Misc. Stuff

[awanderingbard]

I've had a few random things that didn't seem worth making a post about individually, so I thought I'd combine them.

1. We've been experiencing a bunch of frostquakes happening around here, lately. They happen when the temperature changes rapidly, and water gets into the ground and then freezes and expands. It's sort of like something giant has just landed on your roof, or a sonic boom. It's not dangerous, apparently, but it's slightly unsettling. But kind of cool, too. No pun intended.

2. I have a new laptop! It is pretty. Its name is Oliver, and it does everything I ever wanted anything to do. I love it.

3. I stumbled across this article today, and it made me lol. Because I do enjoy it when non-fandom people report on the Sherlock fandom doing things all fandoms do as though it were particularly weird for that fandom. Also: Curly Fu and Peanut. I don't know which one I like better.

4. AU's are successfully mended, for the most part, but as usual with a Sherlock episode, I have no clue how many days it's supposed to take place over. So, I'm having a bit of trouble trying to decide when people should know what they need to know. Also, what is Mary's profession? Is she John's secretary at the surgery, or some sort of RN or RPN? I couldn't catch Sherlock's deductions of her, so I don't know if it's ever explictly stated.

ETA: Sherlock spoilers in comments, too.

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I've seen screencaps of Sherlock's deductions of Mary an none specified a profession. I didn't reblog them or like them though, so I'm not sure I could find them again. I don't think she's a nurse of any sort, but rather an administrative sort?

Yay on the new laptop! I have to admit, frostquakes sound scary to me!

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

No worries, I'm sure I could go looking myself if I get desperate. I was thinking something administrative as well, but our doctor's offices work differently: our doctors move from room to room rather than have the patients come to them. So, the doctors would be the ones coming to get the patients. The nurses sometimes call you in to take your BP and weigh you, though, so I wondered if she was some sort of RPN. Maybe a receptionist?

Frostquakes were scary before we knew what they were. Now they are just sort of annoying.

[amerna.livejournal.com]

She's a nurse, it says so in Sherlock's deductions
(http://imageshack.com/a/img28/5670/4rhq.png)

Amanda Abbington said so too, in an interview somewhere.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Awesome! That makes me very happy. Thank you!

[aelfgyfu_mead]

It also said "linguist"; I found these two links: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-01-01/everything-sherlock-deduces-about-mary-morstan and http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/01/sherlock-the-empty-hearse, the former with a screen cap and both with a list.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I can't remember whether I actually saw this clip or someone described it to me, but apparently Martin Freeman was told the nicknames are "Curly Fu" and "Fashion" and was pleased at the latter. I have seen "Peanut" in a couple of different articles but never "Fashion" aside from the one, so I suspect no one wanted to tell him that he's called "Peanut"! I find the whole thing hilarious and have started calling them Curly Fu and Peanut occasionally in my head.

I was a bit annoyed about some of Sherlock's deductions about Mary, which is the case whenever he deduces people: I can't imagine how he could deduce an appendectomy scar. He might even be able to deduce a "secret tattoo," though I'm dubious about that. The writers don't have the justify what they put on screen, so they don't. The original ACD works often reveal the logic of the deductions, and one can argue that, say, a man's suddenly worsening appearance does not mean a falling-out with his wife (but could mean that she's ill, dead, visiting her sister, or whatever), but there are at least reasons behind them. I have had an appendectomy. I'd love to see anyone deduce that from looking at me fully dressed.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Curly Fu just seems like something Mummy might have called Sherlock when he was little that he is desperate no one will ever find out about. And Peanut! Eeek! So cute. I sort of want John to call Abby Peanut, now.

I know in the commentaries Gatiss said that the deductions you don't need to justify are his favourite, for obvious reasons. Having tried to write deductions, I know how hard it is to come up with reasons for them. So I sympathize. But, no, I don't know how you would know an appendectomy scar.

I am pleased about 'clever' and 'nurse', though. I like nurses. I hope 'liar' turns out to be something not huge, and just a reaction to her not telling John she didn't like his mustache, or something. I really don't want an evil Mary. I'd even prefer a Mary Sue to that.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I hope 'liar' turns out to be something not huge, and just a reaction to her not telling John she didn't like his mustache, or something.
I am convinced it's about the mustache. Sherlock restrained himself, not reeling off any of those deductions, but he couldn't control himself about that one. I can believe that he could tell from the way she looked at John that she didn't like the mustache, and he would immediately have decided that John must think she likes the mustache, or he wouldn't still have it.

