#explains why irene adler mentioned she was gay and then it was never acknowledged again

[aloe-plant-yippee]

as a sherlock and co fan i decided i would venture into the unknown lands of bbc sherlock

all i can say is the last thing i expected was for moriarty to be a twink that tries to flirt with sherlock

[abumblebeeat221b]

Sherlock and the Female Gaze

If anyone asked me to point them to the most revolutionary piece of media ever created I’d probably show them Doctor Who (because guys - nothing beats a show that is basically Sherlock Holmes in space and keeps reinventing itself every other year).

But the second thing would be Sherlock. Not Doyle’s original, not the Rathbone, Granada, Soviet, new Russian adaptations (even though they are dear to me). Just 13 episodes of a TV show that was only ever meant to win some obscure film award in Eastern Europe and became a success over night instead.

The fandom that does its research has spent seven years trying to pinpoint its secret and the only thing we can agree on are three little words: it looks pretty.

On a more serious note: it is probably the first thing which made male eye-candy unashamedly mainstream. It is the millennial version of Pride and Prejudice, of Mr. Darcy, only that this time society doesn’t expect the story to bore our boyfriends to death.

And I’m not even sure that was something Mofftiss and Co were aiming for.

You see. It is a truth universally acknowledged that men have no idea what women like. They confuse it with male power fantasies ALL THE TIME because that’s what the media tells them we are day dreaming about. They are shocked to learn that we think Loki to be the sexually most appealing hero villain in the Avangers, that we consider Rodger from the original 101 Dalmatians to be perfect boyfriend material, that yes, we’d happily choose a dog loving, kind individual (with great hair) over most more manly super heroes out there.

And Sherlock ticks all the right boxes for women to find him attractive, while most guys wouldn’t think that lanky nerd to be much of a competition for them.

The cherry on our metaphorical fandom-cake is that Sherlock  is pretty much the first thing produced for a main stream audience I know of* which treats its leading male character as if he was a woman in order to cater to the female gaze (because the lgbqt+ community was not the only reason why the name Cumberbatch has showed up on most versions of the sexiest men alive lists since 2010/11).

Women look at Sherlock and think ‘sexy’ because we’ve been conditioned by the media to recognise this is what ‘sexy’ looks like.

And this my friends is where the magic happens.

You want the list? Here have the list:

A well-tailored suit is to women what lingerie is to men. And let me tell you Sherlock wearing suits doesn’t look like a coincidence from over here.

The coat. It’s like a cape. Only way cooler.

The buttons which deserve their own award™. We all know the story behind the coat™, but I’m not aware of the official one explaining why Sherlock couldn’t buy the purple shirt of sex™ in a bigger size (lucky us he didn’t). On a sidenote: too small dress sizes and strained buttons are exactly what actresses are expected to wear in front of the camera.

The white sheet of possibilities. Sherlock Holmes visits Buckingham palace wearing nothing but a sheet BECAUSE THE SCRIPT SAYS SO and I can’t be the only one feeling reminded of the long standing tradition of women having to take off their clothes for very important plot reasons™. Two series later, Moffat does it again, and while IMHO Sherlock should have kept his hospital gown on in His Last Vow, I’m aware that is a pretty problematic™ thing to say given how it belongs to the most beloved (i.e. gifed and photoshopped) bits of that episode. (While at the same time, apart from Irene Adler, we have no idea what the Sherlock ladies wear underneath).

The cheekbones. Oh. The. Cheekbones. It is shocking exactly no one that Carrie Fisher was asked to lose weight every time she played Princess Leia (yes, also that one). Benedict Cumberbatch lost weight for series 2, then went to play the villain in Star Trek: Into Darkness, came back to series 3 having to lose those muscles and some weight - which goes against the *typical* male beauty standards in the industry, just saying. (NB: I’m pretty sure he did it again for TAB and series 4, but series 2 and series 3 are the only instances I’m aware of him mentioning it).

The weapons of a woman. When was the last time the male hero was allowed to lose? James Bond gets the girl because he is the best agent out there. It’s always the best knight who slays the dragon and saves the princess. I agree today personality matters - but that just means that now he needs to slay the dragon AND be charismatic on the top of it.

Heroes aren’t damsels in distress, they don’t get favours because of their looks and smiles, they don’t rely on other people or need emotional support. They are lone wolves, strong and self-efficient in every possible sense of the word and they have more than just their muscles to show for it.

Not in Sherlock.

Odds (*literally odds*) are Sherlock wouldn’t have survived the first episode without John.

