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Parallels: The Lying Detective and His Last Vow
I was going to have some pretentious introduction, but the simple truth is that TLD clearly and repeatedly mirrors HLV. Over. And over. And over again. I counted eighteen independent parallels between the episodes, and I’m sure there’s more I missed.
Coincidence? The universe is rarely so lazy.
Why should I care?
TLD advances John’s emotional growth to where Sherlock was at the end of HLV. Then, and only then, can we get a mutual love confession.
By the end of HLV and certainly by the end of TAB, Sherlock admits, accepts, and embraces that he is in love with John. He hit rock bottom in Season 3 and TAB: going on drugs, almost dying, and getting lost in his own drug-addled mind. But through that journey, he realized that a) emotions are not a bad thing, b) he loves John, and c) John loves or at least cares about him. Now, all John needs to do is say the word, and they’ll ride off into the sunset together.
But John? John is still lagging behind. He struggles with self-loathing, guilt, and resentment. He simultaneously wishes Sherlock would love him, and hates himself for not loving Mary more. Seriously, read this this this and this. John hates himself in this episode for his flaws, yet wishes that someone would see his flaws and love him anyways. John may admit that he loves Sherlock, but it still causes him nothing but pain and self-hatred.
That is why we need to see John drink, and hallucinate, and beat Sherlock up, and cry. He needs to go to hell and back, like Sherlock did. Both the audience and John need to admit to and accept John’s flaws. Only then he can embrace his love for Sherlock.
Could there be more behind the HLV/TLD parallels? Of course. I discuss ramifications for alibi theory and EMP theory at the end. But minimally, the episode parallels serve to show how John undergoes the same emotional growth that Sherlock had reached by the start of the season.
Chronological Parallels
Without further ado, let’s examine the 18 parallels. Some of them just reinforce the episodes’ connection, but others underscore the advancement of Sherlock’s, John’s, and the Johnlock arcs.
1. Eurus-as-therapist looks suspiciously like Magnussen:
(x)
Graying hair, rimless oval glasses, foreign accent.
2. Sherlock is back on drugs because he feels John has abandoned him. John finds him:
a) without meaning to
b) in a suburb
c) after a woman approaches him for help
d) whom he originally thought was Sherlock.
(x)
Sherlock has gone from using drugs to try to get over John to accepting that he needs John, period. In HLV, Sherlock is at least sort-of pretending that he’s getting high for a case. In TLD, he doesn’t even try. He’s high because he’s sad that John is angry at him. This isn’t subtext, it’s text.
3. John is angry and, because Sherlock is on drugs, wants Molly to examine him.
(x)
4. The villain is a creepy, well-known businessman shown making a woman uncomfortable.
(x)
My instinct is that Magnussen, the one who can find out information about people, is creepy!Sherlock and Culverton, the short blond one, is creepy!John.
Magnussen is an amoral businessman. He cares about nothing. This is the extreme version of S1 Sherlock that Sherlock overcomes.
Culverton is a compulsive killer. He cannot stop himself from hurting people. This is the extreme version of John that we see in the morgue scene: angry, frustrated, hurting the man he loves.
5. Sherlock truly hates this businessman—almost irrationally.
TLD:
SHERLOCK: This is the most dangerous, the most despicable human being that I have ever encountered….This monster must be ended.
HLV:
SHERLOCK: I’ve dealt with murderers, psychopaths, terrorists, serial killers. None of them can turn my stomach like Charles Augustus Magnussen. (x)
Why? Because they exploit the truth in order to hurt people. See #16.
6. Both episodes feature a similar-looking morgue.
Discussed by @gosherlocked here.
7. Sherlock or a Sherlock mirror (Billy) threatens someone with a knife.
8. John attacks and knocks down this person.
(x)
The drug den scene foreshadows John at his very worst. In HLV, John tries to tamp down to his addiction to danger and action and Sherlock, but it comes out anyways. In TLD, he tries to tamp down his frustration, guilt over loveing Sherlock and not loving Mary enough, and self-hatred, but it comes out anyways–with far worse results. Worse, he now also he hates himself for hitting Sherlock.
This is John’s darkest moment. His emotional state cannot get any worse, just as Sherlock could not go any further into the depths of his mind palace. The only way out, of course, is through love.
9. In both cases, Sherlock/Billy does not blame John, and Mary is tangentially involved:
TLD:
Sherlock: No. It’s OK. Let him do what he wants. He’s entitled. I killed his wife.
