XistentialAngst's Blog, page 60

More than one hiatus: death, a land of dreams and the magnum opus

welovethebeekeeper:

Given Benedict’s words on the ending of series 4 and the very strange hint at a ‘reason’ why the writers could leave John and Sherlock there for a while, I think as always we look at canon. A few things first:

Steven and Mark have made sure they covered the most polar stories; The Hound, The Woman, The Fall, The Return, The Entrance of Mary Morstan and The Master Blackmailer, plus The Meeting which they actually covered 3 times if we include the unaired pilot. The writers wanted to get their version filmed incase the show was ever cancelled. [It won’t be]

The main theme of their work is twofold, FIX canon and get the real story correct; it’s a LOVE STORY.
The writers also want to make sure that the public know the real Sherlock and John, the men the writers know from canon, not the iconic caricatures that have evolved in pastiche and Holmesian theory or the cultural hive mind. It’s a story about a detective and the man who loves him, it’s not a detective story.

So we stand looking at series 4 with the history of 3 series, a special and a mini episode in our vault of knowledge; all of which have proven the above to be true. Also we have confirmation that John and Sherlock are in love, Sherlock is gay, John is bisexual, Mary is not a wife she is a client/assassin, Moriarty has become the embodiment of Sherlock’s darkest fears about his own nature, and there is NO future for Holmes and Watson without each other. These facts are canon in BBC Sherlock, for me no longer up for debate.

So onto the point of this post; where could John and Sherlock’s story be if we can step away for a spell?

In canon there were three times that Holmes left the work and his home for an extended period; The Final Problem - fake death and hiatus of 3 years, The Devil’s Foot -  convalescence  of 1 year, and His Last Bow - undercover work for the British Government of 2 years. As we have already covered one of these events in BBC Sherlock we can rule the faked death hiatus out. Let us look at the other two.

The Devil’s Foot

The most pivotal tale of the Holmes and Watson relationship in canon, they almost came out of the subtextual closet in this story. It’s just the two of them, alone in an isolated cottage and although a case does come up, it never takes away from the domestic bliss of the two of them just playing house. The reason for the break in routine is Sherlock’s health. He’s overworked, stressed, run down and his drug use is taking it’s toll.

It was, then, in the spring of the year 1897 that Holmes’s iron constitution showed some symptoms of giving way in the face of constant hard work of a most exacting kind, aggravated, perhaps, by occasional indiscretions of his own. In March of that year Dr. Moore Agar, of Harley Street, whose dramatic introduction to Holmes I may some day recount, gave positive injunctions that the famous private agent lay aside all his cases and surrender himself to complete rest if he wished to avert an absolute breakdown.

Although the reason for the trip was convalescence Watson refers to the cottage/their solitude as ‘that land of dreams’. It’s so damn romantic. It’s why we all love this story. And there is a huge FIX required in this story. Holmes proclaims: ‘I have never loved, Watson’. [Mark and Steven must be chomping at the bit to fix that fucker] Let’s face it they already have fixed that statement, but they need to complete the fix with the solidification of who it is Sherlock loves and have there be consummation of that love so casuals see it.

We know from setlock:

Coastal locations

Farm house, isolated, at least a week’s filming in a secluded location with Benedict and Martin
Martin had a difficult scene to film at this time [SDCC time] Martin hinted that it was emotional and involved crying
Episode 2 has a very ill Sherlock

Conclusion: I think it fits with what we know about series 4, it also fits with the arc of the main story. The Devil’s Foot is not one of the very famous stories but within fandom it is very ‘special’. There was a year hiatus between Devil’s Foot and The Dancing Men, the following story [not published dates but timeline of the stories] so it could be a safe place to leave John and Sherlock for a time.

His Last Bow

We open this story in canon with Sherlock undercover as Altamont after being sent on a 2 year assignment to America.

‘Things were going
wrong, and no one could understand why they
were going wrong. Agents were suspected or even
caught, but there was evidence of some strong and
secret central force. It was absolutely necessary to
expose it. Strong pressure was brought upon me
to look into the matter. It has cost me two years,
Watson, but they have not been devoid of excitement.’

That sounds a great deal like the plot for series 4 to me. And there is a fix required; Sherlock went on the 2 year mission in His Last Bow, alone, we know from TRF/TEH that it would be a mistake for Sherlock to leave John behind again. Hell the writers told us that the key to the success of these two men is  ‘The two of us, against the rest of the world’. So the FIX is to have John accompany Sherlock on this mission. 

