S06.E21: Whatever Remains, However Improbable

[Lovecat]

On 9/18/2018 at 6:22 PM, biakbiak said:

The date on the article is from April of 2018 so before their renewal which was a surprise.

Quote

That's probably from next season's filming, which began several months ago. The showrunners have said there will be a time jump, and next season will begin one year from this season's finale. Joan may have adopted a child in that time, or will be closer to adoption. The article says it's from their "set in New York," but the cars have UK license plates.

[Sorry, second quote is supposed to be first!]

The pics with that article are definitely from filming the S6 finale—Joan is wearing the same outfit as in the final scene from last night’s episode.  I’m quite certain NYC was standing in for London (hence the reference to the “set in New York”); it doesn’t make sense to fly the whole production overseas for one scene. The UK license plates are part of set dressing.

I am also wondering about Clyde’s whereabouts :)

[sharifa70]

They’ve written Gregson into a corner and I don’t see a believable way out for him. If Hannah confesses, he’s still implicated in the cover-up and even if they hand-wave his involvement away, we still have a Gregson who acted completely out of character, and he did it for another character I barely know and don’t even like. I did not like that development at all.

As always, though, I loved Holmes and Watson’s interactions: “Do you think I wouldn’t tell you if I did?” “Do you think I wouldn’t tell you?” His efforts to protect her, Bell’s decision to help them, and oh - that beautiful farewell scene in the brownstone. I believed every word. I would like to see them stay in London next season, too. 

[Churchhoney]

During the Elementary Writers' live tweet for this episode, they were asked whether Gregson and Bell will be on hand for Season 7.....The answer included a quoted line from Season Three's Del Gruner episodes -- " Absolutely!!  'We do this together, or not at all.'"

So looks like Gregson and Marcus will be featured players for Season 7, once again..... I expect the writing team has enjoyed writing themselves out of this corner, actually. Isn't that what good fiction writers do? 

[sharifa70]

2 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

During the Elementary Writers' live tweet for this episode, they were asked whether Gregson and Bell will be on hand for Season 7.....The answer included a quoted line from Season Three's Del Gruner episodes -- " Absolutely!!  'We do this together, or not at all.'"

So looks like Gregson and Marcus will be featured players for Season 7, once again..... I expect the writing team has enjoyed writing themselves out of this corner, actually. Isn't that what good fiction writers do? 

I agree that a good writer should be able to write him/herself out of a corner, but this is a corner that seems impossible to escape. How do they come back from Gregson’s willingness to let Joan take the fall for a murder he knew she didn’t commit? He wasn’t covering up a case that was just going to go cold and sit unsolved in a box somewhere, which I might have been able to accept (even though it’s still out of character). But he sat back and let the FBI go after her, knowing that even if they couldn’t convict, her reputation would be destroyed. I’m having a hard time with that.

I am also taking this tv show waaaaay too seriously. I think I need to go to bed. 

[McKinley]

I loved that episode WAY more than I thought I would!  I was highly skeptical after the last episode how anyone could think that Joan was capable of beating a man to death with the injuries she sustained.  But with that tape, I can totally see them believing it was her and focusing all their resources on her.  Sherlock laid it out.  Joan was in legitimate, believable jeopardy.

On 9/18/2018 at 1:14 PM, Loandbehold said:

The question isn't whether Hannah was worth it, but if Gregson was. Given that he made Sherlock a consultant w/ NYPD when nobody else would touch him (coming out of rehab for heroin addiction), and the friendship b/w them, Sherlock felt Gregson was worth it so long as Sherlock could figure out a way to ensure that Watson wasn't arrested or charged w/ Michael's murder.

I don't think Sherlock did it for Gregson.  Joan did.  She was protecting Gregson and perhaps a little bit Hannah.  But Sherlock was doing it for Joan.  They are partners; he has always respected her choices, even when he has disagreed with them.  He could have gone to the FBI without her, but he didn't betray her choice.  

