SHERLOCK: the Reichenbach Fall

[Julia_Mae]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-49MhWgudiQA/UR1BAEYSbQI/AAAAAAAAAYk/-Np_Y-JOHlM/s400/sherlocks2.JPG

If you are a fan of this show, they are finally shooting new episodes in March, which we will not see until late this year. If there are enough fans here, we could pass what will seem like an interminable interval dissecting - again - the Fall and what we can figure out about it.

I’m leaving spoilers out of this op so that any new fans will come to it fresh.

BTW- all episodes (full 90 minutes) are available on Netflix streaming online. If you are new to this BBC show and to the online Netflix thing, you can get a free first month and watch them all. It’s not expensive afterwards, either. (It’s all the TV I have.)

 

[Rocks_91]

But… but… that man in the photo doesn’t look like Jeremy Brett. :sad_bye:

 

[Julia_Mae]

But… but… that man in the photo doesn’t look like Jeremy Brett. :sad_bye:

And thank the stars above for* that*! I mean, he’s been deceased for a while so if he was shooting new episodes… ew.

 

[Rocks_91]

And thank the stars above for* that*! I mean, he’s been deceased for a while so if he was shooting new episodes… ew.

I wouldn’t mind. Jeremy Brett was an incredible, talented and very handsome actor, not to mention he was a man’s man. That guy over there ^ looks less like Sherlock Holmes and more like a 12-year-old girl’s first crush or something.

/kidding

 

[empther]

Isn’t that picture from the new Sherlock Holmes tv series being produced in England?

As a great fan of the Jeremy Brett series, I eagerly looked forward to this new series.
What a disappointment. First of all, it takes place in the present day. ( you save a lot of money by not using 19th century props, you know )
But even worse,
the actors had none of the charm, wit, and intelligence of Jeremy Brett and his Doctor Watson.

I gave up after half an hour. That was long enough to see how incompetent these tv show producers were.

 

[Julia_Mae]

I wouldn’t mind. Jeremy Brett was an incredible, talented and very handsome actor, not to mention he was a man’s man. That guy over there ^ looks less like Sherlock Holmes and more like a 12-year-old girl’s first crush or something.

/kidding

Jeremy Brett was gay as a kite, but he was certainly a fine actor. I’m 63, I guarantee you Cumberbatch has enough manliness to appeal to quite grown-up women. Or at least, he makes Sherlock appealing in that way.

He is also an incredible actor, which is why he plays Sherlock as immature, a man with a variety of personality disorders he portrays perfectly.

This isn’t a competition between the various Sherlock portrayals through the ages. Every one was unique and each have admirable qualities.

 

[Julia_Mae]

Isn’t that picture from the new Sherlock Holmes tv series being produced in England?

Of course, note the title of the thread, which is specifically about “Sherlock.” The present BBC series.

That was long enough to see how incompetent these tv show producers were.

I thought it was hands down the best first episode of a TV show I had ever seen. And I pre-date television, so I’ve seen rather a lot of them in over 50 years of watching.

I do see that there are no “Sherlock” fans here, however. So there is nothing to discuss.

 

[SwizzleStick]

…This isn’t a competition between the various Sherlock portrayals through the ages. Every one was unique and each have admirable qualities.

I shall base my post on this premise and not discuss other Sherlock portrayals.

…I do see that there are no “Sherlock” fans here, however. So there is nothing to discuss.

I am a fan. I wasn’t sure what to expect with a Sherlock and Watson set in modern times and I didn’t really expect much, but I like it.

My teen daughter, along with several of her friends, is a great fan of the new BBC “Sherlock.” She introduced the series to me. I thought it would be nice to share it with her so I watched at her request because she is so enthusiastic about it. (So much so that the girls have actually met several times to reenact and film their favorite scenes from the show. Part of the reason for that was just to spend time together sharing something they all like, having fun and hanging out, but a lot of it was based on being fans of the show. My daughter borrowed my heavy, long winter coat since it most resembles Benedict’s and filmed one very, very hot summer day last summer. She wore that along with a scarf when filming and it was beastly hot at the time. She is truly a fan.) So, I watched every episode along with her (she eagerly watched again along with my teen son) and I was hooked. It is something I can share with my daughter (and one son) and I like it and that very much. She is at an age (now 17) where she is sharing more with her friends and less with me, so I like that we both share enthusiasm for this show.

