Some Theories on S4, S5, and Narrative Structure

someabominablemeta:

tjlcisthenewsexy:

someabominablemeta:

So I haven’t been keeping up with Set!lock or fandom metas… I fucked off to my main fandom not too long after TAB. But I’ve recently become Sherlock obsessed again, and I’ve finally grasped a lot of narrative structure things (shameful for a writer, I know) so I thought I’d make a predictions essay based on narrative structure.

So of course, in basic plot structure you have:

1. Hook
2. 1st Plot Turn
3. Pinch Point 1
4. Midpoint
5. Pinch Point 2
6. 3rd Plot Turn
7. Climax
8. Denoument

(7 and 8 are sometimes broken down into Black Moment | Climax | Denoument {the wrap up})

I’m working off the assumptions that they’ve got a five series arc planned, and also that M-Theory is real. (And Johnlock of course, duh.)

So this puts things something like this:

ASiP - The Hook + Inciting Incident. 
TBB
TGG - First plot point.

ASiB
THoB
TRF - First pinch point. 

TEH
TSOT - Midpoint Reversal. 
HLV

TAB - 2nd Pinch. 

???1 - 2nd Pinch.
???2
???3 - 3rd Plot Point 

???1
???2 - Black Moment into Climax.
???3 - Climax into Resolution.

The Hook + Inciting Incident. John and Sherlock meet, the introduction to the series and it’s themes. 

First plot point. And by that I mean the real introduction to Moriarity and his evil plots that continue through the entire series. 

First pinch point. Pinch points are kind of difficult for me to define even now, but basically, they are there to remind you of what’s at stake. They give a character an opportunity to show what his core is, and often they give him the means to make a choice that will define him and his arc. You can also use pinch points as a reminder of the nature of the bad guy. Anyway, TRF does both. Sherlock is directly reminded of how ruthless and crazy Moriarity is while affirming that Sherlock, indeed, has a heart - and that specifically that John is very important to him. But in this stage, Sherlock is also still not comfortable communicating and still doesn’t recognize all of his emotions for what they are. 

Midpoint Reversal. TSOT is smack dab in what many presume to be the entire series, and you can’t get a better midpoint reversal in a romance arc than the hero marrying someone else. Midpoint Reversal means that the circumstances of the story reverse - in this case, things have been looking well for John and Sherlock throughout the series, even in TEH really, but then you have Mary knocking everything askew. 

2nd Pinch. I’ve listed the 2nd Pinch here because TAB was *huge* in moving along Sherlock’s arc and showing who he really is.


But I do think it’s possible that the pinch will carry over into the beginning of the first episode of S4, possibly with a love declaration of some sort, and of course, some Moriarity event. 

3rd Plot Point - At the third plot point, you reveal your final piece of information. I mean, case fic is one thing for the rest of the show, but this would be the moment you reveal your final “omg” fact that you need to get you to the climax and beyond. In this case, since I ascribe to M-Theory, I think that this is when it will be revealed that Mycroft has been caught in Moriarity’s web. I also believe that Moriarity is coming back (but we’ll probably get a glimpse of him before this). It’s either Moriarity, or it’ll be a double whammy and if there’s someone behind Moriarity, that’ll come out here. I have other reasons for believing it’s Moriarity, but for the purposes of this post, it’s because you don’t change main villains in the middle of a story! It could be that Mycroft dies here, as well, possibly in a redemption arc. 

Black Moment into Climax. If we haven’t visited The Three Garridebs in S4, then I think they’ll be saving it for the Black Moment, and then propelling that into the Climax of the series. If Mycroft is going to die and doesn’t die in S4, then I think the Black Moment will also include Mycroft’s death after some sort of redemption arc. Note that I don’t think that Mycroft *needs* a redemption arc in terms of he’s not actually a villain - but I believe that Mycroft would believe he needs one. 

Climax into Resolution - This is pretty self explanatory, but I just wanted to mention that I think we’ll get some sort of ending with John and Sherlock in the country with the bees, romance firmly established. 

This is awesome. About that midpoint reversal; I love that we get Sherlock’s romantic revelation of dropping the champagne glass one moment, then he literally says “Part Two” as he jumps over the table (crossing a threshold), telling us that we’re entering part two of our story. This moment is also in the middle (ish) of the episode (about the two thirds mark, I think). 

I’m curious about the second pinch point, because I think you’re bang on that it’s TAB, plus the beginning of S4, but does Mary shooting Sherlock count as a plot point? Or is it the start of the second pinch point? Because while it’s an injection of new information, it’s also a “what’s at stake” moment, where we see the consequences of the choices our characters have made. So do you think the entire second pinch point could be a “this is what’s at stake when you don’t choose wisely”? And you said it could involve a love declaration, so could that be about John and Sherlock both choosing each other over their facades? Like… Sherlock tosses the deerstalker as a symbol of throwing away his facade, and meanwhile John chooses Sherlock over Mary (during the missing months perhaps)? All during the timeline of the missing months+TAB+beginning of S4? Because each of them choosing each other could certainly lead to a love declaration like you say, or even perhaps an unspoken committment which will then lead up to a declaration in Ep 2? (or 3).

I hope that makes sense. I love your analysis <3

Part Two! I love it :)

Mmm… honestly I don’t think Mary shooting Sherlock counts as a major plot point within the greater narrative structure. I mean, it definitely is a plot point, and it’s necessary to move things along re: Sherlock’s arc. But I don’t see it as being a major plot point for the entire series. Does that make sense? 

But in terms of structures… I mean there’s the greater narrative arc, then the season narrative structures, and then the episodic narrative structures. So I’d see Mary shooting Sherlock to be a major plot point within the season and episode structures. (I may go and chart some of those just for fun. Depends on how much work I get done today :) 

I think we’ll probably get some flashbacks into those missing months, but I don’t think that the months themselves will figure into the second pinch re: love declaration. That is, I don’t think that HLV would have gone that way if there had already been a commitment/declaration - I see S4 picking up from the tarmac and any declaration coming after that. 

Oh! Also I wanted to add that I’d read someone’s narrative structure meta earlier, and then closed out my tabs :( But someone pointed out that in romance plots, the 3rd plot point often has the characters breaking up with each other. I’d like to say on record that I don’t currently think this will happen. We’ve already had Sherlock leaving in TRF and John marrying Mary. I don’t see them turning away from each other now - and I see Sherlock’s awakening in TAB giving rise to more communication from his part, not less. 

Yes. When John marries Mary, that’s already the “boy loses girl” part of the romantic arc. (It’s boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back in the most simplistic of romance arcs). Sherlock appears to have lost John forever at that point, esp with baby on the way. So we should see Sherlock get John back next. Not sure how fast it’ll be though.