imagine being sister edgelord’s IT guy like, “you want HOW many projectors WHERe?”
dude hanging on a scaffolding over the well attempting to install a Dropcam like “it’s a good thing this chick’s mind-programming is so compelling because this gig doesn’t even include dental”
lmao omg
How about the beta testing. “How emotionally challenging was your experience in test number 3. Did you just piss your pants from fear or laughter. Wrong answer and you can be Alex Garridebs in the next run-through.”
“bob, listen, the moriarty clips aren’t syncing with audio and the boss just threatened to strangle me with my own intestines, how good are you with Final Cut Pro?”
“So who’s going to tell her that retro-fitting the high-security cells on level -7 with automatic sliding secret doors linked to the main console will take 18 months?”
“Hey I have a newborn, guys, give me a break.”
“Alright, Fred, rock-paper-scissors?”
“Has anyone seen Joe? I thought he was on A/V for the Gun Room rehearsal”
“Dude, he failed the loudspeaker test-run, she mind-controlled him off the edge of the south wing during our last performance review.”
“That asshole owed me ten quid. Pass me a Rockstar?”
“So who wants to help me haul a grown man into a small fake room?”
“Who’s got the family pictures we need to put on the walls? Also we need glue, stat”
“I’ve only got scotch tape. I think the boss didn’t program me sufficiently”
“Someone needs to get me out of the well after I chain this guy to the bottom of it.”
“I can’t, I’m already lugging the water.”
“Damn it, Jack.”
“wait, I’m contracted to take out all the glass, but keep the ‘illusion of glass’ what the fudge guys? I’m not a magician. I just had to take a four hour boat ride to get here for this?”
(ps. I love everyone here)
“I am so fucking tired of chipping new conduit runs in this dense-ass concrete. If she wanted to run a whole extra set of monitors in every damned room in the place she should have thought of that when they built it because any idiot could have seen that wifi wouldn’t work through all of this shit.”
Can you imagine them actually entering Sherrinford tho… Like all those armed guards going “Hey! Who are you guys?! How do you know about Super Secret Murder Prison Island?!” And the poor it guy’s just like “idk man someone called *squints at paper* Eurozone Homie hired us to install some TVs and stuff” “Ah, yeah, right, Eurus, that girl who can’t be approached by people ever. Come right in, kettle’s just on!”
You’d think that I’d be all over TFP tinhatting. I’ve been entranced by the “you can’t trust what you’re seeing” imagery in BBC Sherlock since I started watching it. I even wrote a post, shortly before TFP, about how we as the fans are like John looking up at BBC Sherlock on the roof at Bart’s, watching him as he lies to us, trying to have faith.
“Faith is a funny thing,” I wrote in that post. “It’s not inherently good or bad. To lose faith when it ought to be kept is a tragedy, but so is to keep faith when it ought to be cast aside.”
Like a lot of people, I’ve been flipping back and forth between two readings of TFP. The first reading says, “BBC Sherlock is actually terrible. All the things I thought I saw – the imagery, the clues, the characterization, the mirroring, the references – I must have just made up. TFP is real, it has to be.” The second reading says, “BBC Sherlock has gotten really, really meta. TFP is fake, and they’re violating all sorts of norms about how television works in order to surprise everyone and make a point. TFP is fake, it has to be.”
These readings are in conflict, not just with each other but with me. Believing either requires me to question my own reality. If I accept that TFP is real I have to question my ability to read and understand stories. If I accept that TFP is fake I have to question all sorts of norms about how the world works and how tv gets made.
Neither feels tenable. And I feel like, well:
(Image by @livingthegifs)
I doubt I’m alone in this. And the idea that anyone else in fandom feels like this, especially the younger fans, the other queer folks, the people who already deal with mental health issues – it breaks my heart.
So I want to be absolutely clear here:
Your perceptions of reality are not flawed. You are not wrong to be deeply upset by TFP. And you are not alone.
There are, more or less, three theories about TFP:
1) We made up everything. We took coincidences and concocted a false narrative in our heads. Our predictions were wrong because our perception of the evidence was wrong.
2) TFP is fake. We’ve been right all along, and the creators are preparing a giant rug-pull, hopefully without realizing how much distress they’ve caused. Our predictions will be proved right because our perception of the evidence was right.
3) TFP is real, and all the ‘evidence’ we thought we had was planted either to fuck with us or because the creators changed the story they were telling. Our predictions were wrong, but our perception of the evidence was largely correct.
I am going to go ahead and eliminate #1 as impossible. We did not make up everything. We did not make up the ‘question reality’ imagery used over and over again in the show. We did not make up the references to queer icons, including to Oscar Wilde and Freddie Mercury in TFP itself. Much of the stuff we’ve pointed out in our metas may be coincidence but not all of it, and not all of it together.
