Sherlock Holmes - BBC version

[eden]

Co-created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson. Rupert Graves plays Inspector Lestrade.

The iconic details from Conan Doyle's original books remain – they live at the same address of 221b Baker Street, have the same names and, somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting for them.

Steven Moffat says: "Conan Doyle's stories were never about frock coats and gas light; they're about brilliant detection, dreadful villains and blood-curdling crimes – and frankly, to hell with the crinoline. Other detectives have cases, Sherlock Holmes has adventures, and that's what matters."

***

Seriously, one of the best British tv shows I've seen. Humorous, witty, and it honors the intelligent viewer. Check it out.


Sherlock and Watson's first meeting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4foH4HCzKA

[eden]

Got any theories regarding his death?

[eden]

GREAT NEWS!! The second season of Sherlock is now on Netflix... FINALLY! 

Go watch it! My favorite episode is "Scandal in Belgravia." It's well written, well acted, and I love their ingenuity with the filming process.

Here's my favorite scene (for some reason the poster cut them into 30 second increments). Spoilers for those who haven't seen it and want to watch it... this is the big scene where Sherlock solves the mystery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-IOl926HgA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlYKxJKrW9k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iw--vuHFHDE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSHdTCyTIGM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJBkuqh19xE&feature=bf_next&list=PL4F66FFB5BE3917DC

[eden]

definitely  ...best sherlock series, imo.

Yup, I can't deny my bias but I think it's the best too.

Have you heard about Lucy Lui's Sherlock series called "Elementary"? She plays Joan Watson and Jonny Lee Miller plays Sherlock. I've heard some good reviews but... eh. What I don't like, and what I find so typically American, is changing Watson's gender. The whole appeal of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson is the friendship between the two men. In the book we're introduced to them in their later years when they've already established a strong bond, and what I like about the BBC Sherlock is that it explores their early life together. It's the beginning stages of what's going to be a fantastic and lifelong friendship. But in Elementary, with Watson being a woman, there's going to be that sexual tension that, while drawing in numbers in terms of audience, actually takes away from the dynamics of the real friendship from the books.

Okay... /end rant. hehe

[eden]

Eden Vwm!

 

[eden]

I finished downloading the whole series. I will watch it soon. All thanks to you!

Want a hug? 

Hmph. 

[eden]

They make fun of the fact that Watson and Holmes seem more like a couple than anything. Hehe. Watson is always denying that he's gay. 

[eden]

My favorite is scandal in Belgravia.

Let me know if you have any theories after you watch the sixth one.

[eden]

Yes, that's the 4th episode. My favorite also!

No, I have no theories after the sixth one. Did I miss something?

Do you have any theories about how he faked his death? I'm assuming you finished the sixth episode ...

[eden]

off topic regarding the theories but I just had to share this... laughed so hard I cried when I saw it. my thoughts exactly!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkvvb8xtPIQ

[eden]

*** SPOILERS *** DO NOT READ!!
The only things I can "deduce" is that his friend Molly had a hand in it, as he went to ask something of her before the fall scene. Also, there was that weird scene where John got knocked off his feat (probably on purpose), and so there was an extended time frame where he didn't see the body. Also, the medical people seemed to be on the scene quite fast, as if they were ready for it.

Now in reality, I don't know how you put in a cadaver's body, and mistaken them for people... especially how Irene was deemed dead twice, and Mycroft even made sure to check the body himself.

I believe Irene said that she knew someone who works in the morgue so they were able to easily make up a fake death certificate, as well as faking the dna tests. They never showed fake Irene's face but it was implied that she was cut up very badly, which means that Irene either happened to find a woman with the exact same measurements who just happened to be murdered in the most awful way, OR Irene found a woman who was already dead and just applied those cuts postmortem (but I find that hard to believe since Sherlock would've realized that error, however I do give lenience to the fact that he was in shock at the time so perhaps he just missed it, HOWEVER Mycroft couldn't have missed it because Mycroft is often described as being even smarter than Sherlock). Another thought was that maybe Irene went out and actively searched for a woman with the same measurements and killed her (which I don't discount because Irene is vicious about saving her own skin).

Now, onto the theory. You already mentioned several of the clues. This is a mishmash of my own theory added with things I picked up from talking to other Sherlockians. Actually it's not a theory... it's a mishmash of clues, lol. Because I've found the pieces but I can't put them together. It's just what I've noticed while watching the series. Maybe you can help figure it out?



1. Molly: she works in the morgue, has access to dead bodies and death certificates. She can certainly fake a death. I think it's ubiquitously agreed that Molly played a part.