We know from setlock:

MI5 and MI6 agents are in this series

Holmes has an undercover name, Altamont. We have a clue of a name Sherrinford. Sherrinford was one of the original names for Sherlock, i.e Sherrinford is Sherlock
A ‘secret central force’ could be the Moriarty web
Mycroft is The British Government and we know that he is apparently a ‘reptile’, therefore he could be bringing pressure on to his little brother

Conclusion: I think this fits in with a great deal of what has been said about series 4 and also what we observed during setlock. However it would be far more of a cliff hanger to have them leave on a mission. Which is good…I’d expect a 2 hour special of the mission. After all in His Last Bow Sherlock refers to this undercover work as ‘the magnum opus of my latter years’. It was evidently exciting and fulfilling, all he needed for perfection was John at his side.

………..

The writer’s may of course combine the two events together, they have a way of condensing stories effectively in this regard. Yesterday, I mentioned in a comment that the baby could be a reason for letting events marinate for a while, however I was only chucking ideas around. In reality we have zero evidence from setlock of a baby in episode 3 [only evidence of a mind palace baby in ep 2] so I feel that Mary and baby are dispatched in ep 1 and that’s presuming baby is real in the first place. I also hasten to add that Benedict’s comments may be totally off base, but then again if I believe his hints at the johnlock kiss [’things are going very well’ kissy face expression] I can’t just pick and choose which of his comments are rubbish. I do think he ‘bleeds’ secrets. Now his interpretation may not always be the same as ours, nor for that matter the same as Steven and Mark’s, but they do deserve consideration. I firmly believe that the BBC will require another outing of Sherlock for New Years Day 2019. I do think Mark and Steven will be writing more Sherlock by the end of 2017. I also think both Benedict and Martin will be onboard. 

Good stuff here. Thanks for the canon references! These both look possible to me.

I agree that they will be left in a fairly good state at the end of S4, whether it’s ‘consulting husbands off on a mission’ or just a resolution and seeming end ala johnlock and villains vanquished, 

I did have one thought last night – we know that at the end of S3, Mark let out that he and Moffat had planned out S4 and S5. So that leads fans to expect a S5. HOWEVER, that was well before they wrote a word and also before S3 aired.

S4 and S5 Combined into S5? 

WHAT IF, based on the lackluster critical reception of S3, the increasing pressure on/lengthening of production times and schedules, and just a general sense that their denouement was dragging out too long, they ended up combining the best of their S4 and S5 plans into a single S4?

There are a few reasons this might be the case.  If they had orignally planned johnlock for S5, they might have decided it was too long to wait another 4-5 years for that. (and I agree) Not only do they risk losing the opportunity to be first with someone else getting there before them (perhaps in a film version), but they would risk more and more casuals just going WTF? like they did after S3. They don’t see the romantic arc, and therefore it seems like the “detective show” has jumped the shark. Also, LGBT issues are changing so rapidly, they need to get this out before it’s either old hat or the tide has swung strongly back the other way again. Timing is everything. Add in Martin and Ben’s schedule– maybe they couldn’t depend on being able to get another 7 episodes out of them in an expedient manner (including TAB at that point). These are all good reasons to go ahead and resolve the romantic arc ASAP.

Furthermore, we have Moffat at SDCC saying “you never know when you’ll be cancelled” and “to hell with delayed gratification”, which to me is very leading that they’d originally planned something for later on that they moved up to S4. Yes, I know the arguments that they wouldn’t REALLY be cancelled, and I agree. But I think what he’s saying there is that shit happens and you can’t DEPEND on another season (for all the reasons above), so it’s best to act like it might be your last and do all the big stuff you want to do now.

Add to that BC’s comments that the main story arcs are completed at the end of S4–which I would take to mean both Moriarty/villain arc and the romantic arc. Then yeah, maybe they originally planned to drag it out longer and ended up packing it all into S4. 

If that’s what they did, I’m glad. The long long hiatus’ are so frustrating from a story POV. I will be thrilled if they finally resolve johnlock (and the villain stuff too, though I care less about that).

"It was October, the most beautiful month of the year, and even in the city tonight, and under a..."

“It was October, the most beautiful month of the year, and even in the city tonight, and under a light rain, you could smell the burning—leaves, grass, the earth, everything golden burning up, surrendering before winter arrives.”

- Rebecca Lee, Bobcat (via amarukate)

monikakrasnorada:darlingtonsubstitution:monikakrasnorada:we...

monikakrasnorada:

darlingtonsubstitution:

monikakrasnorada:

weweretoldandwelistened:

“You have to see the 4th season to realise why for now it’s not going to happen again in the same regularity that it has been happening.”

I’m not gonna lie… This is making me nervous. It makes me feel like something is going to go really wrong in the 4th season. They said before that it’s going to be a very dark season, so I’m having a hard time believing that it’s going to be a positive development.

