I guess that maybe-kinda serves as an answer re: what order the “I That Am Lost” verses go in. (See text around edge of reel. No idea how this is being treated in the scheme of official merch, but… sure, why not. It matches my best guess based on the in-episode evidence, so I’m gonna go with it.) I wonder if this means there’s a full recording out there?
hey folks, I’m gonna introduce you to two very important fandom terms and they are watsonian and doylist
they come (obviously) from the sherlock holmes fandom, and they are two different ways of explaining something in a story. say I’m a fan and I notice that, in the original books, watson’s war wound is sometimes in his leg and sometimes in his shoulder. the watsonian explanation is how watson (that is, a person within the story) might explain it; the doylist explanation is how sir arthur conan doyle (a person in real life) would have explained it.
sherlock explains the migrating war wound by making the shoulder wound real and the limp psychosomatic. the guy ritchie films explain it by having the leg wound sustained in battle before the events of the film and the shoulder wound happen onscreen. the doylist explanation, of course, is that acd forgot where the wound was.
this is very important when we’re discussing stuff like headcanons and word-of-god. I see this when people offer watsonian explanations for something, and then a doylist will say something like “it’s just because the author wrote it that way,” and I see it when a person is criticizing bad writing/storytelling (for example, the fact that quiet in metal gear solid v is running around the whole game in a bikini and ripped tights) and someone comes back with “but there’s an in-story reason why that happens!” (that reason being she breathes through her skin).
there’s nothing wrong with either explanation, and really I think you need both to understand and analyze a text. a person coming up with a watsonian explanation has likely not forgotten that the author had real-life reasons for writing something that way, and a person with a doylist interpretation is likely not ignoring the in-universe justification for that thing.
but it’s very difficult (and imo often useless, though there are exceptions) to try to argue one kind of explanation with the other kind. wetblanketing someone’s headcanon with “or it could just be bad writing” is obnoxious; dismissing someone’s criticism with “but have you considered this in-universe explanation” is ignoring the point of the criticism. understanding where someone is coming from is important when making an argument; acting like your argument is better because you’re being doylist when they’re being watsonian or vice versa is not.
Making Watsonian interpretations is also part of playing “The Game” (AKA “The Great Game”, or “The Sherlockian Game”)–analyzing the stories under the premise that Holmes and Watson are actual people, and Doyle was merely Watson’s literary agent, if he was involved at all. This game often (but not always) involves researching things from the time period and using outside sources to tie up loose ends in the stories, clarify details, and make sense of Watson’s broken timeline.
Playing The Game is a long-established pastime among Holmes fans, so I think when reading analyses of Holmes stories people probably encounter Watsonian-style interpretations much more often than they would with other literary works. I can see how someone who is used to interpreting literary works based off of the author rather than the narrator might see it as strange for people to be so fixated on Watson’s voice and intentions if they didn’t realize that making in-universe explanations for questions about Holmes stories was a game that Holmes fans have been playing for decades.
I have been reading up on life in the Victorian era but can’t seem to figure out a few things about Holmes & Watson.
What social class would they have been considered? They have to flatshare at the beginning but the eating out, concerts, and Turkish baths indicate that they have extra money. Holmes seems to have money to dress well and buy all the materials for his chemical experiments. They have tons of paper.
What would have been the considerations around romantic attachments/marriage? Would it have been considered odd at the time that neither of them seem to be interested in getting married, at least until Watson is swept away… Would men of that era typically have discussed women/sex or was it not generally a topic of conversation? The nuances of close male friendship even in the current time period seem to elude me…
Watson and Mary seem to meet and get engaged very quickly, although the timeline for their actual marriage is confusing to me. Would an engagement typically happen so quickly? If Watson had broken the engagement, what would have happened?
All the Victorian novels I have read seem to have side-stepped the mundane.
Tagging some ACD writers in case they have time to provide any insight….