2. John gets knocked off his feet: most likely by someone from the homeless network, since Sherlock likes utilizing them. The purpose of that was to intentionally confuse John. If he's dizzy and unable to focus, he will be more unlikely to determine that Sherlock's death is real.

3. Medical people: yup, they got there pretty quick, didn't they? It was almost as if they were waiting at the sidelines to swoop in. Notice how one of the "doctors" kept his hand on Sherlock's carotid artery on his neck? It's because he didn't want John checking the pulse there. And also notice how Sherlock's arm was "casually" flung out in John's direction, and this was the wrist that John picked up to check the pulse. This leads to the next clue.

4. Rubber ball: Sherlock was playing around with a rubber ball in the lab when John came to meet him there (the night before Sherlock's "death"). I didn't get the significance of it until someone mentioned that rubber balls were mentioned in Houdini's book about how to fake a slowed pulse. They would put the rubber ball under their arm and that would drastically slow down their pulse, almost to the point where it could fool someone. And since John was woozy from his recent fall, he wouldn't have been in his right mind to realize this.



5. Newspapers: Steven Moffat and his writers love sticking clues into earlier episodes. They're very clever about it. In "Scandal in Belgravia" Sherlock is seen reading a newspaper with the title "REFIT FOR HISTORICAL HOSPITAL."



I thought it was a strange newspaper at the time because usually newspapers have their names at the very top. For example, in the episode "The Blind Baker" Sherlock is seen reading the Sunday Telegraph.



The Sunday Telegraph is a real British newspaper but I think that particular piece that Sherlock's holding was faked because if you look closely, there's a picture of Connie Prince holding her dog on the cover. And if you remember, Connie Prince was one of the murder victims in the episode "The Great Game" (which comes after "The Blind Baker"). So, like I said before, Moffat having one of his clever laughs.

Back to the fake newspaper from "Scandal in Belgravia." What's interesting about this is that it's a clue for Sherlock's fake death. The historical hospital refers to St. Barts, as it's one of the most premiere hospitals in London. So apparently there's some kind of construction going on. Sherlock, having already read about it months earlier, most likely used that to his advantage when he faked his death. Maybe there was some kind of new addition that he was able to jump on? I'll leave that for the purists to figure out.

6. John's standpoint: When John got to the hospital, Sherlock made him stand in a particular place. The advantage of this was that John's viewpoint was blocked by a building, therefore he wouldn't be able to see Sherlock hit the ground, therefore giving Sherlock an opportunity to place himself with fake blood on the ground.



7. The garbage truck: As John enters the scene, we see a garbage truck pulling away from where Sherlock fell. Many have speculated that Sherlock aimed for the truck, thus breaking his fall, and he was able to slip onto the ground into his fetal position before John could see him. It seems plausible but I have a hard time imagining Sherlock taking that risk. He knows the exact calculations of what it would take to miss the garbage truck and fall onto the pavement instead. I've been thinking that maybe Sherlock hid in the garbage truck while he had someone use a fake body or mannequin on the roof to fool John.



This is all I remember right now... If I remember more I'll post them later.

***One important clue is from Steven Moffat himself. He said, in an interview last spring, that Sherlock did something very uncharacterist ic before he fell to his death, and that this should be a significant clue. But I can't figure it out. Because everything Sherlock did during the phone call was uncharacterist ic. First of all, Sherlock would never kill himself. He has much too good of an opinion of himself to do that. Second, Sherlock cried--he never cries. But he did cry once in "The Great Game" when he was trying to persuade a woman to tell him about her dead husband. Third, he reached out his hand as if saying goodbye to John. Rubbish! He was just checking the wind direction and strength. Fourth, he left a "goodbye letter." Nah, Sherlock would never be so pedestrian. He was trying to tell John that it wasn't a real death. "It's a trick," Sherlock said to John over the phone. "It's just a magic trick." I can't figure out what Moffat means :\

[eden]

they'd better reveal it... else they will have some very angry, pissed off fans 


and yeah, spoilers tiag... feel bad for people who haven't seen it yet, hehe.

[couchpotato]

eden, sometimes you remind me of my older sister. She really enjoys this series too.

[eden]

eden, sometimes you remind me of my older sister. She really enjoys this series too.

Hehe. Somehow I get the feeling that we all would get along very well if we ever met up together!

[eden]

And start a crime fighting group... a la scooby doo! Alright, who wants to be shaggy?

Thanks for volunteering otb!