I liked the confrontation between Sherlock and Gregson.   It was totally believable to me that Gregson blamed Sherlock. Gregson was in deep distress.  He knew he was hurting Joan and Sherlock; the only way he could live with that was by transferring the blame to Sherlock.  

I also liked that Gregson and Sherlock both did the exact same thing to protect the ones they loved - destroyed evidence.  They are more alike than Gregson may like to admit.  

On 9/18/2018 at 10:23 PM, MisterGlass said:

There were a lot of little things I loved in this episode.  The last exchange in the brownstone.  Sherlock being sensitive to what Joan went through and waiting outside her door until she awoke.  Sherlock bringing "Michael's body" to the brownstone (I totally thought he did when he said that).  I wouldn't mind a good stint in England in the (now) final season.  I would enjoy it if Lestrade, Kitty, Morland, and Moriarty made appearance.  I hope Bell gets to stick around.

I was so relieved that "Michael's body" was a photograph!  It was totally believable that he would have brought the actual body.

At the end, I was excited to imagine next season set in London!  I loved the 221A / 221B house and Joan looked so bright and cheerful!  I've loved seeing the locations in NYC - they even filmed several eps in the area outside of my hubby's office.  (He saw Lucy Liu one day on her way to the set.).  I would love to see their portrayal of London.  I am disappointed to hear they'll be back in NYC in short order!  Although I'm glad we'll still be seeing Bell.  I'm sure I'll eventually forgive Gregson and be happy to see him too.  

My only quibble with the episode was that Joan was moving too easily in many of the scenes.  She should have been holding her upper body more stiff to protect her healing ribs.  

[shapeshifter]

44 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

I agree that a good writer should be able to write him/herself out of a corner, but this is a corner that seems impossible to escape. How do they come back from Gregson’s willingness to let Joan take the fall for a murder he knew she didn’t commit? He wasn’t covering up a case that was just going to go cold and sit unsolved in a box somewhere, which I might have been able to accept (even though it’s still out of character). But he sat back and let the FBI go after her, knowing that even if they couldn’t convict, her reputation would be destroyed. I’m having a hard time with that.

I am also taking this tv show waaaaay too seriously. I think I need to go to bed. 

Heh. Me as well.
Maybe Hannah will get killed in the line of duty (maybe being a little too heroic because she feels she owes it), so Gregson "confesses" in an effort to clear Joan's name (because she's like a daughter to him) so we see Gregson in jail for most of the season. In the end maybe Sherlock and Joan break him out of jail and take him to London.
But isn't Gregson married now?

[Kathira]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Maybe Hannah will get killed in the line of duty (maybe being a little too heroic because she feels she owes it),

I also think this is a possibility. At least partly because that's the way justice often works in fiction. The audience wants to see a wrong-doer punished in some way, so if they escape the law, often death by deus ex machina does the trick emotionally. In real life, we know that people get away with stuff all the time which is very unsatisfying, so we like to see a better resolution in our fiction.

[deepthinker]

The last scene in the brownstone was unforgettable. Brilliant acting, Sherlock's admission of his feelings for Joan, the tears in both their eyes, the expression on her face was incredible acting... saying everything without saying anything. When Sherlock left he touched the post on the stair.. was he saying goodbye to the house or was it a 'touch wood' moment. He admits his love for Joan hoping she would respond positively.

In London when he left 211B for 221A I had a hunch Joan would have moved in there. I had the closed captioning on because I wanted to catch every single word and the lyrics of the background music displayed as they walked down the street. It gives some further clues. They went like this..

"We all know her desire"

"I had her on a promise"

"This is the one"

"This is the one"

I have always loved Sherlock's dry wit... "I only said that because I thought I'd never see you again"... sure...

I hope the show is renewed into infinity.

[aemom]

7 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

But isn't Gregson married now?

I think that he has a serious girlfriend. 

I did enjoy the finale and like the rest of you, I'm trying to figure out how they will unburn the bridge they have set up with Gregson.

