XistentialAngst's Blog, page 93

Dream Theory (EMP) as Christmas Past and Christmas Yet to Come

monikakrasnorada:

tjlcisthenewsexy:

I couldn’t quite cope with this one while I was writing that EMP meta, so I left it out. But the penultimate problem discussion yesterday reminded me…

There’s the kind of obvious connection that it’s Christmas in Dream 1 and Dream 2, and also in one of the two Doctor Who episodes I talked about…the 2014 Christmas special, “Last Christmas”.

I’ve just caught up on some ‘A Christmas Carol’ (ACC) metas; this one by @alexxphoenix42 which shows the way past, present, and future are used within TAB, and this one by @longsnowsmoon5 where the five staves of ACC parallel the five series of the show, which I’m especially excited about because I’m personally obsessed with all the five-series references, and this one fits perfectly. 

So Moftiss have really gone nuts with this Christmas Carol stuff….there are parallels within TAB itself and across the five series, so what if……they’re doing it again with Sherlock’s dreams?? 

Dream 1 is Christmas Yet to Come, where Sherlock sees his future; John and Mary reconciled and about to have a baby, and the eventual result of him continuing to push John away, which ends with Sherlock seeing his own death in the grave he dug for himself. 

Dream 2 is Christmas Past, where Sherlock goes back to his Victorian roots to ask the question; what made me like this?

We’ve had past and future, so what if Dream 3, like I theorized that we’re moving into come the beginning of S4 (beginning at the final plane scene) …is the ghost of Christmas present….somehow!!?? I don’t know much about ACC so just putting this out there. It would make the idea of three Dreams more significant (future, past and present), rather than just speculation. I’d better pop off and read A Christmas Carol I suppose. 

@monikakrasnorada @isitandwonder @ebaeschnbliah @may-shepard @stillgosherlocked @sherlock-little-weed

Hahaha, great minds, @tjlcisthenewsexy. That penultimate problem discussion had me coming to the same conclusion. I said it was all becoming a bit too Dickensian. It’s been a thousand years since I’ve read or even thought about A Christmas Carol, tbh, so I don’t have much knowledge or insight to share, but I think your suggestion that we might get something a little ‘Christmas present’ in S4 seems a pretty good bet at this point.

Interesting idea. If we do have Christmas past (TAB/1895) and Christmas present (John forgives Mary at Christmas/Sherlock shoots Magnussen to protect them/is exiled), then the idea that what comes next is Christmas Future makes a lot of sense.

If you think about what we’ve seen on setlock, we do have a ‘baby’ that looks around 6-9 months old, which could be about the age the baby would be the Christmas after John forgave Mary. (Christmas future)

So we have a ‘happy family’ future, which we known likely isn’t real but in any case, it certainly doesn’t last since the baby vanishes after S4.E1. And then there is this moment:

Clearly, Sherlock is seeing something horrible, and, as someone else posted yesterday, it’s at eye level. It reminds me of that scene in Scrooged where Bill Murray watches his dead body being cremated. (I couldn’t find exactly that gif online, but here’s a shot just before this sequence)

So if Sherlock is seeing either himself dead or John dead at this moment of horror, which would obviously be a MP sequence, since we know neither dies in S4, then there’s the core of your Christmas future right there.

XA

waitingforgarridebs:ebaeschnbliah:ennisapril:&l...

waitingforgarridebs:

ebaeschnbliah:

ennisapril:

they trust.each.other. is all that counts

>

Brilliant slow motion gif!  Waited for something like this for ages.  Thank you so much!

Because -  JOHN MOVES HIS ARM OUT OF THE WAY SO SHERLOCK CAN REACH MORE EASILY FOR THE PISTOL !!!  …..  And don’t tell me that’s just a reflex of John or of the actor.  Martin (I do it with a look) Freeman knows exactly when to react and when not. And I noticed this arm move even at normal speed when watching the film the second or third time.  But back to John’s character:

John is a doctor - he has nerve - John is a soldier - he has instincts -  John knows this is a potential dangerous situation and not a harmless tea party - John knows he has a loaded pistol in his coat pocket - a pistol  is no feather weight - you definitely feel it if it is lifted out of your pocket …..

And now imagine the whole event in your mind and poder the time that passes between Sherlock reaching for the pistol and shooting Magnusson in the head. Thanks to the scripts by @callie-ariane this is easy to do:

SHERLOCK (loudly, looking up): Oh, do
your research.

(He steps closer to John,  +  reaches round behind him and into John’s coat
pocket, then steps away again and walks forward towards Magnussen.)

SHERLOCK: I’m not a hero …

(Magnussen turns to look at him.)

SHERLOCK: … I’m a high-functioning sociopath.

(He widens his eyes and glares at the man.)

SHERLOCK: Merry Christmas!

