We all remember this promo pic, right? The one with John’s cry shirt.
But ^this scene… never happened.
Because during the hug and before Sherlock is still in his dressing gown, not wearing the black jacket…
And after our establishing shot, the first thing Sherlock does is putting on his coat over the black jacket.
So, this?
…was somewhere inbetween.
You’re welcome :))))
This was posted by the ContactSH twitter a few hours ago, and it just hit me after a random thought and I’m not a Londoner, but I’ve been there and isn’t this the exact view from the BBC Broadcasting House?????
Even the angle fits, because we can see the London Eye in the background. I don’t think someone not working for the BBC or with the BBC could get that picture, right????
Excuse this, if someone already mentioned it.
Tagging some people under the cut, because otherwise I would scream into the void.
@moriarty It was made from the BBC Broadcast Building.
Same edge as in the bottom left of the picture
So yeah someone definitely made that picture from the balcony or the window highlighted..
Almost like someone has access to the BBC building, almost as if this whole thing was planned…
;)
so just to exhaust all possibilities, can someone reverse google search that image to see if it can be found on google?
RP john tweeted a picture that said "four pieces one puzzle" or something like that and in it there's a black building with white ornaments, there are words in it and a number 40 that I'm pretty sure was photoshopped, there's another thing that looks like a number but it's weird bc it's incomplete. I haven't tried to translate the words lol but they could mean something 👀
From another anon:
I looked up the thing in the building, it says OOST VRIES LANT, Oost is East in dutch. i looked up “vries” and wikipedia says [De Vries is one of the most common Dutch surnames. It indicates a geographical origin: “Vriesland” is an old spelling of the Dutch province of Friesland (Frisia). Hence, “de Vries” means “the Frisian”.]
The other part says AN ?? 40 NO, the ?? looks like an incomplete 57 to me. I have no idea what this means but 57 and 40 have been important numbers for a while 👀
Other details about that building: it has an ornament that looks like a dog and there’s a boat in front of it
like i get that it’s a game but i don’t know how to do this open ended shit tbh
Ok I looked up the building on google and the numbers are definitely part of it, also the weird number thing seems to be a J7 rather than a 57, lol i have no idea if it’s part of the game but like the coincidences 👀
coincidences seems to be the name of the game
Check out this gorgeous mirroring in TBB, the episode that never fails to show you something you hadn’t seen before… note the mannequin behind Andy in the background, looking like Soo Lin (Sherlock’s mirror), reaching out to Andy (John’s mirror), through glass <3 <3 <3 (Read this mind-blowing piece of meta about the character mirrors in TBB if you haven’t already)
Oh fuck
ugh and Sherlock almost looks like he’s part way in the case, part way out help
@cupidford and it’s like he’s on his way out
OH MY GOD?
He actually STARTS INSIDE THE CASE? And then sways out and continues coming out!!!!!!!!!!!
FUCK ME UP WHAT THE FUCK HOLY SHIT?
This is by far the most stunning piece of visual mirroring I’ve ever seen on Sherlock.
The glass breaks over and over again.
This television show is a masterpiece.
john and sherlock wedged between two kissing scenes in the romance bit of that pure drama trailer makes me wanna book a flight to london and idk light trash cans on fie probably
You mean…
(I also uploaded the trailer, if someone is interested).
I’m gonna scream
I don’t know if someone has already added this but the “new” bathroom one is for a hotel at Niagara Falls.
good spot! wasn’t there talk of setlock at niagra falls?
yeah I think they did a recce there.
For @thepineapplering who noticed that the dates of the “serial suicides” in the A Study in Pink final shooting script were not the same as the dates on the show… they have changed to about 7 months apart ish, meaning that John and Sherlock, according to the “final script” met in June rather than the canonical iconic 29th January.
*SPECULATION AHEAD*
So, I looked up the dates, and noticed a possible clue/pattern. And again, the answer might lie in JOHN’S BLOG.
1) Jeffrey Patterson. ON SCREEN, he dies on 12th October.
ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPT, THIS IS NOW 12TH MARCH.
(x)
2) Jimmy, who went back for his umbrella. ON SCREEN, he dies on 26th November.
ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPT, THIS IS NOW 26TH APRIL.
(x)
3) Beth Davenport. ON SCREEN, she dies on 27th January.
ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPT, THIS IS NOW ON 8TH JUNE.
But… damn it, there’s no corresponding date on John’s blog. A changed pattern?