One of the other two options must then be the truth. I can’t say which it is – obviously I’d prefer #2, but #3 is still possible. But both imply two things:
* The creators are fucking with our sense of reality.
* Our sense of reality is just fine.
And this is what angers me so deeply. Because gaslighting is awful. It’s a textbook sign of abuse. It’s something that multiple BBC Sherlock villains engage in – Culverton Smith most notably, but also Frankland in THoB and Moriarty in TRF. And yes, yes, the writers are villains, the mystery writer is the criminal, but that’s symbolism, okay? It doesn’t excuse gaslighting just like it wouldn’t excuse Moffat or Gatiss if they went out and actually murdered someone. It’s still a shitty thing to do.
And it’s a shitty thing to do at this particular moment in history, when we are all struggling so hard to figure out how to trust each other, how to build a shared and reliable reality. I mean, f I want to be gaslit, I’ll go read my President-elect’s twitter.
Look, it’s good to question the stories you’re told. Very good. And it’s good to question the stories you tell yourself, occasionally, to keep an open mind and admit when you’re wrong. But this type of questioning comes from a place of strength. You question the stories you’re told because they violate your values or your knowledge. You question yourself when something about what you’re doing or thinking feels out of line with who you are. It’s hard to do that when you’re wracked with self-doubt and in pain.
I love every last person in this fandom and I want you all to feel whole and strong. I want that for your own sake, because you deserve it, but also, selfishly, because I need you. I need you to help me fix all that’s wrong with this world – to help me fight Trump and the rise of fascism, to help me protect and nourish the next generation of LGBTQ folks, to help me build a better and kinder world.
So be good to yourself. Throw yourself into analysis if that makes you happy, take a break if you want to, reach out to friends and family, do whatever it is you need to do to remind yourself that you’re okay. And, if you can, help others to do that. Share your love and your strength. Don’t try to push your opinions about reality onto anyone else – we’ve had enough of that already. Treat each other with gentleness. Treat yourself with gentleness.
This whole post will be a bit random because I have so much thoughts about this. I hope you don’t mind.
At the end of TLD, we see how Sherlock finds the “Miss Me?” on the paper. And that’s usually the moment where Sherlock drops all his shit (he did so in HLV with his chips) and RUNS to save John. But we didn’t see that. Weird, huh?
Also, we get a bit of John’s imagination/foreshadowing in TLD:
And in TFP, the girl on the plane (= John) says this:
“The lights” are very common when it comes to near-death experiences. Walking towards light, a tunnel with light at the end and closer coming lights.
Okay, that was that. So, let’s talk about TAB: There are things in TAB they included on purpose to make us think “That’s fucky!” in order to figure it out. An guess what? THE SAME SHIT APPEARS IN TFP.
First of all: Cringeworthy spinning shots.
Also:
Eurus =
Emelia Ricoletti
Both of them look as if they were taken out of a horror movie. AND THEY BOTH SING A FUCKING SONG!
And Remember Me = Do Not Forget Me
Same with the graveyard scene in TAB … THAT SCENE WAS FAKE because the corpse came to life at the end.
An guess what else is fake and has fake graves …
And let’s not forget fat Mycroft:
Aaand back to TFP, where Sherlock says “Greg”:
When you watch the scene, you’ll first be like: “Oh, that’s nice, Sherlock finally got Lestrade’s name right!” But the thing is … THEY TOLD US THAT SHERLOCK NEVER GETS HIS NAME RIGHT JUST TWO EPISODE EARLIER. John had to MOUTH “Greg” to Sherlock so he could say it right:
So why the flying fuck would he suddenly remember his name? Weird AF? Yes, it’s John imagination. Because HE never gets Lestrade’s name wrong, that’s why!
Also, when I first saw the scene where they are at John’s, I had the feeling that Sherlock … looked so out of place? He’s standing in the room and has his coat on.
And then I thought … FUCK, I know this scene, it looks like the scene in “Many Happy Returns”!
This scenes too (first one from TFP, the other from MHR):
These too:
And when Mary (aka John’s imagination) said this:
I knew I heard it before … it’s on John’s fucking blog, he wrote it when he met Sherlock for the first time:
Oh, and I mentioned earlier what people see while having a near-death experience … it’s not just light, on of the things is also FAMILY.
And you know what else is fucky? This quote from “Mary” at the of TFP …
Well, the thing is … SHE CAN’T KNOW THIS QUOTE. We do, and Sherlock and John, but Mary can’t. Well, she could have made it up, BUT (!!!) John said it to Sherlock in TEH:
Mary wasn’t in that scene. Sherlock said something like that at the wedding, but it’s not the same:
Also, in her speech at the end of TFP, we see this shot from ASiP:
Well … nothing weird about that, right? Except for the fact that THIS is the first scene they used in TAB! If you don’t believe me, go and watch it.