Well, this is based primarily off of my general Victorian-era novel reading, and not very much systematic study of the culture, so please correct me, better-informed writers; but I think Watson and Holmes are both middle class; most likely Watson lower-middle and Holmes upper-middle; neither firstborn sons, so neither have property, and both have to establish a career and work their way into a decent income; but they have some resources (violin, chemistry set) and some expectations of necessary luxuries (papers, tobacco), just as a penny-pinched middle class modern woman in her twenties might share an apartment, but still get Starbucks and have her hair done and get drinks with friends.
Also, eating out and dressing well weren’t confined to the higher classes; every working person, even the poorest children, bought meals at a pub or on the street when they didn’t have time to cook, while the middle class went to slightly nicer hotels or clubs if they could afford it; and dressing decently was considered a basic requirement for social respect; not stylishly, necessarily, but with clean, well-kept, tailored clothes, and a full outfit (coat, cravat, hat, etc.). It made the difference between life and death for the poorest; a decently-dressed beggar would be considered a respectable person fallen on hard times, and helped, while a beggar in rags would be thought of as degenerate. I think some of the concerts and Turkish bath episodes came a little later when they had money to spare from a successful case or two; and I still don’t think those were truly extravagant–more like a movie night or a pedicure, a smallish indulgence.
Middle and upper class Victorian men were expected to wait to marry until their careers were well-established, or their property developed, and they could support a family; so it wouldn’t be odd for the two of them not to be married, or looking, initially. Their focus on their work and the occasional night out was normal for young men just getting settled in the world. Later on Watson was a widower, so a lack of interest in women wouldn’t be suspicious; and Holmes’ general eccentricity would probably have prevented anyone wondering why he hadn’t married too much; he’s a sort of scientific ascetic, and the Victorian conception of sex and desire was not particularly compatible with rationality and mental focus. He might be expected to set courtship aside for science’s sake.
I think the amount of discussion of sex would depend on the breeding and morals of the individuals–there was a fair amount of bawdy material available for inspiration, but it wasn’t good manners to talk about sexual things casually, I believe; a philosophical discussion of morals or a medical question, maybe, but not simple sex talk; and discussing women of their own class would only occur if one of them had definite interest in one and needed advice or encouragement. That’s a reading of them individually, though, not a proscription; some men would idly discuss the beauty and income of all the women in their circle, and their flirtations with them; but it wasn’t thought to show high character.
A quick engagement isn’t too surprising. Once a man had a career, any woman of his class with good sense and breeding could be chosen after a little time getting to know her, and his judgment go unquestioned, as long as he loved her; to me the more surprising part was that neither Mary nor Watson seems to have met one another’s friends or families, and she has no dowry to contribute. But both of them seem relatively unconnected in the world; and Holmes did meet her; and Watson doesn’t seem the kind of man to look for a wife to help his social standing or his finances, particularly; more likely to marry for love or pity.
If Watson had broken the engagement soon after he’d made it without a compelling reason, he’d have lost some social respect, and his own self-respect, if he left her without other resources or connections; but again, he seems fairly unconnected, Mary seems to have no one except her mother, and Holmes wouldn’t judge him, so the social repercussions for Watson, in this situation, would be very few.
Even a ‘’nuisance’ threat could be expensive and time consuming. It’s worth keeping all this in mind when we look for answers. Note: THE THREE GARRIDEBS IS STILL UNDER COPYRIGHT.
Throw a plethora of other films/books at the plot and make it all so unrecognisable that it confuses all who watch it. Sum it all up by placing Holmes and Watson right back where they have always been; who you are doesn’t matter. It is what it is, and it’s shit. Sounds like a pissed off statement to me.
With us delving deeper into the ‘narrator’ issue and fourth wall break, plus who is the ‘author’/ACD in all this mess of TFP. I want to bring up a Holmesian secret society game. It’s not the Great Game, the one people know about where-by the players [readers] think the characters are real. If this was a video game today, the first level would be the Great Game/characters are real, and the next level down would be the one that was a fraternal Holmesian Society game. Neither game really has a goal, or a finishing point, they just continue, much like our fan fictions and metas, more a way to engage as a group and delight others with insights and things picked up from the stories. Anyway, my Dads use to play this secret game back in the 1960s, but it gets dark, so they quit. It’s how I know about it.
