agreement to "make a list" definitely comes from those times.)
So we have something very emotional going on here. Sherlock is not just nervous to hold the speech. He is so emotionally confused and overwhelmed he calls his brother. A person he normally doesn't speak to about his feelings. And Mycroft still knows what's going on because they have been through a lot together. Sherlock is unable to talk about it, so he wants a conversation with someone who already knows.
B) What is he involved in, in what way, and why does he deny it?
The “what” of that question is quite easy to answer. It must have to do with the wedding. In this conversation, the wedding is referred to as “John and Mary. Domestic bliss” what leads me to the realization that it’s a stand-in for their general relationship. Mycroft doesn’t want Sherlock to be involved in their relationship and “the big day”. He doesn't want Sherlock to get in the way with what he does, their conversation wouldn’t make any sense if that involvement was something positive. He is afraid Sherlock might destroy the wedding and he tries to prevent that from happening.
But in what way is Sherlock involved in their big day? My theory is that they are talking about being emotionally involved.
Mycroft doesn’t seem to have that much respect for his brother’s job from time to time, but he wouldn't want him to do nothing when a crime might happen on the wedding, so the involvement is not “detective work that may disturb the guests”.
John made Sherlock his best man after knowing him for years. This means he knows how socially awkward he can get and he calculated that. He knows Sherlock is not good with people and still he’s allowed to do the most important speech of that day. Sherlock being Sherlock would not destroy the wedding as John chose him as his best man because he is Sherlock.
That leads us to the following: "Don't get involved" means doing or revealing something (of an emotional nature) not even John would expect or something that has never been a topic until now. That’s why Sherlock denies it. It’s something those characters never talk about, despite it being powerful enough to destroy a whole wedding if revealed. The obvious truth going unaddressed. Sounds familiar?
C) Why does Mycroft mention Redbeard at the end of the call?
Oh, regarding what we just found out, I love that he reminds him of Redbeard in that scene. Redbeard kind of means "show no emotions about people that mean a lot to you" and mentioning him should remind Sherlock of that. So Mycroft wants to protect Sherlock from showing so many emotions that he would get involved in (~Destroy? Influence?) a wedding and the relationship of the bride and groom. He doesn’t want him to say the one thing nobody has ever talked about. Something a wedding party should never know about the best man: Him being in love with the groom. The actual reason for the call and for that scene.
In my opinion, there is no other way to logically read this.