[Neurochick]

I liked the scene between Gregson and Sherlock.  It was believable to me.  Both of them were fighting for people they loved.  Hannah was guilty but it was because of Sherlock that Michael killed Hannah’s roommate.  That was the attention Michael wanted.  

I did not mind the FBI agent, Mallack?  She was not looking at the case from our perspective, but from an outside perspective.  We need people like this agent, in the real world because look at what Gregson did, he may be all law and order but changed the rules when it came to his daughter.

[biakbiak]

18 minutes ago, AEMom said:

I think that he has a serious girlfriend. 

Didn’t they end up getting married for his health  insurance because she was sick?

[McKinley]

Yeah, whatever happened with Gregson's girlfriend?  Did they get married?  I don't think we saw a wedding and I don't think she's been mentioned since.

She wasn't in the house when Sherlock ransacked it.  He definitely let Gregson know how pissed he was.  He could have searched and left everything appearing untouched.

Edited September 20, 2018 by McKinley

[Churchhoney]

10 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

I agree that a good writer should be able to write him/herself out of a corner, but this is a corner that seems impossible to escape. How do they come back from Gregson’s willingness to let Joan take the fall for a murder he knew she didn’t commit? He wasn’t covering up a case that was just going to go cold and sit unsolved in a box somewhere, which I might have been able to accept (even though it’s still out of character). But he sat back and let the FBI go after her, knowing that even if they couldn’t convict, her reputation would be destroyed. I’m having a hard time with that.

I am also taking this tv show waaaaay too seriously. I think I need to go to bed. 

Yeah, I agree with you! (on both counts -- I'm taking this way too seriously, too. lol) ...

Thing is, though -- even though they thought this would be the last season, I got the impression from a remark that JLM (who doesn't seem to say business-related things frivolously) made in the spring (something to the effect of -- "I'd love to do one more season") that they may have been given some inkling when Season 6 was extended that they just might get a Season 7. So if they had any idea at all that they might ultimately get an extension, I expect that while they were writing this finale they would also have gamed out a way to get past the apparent killer roadblock....It might not be the most logical plot twist in the world, but I'd really be surprised if they didn't make sure to come up with some possibility during the planning. They seem to be careful planners, what with all the subtle little connections that appear in the plots for a given season, for instance. 

1 hour ago, AEMom said:

I think that he has a serious girlfriend. 

 

I'm pretty sure they got married that weekend after Sherlock talked her into it and showed Gregson the six diamond rings (three of dubious provenance). ....He definitely proposed. And, after all, the main point was to get her on his insurance!

Edited September 20, 2018 by Churchhoney

[aemom]

12 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

I'm pretty sure they got married that weekend after Sherlock talked her into it and showed Gregson the six diamond rings (three of dubious provenance). ....He definitely proposed. And, after all, the main point was to get her on his insurance!

I have a vague recollection of this now that you mention it, but interesting that the Gregson Wiki page hasn't been updated:

https://bakerstreet.wikia.com/wiki/Thomas_Gregson

[Churchhoney]

46 minutes ago, AEMom said:

I have a vague recollection of this now that you mention it, but interesting that the Gregson Wiki page hasn't been updated:

https://bakerstreet.wikia.com/wiki/Thomas_Gregson

Huh.... strange .... Maybe they're just in a long engagement. ... She'd have insurance problems, if that were true, though!

[Athena]

Gregson definitely lives with her because when Hannah's roommate was killed earlier in the season, he told her to come and stay with "us" tonight. He was also on the phone getting out the garage telling someone, "No it's ok, you need a girls night out. I'll order a pizza or something." Good exposition to say that she was out of the house. Gregson's girlfriend is played by Virginia Madsen and they wouldn't be able to get her on the show easily unless she had a significant role to the plot.