BUT WAIT! If we follow the original dates….
2 days after the 27th January is the iconic 29th January, when John and Sherlock first meet.
And if we count 2 days after 8th June, we get 10th June. I wonder if anything happened on that date-
Oh. Interesting.
(x)
CLUES? A MESSAGE?!
Eeeek I’m so sorry I probably didn’t phrase this as best as I could have, I’ve had some questions so: basically I’m saying:
1) John and Sherlock were always going to meet on 29th January, because of the canon nod.
2) The third suicide has to have happened just before John and Sherlock meet, so the case is still relevant.
3) So why these odd dates on the “final shooting” script that was recently released? It doesn’t make sense for Beth to die in June and then John and Sherlock meet the following January.
= the dates have been changed on the script, and they coincidentally match John’s blog…?! *eye emoji*
@jesperfaehey said: “to add onto your numbers post about the asip script, the address is 29 in the elephant in the room post so it makes even more sense! :)” 🗓👀!!
@sarahthecoat said: they have to have changed the script to match the blog dates then, is my assumption… maybe to call attention to those entries.
Yeah! Okay so I’ll post my first impressions here and then folk can have jumping off points if there’s more to be found:
1) First blog post: THE WOMAN. A mention of censorship as part of the “Official State Secrets Act.” Tragically hilarious as John thinks Sherlock’s mourning Irene’s death and isn’t fine with it but “will get there.” Sherlock complains about the post and John says the case “gives people an idea about the real you.” Sherlock replies: “HOW DOES IT?” I can sense his frustration from here. Just like he’s begging John in TLD to Get the Hint Already ( “Oh for God’s sake, I don’t text her back!”), here he’s trying to get John to realise that his version of events of this case, doesn’t equal “the real Sherlock.”
2) Second blog post: A FEW PICTURES. Brings up “The Woman” again. John reminisces with some old pictures. Here’s the ones I thought were most interesting:
First picture= the graffiti from The Blind Banker. John says: “It looks like some graffiti but it was actually a secret code. It was all secret codes back in those days” and mentions Sherlock getting anonymous messages from (presumably Moriarty) via his Science of Deduction blog.
Possible double/triple meaning there with: ‘it was all secret codes back in those days’ perhaps? What do you mean, John? Something more than the coded ciphers? Did you feel like you or Sherlock were speaking a “secret code” to one another? Mixed signals, miscommunication?
Second picture= the smiley face Sherlock drew on the wall in TGG. Now popping up all over the place for s4 Promo… it was the image for the Did you miss me blog that came on here for a day… fishy…
Eighth picture= Sherlock’s Deerstalker.
We now know thanks to Mrs Hudson that anything Sherlock doesn’t understand, he stabs on the mantlepiece. John’s tone is fond and teasing: “But this is meant to be a positive thing. I’m not dwelling on the bad stuff. I’m remembering the good times.Such as how much he loved this hat… He adored that hat so much.”
I think Sherlock didn’t understand the hat because he was viewing it in terms of his ‘public persona.’ He didn’t understand why John insisted he wore it-does John only want to see the ‘fake’ part of him? But to John, the hat is just a hat, he just thinks it’s funny, it’s just endearing to see Sherlock wear it. (like Irene Adler’s text possibly mimicked John’s thoughts: “I like your funny hat. Let’s have dinner.”).
And the final picture is the game of cluedo John and Sherlock played:
Again, stabbed. Sherlock didn’t understand it, thought the rules were wrong. (Our reaction to TFP?) John’s last word is on Sherlock thinking the victim had killed himself: “I said at the time that it wasn’t very likely. In fact, I think I said it was impossible. And he told me that it might be improbable but nothing’s impossible. I wish I still believed that.” Taking aside that context, might that be a foreshadowing of parts of the audiences’ reactions to The Final Problem? There can’t be more, the game is over, there being more to tell isn’t very likely…. but nothing’s impossible…
3) Third blog post: THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM. As @jesperfaehey says, the 29 Ryder Lane address corresponds with the date 29th January. So, the “elephant in the room” was born when John and Sherlock first met each other.
Yeah, so, calling attention to “official secrets”, codes, and sherlock stabbing things he doesn’t understand. That sounds about right. And elephants.
