pammerjo asked: “in ASiB, when Sherlock, Irene and Mycroft are in Mycroft’s (office?)- M. says “the dominatrix who brought a nation to it’s knees” and S. opens his eyes and sucks in his breath. How did he go from that to figuring out the password?”
This is an amazing question. But first, we need to back up. Because Sherlock’s deduction process begins before the “dominatrix” line.
Irene turns away from Mycroft to the sulking Sherlock, no doubt because she knew her next words would have an impact. Unfortunately for Irene, those words triggered her undoing:
She turns back to Mycroft, but Sherlock’s onto something now. If he’s not in his mind palace, he’s at least staring at it from across the moat.
We get another close-up of his face when Irene says Jim calls him “The Virgin.” But look at Sherlock’s eyes.
He hears Irene, but his attention is focused elsewhere. He’s connecting dots, putting it all together.
“I think he just likes to cause trouble…now that’s my kind of man,” says Irene of Jim, and Sherlock closes his eyes. Concentration intensifies.
“The dominatrix who brought a nation to its knees,” says Mycroft, but before the sentence is complete, Sherlock’s eyes open and he takes a deep breath.
He’s got it.
“Nicely played,” Mycroft tells Irene, but Sherlock disagrees.
“I said no. Very very close, but no.”
Somehow, in between Jim Moriarty sends his love and the dominatrix who brought a nation to its knees, Sherlock has figured out Irene’s password. She clearly triggered his deduction process with her mention of Jim. So how did that go?
Here’s how I imagine Sherlock’s thought process working in this half-minute. I’m going to do my best to visually connect the dots the way I imagine Sherlock does in his mind palace.
jim moriarty sends his love, jim helped plan this, jim sends his love
[“i will burn the heart out of you”]
the virgin, inexperienced in love, [“who the hell knows about Sherlock Holmes but for the record, if anyone out there still cares, I’m not actually gay” “and i am, look at us both”]
(john didn’t deny it,why didn’t he deny it) [“are you jealous?” “we’re not a couple” “yes you are”]
“you looked sexy on crimewatch" “let’s have dinner” “I’m not hungry, let’s have dinner”
“you flirted with Sherlock Holmes" ”are you jealous?“ FOCUS
the passcode, 221B, 1058, WRONG, “I assumed you’d choose something more specific than that…”
“you’re rather good,” “you’re not so bad,” “HAMISH. John Hamish Watson, if you’re looking for baby” names, i assumed you’d choose something more specific
“would you have dinner with me,“ pulse elevated, pupils dilated, the chemistry’s incredibly simple, sentiment,love, i assumed you’d choose something more specific, if you’re looking for names, I AM –
SHERLOCKED.
Of all the episodes, ASiB is the most difficult to write metas about, simply because (in my opinion) it’s the one that challenges our ability to see through heteronormativity the most. “Oh come on – why would John have anything to do with Sherlock’s deducing Irene’s password?“
Well…because Sherlock tells us so. The Coventry/Hamish scene is the last time we see John. It’s pretty much the last time Sherlock sees John, too – he figures out the Coventry plot right after John’s jealous outburst, and then…
Irene texts Jim
Jim texts Mycroft
Mycroft is fuuuucked
so he sends some dudes to interrupt Sherlock and Irene’s “romantic” fireside chat, chews his brother out for falling for some dame, and here we are.
One of the most frustrating (and realistic) things about this episode is that the Battersea conversation clearly had an enormous impact on both John and Sherlock, but they never discuss it with one another. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking about it.
It’s clear that conversation, all the questions (“are you jealous?” “we’re not a couple”) Sherlock has regarding John are very much a part of his thought process when it comes to deducing Irene’s password. Why?
Because John hasn’t been present nor mentioned since the Coventry deduction, and yet when Sherlock figures out Irene’s password in this scene, he says:
“Because I took your pulse. Elevated - pupils dilated. I imagine John Watson thinks love’s a mystery to me but the chemistry is incredibly simple, and very destructive.”
I imagine John Watson thinks love’s a mystery to me. Who the hell knows about Sherlock Holmes.
What Sherlock overheard at Battersea is still very obviously on his mind.
It’s the same reason we see Sherlock confronting a naked Irene in his mind palace during his “Hamish” deduction at John’s wedding. When it comes to Sherlock’s thoughts on love and sex as pertains to him, the Battersea conversation – look at us both – tied these two together in his mind.
I got chills! Holy Mother of Deductions this is simply brilliant!
