What the hell really happened in the last episode of *Sherlock*? (**SPOILERS**)

[First Speaker]

This series loves playing mind-fuck games with its viewers, and I wonder if they haven't done it again. I mean, even on the ostensible level of the story--come on. *Mary*, a former CIA contract killer? But OK, let's accept that...and accept her being *so* good a shot that she can aim a bullet so that it just misses killing Sherlock. OK. But the ending? We see Magnusson seemingly triumphant, holding all the trump cards...we see Mycroft and his minions about to rescue this piece of crap...when suddenly, Sherlock goes crazy and *bang*, out comes a gun and he just kills him?
This is the same Sherlock who *always* turns the tables on the bad guy. Who *always* has the ace of trumps up his sleeve. But this time, he just murders someone out of the blue...and just happens to shout out, "I'm not a hero, I'm a sociopath!" while he's doing it. That sounded to me like he was sending somebody--Watson and/or Mycroft--a very ostentatious message--about *something*. I think it at least possible that this ending of Season Three is every bit as much of a mind-fuck as the ending of Season Two was. If we can believe Sherlock's explanation about that little incident which he gave the head of his fan club, the fall off the building was meant to fool Watson. (I don't think that explanation holds water, but never mind.) Was this--the shooting of Magnusson--meant to be a mind-fuck for the benefit of *Mycroft*? Obviously, Mycroft had to been a partner in Sherlock's "death". To fool Watson. Could Sherlock have intended this whole business as a charade to fool Mycroft, for whatever reason? We know, after all, that Mycroft bought it completely, if it was. But I wonder if Sherlock used Watson, somehow, to turn the tables this time on Mycroft...
And of course, there's the very end of this episode to take into account. Moriarty blew his brains out on the roof of the building. Yet here he is! Assuming for the moment that he *is* alive--conceivably, that ending might have been something he programmed in advance of his death, to be unleashed on the world at just that moment--but assuming that he is alive...well--what do we see? Moriarty, "killing" himself with a gun. Sherlock--"killing" Magnusson with a gun. Coincidence?
Of course, I might be all wet. But I think the mind-fuck element of the series makes this legitimate speculation...and it's a lot of fun, in any event. Watson said during this episode--"is everybody I've ever met a psychopath"? Be that as it may, I wonder just how much of what we've ostensibly witnessed in the three seasons of *Sherlock* can be trusted--at all...

[irisblue]

1. season2 sherlock....

I will watch this via Netflix this weekend. You are speaking of the season 2 ending, correct?There are a lot of twists that turn into tropes on that show. Cheers!

[First Speaker]

2. Actually, I'm talking about Season Three's ending...

...contrasting it to Season Two's ending...

[irisblue]

4. thanks for the correction

from Arthur Canon Doyles' canon writing to current television/movie writing (yes I'm giving you squint eye Guy Ritchie) it is difficult to keep in line. Cheers! and if your trapped from bad weather...well, the original is gold.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. I'm not sure, but I do love that show.

I don't think it's quite as recursive as you suggest, though. I think what happened is exactly what we saw, with the exception, if it is one, to Sherlocks's usual M.O. was that Sherlock kills his adversary instead of outwitting him. But he had to do that because killing Magnussen was the only way to eliminate his "archive" and save Mary from whatever he had on her, which in turn saves Watson from horrible disillusionment. Clearly, he didn't kill him for the sake of eliminating him, but to get rid of the dirt he has on people. It would have been like blowing up a physical archive, or a hard drive.

Accordingly - I don't think Sherlock is a sociopath at all, although he likes to claim he is. I'd say he's more like a darker and more dangerous version of Sheldon Cooper: He's very smart; he lives mostly in his own head; he can't handle social situations and he doesn't know the meaning of the word "tact." A true sociopath can be totally sociable and charming when he wants to be in order to manipulate people, which Sherlock normally is not (though he did date Janine just in order to get into Magnussen's office, but it appears he didn't actually seduce her). Also, he does genuinely seem to care about Watson, and probably a few other people.

It will be interesting to see what happens next (which we might not see until 2016!!! because the actors are so booked with other work). Is Moriarty really dead? If not, who staged his death, and why? Will Mary have a fling with Sherlock since they're two of a kind? Dunno, but I do love that show.

Also, Benedict Cumberbatch is totally hot.

[narnian60]

5. I agree with your "totally hot" comment,

and I don't want to wait until 2016 for my next Sherlock fix.

[uppityperson]

6. I saw this season was about Sherlock learning it is ok to feel and not doing very well, and John

learning he is not the mild mannered doctor he is trying to be.

The Moriarty showing up thing could very easily have been done by either of the Holmes boys, sorry, men. They both are good actors (as the Holmes'). Could be someone in Moriarty's network but most likely either Mycroft or Sherlock.

One of the problems I had reading ACD's Sherlock was he always with held the one piece of evidence you needed to solve the crime, which of course Sherlock had.

I feel the same way here, that they are with holding evidence, hoping we will jump to conclusions about things.

Benedict is very hot as Sherlock, but I must confess I have grown to very much like and appreciate Martin Freeman. He made a great hobbit also.

[texanwitch]

7. I just started to watch the show.

I was sleepy watching this episode and didn't catch all of it.

I missed a few of the shows.

I like it so far.

[csziggy]

8. In the original story this is based on

One of the blackmailer's victims kills him while Holmes and Watson hide (since they were burglarizing the blackmailer's house). Holmes burns the blackmailer's papers, then he and Watson narrowly escape being caught. When Lestrade asks Holmes to investigate the murder, Holmes refuses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventure_of_Charles_Augustus_Milverton

I sort of like the modern twist, leaving out the victim and having Holmes eliminate the repulsive blackmailer.

[elfin]

10. Ooh, the blackmailer was really CREEPY. Eom

[elfin]

9. It is getting surreal in many segments

So maybe Moriarity returning is just another mind game - or perhaps the "death" of him was one. Or the broadcast-interrupting video of him was one.

Getting harder to follow. Wonder if the writers have an LSD problem.

Nevertheless, never miss it and remains a fave.

[NYC_SKP]

11. I think they are reinforcing the subtext that Watson is of inestimable importance to Holmes.

Like the end of series 2, nothing mattered more than Watson's feelings.

In this finale, there's a lot going on, but the evil that a person like Magnusson is capable of, and the harm that he can do to Mary and Watson and, maybe, Holmes himself, made it worth the risk.

His ego might have expected that if sent away for 6 months, he's be needed back before dying out there, so little to risk in shooting Magnusson.

But at the core, I think Watson is everything to Holmes.