Here we have someone who manipulates Molly (and clients alike) using his charm to get what he wants. Sherlock relies on his social network all the time, his adventures are about showing us how being the Cleverest™, the Best™ does not equal success.

He gets saved, beaten and drugged by Irene Adler, and just in case we’d still have some illusions left, the script for that scene describes the leading male character with the words ‘weak as a kitten’. I leave you to draw your own conclusions.

In the same episode he wins a fight because of pepper spray.

He relies on his brother’s help to beat Moriarty. He shoots Magnussen because even Mycroft’s long arm doesn’t end up being long enough. The only reason he makes it out of that mess alive is his freaking sister he isn’t even aware of.

The point is. Sherlock is right when he points out the obvious: he is no hero, but a mess who solves crimes as an alternative to getting high. Yes, he is phenomenally good at what he does. But he also needs an assistant, someone who takes some part of the responsibilities off his not-so-bulky shoulders and helps him to win those victories.

The fairytale of the high-functioning sociopath. For some baffling reason, sometime between now and the dark middle ages humankind decided that European culture only ever allows men to seek companionship when somehow sex (or bragging about sex) is involved.

This is why “being friendzoned” is the worst that can happen to the modern man™. This is why they honestly don’t get the concept of just friends™. To a good deal of them female friends are like unicorns in that they don’t exist. To them the age old “if I’m not getting sex out of it then why should I bother?” argument works on both sides: “if you are not getting sex out of it then why should you care?”.

(Before you spam my inbox yes, I know Scrubs exists, I’m more than just familiar with House MD *laughs uncomfortably for ten years*. But. For every single piece of media that happens to get it right there are 10 AU remakes of Fifty Shades of Grey being published).

Now. What on Earth does this have to do with Sherlock?

NOTHING.  We see Sherlock having more healthy relationships in every single episode (yes even that one) than Bond will have in a lifetime. And no matter how much Sherlock insists on being a sociopath, the hero in this story has friends, imperfect friends, and whether he likes it or not they do care about him. And he cares about them too.

Otherwise Mycroft wouldn’t need to tell his little brother that caring is not an advantage and Sherlock wouldn’t meet those words like an old friend.

On top of it, the writers never code Sherlock and John as gay. No, they don’t. To be fair, they also don’t say he’s straight. However, they do make him canonically fall for Irene Adler (FYI: if him going ALL THE WAY to Karachi for her sake wasn’t a big enough clue, then MP!Sherlock keeping a picture of her in his pocket watch should have been).

And while we do see Sherlock invested in plenty of typical male stuff (he fights, he wins, he plays the rude smart arse, the hero, the brilliant detective) at the same time he also accepts it when in TEH John decides he wants to keep his distance, and Sherlock leaves the matter in Mary’s capable hands, John’s love interest, the woman who should be traditionally the mortal enemy of male friendships.

We had a whole episode which was basically Sherlock helping Mary with wedding preparations and not (just) having a bad time.

The next episode has him do his best to save his friends’ marriage. It also has him fake a relationship with a woman (who ends up owning a cottage in Sussex that comes with bees). But he never takes advantage of her even though she wouldn’t mind being taken advantage of. And when she gets her well deserved revenge he admires her for her agency. That boy is so smitten by Janine Hawkins that the original shooting script for His Last Vow  had them agreeing to marry each other should they end up without anyone else by the time they are old end grey (page 72, you’re welcome).

Sherlock gets his support system and it doesn’t ask for anything in return. He is allowed to struggle, to become emotional, to not deserve his victories and still be the hero of the show. Those 13 episodes have Sherlock stumble from one failure to the next but every single time we learn it doesn’t matter. He gets to learn from his mistakes, he gets to grow.

Yes, he has his ghosts and demons but he never needs to face them on his own, which is something I’ve only ever seen on this stupid show

_____ * If anyone wants to point out the masterpiece that’s George from the Jungle then yes, I’m aware of it (also, surprise surprise another film that was pretty popular with the LGBTQ+ folks). However, generally speaking it never became mainstream. Which is what I’m talking about here. And while Marvel’s Loki is mainstream, he is not the main character in The Avengers.