In this game all the characters EXCEPT Sherlock, know that they are characters in a fiction. Sherlock has no idea, he thinks it’s real life. The narrator/controller/author god will continue the story until Sherlock becomes self aware of the fact that he is a character in a story. The author/authors repeats the stories with subtle variations trying to get Sherlock to realise his truth. All the other characters are forbidden to tell Sherlock within the text and are doomed to their fates once each story starts unless Sherlock can become self aware. Nobody can die. They get reincarnated in the next story, or even in the next chapter. So you can see how this game perpetuates itself in the pastiche. The game players use ALL pastiche as the game board. Remember that Sherlock cannot be told of his status, he has to discover it. The players are really the authors of any Sherlock Holmes story, but readers can play too by looking to see subtle clues that Sherlock is moving towards enlightenment. This is mostly done by reading works where it is apparent that the author does not know about the game and thus will stumble into giving Sherlock clues without realising they are doing so.
It’s a metafiction game. The whole aim is to break the fourth wall and have Sherlock realise he is locked into the fictional world.
There is nothing written about the game, like the secrets of the Masons, this was/is a fraternal game done in societies. A few years back I told LSiT and skully about it, and they couldn’t find any info on it at all on the web. The only thing we had was that about 4 years ago, a game player had a Tumblr, and was trying to play this game on here, leading people through it with questions about the show. They deleted. Back in 2012 I asked Mark Gatiss if he and Steven knew about it or were playing it, [at the Criterion afternoon event and at a Crimefest Bristol appearance] and they refused to answer. I think they did know about it, and looking back after viewing s4, I think they may be playing it.
Moriarty, Irene, Sherlock never really die in BBC Sherlock, I doubt Mary is dead. Or if they do die they reincarnate, no questions asked. @isitandwonder you brought this up in your meta this weekend, Sherlock actually died in TRF, yet he resurrected and was at his own gravesite. [I think Eurus could be a vehicle to help Sherlock discover his truth, but I am not sure] The ending of TFP was very ‘game’ like. It disavowed the previous work, reset the game back to the canon parameters, and left the board with the two protagonists unchanged. And I think Mark and Steven used the character of Mary to attempt to enlighten Sherlock, that to my knowledge had not been done before. It makes sense of her weird about face in the redemption arc and also the ghost Mary and DVDs. Especially her luring Sherlock to his death in order to save John.
I hate the fucking game. So I won’t go on about it but I wanted you to know that it is a ‘thing’, has been since the 1930′s. It leads into the Wold Newton Family Tree [now there is a rabbit hole] and Baring Gould’s crapola. As someone who wants John and Sherlock to be happy, out and representing a marginalised group, this game detracts from that, it’s boys playing secret societies. Plus the game players get mean. Sound like anyone we know?
Wow, this project is proving popular! I’ve refined the master map to be a little more useable – the key is explained, and rather than fitting *everything* in I’ve shaved off the outlying regions (they will still be covered on their own pages).
There will be some proper testing in the field with @sincerely-chaos next week, then I’ll share the whole document.
*brings a stack of two newly printed guide books, straight from the printer*
I am confused because I thought I was only going to have access to 1,000 results, but it’s currently showing me 1,428 results so we’re going to just go with it!
Q1: Which episodes of Sherlock did you love? There were 1,428 responses.
A Study in Pink was the most popular, loved by 88.38% of responders (1,262 votes). Makes sense, since it’s the first episode you see!
Close on its heels was The Reichenbach Fall with 84.31% loving it (1,204 votes), followed by The Great Game with 77.87% loving it (1,112 votes).
On the other end of the spectrum, the least loved episode was The Six Thatchers, with only 8.61% loving it (123 votes), followed by The Final Problem, with 13.94% loving it (199 votes), followed by The Blind Banker, with 18.7% loving it (267 votes).
Interesting that the most loved episode was followed immediately by one of the least loved episodes!
Season 2 was actually the most well-loved season, with an average across all three episodes of 65.85% love, followed by Season 1 with 61.65% love, Season 3 with 51.24% love, and Season 4 with 25.44% love.
