XistentialAngst's Blog, page 94
August 5, 2016
vanetti:
now that setlock is officially over, until the promos and cv info starts rolling in, i...
now that setlock is officially over, until the promos and cv info starts rolling in, i just want to say that @thesetison has done a fantastic, incredible job of aggregating all of the setlock news, and her recaps have been amazing. she has done a great service to this fandom during s4 setlock and i am incredibly grateful. thank you, @thesetison!!!
The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes
So, Bad Luck Assistant, Mark Gatiss and Benjamin Caron seem to have a new favourite word… and with the first tweet being from 12th Feb, that’s not just a recent development.
“penultimate”, by definition, means “last but one in a series of things; second last” - which, in all those tweets, makes perfect sense. But, you have to admit, it’s an odd(ish) choice of words…
So, yes, I made a mistake.
I googled “Sherlock Holmes penultimate”.
And ended up with a play by John Nassivera called “The Penultimate Problem of Sherlock Holmes” (x).
I don’t have the play, so for now there are only summaries to work with:
This play about the famous detective has Holmes venturing into the occult where, during a seance, he is warned that he is about to meet his maker. The play has Holmes, Watson and Prof. Moriarty meet their maker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wishes to end their existence literally with the final stroke of his pen. Holmes cannot accept the fact that he is the product of another’s imagination, a mere pawn of another man’s genius. Who is the creator and who the pawn becomes the central question as Holmes and the others threaten their creator with the death to which he has sentenced them.
… I don’t even know where to start.
But, it goes on (x):
In the course of two evenings, the lodgings at 21 Baker Street are visited by the ghosts of Irene Adler (Marion Lines), Poe’s Monsieur Dupin (Yusef Bulos), and finally, of course, Prof. James Moriarity himself (Edward Zang). But playright John Nassivera has yet another deus ex machina in the wings of this Victorian setting. Just when the skeptical Holmes has worked his way thorough every possible explanation for the ghostly phenomena, he receives a visit from Conan Doyle, whom he of course does not recognize at all. The confrontation between fiction’s most famous detective and the fictionist who became a leading advocate of spiritualism provides an climatic showdown for Mr. Nassivera’s speculative play.
Yeah… I’ll just leave that here.
Bu also, wouldn’t that be a nice episode title - since they always have a variation of canon titles, even if it’s just ever so slightly as from Hounds to Hound - to call the episode that would have been called “The Final Problem” “The Penultimate Problem”?
(After “abominable” not a single word of the English language can be ever too fancy again.)
And finding out what made Sherlock is not the Final Problem, it is the Penultimate Problem - something leading up to the Final Problem. As many people have already said, you cannot burn the heart out of Sherlock as long as he’s not aware that he’s got one.
Therefore, the penultimate series, series 4, is going to set the stage for the last big showdown in series 5.
And I really wouldn’t be surprised if all we get for 4x03 is the resolution of the Mycroft-problem (26 pages of dialogue), therefore what really happened in TRF + the “fake” handshake scene with Moriarty, maybe Garridebs, a sort of a “happy ending”, because everything seems to be resolved when there’s only 3 minutes of episode left, and then BAM - Moriarty’s helicopter lands, and THIS is going to be the cliffhanger of series 4.
Moriarty is always the cliffhanger. In every series. Why not this time?
(Can you tell that I’m excited? I hope so.)
@mollydobby @jenna221b @miadifferent @isitandwonder @tjlcisthenewsexy @makeyourdeduction @victorianlovers @johnnlocked @hudders-and-hiddles @inevitably-johnlocked
Wow @waitingforgarridebs - meeting the creator would be very meta (as if TAB wasn’t complicated enough). Crack theory: it’s all just a story on John’s blog…
No, but seriously, I’m sure you are on to something here. Look what Loo Brealey has tweeted last week:
We need this play!
So I didn’t hallucinate that tweet of Loo… (why didn’t I find it when I looked for it lol”) - Thank you! ♥
Well, the creator could be anyone, really. It doesn’t have to be breaking the 4th wall in any way, but Sherlock didn’t make Sherlock, despite all his attempts of wanting to believe this. It’s either Redbeard or something else.