To add to the date differences:
His Last Vow on screen: SHERLOCK (over phone): Mary Morstan was stillborn in October 1972. Her gravestone is in Chiswick Cemetery where – five years ago – you acquired her name and date of birth and thereafter her identity. (x)
His Last Vow “final shooting script”:
1972 to 1974: a difference of 2 years. (Sherlock left John for 2 years?) (And Mycroft says in The Reichenbach Fall “we don’t want another repeat of 1972″?!)
John has 1 blog post from October:
(x) Interestingly, this is where he mentions “finding someone” (Mary).
Then @thepineapplering made my brain melt by pointing out this:
As @thepineapplering put it: are the wrong dates our key to the cipher… and is the cipher, instead of Eurus’s song, now John’s blog?!
@candencekismet that’s a good point, if anyone is lucky enough to have a copy of the physical script rather than the one via BBC writers room that came out a couple of days ago, it would be interesting to compare the dates! 👀
@real-life-reichenbach @teapotsubtext possible update with thelostspecial site showing 13th September (2016) as a date: John’s blog: “By Royal Appointment” takes place on the 15th September. “The Aluminium Crutch” takes place on 2nd September. 15-2= 13th September? (“The inexplicable matchbox” takes place on 3rd September)?? @thepineapplering
john following a red herring to find straight people fucking 🙈
john trying to rip the wig off someone he thinks is sherlock in disguise, but it’s just an old dude offering him porn
porn named tree worshippers
you know what
Lots of others have mentioned this already. However, because a lot of us are upset over The Final Problem, no one wants to rewatch and write meta. But here are a few things for you all to consider.
1) John got shot at the end of The Lying Detective. He got shot with an actual bullet. We’ve been studying Sherlock’s subtext forever and we all knew John was going to get shot, we knew the Three Garridebs canon moment was coming, yet we ignored it when we saw it because we believed the narrative spoon-fed to us. John did not get hit with a tranquilizer – he actually got shot. He’s in his mind palace. Or, rather, his mind bungalow, as he’s referred to it before.
2) The Six Thatchers told us John knows a LOT about horror films. Probably why 20 of them were mentioned in The Final Problem. John also loves Bond movies, which is why this nightmare scenario is part Saw- part Bond.
3) If Moriarty was Sherlock’s inner demon in TAB, then Eurus is John’s inner demon in TFP. This is why young Eurus is wearing John’s sweater. This is why she’s shown as a mirror for him on multiple occasions. She’s bisexual, she’s kept behind glass (repression) because her family put her there at first but now because she chooses to be there as an adult. She hears Sherlock playing Irene’s theme on the violin and asks if he’s had sex – this is John’s inner demon right here, asking what John’s already asked on the surface. John’s demon can be saved only if Sherlock comes to the bedroom and helps land the plane. “Landing” is follow-through when it comes to “falling in love”. TFP is a direct mirror to TAB – Sherlock knew then that John would always be there when he’s falling, and now John knows Sherlock would be there when he’s landing. It’s a complete mirror, exactly the one we were certain of months ago. Why did we dismiss this when we saw it? Because we lost faith in the story. Like Sir Boast-a-lot. Like The Princess Bride. We’re right on schedule.
4) Everything happening in TFP is a nightmare for John. Sherlock neglecting Vatican Cameos, Sherlock leaving him to drown, Sherlock saying “I love you” to Molly, Sherlock actually loving Irene Adler, A John-sized coffin with “I Love You” written on it closed and smashed by Sherlock, Mary infiltrating their lives again to tell them how their relationship should be. John is so fucking repressed he doesn’t think Sherlock feels the same way about him that he does about Sherlock. He’s mirrored in Molly in real life – how awful for John to think “I love Sherlock, I’ve always loved Sherlock, but he thinks we’re friends, why is he making a fool of me?” – like, The Final Problem might be my new favorite episode because this is masterful.
5) Eurus does exist, but not as a crazy woman on Shutter Island. There was a reason she flirted with John, there’s a reason she’s been hovering around them for ages now. I wrote a meta about it here. It still fits 100%. The only thing I didn’t take into account was BBC Sherlock faking its own death by dropping a ludicrous red herring as a series finale.
You guys thought we couldn’t see anything gayer, anything more repressed than Sherlock’s mind in The Abominable Bride? Oh. Oh, no. Take another watch of The Final Problem and you’ll see what actually happens to a repressed bisexual with a high sex-drive and a crippling love obsession when their mind is allowed to play tricks on him.
@toxicsemicolon Thank you for this, Amy! It’s awesome and makes perfect sense. I remember writing in lenght about Mary stabbing John, but I guess most of that still stands for the other way around too lol. We’ve been stumbling around the fringes of this one for ages!
