I was actually waiting for Mycroft to turn to the sniper and tell him to shoot Magnusson after Sherlock started shouting about how the vault was only in his head.
Sherlock - Series 3
- Thread starter Agent Richard07
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Mister Fandango
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Because he already told Sherlock why; Magnusson was a useful commodity.
There's also House of Cards (the original, I mean) which was extremely cynical in its view on politics with a PM who got away with murder several times and terrorist attacks being instigated by people in the government.
Let's allow Sir Humphrey Appleby to explain:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5TFCsixuvY[/yt]
FINALLY--after much overtime work and personal crisis, I got a chance to sit down and watch all three episodes.
Very short on plot, much more so than I would have liked, but my GOD the character moments blew me away with their depth and conviction. Sherlock's insane best man speech with its observations that brides choose plain bridesmaids leading up to his observation that the same dynamic was in play because he, himself, was the most obnoxious asshole anyone could want to know, ergo John Watson was the wisest and best man he'd ever known had my lower jaw on the floor. Now that's a character moment for the ages. Sherlock subsequently being oblivious to why the guests were tearing up was classic Sherlock.
EDIT--Adding to some previous comments upthread--I, too, much preferred episodes 2 and 3 to episode 1 this season. Some very funny and touching moments in eppy 1, but too much meta for my taste. Sherlock and Moriarty nearly kissing on the roof was funny, though.
Sherlock murdering Magnusson--in essence giving up his future were it not for the return of Moriarty--was the ultimate demonstration of love for his best friend. "Now Mary is safe." He knows that John loves Mary and Sherlock loves John enough to forgive Mary shooting him. He didn't use it as a wedge. Now that's love for a friend.
Mycroft seeing the child Sherlock in the helicopter's sights.
Sherlock rushing to save John in the fire.
Sherlock laying it on the line to an angry John that he picked Mary because he craves excitement and dangerous people and that John needs to accept that fact.
Finding out Mrs. Hudson was an exotic dancer.
Sherlock climbing out of death, spurred by the idea that John Watson is in danger.
Mycroft saying the "loss of you would break my heart" and Sherlock spitting out his cigarette saying, "How am I supposed to respond to that?" like an adolescent brat.
Character moments to relish, and I did. So....Moriarty's back. Good grief.
Not sure I bought Lestrade hugging Sherlock when he saw him alive. I have to grade down for that moment. It was dumb.
Very short on plot, much more so than I would have liked, but my GOD the character moments blew me away with their depth and conviction. Sherlock's insane best man speech with its observations that brides choose plain bridesmaids leading up to his observation that the same dynamic was in play because he, himself, was the most obnoxious asshole anyone could want to know, ergo John Watson was the wisest and best man he'd ever known had my lower jaw on the floor. Now that's a character moment for the ages. Sherlock subsequently being oblivious to why the guests were tearing up was classic Sherlock.
EDIT--Adding to some previous comments upthread--I, too, much preferred episodes 2 and 3 to episode 1 this season. Some very funny and touching moments in eppy 1, but too much meta for my taste. Sherlock and Moriarty nearly kissing on the roof was funny, though.
Sherlock murdering Magnusson--in essence giving up his future were it not for the return of Moriarty--was the ultimate demonstration of love for his best friend. "Now Mary is safe." He knows that John loves Mary and Sherlock loves John enough to forgive Mary shooting him. He didn't use it as a wedge. Now that's love for a friend.
Mycroft seeing the child Sherlock in the helicopter's sights.
Sherlock rushing to save John in the fire.
Sherlock laying it on the line to an angry John that he picked Mary because he craves excitement and dangerous people and that John needs to accept that fact.
Finding out Mrs. Hudson was an exotic dancer.
Sherlock climbing out of death, spurred by the idea that John Watson is in danger.
Mycroft saying the "loss of you would break my heart" and Sherlock spitting out his cigarette saying, "How am I supposed to respond to that?" like an adolescent brat.
Character moments to relish, and I did. So....Moriarty's back. Good grief.
Not sure I bought Lestrade hugging Sherlock when he saw him alive. I have to grade down for that moment. It was dumb.
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I get the idea... but not the execution. I don't buy the "Sherlock sees John taunted - possibly forever - and just shoots Magnussen"-reasoning. Magnussen's a blackmailer, no matter where he's saved his blackmail-material, Sherlock must have had a plan B (and various other options). Shooting him like that seems more like a Plan F as in totally F.... up (to quote O'Neill in SGA).
@Sherlock murdering Magnussen:
It also felt unlike Sherlock.
Let me clarify what I mean by that:
The moment Sherlock realizes, all the data is in Magnussen's head, the way to resolve the issue is clear: Kill him. But, after realizing the Magnussen thing, he waited, stepped outside with Magnussen, waited for the police to arrive, and then shoot him in front of witnesses.
Why the wait? He knows what to do, he knows it's the only way to make sure, so why wait for witnesses? Alone, only with Watson there, he could have done it, and Sherlock would have had an instant idea of how to do it and leave room for reasonable doubt. Maybe Mycroft would have known how to prove it, but he wouldn't have used it. And even if he just shot him without a clear idea of how to spin it, doing it in front of witnessing police officers is still worse.
So, episode 3 had some very high points - like Sherlock's way out of dying - but some weaknesses, too - like revealing that Mary shot Sherlock in a way that wouldn't kill him. Wait, didn't it depend on which way he'd fall?! And he wouldn't get into shock?! Man, Moffat needs to stop contradicting himself!
All in all, it's more good than bad (wish I could say the same about Moffat-Who). Maybe it's that the good is so very, very good, that when there's bad, it appears as worse than it is. I don't know.