(He raises John’s pistol, aims it at Magnussen’s head and fires. +

Estimately 6-8 seconds go by I reckon from Sherlock taking the pistol to shooting Magnusson. Let’s make it 5.  Five seconds for John to react …. 21-22-23-24-25 ….. BUT JOHN DOESN’T REACT !!!  NOT THE SLIGHTEST LITTLE BIT !!!  And to say it a second time:

John is a doctor - he has nerve - John is a soldier - he has instincts -   John knows this is a potential dangerous situation and not a harmless tea party   - John knows he has a loaded pistol in his coat pocket - a pistol  is no feather weight - you definitely feel it if it is lifted out of your pocket …..

But the best thing is  -  JOHN IS SURPRISED AND SHOCKED AND OVBIOUSLY CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPEND JUST NOW !!!

JOHN: (desperately): Christ, Sherlock!
JOHN (his voice full of despair): Oh, Christ, Sherlock!  (John holds his own hands high, his eyes full of despair)

.

How to explain this? 

1. Has John gone slow and dumb and lost all his instincts since he’s married? 

2. Was there a plan between Sherlock and John? Did John know what would happen and played along and in the end he let Sherlock take the blame and the punishment alone?

3. Was there a plan between Sherlock, John and Magnusson?  A sort of trap for someone? Was the whole murder staged and is Magnusson still alive?

4. Did Sherlock dream the whole thing or was it a sort of thought experiment - ‘what might happen when’ … ?

I honestly don’t know. But this scene is in my mind since S3 aired and I can’t forget it.  Thoughts anyone?

@stillgosherlocked @isitandwonder @monikakrasnorada @sherlock-little-weed @mollydobby @the-seventh-stranger @tjlcisthenewsexy @longsnowsmoon5 @waitingforgarridebs @welovethebeekeeper

I am not entirely sure that John really expected him to pull the trigger…

Yes. A fairly simple explanation is that John felt Sherlock take the gun and figured he had some sort of plan, so he went along with it. But he didn’t expect Sherlock to actually shoot Magnussen.  That’s not to say the other explanations couldn’t be it.  

I think the biggest weirdness here is that John and Sherlock weren’t searched, as you point out. If the writers simply wanted John to keep the gun, so they could have Sherlock shoot Magnussen in the end, they could have accounted for the inconsistency in Magnussen’s MO with a simple line. For example, the body guards go to search them and Magnussen waves them off with a ‘oh no, it’s christmas’ or Sherlock makes some quip about trust and then Magnussen waves off the guards. But instead, it’s not addressed at all.

EMP/EDT - The incongruent scene in TAB

I’m still playing around mentally with the Extended Dream Time idea and had another thought. 

For clarity’s sake, the main problem that exists that the EDT idea helps solve is the utter appalling plot stuff that is HLV from Christmas on. There are so many problems with people being OOC, especially John and Mycroft (Mr. British Gov’t doesn’t wonder who shot his baby brother?). The biggest issue is, of course, the idea that the ultimate Sherlock protecter, John, forgives Mary and returns to her. Then we have Sherlock leaving John in Mary’s hands blithely to fly off to his death after having returned from the dead once already to protect John from Mary. Hugs at the tarmac “take care of him”. Seriously?

Not to rehash all that here. This recent meta by archipelagoarchaea explains the problem with HLV brilliantly. 

I don’t think EDT is the only possible solution to these problems in HLV. I think an equally likely scenario is that John, or possibly John and Mycroft, are plotting against Mary and we’re simply shown the ‘surface’ of their plan to keep Mary placated. However, that doesn’t explain all the problems in HLV and TAB, such as John’s lack of emotion on the tarmac and on the plane, or the general unlikely fizzle of the ‘drug overdose’.  It doesn’t explain some of the weird visual glitches like Mycroft’s tie reversing itself. Nevertheless, we won’t actually know what the writer’s have up their sleeves

until S4 airs.  So while it’s fun to play with different theories, and I’m quite fascinated by the idea of EDT, I’m not placing any bets. We haven’t been given all the facts. They may well surprise us with an option #3 that we don’t see yet.

The one thing I am sure of is that Moftiss are excellent writers. If WE see consistency and character problems, we can be sure they are well aware of them and have an arc in place that resolves them. We’re seeing the tip of the iceberg and it looks weird, but it will make sense when we see the whole thing.

Now to the new point! (finally)

One of the arguments against EDT is that the simplest solution is always the best, and that the writers always broadcast when we are in Mind Palace mode, in order to keep the lines clean. This was absolutely my thought when I first read about EMP after TAB aired. “No way! It’s too confusing!”

But there’s one problem. They did blur the lines and make things totally unclear already in TAB! TAB goes back and forth between the “present day reality” and “1895″. If they were ‘staying within the lines’ and keeping things sharp and clear–so that MP vs ‘not MP’ was obvious–then why did they insert a ‘present day’ sequence that is patently false?