My daughter and I (and her friends too, I would guess) were very disappointed that the filming schedule was pushed back and now we have to wait to find out about the Fall. But, I await the return of the show. I need to rewatch every episode again, since it has been awhile and I want to refresh my memory before the series returns. I do not regularly watch any other television, so that won’t be difficult.

I must get ready for Mass now, but I will be returning to this thread as time permits.

 

[iwillrisenow]

^ ^ is so not 12 years old. So not ^ ^'s first crush. ^ ^ kinda sees your point, though.

Yes, I’m a fan.



But it’s about more than that particular actor–and the one who plays Watson-- Martin Freeman. If you every watched the UK version of “The Office”, you know him as Tim (not to mention “The Hobbit”). It’s probably one of the slickest “modernized” adaptations that I’ve seen. Definitely worth a look if you’re even remotely curious.

 

[Julia_Mae]

My daughter and I (and her friends too, I would guess) were very disappointed that the filming schedule was pushed back and now we have to wait to find out about the Fall. But, I await the return of the show. I need to rewatch every episode again, since it has been awhile and I want to refresh my memory before the series returns. I do not regularly watch any other television, so that won’t be difficult.

I must get ready for Mass now, but I will be returning to this thread as time permits.

It’s nice to meet a fan of the show here, especially because I only discovered it recently. I said above that anyone can watch the full episodes on Netflix on your computer. This is a particularly good way to watch because you can skip back and forth in episodes and find clues to character and action. And really appreciate the production values and music - oh that music!

Interestingly, I don’t watch much other television, either.

Did you have a theory as to how the “fall” was pulled off?

 

[Aeden]

I’m actually a big fan of Sherlock, although the antics with Irene Adler annoyed me. I’d love to discuss the show and fan-theories about how Sherlock pulled it off. Also, I see there is debate about the best sherlock actor. I hope this doesn’t turn into something like the matt smith vs david tennant debate from Doctor Who.

 

[Julia_Mae]

^ ^ is so not 12 years old. So not ^ ^'s first crush. ^ ^ kinda sees your point, though.

Sherlock is portrayed as a kind of ascetic - we so often see him in a “prayerful” pose, his not eating and pretty much anorectic thinness, he is celibate: “married to his work.” Moriarty calls him “the virgin.”

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
From the beginning they sort of “desexualized” him, kind of like Spock in Star Trek. So I can understand why people might see him as only appealing to the young - besides, shot at certain angles, he looks about 17! (Then he took Irene Adler’s pulse and all bets were off!)

But it’s about more than that particular actor–and the one who plays Watson-- Martin Freeman.

I agree, no matter how great an actor is, how much of a fan we might be of him or her personally, without the writing, the production values, the attention to detail, the fantastic incorporation of modern graphic capabilities, the music, the everything that these producers did to give us the modern Holmes and Watson, this could be a big fail. Any show can fail regardless of stars who cannot overcome bad writing and indifferent direction.

OTOH, these two men captured the essence of the relationship between Holmes and Watson so perfectly, I wonder if all the fine work in other areas would have made a great show without two actors this talented? Sherlock is synergy at it’s best, IMO.

 

[Julia_Mae]

I’m actually a big fan of Sherlock, although the antics with Irene Adler annoyed me. I’d love to discuss the show and fan-theories about how Sherlock pulled it off. Also, I see there is debate about the best sherlock actor. I hope this doesn’t turn into something like the matt smith vs david tennant debate from Doctor Who.

Well, the moderator will help keep us on topic which is this BBC show specifically for fans. So, do you have a “fall theory?” Have you heard of the hypothesis about that black rubber ball he was bouncing in the lab?

We can discuss everything as far as I’m concerned.

What do you think of this theory that Sherlock is a recovering addict (of more than cigarettes)?

thesherlockblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/sherlock-backstory-addiction.html

Inside the empty school, the kamikaze cabbie says something in those last moments, pushing Sherlock on to actually put the pill he is holding into his mouth:

“What’s the point of being clever if you can’t prove it … still the addict … but this, this is what you’re really addicted to … you’ll do anything, anything at all, to stop being bored…”

*Still the addict? * Still? When was he before and how would the cabbie know? Moriarty told him. All the words to manipulate Sherlock come from Moriarty. Just as he later tells Irene Adler how to “play the Holmes boys.” And, just like Mycroft, Moriarty also knows about people like Sherlock, those who can threaten him.

