How Watson changed Sherlockās life (disclaimer: spoilers for anyone who hasnt watched this)
I donāt think Watson gets enough credit for humanizing Sherlock.Ā
Sherlock passes himself off as cold and smarter than everyone else but until Watson,Ā I donāt think Sherlock has ever allowed himself to get carried away with them ever since Red beard's death. Naturally Mycroft-- tho he would never admit it-- nurtured this lack of human connection (āI warned you Sherlock, ādonāt get involvedāā ep sign of three) because he cares for Sherlock and thought it was the best way to make sure that his little brother would never get hurt the way he did with Red beard. The funny thing is, Sherlockās always cared for people closest to him regardless of the apparent disregard he expresses for sentiment, which is one of his best hidden traits. Watson just brings that side of him out more.
After Watson tells Sherlock that heās his best friend, the audience sees a change in Sherlock. Deep down, heās always cared for Watson, but in the wedding episode onward, we see a Sherlock that goes out of his way to make sure that his best friend is happy. Mary is the light of Watsonās happiness and after the episode where he outs her being an ex-spy, he knows that Watson is Maryās light as well and is clever, so he grows to care for her too and is broken up when Mary dies-- not just for John, but over her as a person.Ā