[McKinley]

37 minutes ago, Athena said:

Gregson definitely lives with her because when Hannah's roommate was killed earlier in the season, he told her to come and stay with "us" tonight. He was also on the phone getting out the garage telling someone, "No it's ok, you need a girls night out. I'll order a pizza or something." Good exposition to say that she was out of the house. Gregson's girlfriend is played by Virginia Madsen and they wouldn't be able to get her on the show easily unless she had a significant role to the plot.

Totally missed that on the phone.  Thanks!

[MissLucas]

I'm sure they'll find ways out that corner. The easiest solution would be a confession by Hanna where she conveniently leaves out the part her father played in the cover-up and explains that Sherlock (who had it all figured out presto) took the fall to spare his good old friend the embarrassment and pain. Of course that confession must be caused by some sort of tragedy - in other words I don't put high stakes on Hanna's future. Once that's over we will probably get some really great scenes with Quinn and Miller, sprinkled over with some handwaving and all's well again - more or less.

 It'll probably happen pretty fast in order to to bring Sherlock and Watson back to NYC. As much was I would like to see them roam the streets of London for a couple of episodes I don't think the show's budget would allow that. Unless they go for fake London but even that is costly plus people always notice.

[iMonrey]

Quote

They’ve written Gregson into a corner and I don’t see a believable way out for him. If Hannah confesses, he’s still implicated in the cover-up and even if they hand-wave his involvement away, we still have a Gregson who acted completely out of character, and he did it for another character I barely know and don’t even like. I did not like that development at all.

They might write something to resolve this mess but I cannot imagine it will be satisfying or acceptable. As you say, there has been too much damage to the integrity of Gregson's character to fix it now. I'm betting the show wants to hand-wave the whole thing and expects us to just go along with it, but the way the story ended changed the dynamics between Gregson, Sherlock and Watson in a way that isn't repairable IMO. 

I'd also like to reiterate that even if there were no Season 7 this was a pretty shitty thing to do to Gregson after six solid years of being a real stand-up guy and friend to Sherlock and Joan.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

I'm sure they'll find ways out that corner. The easiest solution would be a confession by Hanna where she conveniently leaves out the part her father played in the cover-up 

Except that Gregson was clearly remembered by one of the garage workers... 

[rainsmom]

11 minutes ago, paigow said:

Except that Gregson was clearly remembered by one of the garage workers... 

If she pleads guilty, there wouldn't be much reason to dig past her confession. There wouldn't be a trial.

55 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

They might write something to resolve this mess but I cannot imagine it will be satisfying or acceptable. As you say, there has been too much damage to the integrity of Gregson's character to fix it now.

Gregson's behavior bothered me less than it bothered some people.  I think it has been established that his daughter is his weak spot. And near the beginning the writers had Sherlock say, "If you'd done it, I'd have done anything to get you out of it" on purpose -- to draw the parallel. 

There are a couple of differences in what Gregson did and what I would hope that Sherlock would do. First, I don't think Sherlock would have put another friend at risk in his cover up. (At least I really hope he wouldn't have.) Second, if push came to shove, Sherlock would have confessed and accepted the consequences. THAT is what makes Hannah and Gregson unsympathetic to me. Their actions were understandable, but they were too chicken shit to accept the consequences -- even when a friend was at risk. That makes them no better than your average criminal to me. Sherlock has honor; they do not.

Edited September 20, 2018 by rainsmom

[MissLucas]

Quote

Except that Gregson was clearly remembered by one of the garage workers... 

That's where the handwaving sets in. Plus nobody bothered about that dude's testimony now (and his boss had no interest to help the investigation anyway) - why should they in a year or so? Also: what @rainsmom said.

Edited September 20, 2018 by MissLucas

[Loandbehold]

15 hours ago, McKinley said:

I don't think Sherlock did it for Gregson.  Joan did.  She was protecting Gregson and perhaps a little bit Hannah.  But Sherlock was doing it for Joan.  They are partners; he has always respected her choices, even when he has disagreed with them.  He could have gone to the FBI without her, but he didn't betray her choice.