There’s also another John-mirror who got a very ominus hand wound in TAB. It always cought my attention how they show us the cut on Lady Charmichael’s palm, but since it was never mentioned again, I took it as classic presage of bad things to come. But notice that scene is part of a retelling of real events, and while in Sherlock’s presence, she keeps her hands inside that fur muff at all times inside 221B. Looks as if she’s deliberatedly trying to hide them.
And in the end Sherlock deduces it was Lady Carmichael herself the one who stabbed Eustace (Mary’s mirror)– and he thinks rightly so, because the man was “an unpunished brute whose reckoning was long overdue”. I’ll get back to that in a minute. Now pay attention to the visual we’re given of John right in front of the body which was stabbed in the exact same place Mary got the bullet wound, while we hear this exchange between John and Lestrade:
LESTRADE: So it’s a man, then? JOHN: Possibly… LESTRADE: A very keen blade, so it could counceivably have been a woman. JOHN (snapping): In theory, yes, but we we know who it was, I saw her! SHERLOCK: Watson… JOHN: I saw the ghost, with my own eyes! SHERLOCK (snapping): You saw nothing! You saw what you were supposed to see! JOHN: You said yourself I have no imagination! SHERLOCK: Then use your brain, such as it is, to eliminate the impossible –which in this case is the ghost, and observe what remains –which in this case is a solution so blindlingly obvious, even Lestrade could work it out!
Tell me if that doesn’t sound like a “self-loathing John” (Mary’s ghost herself said it) having second thoughts about Sherlock deciding to give him an alibi for Mary’s death, and them arguing about it! I’m having a deja-vu from ASiP:
SHERLOCK: We need to get rid of the powder burns in your finger. I don’t suppose you’d serve time for this, but let’s avoid the court case.
I bet John ‘strong moral principle’ Watson won’t want to avoid the court case this time around! John might think he’d rather face punishment for Mary’s murder and Sherlock’s resolved not to. God knows how the stabbing happened but I’m sure it had to be in self-defense, or better yet, to stop Mary from killing Sherlock. This fits with Lestrade in TLD trying to calm John down by telling him “He’s right, you know. You probably saved his life.” We’re meant to believe he’s talking about Culverton… but I think he’s talking about John saving Sherlock from Mary.
A shot featuring John’s hand wound next to his golden ring, and as background the same music from the Watson’s Domestic scene in HLV (yes, the one entitled The Problems of Your Future) but apparently John’s confessing about hitting Sherlock, not stabbing Mary? Ah, but there’s another visual of someone hurting themselves after manipulating a blade, and pay attention to what they’re saying too!
Why would they do this, indeed. Sherlock would say “Good! You’re finally asking the right questions!” Because doesn’t this sound familiar? Lets go back to TAB and Sherlock deducing Lady Charmichael killed her own husband. Remember the question that was so important and yet left unanswered:
I’m sure it’s because Lady Charmichael, a good woman, thought she might as well get punished for the murder, that’s why she went to Sherlock. But hearing her story, Sherlock protected her, giving her an alibi instead. That’s why this question gets interrumpted by Moriarty saying nothing makes sense and it’s not real, thus the episode itself is trying to hide Lady Charmichael’s guilt from the audience’s eyes.
EXACTLY THE SAME S4 IS DOING FOR JOHN, BECAUSE IS BEING NARRATED AS JOHN’S ALIBI, YET THE CLUES SEEP THROUGH.
I wanna close with what I see as the cherry on top. Remember Minsk, Belarus?
The case of the man who stabbed his partner ‘over and over’ to death and who would get hanged without Sherlock’s help. Now remember Sherlock’s official YT channel out of nowhere giving us the hangman game as a reminder of how Sherlock helped in Frank Hudson’s case. I bet badass Mrs Hudson (John’s mirror) ALSO killed her spouse in self-defense, and Sherlock protected her with an alibi like he’ll do with John!
I’m honestly impressed by Mofftiss planning this and hinting at it since the beggining of the show. I want to see it happen. Mostly because we always said John can’t end up with Sherlock as a second choice… so, crudely enough, that leaves Villain Mary dying by John’s own hands as the only option.