Why was Sherlock looking for a flat? Where was he living before? And why would he be looking for a flatmate? While Sherlock was identifying Irene Adler’s body in the morgue with Mycroft, what were John and Mrs. Hudson searching the flat for? Why was it so significant that Sherlock took a cigarette from Mycroft?

Why did John have to cancel his date in the middle to stay home with Sherlock? Surely this level of concern wasn’t a reaction to the fact that he might fall off the smoking wagon. And why, when Sherlock came home and saw that the flat had been searched, was he not surprised? It had been searched before, as he indicates with his comment: “I hope you didn’t mess up my sock index, this time.”

 

[Aeden]

Well, the moderator will help keep us on topic which is this BBC show specifically for fans. So, do you have a “fall theory?” Have you heard of the hypothesis about that black rubber ball he was bouncing in the lab?

We can discuss everything as far as I’m concerned.

What do you think of this theory that Sherlock is a recovering addict (of more than cigarettes)?

thesherlockblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/sherlock-backstory-addiction.html

Well, classically, Sherlock was a crack addict who used it to relax from his work and focus his mind. He eventually got over it, but was a druggie.

As for my theory: here it is: If you look at the placement of the car, watson can’t see where Sherlock fell, specifically, he can’t see the trash bin, which would have cushioned his fall. Afterwards, the application of some simple eye-contacts to give the glass look and some fake blood would have been sufficient. As for the pulse, the ball in the armpit is too rudimentary and gives a 50% chance of failure, since watson could check the wrong arm. I think that Sherlock used a drug to slow his heart rate, specifically, a drug that he got from the nurse/doctor he knew and whose help he asked for. From there, a body could be made to look like his with a little surgery and makeup, if it was to be an open-casket funeral, and using a blood transfusion from Sherlock would give a DNA match if one were to be required. What do you think of my little theory and what is yours?

 

[Julia_Mae]

Well, classically, Sherlock was a crack addict who used it to relax from his work and focus his mind. He eventually got over it, but was a druggie.

I know about the original Sherlock and his addiction, it’s also referenced in the article. (Though I doubt it was crack, but the powdered form of cocaine common at the time.) I don’t think we can always assume anything about present Sherlock, though, because I don’t think he is intended to be his namesake. Yet, the indications that he was addicted are pretty obvious once you put them together.

As for my theory: here it is: If you look at the placement of the car, watson can’t see where Sherlock fell, specifically, he can’t see the trash bin, which would have cushioned his fall.

This is the view from the spot on the wall where Sherlock fell.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

No bins that I can see. The two buses did, of course, block John’s view and he never saw Sherlock hit the ground. Then that guy on the bike ran into Watson as he ran across the street, so he was delayed getting to the scene. Both buses pull away as he arrives revealing a group of people already around the body.

Afterwards, the application of some simple eye-contacts to give the glass look and some fake blood would have been sufficient. As for the pulse, the ball in the armpit is too rudimentary and gives a 50% chance of failure, since watson could check the wrong arm.

Actually, he couldn’t. The guy on the left in the picture below was wearing a stethoscope (not visible here) and is taking Sherlock’s carotid pulse in the only part of his neck exposed. This prevents Watson from doing the same. If you watch the scene, there are people surrounding the body keeping Watson away and he reaches for the only hand he can reach, the right hand, as, in previous view, we see his left arm is at his side and out of Watson’s reach. After he feels for the pulse, they immediately pull him away and the stretcher comes and takes away the body.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

I think that Sherlock used a drug to slow his heart rate, specifically, a drug that he got from the nurse/doctor he knew and whose help he asked for.

Molly Hooper. I’m not convinced about the ball, either and I did wonder about a drug, but I was wondering if he literally got something to stop his heart and trusted her to revive him quickly before brain damage set in. It would explain the amount of anxiety he displayed when Moriarty killed himself.

What do you think of my little theory and what is yours?

I wish I had some comprehensive theory that accounted for all we see, but I don’t. Moriarty gave us a clue, I think, and that was that Sherlock always wants everything to be complicated. I also think the writer threw a few red herrings our way, like that ball, perhaps.

One of my ideas is that the people surrounding the body, for the most part, came out of the bus and are all Mycroft’s people.