I see what you're saying, but if Sherlock felt that there was no other way to keep Joan from being arrested/convicted, he would have provided the FBI w/ the evidence that Hannah committed the murder. Moreover, if it were needed, he would have also presented evidence that Gregson covered for her. In my view, his solution was to save both Joan and Gregson.

[possibilities]

I hated it. Too much character assassination, too much handwaving, too many dangled tidbits that never got explained.

I thought for sure that we'd find out that recording of Michael saying Joan's name would be doctored, or that whoever the murderer was would look like Joan in some way, or that there'd be SOME explanation.

And Mallick was played so broadly just for the misdirect? C'mon! This show is usually better than that. Give her some motive. I would have bought her suspicion, but she totally seemed like she was enjoying going after Joan, and it never crossed her mind to wonder how or when it was even possible for Joan to have done the crime, given her injuries, or to suspect one of the FBI agents who "lost" Michael when he was supposedly under surveillance, etc? It would have been better if she had seemed to be TRYING to investigate, and if we had seen something like her team actually DOING anything.

This was a great season overall, and most episodes were quite satisfying. I'll be back, but I didn't really like this episode at all.

Bell was great. I hope Clyde and Marcus are sharing a bachelor pad while Joan and Sherlock are in England.

[theatremouse]

I thought it was going to turn out Michael had said "Joe-" rather than "Joan". Alas, he was just assuming Joan would sneak up on him a-bludgeoning.

[MisterGlass]

10 hours ago, MissLucas said:

The easiest solution would be a confession by Hanna where she conveniently leaves out the part her father played in the cover-up and explains that Sherlock (who had it all figured out presto) took the fall to spare his good old friend the embarrassment and pain. Of course that confession must be caused by some sort of tragedy - in other words I don't put high stakes on Hanna's future.

My mind went in a similar direction, and ended up in a dark spot.  If Hanna committed suicide and left a confession note she could manipulate the story.  I don't want to see that, but I could see it as a way out of a writing corner.

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, rainsmom said:

Gregson's behavior bothered me less than it bothered some people.  I think it has been established that his daughter is his weak spot. And near the beginning the writers had Sherlock say, "If you'd done it, I'd have done anything to get you out of it" on purpose -- to draw the parallel. 

There are a couple of differences in what Gregson did and what I would hope that Sherlock would do. First, I don't think Sherlock would have put another friend at risk in his cover up. (At least I really hope he wouldn't have.) Second, if push came to shove, Sherlock would have confessed and accepted the consequences. THAT is what makes Hannah and Gregson unsympathetic to me. Their actions were understandable, but they were too chicken shit to accept the consequences -- even when a friend was at risk. That makes them no better than your average criminal to me. Sherlock has honor; they do not.

I agree with most of this, but we should consider the much greater financial resources Sherlock has and his international connections with people of power. Gregson might have done the same if he had the same resources at his disposal.

[snarktini]

It sounds like they plan to unwrite out of the corner and bring them back to NYC, but I wish they wouldn't.

I'd rather they just do the next / last season in London! They've been given a fresh start, Joan says it feels right, and it could be a lot of fun. I like when shows take chances and reboot. Even when it means losing beloved characters, it can brighten up an older show and create new dynamics. It's also more true to life. Sometimes things change. In the end I more or less trust the writers to do this well, just stating a preference.

To be clear, I love the cast as is. I wish they'd never have written this arc this way, so we could keep our nuclear team intact. But now we're here.  Marcus should be moving on to the Marshals and I wouldn't want a contrivance to delay that. Gregson is compromised. Let Sherlock and Joan have new adventures.

Maybe they'll find a way to bring them to NYC to consult on one big case and not move them back. (Even though I hate Big Bad season arcs, I'd prefer that to relocating them again.)

Edited September 21, 2018 by snarktini

[CaptainCranky]

39 minutes ago, snarktini said:

I Marcus should be moving on to the Marshals and I wouldn't want a contrivance to delay that. Gregson is compromised. Let Sherlock and Joan have new adventures.

