Some Positivity: What's Your Favorite Moment/Scene from S4?

The last scene in The Final Problem. Starting when Sherlock begins playing the violin, Eurus joins in, repairing 221b, Mary's tape, "You know where to find me. -SH", everyone popping in and out of 221b, solving crimes again, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Love that scene, the sentiment, the editing, the score.


Do you even know what honor is?
- A horse.

The last scene in The Final Problem. Starting when Sherlock begins playing the violin, Eurus joins in, repairing 221b, Mary's tape, "You know where to find me. -SH", everyone popping in and out of 221b, solving crimes again, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson
I agree! That's the reason I hope they submit TFP for the Emmys. That one scene alone deserves to win every technical award, and the rest of the episode can win it the rest of the awards.

But let me add The Hug from TLD. That whole scene was perfect.

Basically all of TLD except the beat-up scene (I really dislike the way Moffat disregards violence between friends as "not that big of a deal").

My favorite part of S4 was the night Sherlock spent with Eurus to stop her preventing suicide; especially his speech on the bridge. Your life is not your own to take; your death is something that happens to everyone else.

My sister's suicide at age 37, about 18 years ago, ripped my family apart. Seeing how much pain she caused for the people she loved the most has utterly stopped any suicidal thoughts I have ever had.

That was my favourite scene from T6T. It was so filled with emotion and seemed so tragic and yet underneath it was very positive and life affirming. Those lines about your life not being your own to take were poetic. And the camera work was superb as well. That video highlighting this scene described everything so very well. Just mastermaking storytelling at its finest.

I can't pick a favourite from the entire season though. I think I can do a fav from each episode. T6T is already covered, so moving on to TLD - my best moment or scene was the reconciliation scene between Sherlock, John and the spirit of Mary. So much going on their emotionally between all three of them. Wonderfully acted (I think I mentioned before that I thought this was THE finest bit of acting from MF I have ever seen in the entire show) by all three of them. And it was so well written, with that element of humour (the whole text sound on Sherlock's phone bit) and yet also getting so serious as well (with John confessing his cheating). Beautiful balance.

And lastly, TFP. I loved everything about this episode, but if I was forced to pick one scene or moment (and I mean forced) I would probably pick the final segment. Like others have said it is the perfection of the intercutting shots, the swelling music, the acting (especially all that eye contact acting between Sherlock and Eurus as they are playing their violins), the direction, the writing (with that heartfelt signing off delivered so perfectly by Mary) - everything was exactly done as it should have been so that by the ending shot of them running through that doorway my heart was almost bursting with happiness.

That, all of that, is just really great storytelling from everyone involved.

:-))


"You're going into the water... short-arse!"
- Sherlock

That really was a fantastic scene, all of Sherlock's 'danger night' with "Faith", but that scene on the bridge especially.
Given what we learned later just gives it more layers and makes it more powerful.

Also, JR, so sorry to hear what your family went through. Hugs to you and yours.


Have a lovely day - John Finnemore

My sister's suicide at age 37, about 18 years ago, ripped my family apart.
I am so sorry about your sister. I can't imagine how horrible it must have been. I haven't been through that myself, but about 25 years ago a good friend told me she was planning to end her life. It was a complete shock. I was the only person she told, so I had this massive burden of talking her out of it. The only reason she told me was because she wanted me to do some things after she died. While my mind was exploding, she calmly explained her plan - it would look like an accident to spare her very religious Catholic mother any shame. When she finished speaking, I told her no, I wouldn't help her, and if she did this, I would never forgive her. I'm sure that goes against proper suicide-prevention techniques, but what did I know?

My friend is still alive and well. I wasn't able to talk her out of it, though. She was just too scared to go through with it, and now realizes that she needed professional help back then.

So yes, that scene on the bridge meant a lot to me, too. It was important and beautifully done.

I told her no, I wouldn't help her, and if she did this, I would never forgive her. I'm sure that goes against proper suicide-prevention techniques, but what did I know?
In the course of my career, I was required to take Suicide Intervention and Grief Counseling classes. During a break in the first SI class, I shared with the trainer that an unusual suicide threat had happened with my daughter. She had been struck down (literally over 18 hours) with a rare neurological disease that left her completely paralyzed the first day. After she survived the first 72 hours when the neurosurgeon told us that she would die, she was in ICU for a month and then transferred to a wonderful rehab hospital down the street.

She had been moved midday, which is always challenging. She still had 100% loss of everything except her throat working well for swallowing and speaking and her eyes being able to function completely. My job at the time was total commission, so no backup wages for time off, even vacation, so I needed the hours. When I arrived in the evening, the first thing she said was that she was not going to live, that she would will herself to die because she could not stand being like this for the rest of her life.

Having worked in the helping profession in several areas, I had expected this to happen, especially knowing my daughter. I asked questions about why she had made the decision so soon before her nerves began to regenerate and asked if the pain meds were not effective, and then if it was because she was afraid this would be it forever? When she said "yes" to everything and that it was her decision to quit, my answer was similar to yours, Milemass,

I told her how much I loved her, always had, and always would; that I would be with her every step of the way however scary it got, yet I completely believed God was going to heal her so she could walk out or the hospital. While I had no idea how long that would take, I promised to be there everyday. However, if she wanted to quit because she did not have either the faith in herself and in her strength, I respected her decision, but I would not be able to support her because it would be too painful and break my heart to watch her quit.

I told her that I loved her and would be praying for her in making this decision because so many people were sending their love, thoughts, prayers, energy, and time in earnest desire for her to heal. (Prior to her transfer, I had a conversation with her father and his wife about this possibility,) He arrived later the same evening and the conversation was repeated.

The next day he went to see her first thing in the morning and she greeted him with: "Well, I have decided to live and I am going to walk out of this hospital." Four and a half very difficult months later, she was able to walk from a wheel chair to the car (about four feet) and was in our patient rehab for 18 months before being released.

I had shared this story with the trainer as being another option when the person is well known to you, He looked at the man who was with us and then at me, replied tersely: "You were completely wrong and ineffective." Then he turned back to the forms they had been viewing, dismissing me. His loss.

My daughter was so glad that she made that leap of faith in herself, her family, friends, strangers, and God. She had many adventures, added to the lives of countless others, and lived with continual pain. God gave her almost twenty years more, for which we were all grateful. The choice to live can be the bravest decision we make, when that choice means walking away from dying as the only alternative.

When Sherlock spoke those words to Faith, I got goosebumps from the strength of his message. People need to hear the words. The promise of being with the person if s/he chooses life is extremely powerful. And never easy.

The Final Problem was very rich with family issues and I could relate at lesser levels to several. The only holes that I saw in the episode were those in the hearts of many characters. What a blessing to see The Final Healing with the Holmes family together for the first time in decades.


A Checkered Life speaks of myriad diverse adventures being the rewards of endless curiosity.