[toyfrog]

Sherlock S4 Final Episode Breakdown

I'm doing this as a favor to @frosty-chatterbox (I do adore your screename) So for the record I do not watch this show. But script doctors are sent scripts to edit, visualize, look for loopholes in plots and story placement. Those of us who can write a script, must also know how to dismantle one. So, I think what Sherlock fans need to remember "the elephant in the room" and double entendres with subtext. It's how we avoid the censors. If it's not cable, there are rules we must abide by in order to please networks so family content does not disrupt advertising dollars and the crucial demo. But we writers are sneaky and want our story told no matter what because it's our vision. So here's theirs: Sherlock (He turns to leave. Just then Sherlock’s phone, face down on the table beside him, lights up and a very familiar female orgasmic voice sighs from the speaker. John stops dead on the landing. Mary, smiling towards John’s back, looks down in surprise. Sherlock, raising his mug to his lips, glances across at the phone.) [okay right here in set direction. Mary is the distraction so you don't see the real story unfolding. There's only two people in the room Mary doesn't exist she is a figment of John's PTSD-like when he came back from the war. John is hallucinating because he feels betrayal. Now as I explain John's dialogue, those of you who watched, pay attention to Sherlock --that's who John's confessing to. Otherwise it makes no sense because Sherlock never implies for John to do this.] MARY: That noise: that’s a text alert noise.[yes The texting was key to he emotional affair building. John texts and Sherlock texts. Yet you don't see Sherlock pick up his phone, but it prompts John to confess.] JOHN (to Sherlock, turning round and coming in again): What was that? (Lowering his mug, Sherlock looks around the room as if confused.) SHERLOCK: Mm? (He swallows his mouthful.) What was what? [guilt. John is in emotional turmoil. Since day one John is a bisexual character but cannot bring himself to admit it out loud, so he deals with it] MARY: That’s the text alert of Irene Adler. She’s the scary mad one, right? [ [how would Mary the subconscious of John know this? Irene is the woman John believes Sherlock is in love with, is it not?] JOHN (to Sherlock): That noise. [the guilt stress] SHERLOCK (raising his mug to his mouth again): What noise? [again audience doesn't realize John is confessing to Sherlock and himself plot point] (Mary walks around to Sherlock’s side and looks down at him.) [Confess to Sherlock John your subconscious is telling you to admit your feelings.] MARY: But she’s dead. (She sucks in a long gasp and looks at John.) Ooh, I bet she isn’t dead! [Yes what does this mean? Mary purposely stands next to Sherlock regarding Irene and John's feelings about Sherlock.] (John walks slowly closer while Mary bends down to look at Sherlock, smiling at him.) [John walks closer to Sherlock] MARY: I bet he saved her! (Laughing) Oh my God! (Sherlock tries to look as if he doesn’t understand the fuss as John walks closer to him, frowning.) MARY: Oh, the posh boy loves the dominatrix! [I recall this dialogue from abominable bride I know I read it plot point about dominatrix going after Sherlock? Still in John's subconscious. There's no text sound it's in John's mind.] (Raising her eyes to John as she speaks) He’s never knowingly under-clichéd, is he? [Getting John to see Irene is not Sherlock's type] (John stops in front of his chair, looking thoughtfully . Sherlock looks up at him.) SHERLOCK: John? [yes he's gazing right at him. So now he confesses to "Mary" but it's really Sherlock.] JOHN: I’m gonna make a deduction. [that he's in love with Sherlock.] SHERLOCK: Oh, okay. That’s good. [yes it's good it's healthy John is slowly realizing where he belongs.] JOHN: And if my deduction is right, you’re gonna be honest and tell me, okay? [this is IMPORTANT] SHERLOCK: Okay. Though I should mention that it is possible for any given text alert to become randomly attached to a ...[telling him at this point it's not Irene.] JOHN (interrupting): Happy birthday. [Plot point. Did the show ever have an episode that was Sherlock's Birthday or is there another?] (Mary, now standing up straight, smiles down at Sherlock as he looks up at John silently for a moment, then nods his head.) [Yes John is slowly realizing what he's fought so long. Sherlock is Mary's replacement, she's leading John to realize that on his own. Extremely complicated but not really.] SHERLOCK: Thank you, John. That’s ... very kind of you. (He looks down to his mug.) JOHN: Never knew when your birthday was. [Thats important to him. Plot point] SHERLOCK (quietly, lifting the mug to his lips): Well, now you do. (He drinks.) JOHN: Seriously, we’re not gonna talk about this? [About "THEM" ] SHERLOCK (keeping his eyes lowered): Talk about what? JOHN: I mean, how does it work? [Yes John wants to know he's jealous of the dominatrix. He's jealous of Sherlocks texts are we seeing the big picture here?] SHERLOCK (precisely, still not