Here are all the raw numbers so you can poke around and have fun yourself!
A Study in Pink 88.38% 1,262 The Blind Banker 18.70% 267 The Great Game 77.87% 1,112 A Scandal in Belgravia 65.83% 940 The Hounds of Baskverville 47.41% 677 The Reichenbach Fall 84.31% 1,204 The Empty Hearse 39.92% 570 The Sign of Three 65.20% 931 His Last Vow 48.60% 694 The Abominable Bride 54.69% 781 The Six Thatchers 8.61% 123 The Lying Detective 53.78% 768 The Final Problem 13.94% 199
Total Respondents: 1,428
Question 2: Which episodes of Sherlock did you hate? There were 1,233 responses, because 195 people skipped this question, presumably because they had no episodes they hated.
The most hated episodes were The Final Problem with 73.4% (905 votes) hating it, The Six Thatchers with 49.72% (613 votes) hating it, and The Blind Banker, with 24.49% (302 votes) hating it. Those were the least loved episodes, too, so that makes some sense (although not quite in that order).
The least hated episodes were The Great Game, with .41% (5 votes) hating it, A Study in Pink with .73% (9 votes) hating it, and The Reichenbach Fall, with 1.87% (23 votes) hating it. Those were the most loved, although not quite in that order.
Season 2 was the least hated season, with only 5.6% average hate, followed by Season 1 with 8.54% average, Season 3 with 10.78% average, and Season 4 with 46.34% average.
(If you’re wondering where TAB stands up, it was more loved than S3 but less loved than S2, with 54.69% love (781 votes), and less hated than Season 3 but more hated than Season 1, with 10.71% hate (132 votes).
I don’t know what I would have picked as my favorite season of Sherlock but it looks like it was Season 2, judging by these results.
Again, the raw data:
A Study in Pink 0.73% 9 The Blind Banker 24.49% 302 The Great Game 0.41% 5 A Scandal in Belgravia 6.24% 77 The Hounds of Baskerville 8.68% 107 The Reichenbach Fall 1.87% 23 The Empty Hearse 12.08% 149 The Sign of Three 6.73% 83 His Last Vow 13.54% 167 The Abominable Bride 10.71% 132 The Six Thatchers 49.72% 613 The Lying Detective 15.90% 196 The Final Problem 73.40% 905
Total Respondents: 1,233
Question 3: Which episodes of Sherlock fall in the middle? There were 1,357 responses, because 71 people skipped this question.
I considered this question to be for all the episodes you like but don’t love, but also don’t despise. Presumable the people who skipped the question had no episodes that didn’t inspire strong feelings either way.
The most common in-the-middle episodes were The Blind Banker, with 56.67% of votes (769 people), The Empty Hearse, with 42.96% of votes (583 people), and The Six Thatchers, with 42.52% of votes (577 people).
This is interesting to me, because The Blind Banker and The Six Thatchers made all three lists: one of the least loved, one of the most hated, but also one of the ones that people also put in neither category. The Empty Hearse, however, was middle of the road in the other lists and middle of the road here. It just doesn’t seem to inspire major emotions in people.
The least common in-the-middle episodes were A Study in Pink, chosen by only 8.33% of people (133 votes), The Reichenbach Fall, chosen by only 10.02% of people (136 votes), and The Great Game, chosen by only 16.95% of people (230 votes). All three of those episodes were the most loved and least hated. That seems to indicate that people mostly feel strongly positive about those episodes.
What’s interesting to me is that every single one of the least common in-the-middle episodes were beloved. The most hated episodes The Final Problem, The Six Thatchers, and The Blind Banker, were all more common choices for middle of the road. TFP was just off the medals podium but it was, and the other two are comfortably in the middle, with around half the fandom putting them in neither love or hate. Which tells me that those episodes are not necessarily divisive between love and hate but more divisive between hate and middle-of-the-road.