Looking at that slate… my bet’s on Mycroft. He made quite a lot of things, it seems…
you ALL
I’m not sure if this is actually relevant (because honestly it would be super Extra if mofftiss actually wrote something similar to the events in the Penultimate Problem), but Conan Doyle does exist in Sherlock’s universe
(screencapped from TRF)
So, technically, the possibility of Sherlock somehow meeting ACD or hearing about him is possible without breaking the fourth wall
OH YESSS!!! THIS IS SO COOL
I am in love with everything in this post.
Well…if Arthur Conan Doyle had his own after-life medium, it might be possible. You won’t believe this, but @freeform1895 posted THIS asking if anyone had theories about the flower in John’s hair. Well, I personally link the flower in John’s hair to Hawaiian tradition, so I went on a Googling spree to find any links between ACD and Hawaii and found this:
“Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is probably best remembered as the creator of Sherlock Holmes…. But Holmes was only one small part of Sir Arthur’s prolific writing career. He published over fifty books during his lifetime, spanning such diverse genres as historical romance, science fiction, military history, and spiritualism. He was one of the most popular pulp-fiction writers of his time, delighting readers with tales of mummies, dinosaurs, ghosts, and classic characters like Brigadier Gerard and Professor Challenger.
And then, on July 7, 1930, he dropped dead.
Sir Arthur’s story is an all-too-familiar one. An author achieves prominence only to be struck down by the icy hand of death….. Sadly, there isn’t a religion or spiritual belief that addresses the fears that haunt most writers during the wee hours of the night. Namely, does death mean an end to the written word? When we leave this mortal coil, will we also be giving up books and all things book-related? Are earthly pleasures like writing and reading reserved solely for the living? The only person who could feasibly answer such unanswerable questions would be an actual dead author. Someone like, say… Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
This exclusive interview with Sir Arthur was conducted with the assistance of Arthur Pacheco, a psychic and trance medium from Hawaii. Pacheco has been regularly communicating with the dead for almost thirty years. Unlike many psychics, he goes into a trance and allows departed souls to speak directly through him, using their own voices and their own words. Mr. Pacheco purports to be on friendly terms with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who has been his main “spirit guide” since the early eighties….” The rest you have to buy from a publishing company, but LEAVE IT TO YOUTUBE. There is a 15 minute piece of the “interview” being done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH98IUtOvdc You have to hear this at 7:50 for yourself “…It’s one of the last places upon the planet, where certain forms of Love are common, and thus it is from this place that that Love or Aloha as they like to call it is broadcast.” Wasn’t there mention of a possible seance scene?
BROADCASTED!?
I don’t know but that is a lot of weird coincidences, and you know what they say about that. A play about a seance and talking to ACD, with the same name they are throwing around, and breaking the 4th wall, and there is (was) in real life, a medium that channelled Doyle. That would be one way ACD could exist in Sherlock’s world.
But Sherlock doesn’t believe in ghosts (THERE ARE NO GHOSTS!) - can something be real even if you don’t believe in it?
Oh! I remember there is this film ‘The strange case of Sherlock Holmes & ACD’. It’s the story how ACD created SH and why he killed him. Dark family secrets. And Mr. Seldon (Tim McInnerny) - his biographer - turns out to be a ghost in the end.
@isitandwonder @tendergingergirl @tjlcisthenewsexy @waitingforgarridebs @oscarthewilde @deducingbbcsherlock @stillgosherlocked @monikakrasnorada @mollydobby @sherlock-little-weed @the-seventh-stranger @welovethebeekeeper
I have not seen that one @ebaeschnbliah.I’ll have to look for it. I know what Sherlock said @isitandwonder but John INSISTED he must have a past, or impulses and John’s always rightWe’ll see. I am enjoying this stream of ghosts-and-ghoblins talk. I’d like to throw in something else. Why didn’t any of you Nutters tell me that not only had Amanda been on Mr. Selfridge, but..