Mary will not be evil. I don't think Gatiss would let them do that.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

Sherlock restrained himself, not reeling off any of those deductions, but he couldn't control himself about that one.

I actually got quite a kick out of how fixated on the mustache he was. It was like he couldn't process John properly because the mustache kept getting in the way. :-D

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I actually got quite a kick out of how fixated on the mustache he was. It was like he couldn't process John properly because the mustache kept getting in the way. :-D
And inspired him to draw on his own little tiny silly mustache to go with his silly French accent!

I totally sympathized, because I have been laughing at that mustache since I saw the first photo months ago. I'm not entirely sure why. Brilliant Husband defends it as a fine mustache, although he suspects they may have darkened it a little; something looked just a tiny bit off about it, and darkening makes sense. (If it were totally blond, or worse, gray, it would be hard to see at times, and look like it was coming and going. And I won't tell you know about people I know who shaved their facial hair because they couldn't stand having grayer facial hair than head hair.) I think I'd have been fine if I'd seen him in action with the mustache before, but my eyes were drawn to it over and over.

For Sherlock, I think it represented visually the fact that John had changed, and he really didn't want to believe that John had changed. I thought his "you and me against the world" bit sounded convincing in the preview, but in the episode, when he delivered it with Mary standing next to John, it was quite jarring and showed him to be in denial of what was right in front of him.

I love the way all the different physical and verbal aspects came together to shed lights on the characters' psychological traits. I've seen people complain that the episode didn't have much plot. I think it didn't have much mystery. I thought the plot was about Sherlock's emotional growth (and failures) and secondary John's, and for me, that was plenty of plot.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

I just thought in the close-ups, it looked like a stuck on mustache (which it was), and you could see just where it met his nose the little white section where it was glued-on. Otherwise, I managed to focus on other things. I think Martin actually pulled it off quite well. If they put a bowler hat on him, I think I would have found him believable as canon Watson, which is unusual because I find Martin to have such a modern sort of face, where Ben has a very period film face. It wasn't a creepy mustache, and I generally find mustaches rather creepy. BH is right. It was a fine mustache. But I'm glad it's gone.

I thought the plot was about Sherlock's emotional growth (and failures) and secondary John's, and for me, that was plenty of plot.

I was super pleased it didn't have that much mystery. I think with all the build-up, we needed 90 minutes of character stuff. I also loved that with all Sherlock wanted John back, he did not do a single thing to actively break-up him and Mary. That's growth right there. He just respected that they were together and he was going to have to work around that.

My only complaint was that in focusing, rightfully, on John, I felt like the other characters were a bit rushed in their reactions. It seemed like only John had a reaction other than That Was A Thing That Happened, Oh Well. I loved Lestrade's fatherly hug, and I accept that there was not enough time to have Sherlock have a long scene with each character, but everyone seemed quite willing to forgive him. Mrs Hudson was angrier at John than Sherlock.

[joonscribble.livejournal.com]

Butting in very late.

Martin Freeman was told the nicknames are "Curly Fu" and "Fashion" and was pleased at the latter. I have seen "Peanut" in a couple of different articles but never "Fashion" aside from the one, so I suspect no one wanted to tell him that he's called "Peanut"!

Poor Martin Freeman. I feel bad because I'm giggling as I'm even reading this because "Peanut" is so apt and "Fashion" just SO isn't. He should have known something was up.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

But apparently MF is very fashion conscious! He wears . . . eye-catching outfits. He apparently got Cumberbatch to start dressing better when BC was happy in old hoodies and jeans. "Fashion" is not entirely out of left field. Have you noticed the care he takes with ties and pocket squares? They aren't choices that I would make, but some people think that they are . . . Fashion.

[awanderingbard.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen what he used to wear the past, but I don't think he's that bad a dresser now, personally. He makes unusual choices, but they suit him. He's usually tailored properly, and everything roughly matches. He's just a bit snazzy, I think. I mean, I can think of a lot more people who dress worse than he does. Benedict used to wear weirder things.

Re:

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I'm not saying MF is a bad dresser; I'm saying that I find fashion amusing. I'm sure the fashion world would find me equally amusing if they bothered to look at me.