I’m gonna be the noob that sticks their head in the sand and say- for me- this says we are getting Johnlock. Mary will be dispatched. The Moriarty conundrum will come to an end, so what is there left for them to do ‘now’? A few years out, they can give us Consulting Husbands updates. That’s what I’m choosing to believe he means. I truly don’t believe Mofftiss are that cruel. They are fans, too, and this is what they have been waiting for. “Insane wish fulfillment. ” They wouldn’t get us- or themselves- THIS close, just to leave us hanging for even more years than we are used to. They lie. They’ve made a POINT of hammering home that this series is gonna be ‘dark’- which I don’t doubt for a moment- but it’s never just ‘one tone’. Think of all the setlock we haven’t been privy to. I cannot believe, in my heart of hearts, with TPTB KNOWING it’s highly likely this will be it for the foreseeable future, that they would even think to leave it- and us- in a ‘good’ place. Call me naive, or stupid, whatever, but until the last minute of the last episode, I will believe in Sherlock Holmes and those that bring it to us.

I agree - and of course this may be my optimistic (?) self talking, but the way BC said it make me think that S4 is gonna be so definitely gay that people will either accept it with open arms or come at it with pitchforks and torches. Hence, “regularity” can be on the line depends on the level of public acceptance of ACTUALLY SEEING Holmes and Watson as a couple FOR REAL. Also, once the tension is resolved, the show can pick up where it left off whenever TPTB feels like the timing is right for all that involved.

100000% agreed, @darlingtonsubstitution.

Yup. Me too.

Hey I haven't really seen any but do you know of any Wet dream johnlock stories?

Hey nonny, what a fun request! Hope some of these fics satisfy your desires! ;)

Johnlock Wet Dreams – the Fic Recs

Dream a
Little Dream (of Me) by patternofdefiance, 3 k, explicit. Imagine John catching
Sherlock having a wet dream, moaning John’s name

Perchance
to Dream by dorothydonne, 7 k, explicit. Fantasy AU. Sherlock has been the voyeur
to people’s dreams for as long as he can remember. It’s why he hates sleeping. That
is, until he stumbles into one of John Watson’s dreams. Then suddenly sleep
isn’t so unwelcome.

A Good
Dream For A Couple Of Idiots by Irrevocably_Sherlocked 2 k,
explicit. John startles awake, struggling to clear the remnants of the
lingering dream from his brain. It had been so real, the vivid images still
present when he closes his eyes. He is breathing hard and cursing his
subconscious for betraying him. Because as much as he has tried to stop himself
from imagining things, he can’t control his dreams, it seems.

Five times John and Sherlock
ended up in bed together (and the one time they didn’t get that far) by
ureshiiichigo, 6 k, mature. In the five times…. +1 style. John and Sherlock
sleep together many times before they actually have sex.

Somnium
by GubraithianFire, 1.4 k, explicit. Sherlock has a very vivid wet dream
in his Mind Palace complete with TWO John Watsons for his pleasure.

Caught by Salambo06,
1.8 k, explicit.  Based on a prompt :
“Johnlock necessary bed sharing and one has a wet dream and the other
catches them”

In the
Morning by rachel4revenge, 3 k, explicit. Prompt: sherlock and john
sharing a bed because of a case… and one of them waking up to the sound of the
other having a wet dream especially if they’re saying the other person’s name
whilst doing it.

Open Door by
nightmare_kisser, 10 k, mature. Sherlock knows he shouldn’t be looking. Except
it’s a bit difficult to turn away and walk down the hall when it’s so obvious
and fascinating and there, almost like an invitation.

Nocturnal
Admissions by chucksauce, 1.7 k, explicit. PWP smut. From prompt:
“could you do something with teenlock, where sherlock and john are sharing a
room, but in separate beds, and one of them wakes up to hear the other either
masturbating or having a wet dream.“

1895itsallfine:mljohnlockc:1895itsallfine:the-blue-carbuncle:1895itsallfine:the-blue-carbun...

1895itsallfine:

mljohnlockc:

1895itsallfine:

the-blue-carbuncle:

1895itsallfine:

the-blue-carbuncle:

1895itsallfine:

the-blue-carbuncle:

1895itsallfine:

Wrapping up the romance arc and even some villain plots would mean there isn’t the same urgency to continue the same story. But it doesn’t explain why a long delay would be expected, story-wise. What happens at the end of S4? Will John get amnesia and joint a cult in California? Will Sherlock be so devastated by his brother’s betrayal and death he swears off sleuthing? Will John and Mary and the baby move to Australia (jk)? Do John and Sherlock sign up for a 2-year peace corp stint? Or do they join a mission to Mars?

