# Here's the thread to speculate about plot directions in Sherlock series 4 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035 "2014-03-06T18:51:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/1 "2014-03-06T18:51:56Z")
I know I’m starting up again on a series that has ended, and we have a one or two year wait for the next series, but I must type out this speculation for your analysis while the last series is still fresh in my head. I was rewatching the best man’s speech scene last night and noted how Molly seemed abashed at her fiance’s dullness. She has stated that the brilliant sociopath is her type. Then, of course, we see in the next episode that she has dumped Tom. I thought, “yeah, well, if you’re looking for someone as brilliant as Sherlock, you’re not going to find him. The only one smarter is Mycroft.” Huh. And Sherlock had been needling Mycroft about how empty Mycroft’s personal life is. “Can’t handle a broken heart - how very telling.” And asking him if he wasn’t going to get himself a “goldfish.” And Mycroft looked wistful and sad after speaking via phone with Sherlock during the wedding. Molly and Mycroft must have met or at least communicated during the Reichenbach Fall conspiracy. Am I off base in my theory that Moffat and Gatiss are going to throw them together? The two writers have said that they’ve mapped out some terrific plot twists and turns for the next two series. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2014, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/2 "2014-03-06T19:19:26Z")
I think Mycroft already has a goldfish of some type–maybe a dead one–in his past, which is why he keeps needling Sherlock about Redbeard. What is the meaning of that ring he always wears? Also, it has been hinted that Mycroft is gay, if he is anything. (The “Are we here to see the Queen?” joke, and Sherlock’s taunts about whether Mycroft has ever talked to a woman.) Something is going to happen to Molly, but it may not be love. If Moriarty is really back, he won’t be neglecting her this time around. Lestrade is clearly mooning over her, but she hasn’t seemed to notice it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/3 "2014-03-07T02:28:26Z")
I could ship any pair of Mycroft, Lestrade, and Molly. The writers’ MO seems to be to give us only tidbits of these things and we fill in the blanks. I guess I don’t expect a lot of resolution on this in the next series. Of course, the two big questions are Moriarty and Mary/her baby. I hope Moriarty is truly deaded. That video of him could still have been done by Mycroft, Moran, or Mary. Were John and Sherlock setting Mary up at Christmas with John’s “these words are rehearsed…” because he is such a bad liar, and it was the only way to string her along until the baby is born, at which time they deal with her? Was there anything on that thumb drive and how could Mycroft not have read it? Is she [an evil narcissist](http://ivyblossom.tumblr.com/post/75730834594/mary-as-psychopathic-villain) who is about to do fabulously awful things? Or is she truly remorseful about her past life and will the writers then try to break our hearts by having Mary and/or her baby die? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/4 "2014-03-07T03:02:20Z")
The way I read the show, if Molly is going to end up with anyone we know, it will be Lestrade. I’ve never seen a hint of anything between Molly and Mycroft (of course, that could just be because of my intense dislike for Mycroft). I’m really stumped about Mary. The series is canon-based fan fiction, and I have a hard time imagining them introducing a Watson baby, since that would be so far outside of canon. I always thought that they would end up killing off Mary, since that is canon. But killing the baby would be so horrible. That leaves the possiblity that either Mary is not really pregnant, or that Watson is not really the father. Either of those would leave the way open to kill off Mary (most likely by sacrificing herself for Watson, Sherlock or the baby, or possibly by being murdered by the villain du jour). I have no idea about Moriarty, other than that I hope he’s still dead. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/5 "2014-03-07T03:17:23Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > But killing the baby would be so horrible. That leaves the possiblity that either Mary is not really pregnant, or that Watson is not really the father. John tells Sherlock there was a scan and the baby’s a girl. I don’t see how they could fake that if he was present. Mary would have had to somehow make sure he was not there and give him convincing images and a report. And even if he’s not been seeing Mary much, how does she con him about the baby bump? He’s a doctor, and he’s gotta feel for a kick sometime. Maybe her ex David (the one Sherlock terrorized) is the father. He is somewhat John’s body type and coloring, so Mary could be planning to pass the baby off as John’s. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/6 "2014-03-07T03:37:13Z")
Moriarty will be revealed to be a long lost brother that Sherlock knew nothing about. Because on this show there is no way that someone could be brilliant without it leading back to Sherlock. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/7 "2014-03-07T04:12:21Z")
Moriarty had a brother who is the one that planted the video? ---
**Author:** ![Robert163](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/8 "2014-03-07T04:19:40Z")
instead of outwitting his opponents sherlock just shoots everybody ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/9 "2014-03-07T04:36:25Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Moriarty had a brother who is the one that planted the video? I’m meant Moriarty will be a second brother for Sherlock. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/10 "2014-03-07T16:46:05Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > Lestrade is clearly mooning over her, but she hasn’t seemed to notice it yet. Is he? That went right over my head. I’ll have to re-watch a scene or two. He’s good-looking, but not especially brilliant. I, too, just haven’t a clue how they’ll deal with Mary and the baby going forward. I like the actress, but I do know that Mrs. Watson just didn’t feature very heavily in ACD’s stories. We’ve already seen the one scene from the books in which she had much of anything to do: the neighbor knocking them up to ask for help fetching her drug-addled son. That doesn’t bode well for television Mary. Geez, do we have to wait two years _again_ to find out? Our heroes are going to go old and wrinkly. The latest I’ve heard is 2016. Has anyone heard differently? ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/11 "2014-03-07T17:41:19Z")