In this ‘return to the present’ sequence there are a few things that tell us, with no room for doubt, that although Sherlock appears to have ‘woken up’ from 1895, just like in all the other ‘current day’ sequences, he is, in fact still asleep.

1. He wakes up in a hospital bed, off the plane. Then later on, he is still on the plane. So this sequence cannot possibly be real.

2. He’s attacked by a skeleton which, as creative as BBC Sherlock gets at times, is not a level of fantasy that can be ‘real’.

So if the writers always make MP clear, and always strive to remain obvious about what is and isn’t MP, why did they insert this patently dream sequence in the middle of supposedly ‘real’ sections of TAB? It certainly wasn’t necessary. And the whole grave/skeleton thing always felt like a throwaway to me, like it sort of fizzled in shock value. So what narrative purpose does this section serve?

Well, it could be a clue or set-up that, in fact, not everything that seems to be ‘real’ is ‘real’. Indeed, maybe none of it is. They have clearly established here that Sherlock isn’t always awake when he thinks he is, that they can and will play with the factual presentation of the show in that way, and thus they’ve made absolutely anything possible. (such as EDT)

Again, we have the problem with the dubious ‘drug overdose’ and other oddities in present day TAB that are either sloppy writing and bad prop work. Or: none of it is real.

But let’s look at this patently false current day section for more clues. What’s the first thing we see in this section? John standing over Sherlock in a hospital bed, checking his eyes with a penlight. On the surface, it’s John checking on Sherlock’s TAB ‘overdose’. But if Sherlock is really in a coma and has been since the domestic in 221B in HLV, then might this not be a bleedthrough from Sherlock’s actual reality? (In a hospital bed with John over him.)

Then there’s Sherlock digging a grave and being attacked by a skeleton of a bride. Others have pointed out what an apt metaphor this is for the way Sherlock has ‘dug his own grave’ with Mary. No argument here. But it’s also a pretty compelling allusion to death, which is something Sherlock is ‘struggling with’ if he’s actually in a coma and dreaming this whole thing.

Apologies in advance if others have covered this before and better. Please feel free to message me and I’ll insert any links you like!

I’d like to look at setlock and see what clues we’ve been given to EDT there. Hopefully later today.

XA

constancecream:woman

constancecream:

woman

mathildalocks:mathildalocks:My dear fandom friends, to add wood to the fire in the gay bar hell...

mathildalocks:

mathildalocks:

My dear fandom friends, to add wood to the fire in the gay bar hell on this Sunday, here is what Sherlock says to Molly of his aim for the night:

SHERLOCK: I want you to calculate John’s ideal intake, and mine, to remain in the sweet spot the whole evening.

Sweet spot, hmmm? This phrase from the gods of euphemism and subtext. Check number 4.

The center of percussion, prostate gland and any place which is optimum for a certain action to take place… Euphemisms and subtext, just saying!

Lord.

The Lie of His Last Vow

archipelagoarchaea:

[This was intended as the last chapter of my Big Long Meta, but I’m getting itchy and want to post something; this is the section least in need of editing and most able to stand on its own, so here you go! For the record, this is meant to come after chapters detailing (a) general character development of John and Sherlock, and (b) what I perceive as the underlying romantic structure of the show. There will be one or two mentions of this romantic structure, but one need not agree with Johnlock as endgame or ‘TJLC’ in order to follow or even agree with the logic I lay out here. Once I finish the other sections, I may come back to edit the intro so it will return to its rightful place as the final chapter.]

It’s time to take down the surface reading of His Last Vow. This is the episode that purports to end with Mary’s past revealed, her lies and actions forgiven, and her role in John’s life firmly established, while Sherlock’s role is diminished by a combination of unborn child and his new criminal record. The casual viewer will probably take it at face value, sweeping any inconsistencies under the rug. However, there’s ample evidence they shouldn’t.

Keep reading

This takes some time to read but it’s worth it. I agree with everything, vis a vis how the end of HLV from the Christmas forgiveness scene on makes no sense, and always have, but this lays it out in such a clear, cohesive argument. 

If you have any doubts about what Mary’s fate will be in S4, and how John and Sherlock will end up, read this and keep it in your arsenal!

Podfic Rec: Eight Inches that Changed Everything

Someone mentioned there was a podfic of one of my stories the other day and I looked it up. I listened to it on my walk this morning.

Oh my, it’s fantastic! Consulting_smartass did a wonderful job with the humor and characters. Isn’t it lovely when you haven’t read one of your old fics for awhile and it still holds up?

Check it out!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4823762

"MOFFAT: The thing about Sherlock Holmes is, you’ve understood nothing if you haven’t understood…..."