 

[Aeden]

I know about the original Sherlock and his addiction, it’s also referenced in the article. (Though I doubt it was crack, but the powdered form of cocaine common at the time.) I don’t think we can always assume anything about present Sherlock, though, because I don’t think he is intended to be his namesake. Yet, the indications that he was addicted are pretty obvious once you put them together.

This is the view from the spot on the wall where Sherlock fell.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qPGOfl9L3Wc/USElBJC-7HI/AAAAAAAAAgg/WRqxmfIzv1I/s1600/rf6smaller.jpg

No bins that I can see. The two buses did, of course, block John’s view and he never saw Sherlock hit the ground. Then that guy on the bike ran into Watson as he ran across the street, so he was delayed getting to the scene. Both buses pull away as he arrives revealing a group of people already around the body.

Actually, he couldn’t. The guy on the left in the picture below was wearing a stethoscope (not visible here) and is taking Sherlock’s carotid pulse in the only part of his neck exposed. This prevents Watson from doing the same. If you watch the scene, there are people surrounding the body keeping Watson away and he reaches for the only hand he can reach, the right hand, as, in previous view, we see his left arm is at his side and out of Watson’s reach. After he feels for the pulse, they immediately pull him away and the stretcher comes and takes away the body.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZrKT6oiXCaE/USEoqLJlB2I/AAAAAAAAAgo/D38kQ3SHmiw/s1600/rf7smaller.jpg

Molly Hooper. I’m not convinced about the ball, either and I did wonder about a drug, but I was wondering if he literally got something to stop his heart and trusted her to revive him quickly before brain damage set in. It would explain the amount of anxiety he displayed when Moriarty killed himself.

I wish I had some comprehensive theory that accounted for all we see, but I don’t. Moriarty gave us a clue, I think, and that was that Sherlock always wants everything to be complicated. I also think the writer threw a few red herrings our way, like that ball, perhaps.

One of my ideas is that the people surrounding the body, for the most part, came out of the bus and are all Mycroft’s people.

You’re right. I had thought that the bus stop was a bin, from the view that John had when I last saw the clip. However, the pic you gave is good: notice the outline there, about big enough for a small cushioning device to be used. That would explain the survival.

It would have to be a quick thing for him to move, so things like matrices are out of the question. Perhaps some sort of tightrope net? He clearly trusted the paramedics who were taking him off the scene to not blab about it, so the chalk outline could have been his and their marker and he could have used it to cushion his fall and then have them throw it in the van. The nets that tightrope walkers use tend not to cause a great deal of bouncing, and thus would have broken the fall without causing a trampoline-like effect. It would have been easy to hide afterwards and the blood we see on the street could be part of the transfusion I mentioned above. Thanks for pointing out the lack of waste-bins, by the way, I was sort of stuck in that track in spite of the time-frame being to short for Sherlock to properly get off them in time for the scene with John.

Do you think that Mycroft knew about the hoax? Sherlock can clearly do a good job of faking deaths, as he helped Irene Adler before, and Mycroft knows this, so he could be in on it, it would explain his generally stoic attitude towards the event.

 

[Julia_Mae]

Do you think that Mycroft knew about the hoax? Sherlock can clearly do a good job of faking deaths, as he helped Irene Adler before, and Mycroft knows this, so he could be in on it, it would explain his generally stoic attitude towards the event.

At the end of Belgravia, where Sherlock solves the email about flight 007, thereby exposing that the British and Americans have long-ago solved the terrorists code, Sherlock does something new, I think: He calls Mycroft “brother.” He apologizes, in his own way, saying “I hope this makes up for any inconvenience I’ve caused you.”

Then, in the next episode, during which Mycroft has Moriarty in a cell, Sherlock goes off to solve the Baskerville Hounds mystery and - calls Mycroft to ask for help. This is so out of character for him that it’s often discussed on Sherlock forums. I not only think Mycroft knew, I believe from the minute Moriarty walked out of the cell until they cart off Sherlock’s body, he and Mycroft planned as much as possible to neutralize Moriarty.

But killing Moriarty is difficult. He does seem the type to have revenge mechanisms in place, don’t you think? How to safely remove him? By talking him into killing himself. (Echoes of the serial killer cabbie in the first episode.) And by doing it where it would be observed by his agents. Where Sherlock was obviously not guilty of shooting him. But then, having learned who was in immediate jeopardy, to save them, Sherlock has to die.

In the end, it was all down to Sherlock and his ability to psychologically checkmate Moriarty.