Photoshoot inspired by the TJLC community, that in the middle of ups and downs gathered lots of evidences, analysis, metaphors and studies that pointed to a explicit concretization of John and Sherlock’s romantic relationship in Sherlock BBC. Despite the current course of queerbaiting the show seems to take, TJLC is still working and ramifying. Those three years of “conspiracy” served not only to produce more than 50 hours of video content on Youtube or countless essays and metas from Tumblr to Google Drive, but also to awake in its members a hunger for careful and attentive readings of fiction. “One day the true story may be told”, said Arthur Conan Doyle in his last words for Sherlock Holmes. There’s no doubt in that. And if destiny is fair, the story will be told by the hands of a TJLCer. Get ready to believe and keep believing. TJLC has its own life and we’re part of it.
About ¼ of the way through TAB –– after the threat of the bride has already been introduced and John and Sherlock have been shown going through several cases –– Sherlock is deducing a case during his dream when he calls upon Watson’s assistance, only for Lestrade to say that Watson moved out months ago as Sherlock tries to brush the momen toff, signifying that he’s always thinking about and talking to John, even when he isn’t there (like John once asked in ASIB, “Do you just carry on talking when I’m away?” Sherlock replied, “I don’t know. How often are you away?”).
About ¼ of the way through TST –– after the threat of Moriarty’s post-humous revenge has already been introduced and John and Sherlock have gone through a montage of cases –– Sherlock is deducing one when he calls upon John’s assistance, only to see that John spitefully placed a balloon with a smiley face in place of his own position in the duo, signifying what John presents as his own feelings of inadequacy and resentment towards Sherlock.
Both Sherlock and John have had moments and feelings like this before: weighing how much they truly care about and matter to each other, parsing it off as largely in context of their professional relationship. But with the end of series 3, and John having already moved out as normal life seems to resume after Sherlock’s return, and the seeming salvation of John and Mary’s marriage, both John and Sherlock are telling a version of events imagining what that moment would be like when they finally realize that they can’t recapture what they had before, too much time has passed, too many feelings have bee hurt, and that both of them lost their chance to tell each other the truth, instead resigned to perpetually yearning for their early days as they subsume their feelings for each other.
perfectly sound analysis but i was hoping you’d go deeper
sherlock making this joke 🔪 and giving john this tiny little glimmer of a smile 🔪🔪🔪 and john just staring at him in utter disbelief like he can’t even figure out how he’s managed to end up with this utterly gorgeous and insanely brilliant man flirting with him at a crime scene 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪 and only breaking off eye contact when lestrade wanders back in 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪
Do you ever just really think about the fact that in Sherlock’s mind palace, John was up there on that ledge facing Moriarty with him? Instead of a teary phonecall there was witty banter. Moriarty was alone, Sherlock had John, always had John. Instead of Sherlock scared as he fell, he was smiling?
How he dreams of all this, as if he could go back and change what happened on the Barts rooftop, after having learned alone does not protect him, that alone hurts them all?
I dislike the idea that TJLC is a reading (or “close reading,” or interpretation, etc.) of Sherlock. Although technically it is, it makes about as much sense to describe TJLC as merely “a reading” as it does to say that “Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy fall in love after overcoming various initial obstacles” is “a reading” of Pride and Prejudice. That’s not a reading. That’s just the plot.
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.
it’s the little things you notice while combing through the blog for meta-writing purposes. like harry watson’s casual biphobia, represented via drinks code
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