#episode notes

Charles Augustus Milverton

(Sherlock & Co. Podcast)

Charles Augustus Milverton being one of the most iconic bad guys in the Sherlock Holmes universe, and of course Holmes and Watson making out hiding out in his room and constantly holding hands throughout the case is equally iconic, so expectations were high. And Joel Emery & the podcast team did not disappoint!

CAM himself was delightfully disgusting. I wanted to cheer John for knocking him out in defence of Sherlock.

I was in two minds at first about how the cases have started intertwining. Sherlock already sneaking around London doing research and having meetings with John and Mariana out of the way on the Lady Frances Carfax case… The unknown semi-murderous lady being Irene Adler…

But now I feel that it’s really skilfully done. You have heard me complain before about other SH adaptations that they all lose something (in my eyes) when they stop being actual cases and instead descend into a multi-episode Moriarty hunt. But in this case, Joel may just be pulling off the impossible and turning the Moriarty presence/influence into an every-present background thrill, without taking away from (or entirely eliminating) the actual cases, or demeaning the other powerful characters who populate them.

Talking about icons, I couldn’t believe we got "Sherrinford Holmes", John Watson with a moustache AND the deerstalker all in the same case! But poor John, everyone hates the moustache but everyone loves the deerstalker. I will have to have a word with Sherlock wearing it to his most famous breakin, though. Way to stay incognito!

I figured that a data drive was a good alternative for absolutely scandalous documents, although I also want to have a word with CAM for using such an idiotically easily breakable password. Didn’t tech savvy people stop using lexical words as passwords around 2005?

"Wild child" - "I‘m familiar with that euphemism." Oh Sherlock. 😭

"We‘re so synchronised!" - How to say I love you in Sherlock Holmes.

"Take my hand!" YES!

Does anyone else feel an urgent need to meet Sherlock’s super-hacker cousin Raffles? (And is that name a reference to something outside of ACD? If yes, I’m not getting it.)

Oh and of course the CAM story also includes the Agatha/finacée saga. Possibly one of the cruellest things Sherlock Holmes ever did. And I have yet to come across an adaptation where that stunt is presented as exactly as cruel as it is. In the BBC radio plays, Agatha gets engaged with Holmes only to spite her actual serious boyfriend, with whom she has had a row, and bounces back to him right away. In the BBC TV series, "Agatha"/Janine ultimately gets money & fame out of the affair, while Sherlock only gets humiliation. In our podcast, Agatha is clearly after improving her immigration status (which I honestly can’t believe Sherlock didn’t see). Has any adaptation ever had the guts to spell out that it is genuinely not OK to break a girl’s heart just to break into a home? It’s also funny to me how all the adaptations are very eager to stress that they definitely didn’t have sex.

But I don’t remember any previous adaptation where John's jealousy over Agatha leads to an action physical tussle between himself and Sherlock, so that was definitely a plus. These guys are so ridiculous, I love them.

Also, "I can perform the role of a straight man in the grips of love." - "No you can't."

Masterpost Statement by: Nathan Watts Statement from: April 22 2012 Involved entities: Stranger

Pre-statement: -Jon complains about Gertrude's lack of organisation and digitisation -Says he is met with "significant audio distortions" when he attempts to record digitally

Statement: -Takes place in March 2010 (Watts says it took place a few years before giving a statement, but John Fellows goes missing in March 2010 and it seems that was at the same time as Nathan Watts' encounter -At a party in Edinburgh College, to celebrate his friend, Michael MacAulay being accepted to do a masters in earth sciences. -Encounter occurs while he's walking home, drunk. The streets are steep so he takes a fall, and rolls a cigarette to calm himself -Asked by figure in alley "Can I have a cigarette" Described as having no intonation -Watts rolls another, but refuses to go into the alley, instead waiting for the figure to come out and get it -Figure described as swaying, having mouth closed while speaking, and having their feet off of the floor, as though held up in the air instead of standing -Watts takes out phone to use flashlight to get a better look -The figure "Folded at the waist and vanished back into the darkness as though a string had gone taught and pulled it back into the alley" -Search in morning, found nothing save for a sole Marlboro Red cigarette. -Saw that John Fellows went missing. In picture on missing poster, pack of Marlboro Red sticking out of pocket.

