Mary says 'months of not speaking' or something, to John.

And Sherlock has recovered, so four to six months?

So the comfort of Watson's family life was worth a man's life. I don't buy it personally. For me the stake wasn't big enough to justify the cost.

My point was, why would a sociopath find him repulsive.

And we'll have to agree to disagree whether it's in character for Holmes to cold bloodedly execute a blackmailer.

And what about all the other lives Magnusson had ruined?

yes he did. At the very start of the ep Sherlock tells Watson that he finds Magnusson more repulsive than any of the criminals or serial killers he's ever come across.

Or words to that effect anyway.

Isn't it in the nature of a sociopath to find everyone repulsive? It is not so great a stretch to find some even more so than usual.

To be fair it was Mary's life that was at stake.

I too don't buy it..Holmes could have told Magnusson that if Mary dies he dies.

Firstly the stake was not only John, but it was hinted that it was Mycroft as well - and of course the lady at the beginning said that everyone was scared of him and there was an ongoing enquiry about Magnussons influence on the Government.

Seems big enough for me.

Especially when you factor in Sherlock's personal hatred of Magnusson, and how brilliantly and disgustingly he was played - especially that bit where he demonstrated his power by flicking John's face.

I think it worked fine.

Yes, is that why Sherlock allowed Magnusson to 'flick' John in that incredibly demeaning and arrogant way?

To allow himself to work himself up, to pysch himself up, to shoot Magnusson.

That one small incident with John truly showed what sort of person Magnusson was

There was a newspaper headline shown saying that Lord Smallwood had committed suicide.

Yes exactly - I took the inference that Sherlock knew of some of the atrocious things magnusson had done.
This was implied by his damning and emphatic speech to Watson about magnusson.
Sherlock was also so compliant and repsectful, even when Magnusson was pissing into his fire-grate, it suggested he was frightened of him.

I thought it was brilliant, horrifying and brilliant.

Yes he's a thoroughly bad sort..let's kill him.


And as far as threatening Mary, he already knows what she's capable off and was cowering before her in his apartment.

Why the hell would he think she wouldn't come after him again.

Sherlock could have said, one peep and we let Mary loose again

Yes precisely.

Well, if he could have been stopped in any other way...

But, yep, thoroughly bad sort.

Agree with aggs and Welsh Lad. We know one man committed suicide because of him, we know Sherlock found him uniquely repulsive and hateful before he even knew about Mary and the hold he had over her. Its not a stretch at all to me that he would have killed him.

Yes I definitely see where you're coming from on this. Magnussen's arrogance was the catalyst to his own downfall.




Ah yes thanks for the reminders. I was trying to think of some other examples of Holmes' natural justice.

Oh I don't know, I'd be tempted to dispose of him if he'd licked my face or pissed in my fireplace.

Just tell him you'll send Mary after him...he was pishing himself the first time she did.

It's only John being there that stopped her.

I didn't think that was the motivation at all. It was let's stop him. Arrest him? Doesn't work, he has too much power which he will continue to wield at the expense of Mary, John, Mycroft and many others. Neutralize him? How? Other than killing him or disabling his brain, there seems no way.

Actually, are we sure Magnussen's dead? Given all the earlier talk about how Mary knew exactly where to put the bullet to not kill Sherlock, would Sherlock have the same skill? Not that attempted murder would be that less serious a charge but...

Very very poor season. I now need to go and watch some Jeremy Brett episodes to remember how Sherlock should be acted and written. I'm not sure how it's even possible to make a bad Sherlock story but the BBC have done 3 in a row

I'd love Mary to have done it, and been killed herself an' all.

But we can't have it all, and I've got no problem with Sherlock doing the deed.

In fact the more I think of it the idea of CAM blackmailing an assassin the more silly it is.

"John, CAM is blackmailing me, can I kill him"

"Go on then, but it's the last one "

That explanation doesn't hold up because Mary clearly killed the other guy and both Holmes and Watson (a doctor) thought Janine was close to death. So yes, she was pretty near to being an ex person (by Mary's hand) and yet the next time we saw her she was perfectly fine.

I didn't know about this series.. When first watching the first episode I really enjoyed it!
But as the episodes progressed it came to self aware to me.. more so than usual!! Like Moffatt was even more aware of the shows "star power"
It got to the point where I half expected Moffatt to have Martin reading The Hobbit in one scene just to get the point across!!

The only really great things about this series was Episode 1, the best in my opinion, and more Molly and Mycroft! I just love how Gatiss plays him!