meeting his eyes): How does what work? JOHN (smiling briefly): You and The Woman. [Because he separates them. Apart. How can you be with "her" why are you with "her" I'm not gay so to those outvthere that had a similar experience reflecting on your feelings acknowledging who you are, was it like this? Because a birthday is like a rebirth a mount out "it's my new birthday" in a way it's John wanting to share everything with Sherlock.] (Sherlock closes his eyes and sighs in exasperation as John continues.) JOHN: D’you go to a discreet Harvester sometimes? Is there a ... night of passion in High Wycombe? [Jealous lover. He knows deep down Sherlock is in love with him. How did you ppl miss this?] [Harvester is a restaurant chain in the UK. High Wycombe is a town in Buckinghamshire.] SHERLOCK: Oh, for God’s sakes. I don’t text her back. [Oh for God sakes I'm not seeing her! I'm not cheating on you!" This is like broke back mountain British style. If you can't fix it you got to stand it.] JOHN (chuckling as he moves a few steps across the room): Why not?! [Because he's in love with you. And John wants to hear it.] (He stops and looks at him, grinning, and his voice becomes louder.) JOHN: You bloody moron! [Yes the ones we love are the last ones to know.] (Sherlock stares up at him.) JOHN (loudly): She’s out there ... (he points towards the stairs) ... she likes you, and she’s alive. [Forcing Sherlock to admit it. Sherlock is Asexual in the books. Cannot admit it to himself.] (His voice starts to get angry.) JOHN: ... and do you have the first idea how lucky you are? [Ih yes. He's gazing at John right now. I'm guessing this is played like a lovers spat, yes?] (Beside Sherlock, Mary smiles down at him as he looks up at John, his left hand upturned on the arm of the chair as if still pretending he doesn’t know what John’s talking about.) [Yeah because Mary is forcing John to admit his feelings.] JOHN: Yes, she’s a lunatic, she’s a criminal, she’s insanely dangerous – trust you to fall for a sociopath ... [Jealous.-] (As he was speaking, Mary has walked across the room towards the kitchen. Now she turns her head towards John as she loops around his chair.) [Because the passionate confession is between Sherlock and John. Mary is the excuse nothing more.] MARY (exasperated): Oh, married an assassin! (She heads off across the room and ends up in front of the dining table. She turns and leans against the back of one of the dining chairs while John talks loudly to Sherlock, his hands on his hips.) [Love interest angst. This is what we writers call ANGST] JOHN: ... but she’s ... you know ... (He stops, unable to find the words.) SHERLOCK: What? JOHN: Just text her back. SHERLOCK: Why? JOHN: Because High Wycombe is better than you are currently equipped to understand. [The doctor realizes Sherlock cannot admit his own true identity] (Sherlock looks down, pouting a little.) SHERLOCK: I once caught a triple poisoner in High Wycombe. [Deadly. Women are poison. Dancing around the ballroom avoid elephant in the room.] JOHN (quieter): That’s only the beginning, mate. SHERLOCK (sighing): As I think I have explained to you many times before, romantic entanglement, while fulfilling for other people ...[Not for me! I'm asexual until I can slowly admit that the only human I love is you.] JOHN (interrupting): ... would complete you as a human being. [There it is. ] SHERLOCK: That doesn’t even mean anything. [Nope because women are poison.] JOHN (leaning closer to him): Just text her. Phone her. Do something while there’s still a chance, [This is all subtext and double entendres. John revealing his true feelings Sherlock has trouble expressing emotion it is what it is.] because that chance doesn’t last forever. Trust me, Sherlock: it’s gone before you know it. (Firmly, emphasising each word) Before you know it. [Meaning him. This isn't about Mary, or Irene it's ANGST BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE IN LOVE TERRIFIED OF THE IMPLICATIONS] (Mary lowers her head, her face sad. [BECAUSE NEITHER CAN REVEAL TH TRUTH] Sherlock flicks a couple of nervous glances up at John. After a moment, John tilts his head towards where Mary is standing.) JOHN: She was wrong about me. [Yes Mary was. You're not in love with her.] (Mary raises her head. Sherlock looks up at him.) SHERLOCK: Mary? How so? [Now it's Sherlock's turn waiting for the confession.] (John looks towards the fireplace, then pulls in a breath and walks a little closer.) JOHN: She thought that if you put yourself in harm’s way I’d ... I’d rescue you or something. [Because he's in love with him. Getting bored stating the obvious but it's to build tension.] But I didn’t – not ’til she told me to. [EPIPHANY THERE IT IS. Now John gets it.] {He briefly glances towards Mary as he says ‘she.’) And that’s how this works. That’s what you’re missing [Love and sacrifice.] . (He points towards Mary.) She taught me to be the man she already thought I was. Get yourself a piece of that.