Tag: the final problem

How Sherlock‘s Finale Let Down the People Who Loved the Show the Most

miadifferent:

sherlockedaspergirl:

themayflynans:

Another great critique to come out today, with added discussions on how TFP failed autistic people who identified with the show as well as women and the LGBTQ+ community. And it mentions #Norbury.

My husband and I talked about what this meant for autistic Sherlock the night we watched it. I haven’t written about it because I am holding on to hope for ep4 fixing everything. But not only as this article mentions does it make female autistics into monsters that must be locked away while male autistics are heroes, but I felt that it made the evolution of Sherlock (to whom I very much relate), from great to good man actually be from autistic savant to being “cured” of his autism somehow. 

I kind of immediately got caught up in the tin hatting on episode four, but it is quite possible that a fourth episode will fix the queerbaiting without fixing the negating of autistic representation that this episode represented. 

“If this is the end, then it leaves the people who loved the show for its celebration of difference with a troubling message: that difference makes you a hero if you’re a white man, and an aberration if you’re anyone else.”

How Sherlock‘s Finale Let Down the People Who Loved the Show the Most

astudyinqueerbaiting:

skulls-and-tea:

enigmaticpenguinofdeath:

“Where would you suggest?”

HOW WAS THIS SCENE WRITTEN AND ACTED IN A WAY THAT MADE ME LITERALLY NOT CARE

Right? It’s just upsetting how emotionally numb and distant I felt during the entire episode or, really, most of S4. I’ve spent literal years getting emotional over fics and old episodes, and TAB was wonderful in that regard, but there was a weird disconnection between S4 and me, 

None of it felt sincere so I couldn’t bring myself to care enough, idk.

whimsicalethnographies:

jenna221b:

pawsoffmykitty:

jenna221b:

marcespot:

jenna221b:

green-violin-bow:

jenna221b:

reason why I’m currently Losing It: when Sherlock uncovers redbeard’s dish the girl on the plane interrupts and he puts his head in his hand and his voice is all shaky when he’s talking, “Oh hello, are you at the front of the plane, now?” and his voice distinctly breaks on “plane.” and then it cuts back to him and he’s wiping his eyes:

And again, imagine if that’s our Garridebs reality bleeding through… garridebs….like he’s crying and his voice is breaking but he’s talking gently to John to get him through it :))) @waitedforgarridebs 

Imagine if John’s taking it on himself to tell Sherlock how much pressure to put on the wound even though he’s the one bleeding out…and Sherlock’s asking him questions because he knows while John is being a Good Doctor – even indirectly for himself – he’s not lapsing into unconsciousness

LISTEN, SOFT DESPERATE SHERLOCK IS CRYING NO DOUBT

HE’S TRYING SO HARD, SOMEONE HELP THEM 

Pressure… Pressure on the wound – cabin pressure – those dangly breathing things were hanging from the ceiling! He’s losing pressure, he’s going to crash!

oh my god John 😥

Why “The Final Problem” being John’s version of “The Abominable Bride” makes absolute sense

the-7-percent-solution:

Lots of others have mentioned this already. However, because a lot of us are upset over The Final Problem, no one wants to rewatch and write meta.  But here are a few things for you all to consider.

1) John got shot at the end of The Lying Detective. He got shot with an actual bullet.  We’ve been studying Sherlock’s subtext forever and we all knew John was going to get shot, we knew the Three Garridebs canon moment was coming, yet we ignored it when we saw it because we believed the narrative spoon-fed to us.  John did not get hit with a tranquilizer – he actually got shot.  He’s in his mind palace.  Or, rather, his mind bungalow, as he’s referred to it before. 

2) The Six Thatchers told us John knows a LOT about horror films. Probably why 20 of them were mentioned in The Final Problem.  John also loves Bond movies, which is why this nightmare scenario is part Saw- part Bond.

3) If Moriarty was Sherlock’s inner demon in TAB, then Eurus is John’s inner demon in TFP. This is why young Eurus is wearing John’s sweater. This is why she’s shown as a mirror for him on multiple occasions. She’s bisexual, she’s kept behind glass (repression) because her family put her there at first but now because she chooses to be there as an adult. She hears Sherlock playing Irene’s theme on the violin and asks if he’s had sex – this is John’s inner demon right here, asking what John’s already asked on the surface.  John’s demon can be saved only if Sherlock comes to the bedroom and helps land the plane. “Landing” is follow-through when it comes to “falling in love”.  TFP is a direct mirror to TAB – Sherlock knew then that John would always be there when he’s falling, and now John knows Sherlock would be there when he’s landing. It’s a complete mirror, exactly the one we were certain of months ago. Why did we dismiss this when we saw it? Because we lost faith in the story.  Like Sir Boast-a-lot. Like The Princess Bride. We’re right on schedule.

4) Everything happening in TFP is a nightmare for John.  Sherlock neglecting Vatican Cameos, Sherlock leaving him to drown, Sherlock saying “I love you” to Molly, Sherlock actually loving Irene Adler, A John-sized coffin with “I Love You” written on it closed and smashed by Sherlock, Mary infiltrating their lives again to tell them how their relationship should be. John is so fucking repressed he doesn’t think Sherlock feels the same way about him that he does about Sherlock.  He’s mirrored in Molly in real life – how awful for John to think “I love Sherlock, I’ve always loved Sherlock, but he thinks we’re friends, why is he making a fool of me?” – like, The Final Problem might be my new favorite episode because this is masterful. 

5) Eurus does exist, but not as a crazy woman on Shutter Island.  There was a reason she flirted with John, there’s a reason she’s been hovering around them for ages now.  I wrote a meta about it here.  It still fits 100%.  The only thing I didn’t take into account was BBC Sherlock faking its own death by dropping a ludicrous red herring as a series finale. 

You guys thought we couldn’t see anything gayer, anything more repressed than Sherlock’s mind in The Abominable Bride?  Oh.  Oh, no. Take another watch of The Final Problem and you’ll see what actually happens to a repressed bisexual with a high sex-drive and a crippling love obsession when their mind is allowed to play tricks on him.