 

 

I agree 100%. Bringing them back to NY will have some convoluted story line. As you said, Macus is moving on and Gregson is too involved and with his scruples won't be able to mentally stay with the police.

However with Morland and his connections there could be a way to bring them back. Similar when Sherlock was at risk for beating the drug dealer and Morland got a deal for the DA on a big home in Connecticut and the charges went away. 

Edited September 21, 2018 by CaptainCranky

[Stella Rose]

On 9/18/2018 at 5:18 PM, Kathira said:

 

On a shallow note, Joan's starry blouse and long black coat in their "farewell" scene were gorgeous. She looked just so slim and perfect. She's worn that coat before and it really suits her. I liked that they switched her to a white dress and coat in London. It was a nice touch.

LL has a pretty cool wardrobe (most of the time), and that girl has the perfect figure to wear nearly anything.  I was in love with that long black coat/jacket too.  Gorgeous.  

[thuganomics85]

Was out of town these past few days, so I just got around to this.

Hannah killing Michael never crossed my mind last week, but seeing Lisa J. Bennett's name in the guest credits and them focusing first on Mallick as the culprit (my prime suspect), helped me figure it out quickly.  I guess I can understand her anger, but I have to agree with Sherlock that a lot of people won't have closure or justice now, thanks to her acts.  And while I find it in character that Gregson would cover for her, the way he blamed Sherlock for bringing Michael into their lives, definitely left a sour taste in my mouth.  Assuming he sticks around, I certainly hope both characters have a proper discussion about this, and amends are made.

Of course, Sherlock himself ends up going behind Joan's back, and confessing to the murder instead, since he was able to use MI6 to get out of being imprisoned.  I guess the theme of this episode is sometimes you have to do some bad stuff in order to protect those you love.

Definitely curious about next season though.  The final scene could have worked as a series finale, so I wonder how they'll pull this off.  I suspect they'll end back up in NYC, but I wouldn't mind if they stuck around England for a few episode.  Gotham is wrapping up, so maybe Sean Pertwee can pop back up as Lestrade.  Or maybe Ophelia Lovibond can return as Kitty or, my personal Holy Grail: Natalie Dormer as Moriarty!

[paigow]

14 hours ago, Stella Rose said:

 I was in love with that long black coat/jacket too. 

"I want a girl with a short skirt and a loonnnnnng jacket"

[Morrigan2575]

I liked this ending and it definitely felt like a Series Finale. If it had been the end of Elementary I would have been satisfied. Given that it received another season I would like the final season to take place in London and bring Sherlock Full Circle.

I never suspected Hannah but, I wondered about Gregson's girlfriend/wife.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Morrigan2575

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

but I have to agree with Sherlock that a lot of people won't have closure or justice now, thanks to her acts.

Since Hannah was in law enforcement, it is more likely that she would have considered this consequence than would the average revenge killer. Although Hannah might not have been thinking of the loss of closure of Michael's other victims' families when she killed him, it is also possible that she personally would have rather not known the senseless reason for her loved ones death, and, in her rage, decided the others would be better off not knowing too.

 

31 minutes ago, Morrigan2575 said:

never suspected Hannah but, I wondered about Gregson's girlfriend/wife.

Did you have any interesting motives to go with that suspect?

[Morrigan2575]

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Did you have any interesting motives to go with that suspect?

Mostly it was a Wild Ass Guess. I knew Joan and Sherlock didn't do it and I figured the FBI Agent was too obvious. I thought it had to be someone we knew and close to Gregson when he refused to help Sherlock. I actually forgot about his daughter and Virginia Madsen was the only other female character connected to the main characters I could remember. Plus I remembered she had a terminal Disease and figured they would reveal that she had a connection to one of the victims.

Edited September 22, 2018 by Morrigan2575

[atlantaloves]

the show has been renewed for next year, correct? Help!

[Trey]

Yes, one more season.

[rainsmom]

29 minutes ago, Trey said:

Yes, one more season.

Do we know if season 7 is the last season?

