ANOTHER SIGN OF THREE?
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THE MOST HATED CHARACTERS IN THE STORY (several other people hating one character) - BASED SOLELY ON THE DIALOGE
THE BLIND BANKER - SHERLOCK
SEBASTIAN: He could look at you and tell you your whole life story. JOHN: Yes, I’ve seen him do it. SEBASTIAN: Put the wind up everybody. We hated him.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS - JOHN
SHERLOCK: How can John be having a birthday dinner? All his friends hate him. You only have to look at their faces. I wrote an essay on suppressed hatred in close proximity based entirely on his friends.
THE SIGN OF THREE - MARY
MARY: John’s cousin. Top table? SHERLOCK: Hmm. Hates you. Can’t even bear to think about you. MARY: Seriously?
MARY: Who else hates me? (Instantly Sherlock hands her a piece of paper. There’s a long list of names on it.)
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Immediately after the ‘who else hates me’ dialoge in TSOT John tries to draw Sherlock’s attention to this unique case:
MY HUSBAND IS THREE PEOPLE
JOHN (chuckling at something on his screen): “My husband is three people.”
JOHN: “My husband is three people.” It’s interesting. Says he has three distinct patterns of moles on his skin. SHERLOCK: Identical triplets – one in half a million births.
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And as so often with this story the word 'mole’ has, of course, several meanings - it’s not just about spots on skin or little animals or spies.
MOLE - DEFINITIONS (X)
- the base unit of amount of pure substance in the International System of Units that contains the same number of elementary entities as there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of the isotope carbon 12
- a pigmented spot, mark, or small permanent protuberance on the human body
- any of numerous burrowing insectivores (especially family Talpidae) with tiny eyes, concealed ears, and soft fur
- one who works in the dark
- a spy (such as a double agent) who establishes a cover long before beginning espionage
- one within an organization who passes on information
- a machine for tunneling
- a massive work formed of masonry and large stones or earth laid in the sea as a pier or breakwater
- the harbor formed by a mole
- From Moll, an archaic nickname for Mary (see also Molly) Etymology 3: X
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A lot has been written about the fact than Sherlock and John wear a completely similar wedding outfit. Maybe 'identical triplets’ getting married? (Not biological ones, of course. But who knows whom Sherlock might have 'casted’ for the different roles on this 'Mind-Stage’?)
And then there is this 'cheating story’ between John and 'E’ in TST and TLD. It reminds me a lot of Sherlock and Jim in TGG and TRF. A phone number handed over on a card and secret calls at nighttime. But nothing else happened. And of course, the dialoge at the end of TLD … between John and Mary … Sherlock silently watching … it gives me an odd feeling every time. (X)
JOHN: That’s all it was, just texting. But I wanted more. And d’you know something? I still do. I’m not the man you thought I was; I’m not that guy. I never could be. But that’s the point. That’s the whole point. Who you thought I was … is the man who I want to be.
Always … when I watch this scene I have the strange impression of looking at three different versions of Sherlock. One representing the past, one the present and one the future.
Too insane? Maybe. Only time will tell. Until then - I leave you to your own deductions.
Thanks @callie-ariane for the scripts.
interesting! i remember reading a lot of meta after s3, about how chock full of sets of three the show was. It got to where, anything there was two of, you knew to keep an eye out for a third. This is a good catch! and of course in s4, we were warned not to stop at 3...