“

MOFFAT: The thing about Sherlock Holmes is, you’ve understood nothing if you haven’t understood… that sex, for him, is thinking.

Right? That’s where he’s dislocated, that’s his problem.

He’s like a genetic experiment where they’ve wired up someone’s libido to the brain, instead.

So he doesn’t really think in those terms. He thinks all he has to do is go and solve stuff.

So, it’s not that kind of a relationship.

It’s kind of limiting — why do we have to make it [about] sex?

You know: there are love stories; [and] there are sex scenes. Love is a bigger subject.

And it’s certainly a love story — it’s just not a sex scene.

[…]

GATISS: It’s also back to the whole thing about why characters are compelling.

In the end, the ambiguity is what’s interesting, and not the solution.

If you just say it … it’s obviously much more fun for people to assume [a sexual relationship] and for them both to get slightly affronted, but they’re not really seeing the obvious, which is—they are—they love each other. But not in a sexual way.

MOFFAT: —Series Four, Series Four! [laughs]

”

-

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, when asked about “the gay thing” at a 2011 Q&A.

(Clapham Picturehouse Sherlock Screening & Q&A, January 2011. Video clip: [x] Full synopsis: [x])

[ Skulls & Tea | Sherlock Creator Quotes Collection | Disclaimer/reblogs ]

(via skulls-and-tea)

My god

ie, they kissed and life is good.

(via inevitably-johnlocked)

Ummm….okay but immediately before ‘Series four series four’ they were talking about

SEX

Specifically, sex. I’m gonna live large and hope for confirmation of consummation. I don’t think Moffat could resist alluding to the sex being had. They will give us something. Now I’m going to go back outside, sit down, and keep staring up at the stars, goodnight. 

(via tjlcisthenewsexy)

Jeeeeesus but also BC’s comment. THE SEX WAS HAD!

(via tjlcisthenewsexy)

johnwatsod:That smile though

johnwatsod:

That smile though

Thoughts on setlock week 18

welovethebeekeeper:

Our last week of filming, and we had a quiet week; tacos via Benedict, Tim Carlton in possibly all 3 episodes, maybe a child actor with Ben in a lovely photo from Dominique Arthur, Pinewood Studios, some filming we missed in Cathay’s Park [a popular location this season] and a graphic slate once again, this time with Sherlock, John and Mycroft, a gun, a bullet and the number 500 on fire. But it was the wrap photos that really highlighted the week, Martin and Benedict never standing together [have to keep them apart because….well series 4 ‘stuff’] lots of happy crew members and then a drunken fun wrap party with Martin getting stuck right in to the action on the dance floor. Benedict apparently on way to California [an unconfirmed sighting by a fellow passenger] So here we are, finished for another series. Bless Mark for his tweet which was the only tweet from members of cast and crew to hint at more filming to come. Of course he’d be one of six or seven people that would know for sure.

In the next few weeks you usually see people put together their setlock clues and start making predictions of the series. I am not immune, so will be doing that myself. But a few things really pop out at me from setlock 4:

The baby ‘features’. All the worry, the posts and the use of the baby to ‘prove’ happy family Watson, and all we get is the baby ‘features’. BEHOLD: The featured baby!
Keep the photos of Martin and Benedict together, down to a minimum. 
AA and her dance through episodes 2 & 3. Never seen being filmed in front of a camera, just tweet happy to keep people informed she is on set.
Mycroft’s presence in ep 3. Three of them in the promo photo and on the slate. If ep 1 was Mary’s swan song then ep 3 may be Mycroft’s. Let’s face it, these two are the main obstacles right now for John and Sherlock being together and functioning as a unit [and husbands] Mary by default of the poor communication between J & S plus her manipulation and maybe assignment, and Mycroft who has brainwashed his little brother in an attempt to keep him safe from heartbreak and drugs. To move forward these two characters need to go. Either physically [Mary] or by changing their role and power in the game [Mycroft]
Several days of filming at the farm cottage in Ty Gwyn. A location chosen for it’s secluded location. Love Shack Baby!!!
John’s hair in a new style. And Sherlock’s hair is shorter this season, still basically the same but shorter. Weird how prior to setlock 4 everyone was annoyed by the length of Ben’s hair, but by the end of setlock 4 people were accepting it and saying it was fine.
John wears a wedding ring through the series. There is more to this than meets the eye.

So fellow setlockers, I end my 18 week blog and thank you all for reading. It’s averaged 200 readers a week which is pretty incredible to me, as last setlock I was lucky to get 50. I appreciate your kind comments and encouragement too. Shout out to Ruther2 with his storfy, and @thesetison, both invaluable setlock blogs in their factual reporting. I say this confidently and without a caveat: SEE YOU SETLOCK5 FOR MORE. 

[Normal services now resumed]