On Mary: I could (and probably should) do a whole post on how much was wrong about the way she was handled in HLV, and what it would take to get it right. Out of fairness, I said I liked the concept that John would be drawn to someone so us, which isn't to say I liked its execution. At all. At all all.
I've seen two theories about her background and involvement in John's life that could make some degree of sense, if done well. #1: She was working with, possibly as the equivalent of ACD canon's Sebastian Moran, possibly that she'd been assigned to assassinate John and so when Moriarty... well, in light of HLV's ending let's just say disappeared, it made the most sense to stay close to her mark out of... what? expectation Jim might turn up again? Lack of other opportunities?
The other option I've heard is that she's to some degree reformed. She hasn't been completely found out (so Magnussen can still blackmail her successfully, but she was caught on some matter that, while not the worst thing she's done would still land her in jail. To avoid that she goes back on the government's payroll, not as an assassin necessarily but as a kind of bodyguard for John while Sherlock's dealing with Moriarty's network. I favor that theory because it makes sense of her statement to John, that he won't love her once he knows the truth - knowing Sherlock was alive and keeping that information from him would certainly qualify there.
The point, though, is that Moffat + Co. didn't actually tell us either of these stories. You could debate whether there's any plausible version of events that could get a quiet GP together with an ex-CIA assassin, but even if you can stretch your imagination to that point, it's a reason that needs to be given by the show to make it plausible. So much of this series was full of "let's throw as much crazy shit at Tumblr and sit back while they sort it out" nonsense, which is really just frustrating at the end of the day. It's not subtle or clever or elegant, and at the end of the day, it just makes the show so much more confusing than it should be.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2014-02-01 02:29 pm (UTC)I've seen two theories about her background and involvement in John's life that could make some degree of sense, if done well. #1: She was working with, possibly as the equivalent of ACD canon's Sebastian Moran, possibly that she'd been assigned to assassinate John and so when Moriarty... well, in light of HLV's ending let's just say disappeared, it made the most sense to stay close to her mark out of... what? expectation Jim might turn up again? Lack of other opportunities?
The other option I've heard is that she's to some degree reformed. She hasn't been completely found out (so Magnussen can still blackmail her successfully, but she was caught on some matter that, while not the worst thing she's done would still land her in jail. To avoid that she goes back on the government's payroll, not as an assassin necessarily but as a kind of bodyguard for John while Sherlock's dealing with Moriarty's network. I favor that theory because it makes sense of her statement to John, that he won't love her once he knows the truth - knowing Sherlock was alive and keeping that information from him would certainly qualify there.
The point, though, is that Moffat + Co. didn't actually tell us either of these stories. You could debate whether there's any plausible version of events that could get a quiet GP together with an ex-CIA assassin, but even if you can stretch your imagination to that point, it's a reason that needs to be given by the show to make it plausible. So much of this series was full of "let's throw as much crazy shit at Tumblr and sit back while they sort it out" nonsense, which is really just frustrating at the end of the day. It's not subtle or clever or elegant, and at the end of the day, it just makes the show so much more confusing than it should be.