But there's no way Moriarty is back. He shot himself in the mouth, angled upwards. That's a sure kill. No way he survived that, even if Mycroft had had his people try to save him. And don't they dare retconning it to him shooting a blank, because Sherlock would have noticed the difference.
It also felt unlike Sherlock.
Let me clarify what I mean by that:
The moment Sherlock realizes, all the data is in Magnussen's head, the way to resolve the issue is clear: Kill him. But, after realizing the Magnussen thing, he waited, stepped outside with Magnussen, waited for the police to arrive, and then shoot him in front of witnesses.
Why the wait? He knows what to do, he knows it's the only way to make sure, so why wait for witnesses? Alone, only with Watson there, he could have done it, and Sherlock would have had an instant idea of how to do it and leave room for reasonable doubt. Maybe Mycroft would have known how to prove it, but he wouldn't have used it. And even if he just shot him without a clear idea of how to spin it, doing it in front of witnessing police officers is still worse.
So, episode 3 had some very high points - like Sherlock's way out of dying - but some weaknesses, too - like revealing that Mary shot Sherlock in a way that wouldn't kill him. Wait, didn't it depend on which way he'd fall?! And he wouldn't get into shock?! Man, Moffat needs to stop contradicting himself!
All in all, it's more good than bad (wish I could say the same about Moffat-Who). Maybe it's that the good is so very, very good, that when there's bad, it appears as worse than it is. I don't know.
But there's no way Moriarty is back. He shot himself in the mouth, angled upwards. That's a sure kill. No way he survived that, even if Mycroft had had his people try to save him. And don't they dare retconning it to him shooting a blank, because Sherlock would have noticed the difference.
A blank plus a squib on the back on the head and not enough time to examine it?
I sincerely hope not, but then I disliked the portrayal of Moriarty in this series from his first appearance.
I just want to point out that I have seen firing range safety demonstrations where a blank fired from 2 meters away rip open a melon. So Moriarity would either be seriously hurt or even dead even if he shot himself with a blank bullet.
In my opinion, there are only two ways for Moriarity to survive. Either it wasn't Moriarity who committed suicide (a look-alike, or clone), or someone is now pretending to be Moriarity.
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Jon-Erik Hexum, star of Voyagers (the series about the time traveler and his kid partner in the early 1980s), killed himself by playing Russian Roulette with blanks. There's enough material coming out at barrel speed to be deadly, especially if taken inside the mouth when that material would be going through soft tissue rather than bone.
If Moriarty is as smart as we are told he is, I suspect he could manage to load his own blank with just enough powder to be convincing without being life-threatening. There are also ways of altering the barrel of the gun to increase or decrease the force created by the explosion in the cartridge being forced out of the barrel.
There is also the chance he just took the gamble that he might survive without such precautions.
There is also the chance he just took the gamble that he might survive without such precautions.
He died from the shock of the pressure because he held it right against his temple and it fractured tiny bits of bone which then penetrated his brain. In this case Moriarty had it held in his mouth and that provided several exits for the pressure created. Still risky, but see above.
Bingo. Taking out Magnusson was all about protecting Mary, i.e. protecting John's new happy life. Can't raise your baby if you're a suspect in a murder.
Is there any chance that the 'Moriarty' we saw throughout is in fact not the real Moriarty? I dunno but with convoluted Moffness that could maybe the case.
Recalling the start of the series, the episode one tease of 'M' and I'm Sherlock's Nemesis to John way back of course only to reveal to it being Mycroft not Moriarty. But what if Mycroft really is Moriarty. Could that be the case?
I know ridiculous. But putting it out there.
Recalling the start of the series, the episode one tease of 'M' and I'm Sherlock's Nemesis to John way back of course only to reveal to it being Mycroft not Moriarty. But what if Mycroft really is Moriarty. Could that be the case?
I know ridiculous. But putting it out there.
Holy cow... that might be the case. It's not that far out. Wouldn't put that past him.
Yes, you put into words what I couldn't express. I would have accepted his killing Magnussen if it had been a more or less spontaneous decision.
@ general - murdering Magnussen in front of witnesses so that Watson isn't a suspect...
So you mean that Sherlock did what Mary couldn't, to "do whatever it takes" so to speak? OTOH, he's Watson's best friend, so doesn't that imply that he's hurting him by supposedly disappearing (be it in prison, in exile whatever) again?
I still don't buy it. I cling to the thought that not everything is as it seems. *g*
Another point that just occurred to me in all the discussion about avoiding John's becoming an only witness/accomplice in the cover-up had Sherlock killed Magnussen while inside alone: John's accepted Sherlock, he's accepted Mary's past, he's accepted her shooting Sherlock. I get that, if Sherlock thought to protect Watson from the consequences, he had to wait for a wider audience - but what if Sherlock missed one variable? And that's just how much Watson's able to forgive (and forget/cover up)?
And BTW, shouldn't Sherlock's being shot have been investigated? Or at least there have been any mention of an investigation?
@ Moriarty not being Moriarty...
Oooh, Mycroft being the mastermind behind Moriarty? Now, isn't that a thought. It festers honestly, because it plays into how Moriarty's knowledge about Sherlock was presented in season 2. Right now, my impression of Mycroft is that of him being an elder brother, constantly annoyed (but basically benevolent to) by his sibling and cleaning up after him. That relationship got simplified in season 3 a bit...
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Also his point was that whilst he only had memories of the files on Mary, he knew exactly who/where to go to to find them, and like you say it isn't neccesarily about facts. Once he starts printing things other factors would come into play. Look at the whole Jimmy Saville thing, the authorities and the journalists were only aware of a small number of people he'd abused, but once the story broke suddenly there's a tsunami of other people coming forward.