Erm guys…..
if not johnlock, then What
[clutching shock blanket]
i don’t care if people call me crazy at this point
here is the evidence that makes me still believe in this god forsaken show against all odds:
- why would the tagline from the season 4 promo pics be directly lifted from clue unless they were intending on presenting us with multiple alternate endings to the series - why was john chained to the bottom of the well and then able to be rescued by a rope, despite the show’s extremely close attention to detail other than to demonstrate that those who don’t look closely, or even logically at a show are going to be the ones to completely ignore all of its subtext - why would there be so much emphasis placed upon ‘making television history’ - where was the rug pull - what about the LGB report - what about The Gay Pilot - what about moffat and gatiss’ description of surprises and ‘traumatising a generation’ - why reference oscar wilde in TFP unless it was intended to demonstrate how in this alternate reality we are being presented with a story that caters to the heteronormative masses - why would sherlock, obviously gay sherlock, kermit fucking sherlock, who knows next to nothing about politics except for the significance of margaret thatcher (honestly i could go into more detail on this, people already have) - why would HE not know who oscar wilde is - what was the significance of the twitter game if not referencing real events within the show related to mary’s death, unless these events are directly a result of sherlock and john’s relationship and therefore unable to be shown in the decoy episode - why is TFP so drastically different from the rest of sherlock? because it’s deliberately crafted to show us a reality in with their relationship isn’t the fundamental basis of the narrative - why include the umbrella knife sword gun / killer clown / paintings crying blood etc. other than to demonstrate the absolute ridiculousness of this episode, highlighting just how fake it actually is - why was john able to escape from being “shot” by eurus and why was he not visibly harmed or concerned in any way - why was john’s character arc and internal emotional journey cut short? because it cannot progress without it becoming textually clear that his struggles are linked to his romantic feelings for sherlock - why was the smoking gun shown to us in TLD not the same model as the one eurus used to “shoot” john? - why include so many elephants? hint: there is no other reason for there to be elephants. this is not queerbaiting. this is an intentional TJLC nod. - what was the narrative significance of TAB if not to show us the outcome of the series? - why draw so much attention to conspiracy theories and “invisible armies”? another TJLC nod. - “is cup of tea code?” … “wouldn’t you prefer coffee?” - why suddenly and inexplicably give mary a redemption arc despite her being a mirror for a character who uses her death to drive sherlock and john apart? because it’s linked to their romantic relationship. - why did john suddenly forget completely about his wife’s death despite being obviously deeply affected in the previous episode? again, because furthering his emotional arc would mean making johnlock textually explicit. - why place such emphasis upon “romantic entanglement”? - why say that sherlock is “back - and this time in love” in all of the advertisements? - why would all of the actors be so proud of making TFP if it was a lower standard than all of the other episodes combined? - why do people “always stop at three”? - why is moffat supposedly more proud of TFP than ASiB? - why would they allow the full episode to be leaked twice when they have been so quick to shut down any potential leaks of just promo pictures for previous episodes? - why would they post about the leak on the sherlock facebook page other than to draw attention to it? - why would gatiss ever make a show using queerbaiting when he’s literally a gay man? - why would moffat and gatiss, writers who have spoken emphatically about the need for LGBT+ representation, go so drastically against their own moral principles? - why would the parallels in season four imply that the final episode was supposed to mirror ASiP and then have that dropped? - why were we presented with an episode that draws absolutely no reference to anything that has ever happened in the rest of the show when the narrative is based upon mirrors, parallels, and references?
because we didn’t see the actual episode
instead we saw moffat and gatiss demonstrating how terrible the show would be if sherlock and john weren’t romantically involved. this is to put emphasis upon how crucial their relationship is to the narrative and brilliance of the show.
#IBELIEVEINSHERLOCK
Twenty years ago, Sherlock Holmes spent the summer in America. While he was there a grisly double-murder caused the local law enforcement great trouble. They couldn’t convict the man – he was about to walk free. This was, of course, until Sherlock Holmes offered his deductions and testified in court. Frank Hudson, ruthless criminal, philanderer, and drug dealer, was sentenced to death. His wife, Martha Hudson, with whom he had no children, was relieved to finally spring free from his dangerous web. However, there was one person Sherlock did not mean to cross – Frank Hudson’s daughter from another woman. This woman vowed from that day on, if ever Sherlock Holmes were to fall in love, that she would be there to take that all away from him, to take what he took from her. She, from wealth and power funded from that cartel until Sherlock left her “penniless and abandoned” (TAB), sent a message to Mycroft Holmes. The message read as follows:
“From this moment on, Sherlock Holmes has made an enemy of me. I will be in your orbit for the rest of my life. I will take from him what he took from me. You will alert me as soon as he falls in love. The code word is "Love”. Once I hear the word, I will abandon my work to start anew. If you do not do exactly as I say, millions of British citizens will die. I have consulted James Moriarty, to keep an eye on your brother until I am notified. He is a fan of his work and will be watching every online blog, every news outlet for information on his well-being. If I find out Sherlock has fallen in love from him and not from you, millions of people will die.”