[Yes. Mary now a saint not the evil ex not jealous nor resentful truly loved John. This is like Martin's marriage, saying goodbye to it. I can see why this is painful.] SHERLOCK: Forgive me, but you are doing yourself a disservice. I have known many people in this world but made few friends, and I can safely say ... JOHN: I cheated on her. [That gets a reaction. Mary knows who with so does Audience. John uses the woman as the excuse the same way Sherlock did with Irene. Avoiding reality.] (Sherlock stops. Mary straightens up from where she was leaning on the back of the chair, looking shocked. John gestures towards Sherlock.) JOHN: No clever come-back? (Immediately he turns to directly face the ghost of his wife.) JOHN: I cheated on you, Mary. [With Sherlock.] (Sherlock blinks, perhaps realising what’s happening, but he stays silent as he turns his head towards where John is looking.) JOHN: There was a woman on the bus, and I had a plastic daisy in my hair. [Is the daisy thing a symbol of something to mention it in a speech and if it has significant meaning means its subtext and not subtle either ] I’d been playing with Rosie. (He pauses for a moment then raises his eyes.) And this girl just smiled at me. (Mary gazes back at him. There is no condemnation on her face.) [Because He did not cheat with the woman. He flirted. He has an emotional affair with the person he's texting. That isn't the woman. I stand firm on that, because watch Sherlocks face. ] JOHN: That’s all it was; it was a smile. (Sherlock’s eyes turn back to John.) JOHN (to Mary): We texted constantly. You wanna know when? Every time you left the room, that’s when. When you were feeding our daughter; when you were stopping her from crying – that’s when. (Mary lowers her eyes and gives a small smile. John swallows, his eyes starting to fill with tears.) JOHN: That’s all it was, just texting. [With Sherlock. That will be revealed when the show ends. Watch his face.] (Sherlock has lowered his eyes and is gazing into the distance.) [Guilt yeah because that's how Sherlock expresses his true feelings without revealing it.] JOHN: But I wanted more. [Now Cyrano knows John's feelings are real, but still cannot reveal it is him.] (Sherlock lifts his head and his eyes to John again. Mary is smiling tearfully at her man.) [Sherlock is stunned because John is confessing to his dead wife he's got feelings for the person he texted. It's not his cuckoo sister it's HIM ] JOHN: And d’you know something? I still do. [Watch Sherlock's face.] I’m not the man you thought I was; I’m not that guy. I never could be. [Hes in love with Sherlock. And Sherlock now realizes it. ] But that’s the point. (He sniffs, then looks at her as his eyes fill with more tears. He bites his lip and speaks tearfully.) That’s the whole point. [DO YOU SEE THE POINT? John wants that back he still does feelings for the one texting hasn't changed watch Sherlock's face.] (Again he bites his lip. Mary looks back at him, her own eyes filled with tears. She smiles at him as he speaks again.) JOHN: Who you thought I was ... (she nods at him) ... is the man who I want to be. [Honorable, honest with integrity. Incan see why Ben Cumberbatch loves working with Martin his range is incredible I can visualize the tone and flection in his voice while saying this.] (He swallows, fighting off his tears. She smiles gently back at him.) MARY (softly): Well, then ... John Watson ... (She raises her head and smiles widely and fondly at him. He stares back at her. She looks at him for a long moment.) MARY: Get the hell on with it. [Yes. Get on with your life, and be the man she thought you were. Live without shame, without regret. Go back where you belong. Is this making sense?] (She nods at him and smiles through her tears. The perspective changes and she has gone. John stares ahead of himself for a long moment, then gradually lowers his head into his left hand and starts to cry. Sherlock quietly puts his mug onto the table beside him, then stands up. John sobs, tears pouring from his face and falling to the floor. Slowly Sherlock walks across to him.) SHERLOCK (softly): It’s okay. [Grief, fear, comfort from the person he loves the most, but cannot express it. This is ANGST.] (He tentatively raises his arms, perhaps hesitating momentarily for fear of being rejected again, then slowly puts his left hand onto John’s arm and his right hand onto his back before sliding it upwards to gently cradle his neck. He moves closer, sliding his left arm up to hold John’s shoulder.) JOHN (tearfully): It’s not okay. [No it goes back to Heath Ledger's line in Brokeback. If you can't fix it, you got to stand it.] SHERLOCK (softly): No. (He lowers his cheek onto the top of John’s head.) SHERLOCK (softly): But it is what it is. [See? If you can't fix it you got to stand it. Sherlock knows John is in love with him. Sherlock cannot bring himself to reveal how he feels. Not yet. If there's a season 5, or the last season, that's when you get it. But now it's kicking up a notch because they're in live fighting the feelings, Rosie is "Their" child she's the excuse to live together and the cases but not the real reason. Classic 101 love story ANGST. Powerful.]