Is Sherlock Running Scenarios?EMP/EDT in HLV and TAB

isitandwonder:

keyscodesandmotifs:

Inspired by tjlcisthenewsexy’s John’s Choice meta and xistentialangst’s EMP - Just Might Be meta, I’ve been going back over HLV and TAB (and even TSoT) looking for clues that help to either prove or disprove the Extended Mind Palace or Extended Dream Time. I did find some interesting things and came up with a few theories.

If we assume that the vow of “His Last Vow” is this line of Sherlock’s from TSoT:

“… here in front of you all, my first and last vow. Mary and John: whatever it takes, whatever happens, from now on I swear I will always be there, always, for all three of you.”

Then HLV must refer to Sherlock taking care of and protecting John and Mary (and the baby). Perhaps after Mary shoots him and he is in his morphine induced dreams in the hospital, he is running scenarios to figure out how can keep that vow and then, going deeper, realizing he might not be able to.

Remember this from The Empty Hearse:

SHERLOCK: I calculated that there were thirteen possibilities once I’d invited Moriarty onto the roof.

…(Sherlock rapidly looks around the roof and all the surrounding buildings, visually calculating trajectories, angles and even the possibility of a ladder being lowered from a helicopter.)

SHERLOCK (voiceover): The first scenario involved hurling myself into a parked hospital van filled with washing bag…….

So we have precedent that Sherlock runs through different options visually, with detail whether you want to call this Mind Palace or not) when he is trying to decide on a course of action.

So lets say that in HLV Sherlock plays out the scenario where he protects Mary even at the cost of his own life. He sees by the end of this scenario that he will still be leaving John in danger if he chooses that path.

Now let’s look at TAB.  One of the mirroring theories for TAB (and I’m sorry but I can’t find the original posts) was that Lady Carmichael was a mirror for John and Sir Eustace a mirror for Mary. In this scenario, Sherlock is looking at what would happen if he doesn’t protect Mary from the people in her past. Would John blame him?

LADY CARMICHAEL: You promised to keep him safe. You promised! (The maids take hold of her arms.)

LADY CARMICHAEL: You … (Holmes stares wide-eyed at her as she begins to sob. He turns away.)

LADY CARMICHAEL: You promised!

An interesting point - Holmes never really promises. Here’s what he had said:

HOLMES: Now, listen: you must go home immediately. Doctor Watson and I will follow on the next train. There’s not a moment to lose. Sir Eustace is to die tonight.

WATSON: Holmes!

HOLMES: … and we should … probably avoid that.

WATSON: Definitely.

HOLMES: Definitely avoid that

Seems like “promise” from TAB fits better with, “I swear” from his vow in TSoT.  This is showing that past conversations and ideas influence the scenarios he creates.

Then we have this from the initial consult with Lady Carmichael:

LADY CARMICHAEL: I – I thought long and hard as to what to do, but then, er, it occurred to me that my husband was an acquaintance of your brother and that, perhaps through him …

That sounds very familiar.

JOHN: I’ve thought long and hard about what I want to say to you.

(He draws in a long breath through his nose as she raises her eyes to him.)

JOHN: These are prepared words, Mary.

Now we could have this callback just to make the mirroring connection of Lady Carmichael to John, but what’s really interesting is that other callbacks in TAB seem to be because SHERLOCK is making the connections (like “dead is the new sexy”) and he gives Sir Eustace characteristics that he sees in Mary (dismissive, emotionally abusive, secret past) and Lady Carmichael characteristics he sees in John (insightful and caring).  But Sherlock was not in the room when John said “I’ve thought long and hard” to Mary.

So is that from his previous script/scenario that he ran in his EMP/EDT?

Transcripts by Ariane DeVere 

tagging @tjlcisthenewsexy, @xistentialangst, @isitandwonder, 

@ebaeschnbliah

trying to tag @monikakrasnorada but it’s not working

Nice work @keyscodesandmotifs! You mentioning Sherlock running through different options in TEH in regard to The Fall reminded me that he does it again in HLV - when he and John are about to break into CAM Tower: The first option is to use a card that identifies as wrong and being dragged away by security to get his head kicked in. Then, as Sherlock ponders the second option - the card reading as corrupted - the guards just vanish.

Sherlock says to John in this scene ‘Do we really need so much colour?’ as John mentions the kicking… but we don’t see it. So Sherlock definitely incorporates John’s ideas into his visual run through but not to the last bit. When conscious Sherlock seems able to filter what he wants to see / experience. He’s in charge.

I love this! Especially this:  

So we have precedent that Sherlock runs through different options visually, with detail whether you want to call this Mind Palace or not) when he is trying to decide on a course of action.

So true. And that goes way back, things like when Sherlock says “I can see three, no four possible ways it was done.” That would definitely support the idea of him running through scenarios in his head/dream state.

Interesting!