[Trey]

I think it's been implied that it's the last season but I don't think I've seen anything definitely saying so.  We also don't know when Season 7 will be run - as mid-season show or summer show like this season was or anything else.  If anyone has found any information, please post it.

[Clanstarling]

On 9/18/2018 at 1:39 PM, gesundheit said:

"She was more than just Hannah's roommate, she was her best friend!" Good lord, why wouldn't they just pull the obvious trigger on that???? Doesn't seem like the show to be afraid of that. (I'm so glad this show is not over, but in full agreement with everyone that it would've been a great ending. But if we get more AQ and JMH, I'm happy. They didn't REALLY get an ending that was fair.)

I certainly thought that they were going to be explicit about what seemed to be the relationship.

On 9/18/2018 at 3:40 PM, johntfs said:

It wasn't fear.  It was symmetry.  Hannah did what she did to avenge her best friend.  Sherlock was trying to get evidence about Hannah to save Joan, his best friend.  Platonic love is a thing on this show and is as powerful as other kinds of love.  And that's okay.

Valid point. The symmetry is certainly there.

On 9/18/2018 at 4:14 PM, Athena said:

It's not out of character and Gregson is a parent. I don't think he was rational at all when he blamed Sherlock. He was grasping at straws. I do wonder how they'll write Gregson's character. There is no way this will sit well in the long run. 

I am not sure if we're suppose to feel really sorry for Hannah. I agree with whomever mentioned above that every time she's on this show, she's brought a lot of misery to the characters. The actress is not helping either. 

I agree. It's not uncharacteristic of parents to do things they'd never dreamed of to protect their children. Nor is it unusual for people under great duress to lash out at others and transfer the blame because they themselves are wracked with guilt.

On 9/19/2018 at 8:13 PM, McKinley said:

I was so relieved that "Michael's body" was a photograph!  It was totally believable that he would have brought the actual body.

Me too, I totally thought Sherlock had the actual body.

I'm thinking this episode is Miller's Emmy reel, as well as Aiden Quinn's. They were both spectacular.

[deepthinker]

Why did Joan move in next door and not into 221B with Sherlock? Is it because Sherlock is still uncertain about being in a relationship again? After all, Joan stated he invited her to live in 221A and not with him in 221B. Perhaps it's also a ploy from the writers to keep us watching through season 7. Will they or won't they? The wall between 221A and 221B is also perhaps symbolic of the barrier we must cross when meeting someone we are attracted to and revealing our true feelings for them. I can see season 7 now... Joan and Sherlock will continue to solve crimes together yet will not be truly together until the final episode. And then, hopefully, season 8 will be announced.

Also, throughout the series Joan has lived in the brownstone, moved out, and then moved back into the basement. This transient nature of her lodgings fits well into her now moving into 221A so perhaps in season 7 she might very well move into 221B with Sherlock unless of course the locale moves back to NYC.

[MisterGlass]

I think it's a matter of personal space more than anything.  Those are probably small residences, and both like to have heir own working/living areas.  I wonder if there is a common patio or something where they could come together for tea.

[deepthinker]

21 minutes ago, MisterGlass said:

I think it's a matter of personal space more than anything.  Those are probably small residences, and both like to have heir own working/living areas.  I wonder if there is a common patio or something where they could come together for tea.

Somehow I can't see either of them knocking on one another's door everytime there's a case to solve. Then again they could text or call each other. But still, having them live apart seems rather cumbersome. And then Sherlock would need a key to 221A whenever he wanted to enter Joan's bedroom and disturb her from her sleep as has been a common occurence thoughout the series.

[Loandbehold]

9 minutes ago, deepthinker said:

Somehow I can't see either of them knocking on one another's door everytime there's a case to solve. Then again they could text or call each other. But still, having them live apart seems rather cumbersome. And then Sherlock would need a key to 221A whenever he wanted to enter Joan's bedroom and disturb her from her sleep as has been a common occurence thoughout the series.