HLV:
BILL: Yeah. Somebody ’it me.
MARY: Huh?
(Bill turns his head to look at John.)
BILL: Eh, just some guy. (x)
10. The villain visits Sherlock in the hospital and gets creepily close, both physically and psychologically:
Compare the Magnussen deleted scene (fair warning: disgusting)
11. Someone messes with Sherlock’s drip in the hospital (Janine/Culverton).
12. Sherlock almost dies—he even flatlines in both cases.
13. A villain says an interesting line:
(x)
14. Because of John, Sherlock survives:
(x)
In HLV, Sherlock’s love for John saves him, and he recovers from the closest to death he has ever been.
In TLD, John also begins to recover from his darkest moment by literally saving Sherlock. He’s not done healing, but he’s starting to.
15. Mentioning “The East Wind”
I mean, duh.
16. The villain’s exploitation of truth
Magnussen exploits the truth to control people. Culverton corrupts truth itself, using TS-12. I talked more about the importance of truth in Season 4 here.
17. Honorable mentions to:
Using the same numbers for the number of years Culverton’s employees had worked and the number of pounds John gained after the wedding
Culverton: “I like to make people into things. Then I can own them.” Magnussen: “Of course it isn’t blackmail. This is … ownership.” (x)
The only two episodes in which Wiggins appears are HLV and TLD.
18. An interrupted, aborted love confession at the end:
(x)
In HLV, Sherlock has accepted that he loves John, but not yet embraced it: he knows he’s in love, but he’s still scared of the final confession. To take that leap of faith, he’ll have to wait until the TAB waterfall scene. Instead, he cracks a joke to make John happy.
In TLD, John is the one who interrupts. And Sherlock lets him, because he knows that John needs to get this out in order to accept himself.
Then, John is brave. He admits to his flaws and self-hatred. He takes the risk of crying for the first time on the show. He breaks through the habit of repression, and he is stronger for it.
But Sherlock grows here as well. When once he would have mocked sentiment and weakness, he realizes the importance of accepting and supporting John in his show of emotion.
So what does Sherlock do? Sherlock accepts John, flaws and all.
All that’s left is for John to embrace his feelings for Sherlock and take the final step: a love confession.
Conclusions
We’ve seen how the similarities between HLV and TLD reinforce the theme of John admitting to and accepting his flaws and his love for Sherlock.
But could there be additional reasons behind these parallels? Of course.
EMP Theory would easily explain the similarities between HLV and TLD, if the episode takes place entirely in Sherlock’s head and he is still in a coma after Magnussen shot him. Unfortunately, this also means that none of John’s impressive character development actually occurred.
Unreliable narrator or corrupted memory theory could work if most of the episode (except the scenes with Sherlock walking around London) is from John’s POV. The idea of his memories having been corrupted by TD-12 was heavily foreshadowed (why else mention that drug?). It would explain some shaky parts, such as why John hit Sherlock so hard (he imagines his actions as worse than they were) while still keeping John’s character development. However, without further explanation, it would be a bit strange for John’s brain to reuse the events of HLV.
John’s alibi theory could work if Sherlock is retelling what happened. It would explain the similarities with HLV, which is also from Sherlock’s POV. However, it wouldn’t explain why we see so many events from John’s perspective. Also, why would Sherlock need to cover up events after the TST aquarium scene?
(If anyone has ideas on how these theories match the parallels, let me know!)
Whatever theories the parallels support, one thing is certain: TLD set up John’s emotional arc to match Sherlock’s at the end of HLV. Both John and Sherlock admit and accept that they love each other. In TFP, they’ll both embrace this, and make history.
Let the Johnlock begin.
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Friendly reminder that 1200 calories is the recommended amount for a 5 year old
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i’m happy it finally spread, bc noone really reads my blog ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Eurus’ eyes counteract with the theory that The Final Problem is all in John’s mind. The last thing John would have seen would have been Eurus with a gun just before she shot him.
John would have to then imagine a little girl that he has never seen before. He would have to imagine Sherlock and Mycroft imagining a little Eurus. He would also have to imagine a Eurus within Sherrinford.
But John doesn’t know what Eurus actually looks like so he pictures Eurus looking different twice. When Eurus is little he pictures her with hazel eyes and light brown hair cut in a bob with bangs. When Eurus is older he pictures her to have long dark hair with icy blue eyes.