I present to you Miss Morstan, who suffered greatly at the loss of her father in The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this version, she is Miss Hudson.
There is a letter game running through BBC Sherlock. Thank you @teaandforeshadowing for pointing me to this official Sherlock Youtube channel clue.
Miss Hudson, who has reached out to various people in her attempt to take down Sherlock Holmes, has her minions coded in vowels. AEIOUY – These represent four people in her web. Let’s start with “A”:
This is Janine Hawkins. Her last name changed to “Donlevy” in The Abominable Bride. Keep in mind she is one of the monstrous regiment Mary leads Sherlock to in the crypt.
“Donlevy” is a callback to Laurie King’s Novel “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” where Sherlock Holmes solves a mystery at Sussex Downs involving Patricia Donleavy, Moriarty’s relation.
It is important to note that Janine’s last name is missing the “A” – just like the newspaper clipping Sherlock saw floating past his head in The Abominable Bride. The clip read “Body of Sea Captin Found in Chapel”. Again, missing the “A”. Arwel Jones, the television show’s production designer sent cryptic tweets with the letter “A” mysteriously capitalized in the middle of a word. This is because they’re playing a letter game.
This is “E”:
Mary Morstan found out about her and “Redbeard” when she threatened Magnussen at CAM Tower. She wasn’t there just to kill him. She wanted more.
This is I, O, and U:
Here you can hear Sherlock saying “IOU” to himself and Molly enters the shot. She asks him about it. He doesn’t answer. Keep in mind Molly – along with Janine – was one of the women who haunted Sir Eustace in The Abominable Bride. She was the one who killed him, actually. I think she’ll be used more against her will in episode 3, but it’s important to note she will be manipulated in the grand, villainous scheme.
And, last but not least, we have “Y”:
See the “Y” in blood on his lips? Yep. He’s the consulting criminal that’s helped make this all a reality. He’ll be back in The Final Problem to ask Sherlock “Is this silly enough for you yet? Gothic enough?” – but these questions will be to the audience, as well, seeing series four has been very, very wonky so far. Too dramatic. That’s because we’re rewatching “The Abominable Bride”. He’ll tell Sherlock “It’s not real”. This should be the moment we become grounded in reality – or at least right after. At this moment we’ll be told just why this whole series has been so hard to follow. Patience, patience, everyone. We’re not even to the good part yet.
Do you know why “Staying Alive” was always a problem for Moriarty? Because it was in his contract to not kill Sherlock even though it would be fun. Miss Hudson never allowed for that.
Why do you think Mrs. Hudson gave Sherlock a “special deal”? Mycroft, who’s been aware of this impending problem for years, asked her to “look after him…. please”. She has always been a mirror for John – knowing this it’s easy to see Mycroft went to her, too. Mycroft has been playing chess, putting his pieces in position without anyone knowing.
He tried everything he could to make sure Sherlock never fell in love. It was for everyone’s good. Caring is not an advantage.
Mycroft upgrades their surveillance status immediately as this happens:
And then he gave the codeword “Love” to Miss Hudson to let her know the game is on, so she dropped everything, betrayed her group, and left.
In The Final Problem we’ll see “Mary” still alive, Moriarty back from the “dead”, our wonky perception disappear, and a monstrous regiment of women (AEIOU) wait to take Sherlock down. Remember, we’re watching The Abominable Bride again. Mary will jump out of the shadows at the last moment, alarming John and tipping off Sherlock of the long game.
But you’re wondering about Mycroft, about the government? No, those players don’t matter. Moriarty had to distract Mycroft and Sherlock in order for Miss Hudson’s pieces to better close in. Too busy solving the bomb under parliament? Mary inched closer. Too busy solving the Mayfly Man? Mary inched closer. Too busy getting to Magnussen? Mary inched closer.
You want this to be some epic Moriarty/Government showdown? It won’t be. This is about love and revenge. Simple. Pedestrian. Tedious.
But this is a love story, after all.