Lestrade was very displeased when Tom was introduced at the end of “The Empty Hearse.” He’s also seated near Molly and Tom at the wedding reception, where he is getting resolutely sloshed. I can’t tell where they are going with Mary and the baby either. Maybe it isn’t John’s. I did see an interesting speculative piece somewhere that floated the idea that Mary is connected to the “family” of thieves that Donovan and Lestrade were after at the beginning of “The Sign of Three.” It would make sense, given that the original Mary Morstan’s father was involved in stealing a treasure and Magnussen did make a point of mentioning her absent family in his threatening telegram. They also spent rather a lot of valuable screen time on those robberies just for the sake of a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Parenchyma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Parenchyma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parenchyma)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/12 "2014-03-18T21:29:28Z")
Reviving this thread a bit, because I try to keep an eye on what the kids are up to on tumblr and found this analysis of how Moriarty could be not dead. [Well done.](http://atlinmerrick.tumblr.com/post/79991931160/hi-im-new-here-and-ive-been-engrossed-in-all-the) Still hope he’s dead, though. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/13 "2014-03-18T23:45:04Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > Lestrade was very displeased when Tom was introduced at the end of “The Empty Hearse.” He’s also seated near Molly and Tom at the wedding reception, where he is getting resolutely sloshed. I re-watched a scene on youtube this morning, and you’re so right. The scene was the Christmas party at 221B, and when Molly took her coat off and displayed her revealing dress, Greg’s jaw hit the floor and he was staring at her all the time she was staring at Sherlock. Completely missed this foreshadowing - thanks. ::Reading **Parenchyma’s** link:: Brilliant. That seems to hold together. I’d rather have Moriarty himself back rather than a “brother of Moriarty” as has been hinted in some blogs I’m reading. The little bastard. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/14 "2014-03-19T18:01:32Z")
Not that it may mean anything, but I did see an interview with Moffat in which he stated that Moriarty was absolutely dead - blew his brains out. Sure sounded like he was shutting the door on that. Nobody ever thought Sherlock was really dead, except John of course. Re: Molly & Lestrade - I’d like to see that happening eventually, but I think there still needs to be some resolution to her thing for Sherlock. In “Final Vow” his drug use dropped him pretty sharply in her estimation and possibly made him more attainable in her eyes. I think before she can give Greg a real chance she still needs something to finally end her hopeless attraction to Sherlock without making her hate him. She certainly has gotten a stronger character arc lately so maybe that will play out over season 4. Molly is absolutely my favorite secondary character, but I really, really like Mary. Of course an infant at home means she will necessarily take a less active role, while the nature of her background means John does not have to worry nearly as much about their safety and can more easily run & play with Sherlock. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/15 "2014-03-19T18:29:57Z")
I really, really wonder where they are going with the whole baby thing. I can’t visualize the show just continuing on with Sherlock, and John, and Mary, and the kid; even if Mom is a “retired” assassin. The scenes with Sherlock and little Archie were cute, but I’m not sure I’d want a steady diet of it. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/16 "2014-03-19T19:13:45Z")
I think this thread has some excellent speculation. 🆒 Personally I’d like to see more of Mycroft’s glamorous assistant Anthea (Lisa McAllister.) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2014, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/17 "2014-03-20T22:35:42Z")
If there’s anything the fans adore (to judge by the reaction videos), it’s seeing Sherlock getting thrashed by one of his co-stars. John has punched, choked and head-butted him; Irene has beaten him; and Molly has slapped him into next week. So here’s another series 4 speculation: either Mycroft is going to cane him with his bamboo-handled umbrella or Lestrade is going to clobber him with a cricket bat. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/18 "2014-07-02T17:28:20Z")
There has been an announcement about future episodes, first a special and then a 3 episode fourth series–but apparently the special might air Christmas, 2015 and the series in 2016: > **[Best Online & Offline Games in 2021](https://allgamesbeta.com/)** > > Top 10 Best Online & Offline Games in 2023 (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and More) January 4, 2021 This article has been just updated: January 4, 2021 Even though publishers like to release the most anticipated games near the holiday season, there... ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/19 "2014-07-02T18:28:40Z")
Yay for a Christmas special! Boo for a year and a half wait for it. And here’s another article regarding the same: [“Miss me?”](http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2014/sherlock-miss-me) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035/20 "2014-07-02T18:58:35Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > Lestrade is clearly mooning over her, but she hasn’t seemed to notice it yet. Isn’t Lestrade married? I seem to recall something about him and his wife having issues at one point but I don’t recall hearing about a divorce or even a separation. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-the-thread-to-speculate-about-plot-directions-in-sherlock-series-4/683035.md?page=2)