I was so glad when John kept walking away and Sherlock's face collapsed - HA! Take that, fucker! MANIPULATE THE BACK OF JOHN WATSON'S HEAD MOVING AWAY FROM YOU, WHY DON'T YOU! HA!
Really enjoyed this ep - wonderful change from last weeks.
Ayup. Likely would have melted John earlier in their relationship too, but they've been together for a couple years now; John's got to know him a lot better - he's got a better handle on Sherlock's persona/personality and on the role he plays in Sherlock's life.
So I hope this better understanding will be reflected in fanfic - before, fanfic was all over the place, because it was all new, and fanfic would take place right away or years later; and even years later, if you didn't know where their relationship would take them, you could go down a completely different road.
Also, despite so many being dismissive of Sherlock's declaration of "high-functioning sociopath" I am beginning to think that diagnosis does fit him very well.
Sociopath doesn't mean emotionless - far from it. Sociopaths feel emotions as strongly as anyone else. What they lack is true empathy. So they use manipulation to get their way, instead of relating genuinely to other people, and being able to take other people's feelings into consideration, and developing an equal rapport. So we see Sherlock really does want John for a friend, has no clue how to be truly empathic - doesn't understand the concept/doesn't have the ability and/or rejects the need for empathy - so when John walks away, Sherlock does/says whatever necessary to get John back.
Which turns out start talking about the case again ;-)
But then we see him turn around and treat poor John like a guinea pig - can't believe John just sat there after that! That was horrible! Very much what a sociopath would do, though *g*
But John must have REALLY high tolerance level if he's going to put up with shit like that! No wonder Sherlock thinks he can get away with treating John however - he can!
I dunno... I don't think that ever would have melted him -- but in that I have always been in severe disagreement with most of fandom. I think he might have given in a year earlier, instead of storming away. But I don't think he would ever have gotten warm fuzzy feelings from fairly obvious Sherlockian manipulation.
I suppose I'm just more cynical overall. I mean, Sherlock handed John the cup, and I said WHAT HAS HE PUT IN THAT? (I was waiting for John to keel over... and couldn't decide why Sherlock would want John out of commission...) So, even though I think he values John's presence and friendship, I read that moment as less Sherlock not being sure how to get John's friendship back, and more Sherlock wanting to get John into a state of enough guilt to drink that very sugary coffee. (I think he is perfectly confident that he couldn't actually alienate John, and as you say, he is probably right.)
(That is to say, I think Sherlock had calculated the whole scenario from before he saw John in the churchyard. Not wholly unreasonable, since he did purposefully steal the sugar and then rush off to look for John.)
Ah yes, very true. But he did know the sugar wasn't really going to hurt John, since he'd taken it himself. He just wanted to make sure it had the same affect on John as it had on himself.
Also, I knew the drug was in the hollow pretty much from the beginning. Aerosol chemical warfare testing was even mentioned. Was it that obvious, or do I just know how to 'read' tv mysteries?
Oh, I don't think he wanted to hurt John -- I just think he was being calculated, not nice. :-)
I was pretty sure about the drug in the hollow early on. I don't think I thought of it at the opener, but then I just wasn't sure what was going on at all. I didn't think this was as clever a mystery as the previous ep in that it was rather more predictable. (Not saying boringly so, but I had my money on Franklin from early on...) But then, it's hard when you're not only a mystery TV fan, but a Sherlock Holmes fan. (So you know, for example, that it can't be Stapleton because that would be too obvious. :-P )
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branchandroot
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Date: 2012-01-09 07:06 am (UTC)I was so glad when John kept walking away and Sherlock's face collapsed - HA! Take that, fucker! MANIPULATE THE BACK OF JOHN WATSON'S HEAD MOVING AWAY FROM YOU, WHY DON'T YOU! HA!
Really enjoyed this ep - wonderful change from last weeks.
Bit full of glee, can you tell? :D
no subject
Date: 2012-01-09 07:08 am (UTC)I loved last week's better, actually, but this was sheer brilliance from beginning to end.
I liked that we got an explanation for the cluedo board being tacked to the wall last ep.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-09 07:44 pm (UTC)So I hope this better understanding will be reflected in fanfic - before, fanfic was all over the place, because it was all new, and fanfic would take place right away or years later; and even years later, if you didn't know where their relationship would take them, you could go down a completely different road.
Also, despite so many being dismissive of Sherlock's declaration of "high-functioning sociopath" I am beginning to think that diagnosis does fit him very well.
Sociopath doesn't mean emotionless - far from it. Sociopaths feel emotions as strongly as anyone else. What they lack is true empathy. So they use manipulation to get their way, instead of relating genuinely to other people, and being able to take other people's feelings into consideration, and developing an equal rapport. So we see Sherlock really does want John for a friend, has no clue how to be truly empathic - doesn't understand the concept/doesn't have the ability and/or rejects the need for empathy - so when John walks away, Sherlock does/says whatever necessary to get John back.
Which turns out start talking about the case again ;-)
But then we see him turn around and treat poor John like a guinea pig - can't believe John just sat there after that! That was horrible! Very much what a sociopath would do, though *g*
But John must have REALLY high tolerance level if he's going to put up with shit like that! No wonder Sherlock thinks he can get away with treating John however - he can!
no subject
Date: 2012-01-09 08:00 pm (UTC)I suppose I'm just more cynical overall. I mean, Sherlock handed John the cup, and I said WHAT HAS HE PUT IN THAT? (I was waiting for John to keel over... and couldn't decide why Sherlock would want John out of commission...) So, even though I think he values John's presence and friendship, I read that moment as less Sherlock not being sure how to get John's friendship back, and more Sherlock wanting to get John into a state of enough guilt to drink that very sugary coffee. (I think he is perfectly confident that he couldn't actually alienate John, and as you say, he is probably right.)
no subject
Date: 2012-01-09 08:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-09 09:37 pm (UTC)Also, I knew the drug was in the hollow pretty much from the beginning. Aerosol chemical warfare testing was even mentioned. Was it that obvious, or do I just know how to 'read' tv mysteries?
no subject
Date: 2012-01-09 11:43 pm (UTC)I was pretty sure about the drug in the hollow early on. I don't think I thought of it at the opener, but then I just wasn't sure what was going on at all. I didn't think this was as clever a mystery as the previous ep in that it was rather more predictable. (Not saying boringly so, but I had my money on Franklin from early on...) But then, it's hard when you're not only a mystery TV fan, but a Sherlock Holmes fan. (So you know, for example, that it can't be Stapleton because that would be too obvious. :-P )
no subject
Date: 2012-01-28 09:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-28 02:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-05 09:53 pm (UTC)And yeah, I was delighted too when John didn't crack. ;)
no subject
Date: 2012-03-05 10:02 pm (UTC)That was such a beautiful moment! Haha!