Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s assume the johnlock conspiracy is true. Let’s assume Mark & Steven have been planning it from the beginning, and want it to be the biggest gay relationship reveal to date.
I know the common theory is that both Ben and Martin have known since casting, and that their “acting choices” throughout the show reflect that they have been given this information. In this meta I’m going to offer an alternative possibility.
If tjlc is true, Mofftiss has good reason not tell Martin Freeman about it. Even if Johnlock is endgame, at this point, Martin might still not know.
During the s4 CC Panel in 2016, the producers discussed withholding information from their actors in order to keep from revealing too much of the twist too soon. In this case, it was in regard to the Mary twist in HLV. Amanda Abbington was not informed that Mary would be revealed to be an assassin until the last possible moment. They kept key information about Mary’s character from Amanda for as long as they could in order to influence her performance.
Sue Vertue said [to Amanda]:
“It’s quite good though that you didn’t know number three.”
Amanda says:
“Absolutely. I would have played it differently had I known that that was the outcome in episode three. I would’ve played her with more of an edge and more…knowing. But the beauty of [me] not knowing was that you thought, oh, she’s a real mild-mannered, very sweet, charming character, and actually she was ruthless.”
Mark Gatiss says:
“…And eventually I said to him [unnamed actor], ‘pretend you know nothing.’ It is actually easier when you’re trying to disguise yourself, rather than playing the result… It’s better not to know, because then you don’t present anything, and then we don’t give anything away to the audience. There are no tells.”
Cumberbatch has to know something, given the fact that they’ve been having him play a lovesick puppy:
They clearly want to communicate Sherlock’s feelings to the audience. They want those ‘tells’. They’re clues for us. Maybe Ben doesn’t know whether or not Sherlock’s feelings are bound to be requited, but he’s clearly been told that Sherlock has some sort of romantic feelings for John. Sherlock pining over his lost love was the focal point for s3. In fact, Mofftiss might have even told him that Sherlock’s feelings wouldn’t be requited, that they will remain as unspoken subtext, same as Sherlock’s sexuality. That way, Ben expresses a specific sort of emotion that translates to, ‘what if, woulda coulda shoulda, but it’s for the best and I’ll suffer in silence long beyond my dying day’. You know, typical, self-sacrificing, pining Sherlock.
“The coat was actually a couple of years old. What happened is that another chap did the pilot and he found that coat. When I took the project on, I inherited all those original costumes from the pilot. It was the only thing I kept. It was such a lovely coat – a classic. We had three of them because we obviously do stunts and need doubles. It is a lovely coat – really perfect for Benedict. He loved it, I loved it and everyone else seemed to.“
– Sarah Arthur, costume designer
Benedict uses theatrical tricks on screen that usually would belong on stage, but since he’s Sherlock-the-drama-queen he gets away with it.
In the first gif he uses both of his hands in the pockets to make the coat rotate more dramatically. The coat flows a little further out from his body since he extends his arms slightly as he turns.
In the sixth gif he does the same trick, only a bit more obvious. He lets the wind open up the coat before adjusting it.
In the seventh gif his right hand moves the open coat forward to let the wind in. Normally you’d compensate for the flowing coat and let your hand pass further out to not get stuck.
The coat is marvelous on its own, with its weight and wide cut, but it takes a very consciously physical actor to give it life and really make it flow.
Swishy swish.
As a theatrical costume designer, this coat is a dream. It’s pure magic, and I loved Pagimag’s descriptions of how Benedict accentuates the natural flow and weight of the coat to add more drama to Sherlock’s movements.
And can we talk about the addition of the red thread around the button holes? I’ve read two accounts as to how this came about. One was that it was Ben’s idea, to add a bit of color and draw the eye, and the other was that the costume designer added it for the same reasons. Either way, the red is utterly perfect, as is the famous coat. May it never be lost or replaced.
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