ALL SCI-FI Forum Index ALL SCI-FI
The place to “find your people”.
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Sherlock's version of the hoax, told to Anderson

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ALL SCI-FI Forum Index -> TV Shows in Other Genres
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17016
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 4:50 pm    Post subject: Sherlock's version of the hoax, told to Anderson Reply with quote

I know I'm not the only one who has spotted many glaring errors (deliberate, of course) in Sherlock's description of how he faked his suicide. It's obvious within the first 60 seconds that he's pulling Anderson's leg, and Anderson actually realized this before Sherlock even left the room.

Here are the many, many reasons why that description was almost completely bogus.

The entire purpose of the hoax was to fool the watching sniper across the street, who had been ordered to kill John Watson if the sniper didn't see Sherlock jump to his death. And that same man would relay orders to two other assassins who would kill Mrs. Hudson and Inspector Lestrade.

In The Reichenbach Fall, the sniper is carefully prevented from seeing anything that would reveal the hoax, because his view of the sidewalk's "impact area" is obscured by the low brick ambulance station between him and the sidewalk where Sherlock lands. But in Sherlock's description to Anderson, the large air bag was inflated on the opposite end of the building from where John stood — and this would be in plain sight of the sniper!



The air bag was also taken back to that area to hide it from John after Sherlock jumped.



So, the whole air bag element is bogus.

However, when Sherlock told Anderson that he and his brother Mycroft had arranged everything in advance (by about twelve hours, not months as he told Anderson), he was telling the truth. Mycroft provided a few dozen trained government agents (dressed as ordinary bystanders) to cordon off the street and work as a team to enact the hoax.







But the actual plan was much simpler and more intelligent than the hysterical fantasy that Sherlock spun for poor Anderson. Here's what I think really happened.

I've been convinced for years that Sherlock was caught by a Browder Life Safety Net — the kind firemen have used for decades. They work for jumpers as high as eight stories, and Sherlock only fell six.



The laundry truck we see in a few shots was used to bring the net and carry it away. It wouldn't even have to be hidden, because neither we nor John ever get to see anything but the rear of the truck and the curbside edge of it.





The safety net could be taken out of the truck and used to catch Sherlock in less than thirty seconds.



After catching Sherlock and allowing him to quickly roll off the net and lay on the sidewalk, the team that held it could simply walk toward the front of the truck to hide from John during the brief moment when John first sees Sherlock on the sidewalk.



After John is knocked down by the cyclist, the team puts the safety net back into the truck through the rear door, and the truck drives away before John even gets there.



Simple, quick, and entirely hidden from the sniper across the street. because the ambulance building blocked his view of the sidewalk in that area.

Speaking of the sniper, Sherlock tells Anderson that Mycroft's men "invited" the sniper not to shoot John. In other words, he himself was shot to prevent him from carrying out the murder.

That, of course, violates the whole purpose of the suicide hoax, which was done to trick him into thinking Sherlock had jumped off the roof, as Moriarty wanted. Then that sniper would call the other snipers and call off the assassinations of Mrs. Hudson and Inspector Lestrade.

Moriarty told Sherlock that even if he was beaten, arrested, or killed, the three snipers would still carry out their missions if Sherlock didn't jump!

Besides, we saw the sniper casually pack up and leave after witnessing what he thought was Sherlock's suicide — per Moriarty's instructions. And yet, in Sherlock's bogus description we're shown a scene of the sniper on the stairway landing as if he were being viewed through another sniper scope behind him!

A rifle with a scope . . . to shoot a man twelve feet away in a stairwell? Seriously?



Nope. Don't think so.

Consider also the time element of the gargantuan scheme Sherlock describes. The air bag could not possibly have been unrolled, inflated, and moved into position in the time between the moment John's cab drove past the end of the ambulance station and the time Sherlock jumped. Remember, they couldn't even start the job until John was in position on the other side of the ambulance station, because the team had to prepare the air bag without John seeing it.



Sorry, that wouldn't work either. It would take too long.

And who did Sherlock say did all this skilled preparation for the hoax? The people from Sherlock's homeless network!

Really? Where did homeless people get all those costumes (nurses and doctors uniforms, etc.).





Where did they get the earbud communicators several of them were shown wearing. And where did they get the big air bag? Did Mycroft provide all that? I suppose that's possible, but . . . wait a second.