The least middle-of-the-road season was Season 2 with an average of 25.5 cross episodes with no strong feeling. That makes sense, since it was the most loved. The most middle-of-the-road season was Season 3, with an average of 34.34. Season 3 was in the middle of the other rankings, so it makes sense it’s the most middle of the road. Season 1 finished with 27.32 with no strong feeling, and Season 4 (the most hated and least loved season) with 30.53 no strong feeling.
TAB, with 30.29% no strong feeling (411 votes), was also basically right in the middle.
Raw data:
A Study in Pink 8.33% 113 The Blind Banker 56.67% 769 The Great Game 16.95% 230 A Scandal in Belgravia 25.20% 342 The Hounds of Baskerville 41.27% 560 The Reichenbach Fall 10.02% 136 The Empty Hearse 42.96% 583 The Sign of Three 24.91% 338 His Last Vow 35.15% 477 The Abominable Bride 30.29% 411 The Six Thatchers 42.52% 577 The Lying Detective 29.99% 407 The Final Problem 19.09% 259
Total Respondents: 1,357
Question 4: When did you start watching Sherlock? There were 1,412 responses, because 23 people skipped this question.
I was curious about this because I was wondering if there were any correlations between when you started watching and how you felt about the episodes, but then I realized that I would have go through all 1,412 responses individually to figure this out, so here, have some general data instead:
Most people started watching the show during the hiatus between S2 and S3 hiatus (29.96%, or 423 votes), or during the hiatus between S1 and S2 (19.19%, or 271 votes). The next most popular started watching while S1 was airing (18.56%, or 262 votes). The least amount of people started watching while S3 was airing (7.01%, or 99 votes) or while S2 was airing (10.62%, or 150 votes). Those who joined during the hiatus between S3 and S4 were in the middle (14.66%, or 207 votes).
Most people don’t pick up a show in the middle of a later season, so the hiatuses being common starting points makes sense. I was surprised by how few respondents had been watching the show from the beginning, so to speak.
Raw data:
I started while S1 was airing (either in the UK or the US) 18.56% 262 I started during the hiatus between S1 and S2 19.19% 271 I started while S2 was airing (either in the UK or the US) 10.62% 150 I started during the hiatus between S2 and S3 29.96% 423 I started while S3 was airing (either in the UK or the US) 7.01% 99 I started during the hiatus between S3 and S4 (including during TAB)14.66%207
Total 1,412
I realize now that I asked the question poorly and should have left out the parenthetical in the choices.
Q4: Favorite characters? You could choose more than one! 1,434 people responded, one person skipped this question.
SO MANY CHARACTERS.
The most popular was Sherlock, beloved by 95.33% (1,367 votes), followed by John with 88.21% (1,265 votes), then Mrs. Hudson (77.48%, 1,111 votes). These were the only three characters to crack 1,000 votes. The least popular were the therapist (Eurus edition) (1.39%, or 20 votes); The Abominable Bride with 2.44%, or 35 votes; and Faith, with 3.35%, or 48 votes.
There were SO MANY CHARACTERS I MISSED. I’ve cut and pasted below if you’re curious, because re-typing 111 responses is too much even for me. 🙂
So here’s your raw data:
Sherlock 95.33% 1,367 John 88.21% 1,265 Mycroft 52.65% 755 Moriarty 48.47% 695 Lestrade 64.37% 923 Sally 10.32% 148 Anderson 8.16% 117 Molly 43.03% 617 Stanford 16.67% 239 Irene 21.34% 306 Mrs. Hudson 77.48% 1,111 Mary 16.95% 243 Magnussen 4.32% 62 Sholto 10.81% 155 Mummy Holmes 18.20% 261 Daddy Holmes 16.74% 240 The Abominable Bride 2.44% 35 Rosie 10.60% 152 Culverton Smith 4.39% 63 Faith 3.35% 48 Eurus 7.04% 101 The therapist (Eurus edition) 1.39% 20 The therapist (original edition) 7.95% 114 Angelo 20.92% 300 Wiggins 19.04% 273 Anthea 16.46% 236 Ajay 3.97% 57 The old man that goes to see John at the surgery and John thinks he’s Sherlock but he’s just an old man 20.22% 290 Characters I missed! 7.74% 111
The client from t6t with the E cigarettes
Although we never see her, Harry Watson
Mike Stamford
The innkeepers in Baskerville!