The thing is, Mofftiss and Ben have said there’s a lot of plot for us in e3, so I’m still wondering how they can do this and still end the season with a sense of completion. The only thing that is clear to me is that the johnlock arc will probably have a good ending in s4.. which again seems weird since Mark had said that s4 will be bittersweet. I don’t know what to think anymore tbh

I think Mycroft dying and maybe Molly being bad and other things could still make it sad and to make it dark the boys could be (I’d say will be) in huge danger even after they’re together and even if it ends well.

Oh yeah you’re right. Personally I don’t think we will have been done with Moriarty in s4 either, assuming that he hasn’t appeared in any other episode apart from the 3rd. I just wholeheartedly agree with your post, I can’t see what could possibly explain such a long delay, story-wise. Christ, Ben wanted to clear things up and personally I am more confused. I just hope the Mary problem will have been solved and there will be no parentlock (I don’t think Mofftiss would be up for this either).

I really wouldn’t mind the idea of parentlock (you can just say the kid is away all the time) but I wouldn’t like a long delay. I guess it would make sense though not to be running around like they used to when you have an actual baby. We’ll see. (I have no doubt that the Mary issue will be well gone. And I personally don’t think Moriarty is even still alive so lol) Seriously, though, the man babbles and fucks up when he tries to lie and he must be so tired right now so it might be nothing at all.

To be completely frank, I always thought that all the ‘’this is the darkest series so far’’ claims would have to do with Mary and the baby dying, so I didn’t take them quite seriously. Having the baby around would be a huge surprise for me lol. But yeah, Ben waffles a lot. I remember Moffat said they had already planned out some plot points for s5. So who knows, maybe Mofftiss will say something about this matter (in LCC if they attend?) or later, or they’ll just leave it at that.

It’s true I always forget that they expect us to be attached to Mary and shocked when she’s (again) revealed to be villainous

Forget This “Hillary Is Unlikable” Stuff. Hillary Is Downright Inspiring.

Forget This “Hillary Is Unlikable” Stuff. Hillary Is Downright Inspiring.:

why-im-with-her:

I am not saying Hillary deserves credit just for showing up and getting
the job done. I am saying she deserves credit for showing up and getting
the job done while a psychopath invaded her personal space, lied repeatedly,
attempted to degrade her in the basest and vilest terms, and threatened
to jail her for the crime of being a successful woman in the public
eye. Nor am I saying that we all ought to live up to Hillary’s example:
Crying and despairing are a completely reasonable response to being
attacked and denigrated by a sexist pig. Not all of us have the guts
and, yes, stamina to endure and overcome what Hillary is enduring and
overcoming in this election. But that’s the point: Hillary has displayed
superhuman strength in the face of disgusting, unfair, and false
attacks on her character and judgment. If that’s not inspiring, I don’t
know what is.

isitandwonder:whenisayrunrun:Benedict denies end of...

isitandwonder:

whenisayrunrun:

Benedict denies end of ‘Sherlock’ rumor
 

YIPPIIIEEHHH :)

“…you have to see the fourth season to realise why for now it’s not gonna happen again in the same regularity as it has been…” - sorry, to me it sounds something grave will happen (and by that I don’t mean Mary’s demise…)

Yes, that’s an interesting line. Also, if it’s not going to be “as regular as before”, like not even every two years, that’s quite a big gap.

I still think it’s johlock, which is the climax of the main narrative arc, so that’s why it COULD end there. But we’ll see. 

THE GAME IS AFOOT !

ebaeschnbliah:

SOME MUSINGS ABOUT SHOES FEET AND FOOTPRINTS

No less than 12 pictures of feet and shoes have beet tweeted during shooting Series 4 of Sherlock BBC. That’s a lot of feet and I still wonder if there is a special meaning behind all this. A little while ago I wrote about this in ‘The Great Game’ . But back then I busied myself with the matter only as far as Carl Powers is concerned. This time I scanned all 10 episodes + the minisode for every shoe, all the feet and any footprint that are standing out in some way. Found rather a lot therefore all of this got a bit ‘longish’. Enjoy if you like under the cut:

Keep reading

Nice research! I have no idea what it means though. Unless all the ‘Moriarties’ have some mark on their foot (ala TBB)? And in S4 Sherlock knows that and we’re led to wonder which of the regular cast might have the mark?

darlingbenny:x

darlingbenny:

x

inevitably-johnlocked:marcespot:This has been a PSA. Thank...

inevitably-johnlocked:

marcespot:

This has been a PSA. Thank you for your time.

THERE IT IS.