Or, and stay with me here, Sherlock can have Clyde do it. By now, Clyde is almost as good at picking locks as Sherlock himself.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, deepthinker said:

Will they or won't they? The

The writers and creator have consistently stated that they are not going in that direction and reinforced that both in the last scene in the brownstone and in the interviews after the season finale. 

Edited September 23, 2018 by biakbiak

[possibilities]

I think they had her living on the other side of the wall to make sure it was clear that the declaration of love did not = end of the platonic relationship and beginning of a romantic one. But I do agree it's inconvenient to their style of collaboration. Sherlock will probably cut a hole in the wall in order to enter Joan's side, instead of using a key in the front door.

[jhlipton]

On 9/18/2018 at 2:57 PM, johntfs said:

I loved that overall Sherlock wasn't angry at Hannah for murdering Michael.  He was angry that she was so utterly fucking shit at murder.

That was a major thing in Joan's defense.  "If I had killed him, do you think that you wouls EVER find him or ANY evidence linking me to his "disappearance"? "    And Joan wouldn't have used a baton simply because it would make people think of her.

On 9/20/2018 at 4:17 AM, Neurochick said:

We need people like this agent, in the real world

We have too many people like this in the Real World, who seize on the first likely suspect and get some schnuck sent to jail, instead of doing any rweal investigating.

[AnimeMania]

7 hours ago, deepthinker said:

Why did Joan move in next door and not into 221B with Sherlock?

Here are a list of reasons, any or all might apply.

Sherlock owns 221A and 221B. This gives them more space to stretch out like at the Brownstone.

Sherlock doesn't want to get into a dispute with/have to protect whomever would live in 221A. Thin walls, bad attitudes on both sides, noise complaints on both sides, odd hours, weird behavior, weird people coming and going at all hours, the worry that dangerous people might threaten the residents.

Who is to say that 221B isn't the work space and client meeting place and 221A might be the living quarters for Joan and Sherlock. It is a bad idea to let your clients see the evidence you are collecting and theories you are formulating, so they get a dedicated client meeting area. The residences may already have connecting doorways.

If Joan does get a child, Sherlock the drug addict doesn't have to move out, Joan can baby proof her side.

Joan doesn't want Sherlock personally waking her up anymore.

Clyde has moved into 221C.

[shapeshifter]

49 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

Here are a list of reasons, any or all might apply.

Sherlock owns 221A and 221B. This gives them more space to stretch out like at the Brownstone.

Sherlock doesn't want to get into a dispute with/have to protect whomever would live in 221A. Thin walls, bad attitudes on both sides, noise complaints on both sides, odd hours, weird behavior, weird people coming and going at all hours, the worry that dangerous people might threaten the residents.

Who is to say that 221B isn't the work space and client meeting place and 221A might be the living quarters for Joan and Sherlock. It is a bad idea to let your clients see the evidence you are collecting and theories you are formulating, so they get a dedicated client meeting area. The residences may already have connecting doorways.

If Joan does get a child, Sherlock the drug addict doesn't have to move out, Joan can baby proof her side.

Joan doesn't want Sherlock personally waking her up anymore.

Clyde has moved into 221C.

All excellent points (plus a few others in earlier posts), and now I'm picturing a season 7 opening montage of Sherlock and Joan going back and forth, with the means of access evolving through ever-more-discreetly (and adeptly) picking each other's locks, to some final situational resolution that could be any of the above.

This finale was so perfect as a series finale, that it seems highly likely that next season will feel tacked on, and that any future series finale will be compared to this one and labeled inferior.

For instance, I imagine them meeting and taking into 221-B an orphan name Oliver Twist who prefers porridge for breakfast.

[deepthinker]

11 hours ago, biakbiak said:

The writers and creator have consistently stated that they are not going in that direction and reinforced that both in the last scene in the brownstone and in the interviews after the season finale. 

I remember seeing an interview a few years ago where they stated that but also stated that "anything is possible". In fact they have moved closer to the possibility with the season finale.