Sherlock rambly thoughts

[machshefa]

For me, it's always about the relationships.


I think that's what captured me about this series from the start. The intricacies of plotting can be fun to watch, but there's always got to be a suspension of disbelief with detective shows, I think. If I'd been hung up on details, I'd have stopped watching after I railed against the therapist's approach to John in the very first episode, not to mention Mycroft having her actual notes in his hand in the warehouse. Let's not even get into her taking notes during a session. "Trust issues". In notes? Really? Give me a break.

So, yeah. I don't care that much about the details of plotting so much as how they illustrate or illuminate the evolution of the characters and their relationships. I suppose the fact that I adore fantasy and SF stories helps with this. I'm willing to let go of what I know to be 'real' and go with the story. It doesn't derail me, though I know it can be terribly distracting, especially when it involves huge plot points.

All that to say that I've been profoundly moved by the characterization and growing bond between the characters. Even more than that, though, I've been blown away by the way that John and Sherlock have each changed because of their relationship with the other. Take a look at the end of ASiP where Sherlock is about to take an almost certainly poisonous pill "just to prove [he's] clever" with the rooftop scene. In the first, Sherlock is reckless. He lives for the race, for the rush of being the smartest guy in the room. But now? Now he has real skin in the game. He has people he loves, especially John. Now, he'll sacrifice being seen as clever even by the man he cares about most in the world. Why? Because John's safety (and Mrs Hudson's and Lestrade's) supersedes his own.

Even though he managed to fake his death, he hasn't faked his fall. His reputation is ruined. No, he never loved being famous, but to be seen by others as a fake is a huge loss. It's the loss of his identity in the eyes of the people who matter most to him in the world. The evolution of this character is stunning and carries huge emotional weight, I think. 

Similarly, John. This man, this broken man, has bonded with someone who, despite his propensity for acting like a dick all the time, is honest. He can trust him, and he does. Always. That trust is a gift not only to the recipient, but also to the one who trusts. John trusts his eyes, his intuition, his experience. He doesn't sway with popular opinion or pressure. He is steadfast and strong. He is emotional, even though most of the time, he hides it well. John loves, and that makes him beautiful as a character.

Both of these men sacrifice because of love and trust and hope and need. 


There's a story swirling around set in the 'Touchstone' 'verse. I'm ambivalent about writing it, but I may not have a choice.

Comments

[lady-rhian.livejournal.com]

Concurred on the necessity of suspension of disbelief and also on the primacy of relationships. I was disgruntled with the Baskerville episode because (for me) it failed on both plot and character levels; it seemed like two steps backward from what had come about in ASiB. But Reichenbach Falls was just tremendous (must rewatch, but I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time). I'm excited to see where Sherlock goes from here (re: his awareness of the depth of his feeling). And the scene with John by the grave had me in tears. Wonderful performances from both actors.

More Touchstone fic? *holds hands out* Pretty please?

*squish

[cathedralcarver.livejournal.com]

Even though he managed to fake his death, he hasn't faked his fall.

Yeah. This. And we know why he did it, which is the most powerful part of all this. I could care less about the cases, haha, because unless there is some real and vital emotional connection between the characters, I can't become invested on any level. And I'm way too invested in this show, it seems. I'm not very coherent at the moment, and I know I won't be able to write down my thoughts in any forum other than fanfiction...but don't know when. This is just wonderful and lovely and true and made me cry all over again <3

A thought on lying with appearances

[mundungus42.livejournal.com]

I think The Final Problem this is going to bring this Shiny, Flashy Sherlock more in line with the ACD one in one aspect, which is the understanding that being flashy and clever all the time isn't a great idea. He's so cruel to the kidnapped children's schoolmistress. To get the short answer he probably could have gotten as someone other than imperious, towering, cheekboney man. ACD's Holmes is a master at concealing what he has with disguises that are brilliant not only because Holmes is good at makeup and costume but because he has the ability to perfectly mimic the people and types he observes so closely and subvert his desire to be clever all the time.

I also find it telling that one of the earliest adjectives Watson uses to describe how Holmes greets him in "A Study in Scarlet" is "cordial." Not that I dislike Moffatt and CUmberbatch's prickly version, it's just something that Sherlock has to learn.

And lordy, John broke me at the gravesite. Utterly broke me.

[drinkingcocoa.livejournal.com]

My thought after I watched "A Study in Pink" was "it is better to be known than to be alive." Sherlock's boredom is what a more emotionally connected person might call loneliness. By the "Reichenbach Falls" episode, Sherlock is known, so it makes sense to be alive and life is something of value that can be traded for other things of value.