And this:
Actually, there is more I could write about, but some things have already been pointed out. That Eurus wore a John-sweater as a kid or that John responded to Sherlock instead of the child on the plane.
So. If there is no fourth episode, then at least we know that the fandom is a million times cleverer than Mofftiss.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
uhm… his comment on the 4th episode… they’re THE official Sherlock channel. If there’s no 4th episode (what for me still is the most rational assumption), this is the most horrible gaslighting I’ve ever witnessed with my own eyes. Ugh, I feel sick.
That comment near the end about the 4th episode is either a nod to its existence or a blatant insult and gaslighting which would seal TPTB as cruel. This is an official outlet after all.
A saving grace? The show’s loyal fans. Whether from respect or kindness, some have actually theorized that this implosion of quality was really a self-inflicted, conscious sabotage to make a point; others suggest that there is a magical fourth episode waiting in the wings that will allow all of us to climb successfully out of the massive plot sinkholes. That is how much the audience cares about the show and respects its team: it looks for ways to bail them out, to pick them up when they seem to stumble. And it’s a good thing. If not for that dedication, Sherlock could figuratively suffer far worse than that decapitation in the sand.
If you are reading this, you are probably screaming.
So are most of us. But some hope remains! This masterpost and theory
table collect the fandom’s last hopes—and they’re less crazy than you’d think.
The main takeaway is that the episode contradicts the rest of the show and real-world events far too much for it to be just a mistake. In fact, the evidence suggests that there will be a fourth episode.
“What? That’s ridiculous!”
That’s what I thought at first, too. But things in real life don’t add up, and they can’t be explained by bad writing. At this point, a rug pull is simply the most logical explanation. And if we’re wrong, well…it can’t really get any worse, can it?
This pack has 6 parts:
Issues: Everything within the episode that makes TFP not only a dumpster fire, but a (literally) unbelievable dumpster fire.
Clues: Real-life weirdness such as cast quotes that don’t fit, scenes missing from filming, and strange new promos that hint at a fourth episode.
Descriptions of the two main theories
Theory table: Compares which theories explain which issues
Resources: Links to meta that explain specific issues or the episode’s weirdness as a whole
Conclusions: What it all means, and why we should hold out a little longer.
Enjoy!
-soe
Disclaimer: Everything in this post is speculation. If you don’t want to get your hopes up, by all means skip it. However, I’d suggest at least waiting until January 29th before going full-out against Mofftiss (reasons below).
=============== Issues ================
Everything weird about that episode. With over 70 nontrivial plot holes, it’s hard to view the episode’s quality as an accident.
(The bolded phrases are descriptions, not the actual titles.)
Scenes that were filmed but that we’ve never seen? Quotes that make no sense with TFP as the finale? Something is up.
==============Theories================
It’s in Sherlock’s Mind
Everything in Season 4, since either the end of TAB or Mary shooting Sherlock, is in Sherlock’s mind as he is comatose. This theory requires all three episodes to be at least partly imaginary. A main variation is that John is talking to him as he is comatose, and that what John describes influences what Sherlock imagines.
For meta on variations of this theory, including EMP and John’s alibi, please see the TST Survival Pack.
It’s in John’s Mind
Everything in TFP is in John’s mind after John is shot. Variations include:
TST and TLD also took place in John’s mind.
Mary shot John, not Eurus.
This one is starting to gain more ground, particularly because it would make the whole season an adaptation of “The Three Garridebs”, leading to canon Johnlock, etc.
==============Theory Table=============
Green = Completely addresses this issue
Yellow = Addresses this issue somewhat plausibly, but not the best solution
They broke every rule of writing unless it’s a rug pull. The filming, cast and crew quotes, promotional material, and subtext within the episode make no sense unless a fourth episode reveals that it took place in John’s or Sherlock’s mind. The reputation of the whole show relies on them successfully revealing the real season finale.
So when would they reveal this fourth episode? When would it air?
“The Final Problem” is either sheer stupidity or utter genius. Either way, let’s enjoy one last conspiracy.
The game is on.
I will be updating the table and theory list regularly.
If you have theories, issues, or meta to add, please comment.
If you think a theory does address an issue that the table says it does not address (or vice versa), please comment.
If I described your theory inaccurately or you just want to add something, please comment.
If I tagged any of your meta above: I would love to add any other work you’ve done that I haven’t seen. If you’d like to add something, please comment it and I would love to include it in the next update.
-soe
THIS. 🙌🏻
Thanks for the tag! I LITERALLY just finished a mini meta, TFP is John’s TAB; It’s essentially reiterating everything already said here in other meta, but BLEH shameless self promo and all that :p
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