Sherlock told Anderson he contacted Mycroft to set up the hoax. That I definitely do believe, but we know Mycroft hates to deal with people. So, how did he round up all those loyal homeless folks and get them organized in less than twelve hours? Okay, maybe Mycroft gave orders to a whole team of trusted government agents to go out and round up the homeless people so they could —

— Nope, that makes no sense. If Mycroft already had a team of agents helping prepare the hoax, why bother with the homeless people at all?

It seems much more likely that Mycroft gave orders to his group of trusted government agents to set up and execute the hoax — not a scattered bunch of homeless people. Also remember that Sherlock said the area was cordoned off to make sure everyone present was part of the hoax.

But how could a group of homeless people close off a street that led to a hospital? That was not exactly a back street in a London slum!

I think Mycroft would use his considerable official powers to order the police to cordon off the area while his government agents conducted the suicide hoax. But according to Sherlock's questionable explanation to Anderson, this important task was entrusted to a group of people who have no permanent address, no financial resources, and no official status.

Sorry, but I don't think the homeless network was involved at all — even though Sherlock told John and Mary in the dinner early in the episode that the work was done by twenty-five members of his homeless network.

I think Sherlock even fibbed to John about that, but I don't know why!

What about that highly unnecessary corpse which Sherlock claimed was thrown out a window? Why use a corpse for those brief seconds, when all Sherlock had to do was lie down (which he did) and have blood squirted on him (which he also did) just seconds after he landed.



He told Anderson the corpse was needed to stand in for him while the air bag was removed. That's nonsense, because (a) Sherlock could have immediately laid on the sidewalk himself, and (b) I don't believe there was an air bag anyway! Just a fireman's safety net, quickly removed after it was used.

And exactly who was that convenient doppelganger that looked just like our hero? Sherlock himself admitted he didn't know! He told Anderson that Moriarty had located a man who looked "a lot like me," and used him to scare the kidnapped children. Then Moriarty killed the man, and Molly just happened to locate the body in a morgue. Sherlock referred to him as " . . . that man, whoever he was . . . ".

Sherlock didn't even know the alleged man's name . . . two years after the suicide hoax? Not likely.

So, there you have it folks. Sherlock was clearly pulling Anderson's leg — a bit of revenge on one of the people who had called Sherlock a fake.

The real suicide plan was undoubtedly similar, but much simpler and more efficient, without a huge, time-consuming blue air bag the sniper could see, a look-alike corpse which was conveniently "found", a team of homeless people to prepare the scene, and other blatant contradictions to what we know happened in The Reichenbach Fall.

I hope we'll get the "official" story one of these days, and when we do, I hope it makes as much sense as my own theory, because if it doesn't, we're all going to be very disappointed.

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17016
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 1:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________________________

I'm still disappointed that the producers of this series let it go downhill the moment Sherlock jumped of the roof — without ever revealing how it was done. Dammit. Sad

The producers ad writers can't claim that they couldn't think of a way to explain it, because I came up with a jim-dandy way for Sherlock to "commit suicide" and live to tell aboui it. If lil' ole me can do it, so can the great Mark Gatiss and Steven Gattis!

If you've forgotten what I came up with, read the post above. Frankly, I don't think Sherlock could have done any better.
Very Happy
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gord Green
Galactic Ambassador


Joined: 06 Oct 2014
Posts: 2940
Location: Buffalo, NY

PostPosted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 5:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A brilliant summary, worthy of Sherlock himself!

BUT, my dear detective, I do believe all the point you make were mostly revealed in the return of Sherlock.

It's been a while since I watched it so I'll have to check it out!

_________________
There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Bud Brewster
Galactic Fleet Admiral (site admin)


Joined: 14 Dec 2013
Posts: 17016
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sun Jun 12, 2022 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

__________________________________________________

Exactly which points are your referring to?

Sherlock's fake suicide is never explained, and Moriarty apparently DID kill himself — both of which were elements of the series that really annoyed the hell out of me!

Surely you don't think that the ridiculous "explanation" of Sherlock's faked suicide which he presented to the discredited Scotland Yard detective was anything other than a collection of silly "fan theories" that were clearly impossible!

That whole scene was a joke! Laughing

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ALL SCI-FI Forum Index -> TV Shows in Other Genres All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group