…that Martin had, also, on EP 1.7and that there was seance scene, hosted by Arthur Conan Doyle, played by…
…our own Kenny Prince, from TGG, actor John Sessions. Now that is fun.
Are you shitting me @tendergingergirl?! OMG! The universe is rarely so lazy… ok, I’ll be reading Inamorata by Joseph Gangemi NOW!
Crazy!
u.m.q.r.a or u.m.b.r.a
A thought occurred to me while researching another mini meta for TAB. I don’t know if anyone wrote on this before, certainly I haven’t seen it.
What if the q was a wrongly coded letter by John in THOB? A b in shape is an upside down q. I know it was the Morse code but furthermore in American morse both of these letters have the same number of clicks only the order is different.
What is umbra then?
“The umbra (Latin for “shadow”) is the innermost and darkest part of a shadow, where the light source is completely blocked by the occluding body.”
“These names are most often used for the shadows cast by celestial bodies, though they are sometimes used to describe levels of darkness” (x)
In the solar metaphoric universe of Sherlock we know that John represents the sun and Sherlock the earth. Mary and Moriarty represent the moon. TAB went on with adding to these chains of solar system metaphors. So back to Umbra: the saga starts in the Hounds of the Baskerville as the shadow is slowly casting. The writers warned us about that and in my opinion it can’t be a red herring because they spent too much time on the umqra stuff. In a 90 min episode that only comes out every couple of years this allotment is a luxury. So it should be subtextual. For me they warned the viewers that it UMBRA coming and it will probably reach completion in Season 4 because they have said many times that it will be the darkest season.
Right now, the eclipse is starting and the bullet is in the moon bottle. This is also an eclipse of mind for Sherlock where he couldn’t read Mary for the entire season 3.
In mythology, the word umbra also refers to the “shades” of the dead”.Moriarty coming back or casting a shadow from his grave is yet another way that the writers will go on to use this symbolism.
(I will write a mini meta on Slavic mythological references in Sherlock later) (x)
And furthermore, who carries an Umbrella which is derived from UMBRA?
To the attention of all the Mycroft metaists!
PENUMBRA and the mention of PENULTIMATE during setlock this week. Penumbra is the darkness before the absolute darkness in the eclipse, UMBRA.
Christ, you people. My head hurts from the awesome brilliance! (or in this case, the awesome darkness).
I love this so hard!
waitingforgarridebs:
weeesi:
inevitably-johnlocked:
marcelock:...
(x)
HTYRET GETTIGN MRaRIED UCKC LET THEM BE MARDIEd
LET THEM BE FREE AT LAST
FINALLY !!!! THE !!!! HAVERSACK !!!!
… uhm, but, “Rathbone Place” ?
A case for series 5.
Just a few points to consider when a panic sets in at the end of setlock
Cancellation. Every television series can be cancelled, however the top earners, the ones that bring prestige to a channel, the shows that still have demand and incite media buzz; those shows don’t get cancelled by the network. BBC Worldwide use Sherlock as a flag ship, it’s recognisable to the world as British, plus it’s popular two male leads are in demand. It’s a PR wet dream. Add to that the fact that BBC want ‘traditions’, they love having predictable entertainment routines that blend into British life, it’s an MO of theirs. They stated after series 3 aired that they wanted to have a Xmas/New Year tradition with Sherlock. Sue Vertue discussed it and said at the time that it may not be every Xmas but they would ‘try’. We skipped a holiday season, then we had TAB, this coming festive season we will get series 4. She IS trying. It is unlikely that the BBC will cancel this show at this time.
Actor’s availability. Understand that TPTB LOVE the fact that Ben and Martin’s careers skyrocketed after Sherlock aired. They are forever reminding people of it. Steven rather overemphasises it ‘we have two of the biggest stars on the planet in our show’ which, with all due respect to Freeman and Cumberbatch, is not exactly true. However, it does remind the public that the two leads are busy so not to take the show for granted; the message being ‘Tune in we still need the ratings to be high’. It’s called business savvy. Both Martin and Benedict have stated repeatedly that they want to keep doing Sherlock until the characters are in old age. This I am sure we will see; specials and then maybe a series 6 and 7 in 10 years time when it feels right and the leads are in their 50s. It’s guaranteed work in an industry that seldom offers that prospect, neither actors are stupid, they know they need the option to always go back to Baker St.