The last thing John sees before falling into a trance is Eurus with one contact in and one contact out: one eye blue and one eye brown. John doesn’t truely know what Eurus looks like so he has to use his imagination to picture her.
Theory thought up w/ @sick-pineapple and @johnholmescouldwork.
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i will never stop loving them and saying thanq for what they've made!! ❤❤❤❤
REBLOG IF YOU STILL LOVE STEVEN MOFFAT AND MARK GATISS
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Benedict Cumberbatch
A - Z
insp. by this beautiful gifset x
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clever and pining sherlock c:
tag yourself i’m drunk sherlock
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guuys!
@johnholmescouldwork, @sociopathicsherlock and me just came up with some kind of an upgrade and a proof for John’s agony theory, or just another one plot hole, who knows
that was spotted that an adult Eurus (2 pic) has grey-to-blue eyes, as all Holmes do, but when the child-Eurus has brown-to-hazelnut eyes(1 pic). that seems strange, we guess
and then we remembered that the last thing John could have seen were Eurus’s eyes, which were different (3 pic) - one were brown and another one grey.
that’s interesting, isn’t it?
in his agony John mixes things up whether her eyes are ome colour or another, bc the last thing he saw were different coloured ones…
(if u guys wanna add smth, i would be glad, bc more likely i missed smth)
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wishes, wishes, wishes....
reblog and make a wish!
this was removed from tumbrl due to “violating one or more of Tumblr’s Community Guidelines”, but since my wish came true the first time, I’m putting it back. :)
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but people do watch sherlock in russia and our tv can show gay stuff, and we love sherlock, so it would be kinda cruel and unfair, don't u think?
This makes so much sense!!!
They sent Russia the/one of the fake ending(s) for their cencorship reasons so we wouldnt get suspicous why Russia wouldnt air the episode or edit it it out themselves possibly!
The fake endings woulnd’t just be great and for the purpose of confusing us and the press but also take care of this problem in countries where they wouldn’t normally be able to air TFP.
I am ecstatic. (people probably already mentioned this somewhere, but that JUST hit me lmao)
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ahhhh
i’m russian, and i get to know smone leaked the ep after all the whole world knows, lmao
actually, i’m in a mixed thoughts, bc i still doubt watching…
it’s just so …. suspiciously, like our tv even start airing a minute after in starts in England to avoid being first, and now that whole thing…
(maybe that’s just our wotld wide known super hackers, who wanted to see the ep so badly, hahah)
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lmao
i'm russian, and i just screeeeam and laugh on these translations and situation
lol the russian leak link works for me. i don’t speak russian tho, so Am I Going to Even Do This???
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Fics where sherlock has nicknames for john?! ThaaankU!!!
Hey friend, I am going to call 221b_hound the queen of nicknames in the Sherlock fandom.
The Gladstone Variations by221b_hound, 17 k, explicit. AU where the two still solve crimes, but also playin a band. John composes and plays guitar. Romance, sex.
Unkissed series by 221b_hound. A collection of stories that all begin with“un.” Even though there’s no sex, John knows they are a couple. It takesSherlock a bit longer to catch up. Sherlock is asexual or demisexual here, butJohn is everything he never knew he wanted. Gradually the two of them growcloser, and explore the boundaries of what physical touch Sherlock can handle.Sweet and slow, and lots of fluff.
A Little Light Reading by 221b_hound, 3 k, explicit. John and Sherlock arereading two books for research. These books are too appalling to read whilesober. They also end up too appalling to live. Too much tequila, a mentalhealth conflagration, drunk sex and the several names for John’s penis.
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A shock blanket for your dash. I feel like we all need one at the moment
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that's just so good, thanq
Queer people deserve explicitly queer media. Not up in the air, unconfirmed queerbaiting….
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i really hope it will be so
i know that the ep the way it was in bfi screening would be great af, but i still hope for some things to happen, even if it's not logical
I must be the last person in this fandom to realize this but holy shit. They literally used the same tagline for season 4. They straight-up stole the tagline of a movie famous for its alternate endings.
They’re trolling the world. No wonder this screening was so early. No wonder they’re chilling right now as spoilers leak left and right, after they kept setlock under such close watch, after they had some reviews with the minorest of spoilers deleted, after Sue put entire countries in the basement. They want those spoilers out here right now.
The next three days are going to be incredible.
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