Janine
Jim from IT
Sarah, the hot lieutenant in Hound, the hot detective in TST
Why there is no question about the characters I hate? I hated mummy Holmes at the last and John in the last season
Janine!
Janine
Janine
Soo Lin! Kitty Riley!
Harry (not that we get to see her but from the blog and fanon I would love her)
Redbeard/Victor Trevor (lol I know he’s in it for like two minutes but…)
DI Hopkins cause why not
Henry Knight
Hopkins ❤
New detective lady
Dimmock, Janine, Lady Smallwood
The Maid from TAB
Hopkins
Henry Knight
Toby the dog
Jim Moriaty.
Janine
Kate
Sorry to nitpick, but it’s “Stamford”, not “Stanford” 🙂
Harriet Watson
Hopkins
Henry Knight
Janine
Toby!! 🙂 And err, oh!! The gay couple in HotB!! And any other Sherlock and John mirrors!!
Lord Moran because he is so handsome.
Toby ❤
the drug friend who calls sherlock “shezza”
TOBY (both dog and cat editions), Craig the Hacker, DI Stella Hopkins
Janine
Redbeard as a dog
Janine
Janine
Lady Carmichael & Soo-lin
sally donovan
Mike Stamford, The Gay couple who own the pub in Baskerville
Toby!!!
Corporal Lyons
Ella
Henry Knight
Harry Watson – i liked the idea of her, would have liked to have seen her have her day in the sun.
Toby the dog
mycroft’s umbrella
Janine
The I like trains man
Redbeard the dog
Sarah Sawyer
John’s girlfriend to tells him off, janine[=]]]]]]]]]]]]]]
The gay couple at the inn in HOB
Janine, Billy the Skull, Janette
Archie!
Sarah Sawyer! One of my faves.
Billy and Gary the innkeepers
Victor Trevor
checked to comment only, I hated Mycroft, Mary and Molly in S4
Sebastian Moran
Janine
The gay innkeepers in THOB
Sebastian Moran!!!! (i know he’s not canon let me dream)
Fat!Mycroft, Young!Fat!Mycroft from The Final Problem
The gay couple who couldn’t kill their dog, Mrs Turner’s married ones
In reference to before the final problem
The chick in the red dress in Sherlock’s Mind Palace who talks about the dungeon…
The girl in teh who’s the leader of the sherlock fandom
Pidgeon, Toby, Redbeard (dog version), the couple in THoB
janine!
The character in THotB “the footprints of a gigantic hound”
innkeepers!
(well, it’s Stamford, not Stanford… I assume that was autocorrect fucking with you!)
Young Sherlock in His Last Vow; Janine
Toby!
That guy who thought he was crazy from hob
Sebastian Moran (not actually in the show, but shhh)
I liked Mary at the beginning but I didn’t like her redemption arc at all.
Archie
Gary and Billy from TRF
Mike
Irene’s girlfriend :}
Janine, Tessa, Vicky
The murderous cabbie
The guy at the wedding wearing an elephant tie who dances with Janine
Everyone except the bull crap characters of s4
JANINE!
Archie!
Janine
…
Billy
Janine
Mike Stamford
redbeard (the dog edition)
Janine
Janene
Poor DI Hopkins dragged in the fuckery just to be Lestrade crush
Total Respondents: 1,434
So, that’s all for right now. SUCH A DISCLAIMER: I am not in any way a statistician. I never even took stats. I just did this for fun!
I’m so happy I wasn’t the only one to write in those lovely innkeepers in Baskerville. That thrills me.
They got SO MANY VOTES. Adorable. 🙂
The reason why not so many people watched the show from the beginning might have been, because you explicitely refered to the UK/US air dates. I watched Sherlock from the start – but at first in the German dubbed version, which aired 2-3 months later, so technically already in S1/S2 hiatus. I would assume watching new! (foreign) tv shows online wasn’t as common in 2010 as it is now. So only a few people outside the UK/US might have even notived the initial broadcasting of s1.
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