Series 5. We know Benedict, at the South Bank Awards in 2013, let slip that 5 had been commissioned [he had to retract it and made a bumbling rambling explanation of his error] The writers have said that during setlock s3 they sat on a bus and mapped out s4 and s5 [along with TAB it turns out] At SDCC, Steven adamantly told us that he had NOT said Sherlock ends at series 4, and although he threw in the requisite caveats, he expected Sherlock to continue.
The tweets. Firstly Amanda’s tweet of ‘Golden Wrap’. Well this lady’s tweets cause many a discussion in the fandom, so we need to consider the source. AA is an extroverted thinker [just like BC] and gets herself into trouble by speaking or writing, what is on her mind before actually thinking it through. Thus the need to explain or correct, even delete tweets. We all expect Mary to leave the show, her arc was minuscule in canon, and though expanded and improved in Sherlock, it has a end. From day one, the writers and AA herself have said that. So for AA the end of her Sherlock journey may have come and gone. Not series end, just a character’s departure. Loo’s tweet also sounded final. Her heartfelt goodbye to Molly was sweet and sad. We have been told that series 4 is devastating and dark, the surprise death of a character is not out of the realm of possibility. Next we have Danny’s tweet; a sad farewell or a cryptic message? Danny is a fun guy, and a VERY busy successful SFX guy. BC has projects in the works and a production company. To me the tweet was less a goodbye and more of a clue that Danny would be working with BC sooner rather than later. Then the Arwel tweet with Ben and Martin; just a lovely photo on set of the two leads and the man who adores working on this show.
The Sherlock cast and crew hate Benedict. Fucking rubbish. I won’t argue this point as it originates in a place of negativity found in dark places on tumblr. I only mention it as I am appalled by the lack of insight, and intelligence, of the people who buy into this theory. The cast and crew love him.So take heart, this occurs every setlock. The farewells and cast/crew parting is sad. We are entering the promotional season, when we will get teased, thrown clues, new photos and eventually trailers. I truly believe we will have a series 5, there is little evidence against it at this point.
Well said. I agree. They do this every time and I completely believe they have planned for, and fully intend, a S5, and that it will be obvious to us after we see the cliffhanger. (And that, like the other times, they’ll announce soon after that of course there’ll be a S5) And I really really disagree that they’re worried it’ll be cancelled because of the reveal and it won’t be popular. First of all, I think, despite some people being annoyed by it for sure, that it will be popular. I think they all love doing the show (that it doesn’t take much time in the scheme of things) and it was a vanity project to begin with that they didn’t care if it was wildly popular or not. So, yeah, it’s happening. Don’t fall for the same old stuff.
Good points. I certainly hope for a S5 and a quick turn-around would be great. We’ll just have to see.
monikakrasnorada:
just-sort-of-happened:
“The man with the key...
“The man with the key is king”, ~ Moriarty.
After asking Mrs Hudson if Sherlock’s ever, ‘had anyone’, i.e., ‘has he ever had any kind of a girlfriend, boyfriend, a relationship, ever?’, her answer, is, ‘I don’t know… How will we ever know…?’ Then we see John smile and throw his key up in the air. In an episode full of symbolic twirling, I think this is significant. We see Sherlock twirl Irene’s phone because he’s typing with her heart. Here we see John not know about Sherlock’s heart, even while he himself is the king of it.
This is the kind of thing I live for.
Love this.
Aw. This makes me so sad. And after this, he’s shot by John’s...
Aw. This makes me so sad. And after this, he’s shot by John’s wife in the heart. No subtle message there!
johnlockgirl28:
sugarnutsherlock:
in honour of setlock...
in honour of setlock ending
YESSSSSSS
It’s so weird to think that all of S4 is in the can. Now we just have to wait!
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