Post statement: -Missing people from that area were: Jessica McEwan (nov 2005), Sarah Baldwin (aug 2006), Daniel Rawlings (dec 2006), Ashly Dobson (May 2008), Megan Shaw (June 2008) -Baldwin and Shaw are both confirmed as smokers -Dobson sent a picture to a sister called Siobhan with caption "Check out this drunk creeper lol" (which Jon pronounced as EL O EL ofc) and appeared blank, until contrast increased, where a long, thin hand was visible, and appeared to be beckoning.

My thoughts: -So this is the first one of these posts I've ever done :D I can't really link other posts rn cuz there aren't any, but I will as appropriate as I make more. I'm probably gonna make a list of all characters, where any that are reoccurring will get their own page -I'm still only on my second relisten, so I've defiantly missed things, and will probably continue to do so -I'm excluding things I don't think are relevant, but I'm not always the best as judging what is and isn't relevent

I reccomend reading the episode right before reading this, otherwise it might be a little confusing.

THESE NOTES WILL HAVE SPOILERS UP TO EPISODE 157!!!

GENERAL NOTES:

What Exer is saying here would be completely valid if Jackson were really trying to avoid them.

Like, even if it's for the wrong reasons (Exer literally magic-bullying him), if Jackson was trying to avoid them then they just should give him space. WHICH IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM AVOIDING HIM BACK. If then Jackson approaches them they should hear him out bc that would mean he's ready to talk things through

Ofc we all know Jackson wasn't trying to avoid them, but if they used the power of ✨communication✨ then, unsurprisingly, everything would've been resolved more easily

Pamela is definitely hearing what they're saying

Tho I can't read Exer's expression

Exer saying that he "can't stand [Pamela]" is a way to victimize himself and put Pam as the villain

That's the difference between Exer's bullying and every other bully that there is in JD; The others don't care about their role in the bullying, they're fine being the bullies because they don't think being a bully "reduces their status", but Exer feels like he has to justify himself, change the situation so he isn't really a bully, because he has to be the perfect boy.

He's not bullying Pam, he's self defending. He's not bullying R&M, he's giving them what they deserve. He's not bullying Jackson, he's preventing him from being a threat.

These kind of situations where random guys come up from nowhere and talk to Jackson are cool moments, as they show his popularity. In the latest episodes this doesn't happen anymore, probably because his popularity went down after the whole drama (tho it seems both his and Exer's popularity are slowly coming back)

HEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYY HOLD UP THERE!

Is that Jackson with HIS HAIR DOWN?!?!? ..........or at least halfway there...?

Anyways this is the most down his hair gets. Impressive.

Exer is the only one who doesn't seem surprised. Nice detail

I’ll say I think my issue was that, even though I had put off the first episodes of TFP, I still tried to take on the multiparters. Made me feel extremely unmotivated.

Spoiler warning!!! I’m being so serious right now as this is a pretty lore heavy episode. This contains spoilers.

Also, I am losing my MIND.

The Magic Townhouse hosts an annual ‘Night of A Million Secrets’ - hence the masks and fancy attire. This is the year they happened to get Houdini’s journals.

So they weren’t always under TMTH - this is a new addition 

Leo would bring up that they have Houdini’s journals this year. Ron would know as every magician that works there is aware of it.

Back of ticket: “Exclusive private clubhouse for members of The Magic Townhouse. All members and guests are required to dress in evening or business attire that is conservative, formal & elegant. - The following are ALL prohibited: Casual wear or athletic attire, denim, work boots, sandals, flip-flops, shorts, rompers &” it cuts off there ):

In my AU: Ron gets his top hat from Madie (Madam?) Hats, a magician who works exclusively with animals and animal magic 

Hypno replaced so many fucking posters with his own face and visage in this - it’s hilarious 

He also depicts himself with five fingers, which is odd considering he only has four

There are several secret doors and panels - which imply multiple routes in and around the townhouse (keep in mind for Potluck - Warren doesn’t have to get trapped in a broom closet. He could get stuck behind a magic bookshelf) 

Leo is very informed on magic - is aware that Houdini is the ‘greatest illusionist in history’ and that Hypno can ‘alter the very fabric of reality’ or ‘something even cooler’

He also knows all of the secrets of the townhouse and can name the busts of each magician - knows about every secret passage (just not how to activate them)

All of the turtles have a passion for fashion - only Leo seems to be kinda chill with Hypno 

Despite all of them enjoying fashion, the turtles are typically naked

For the AU: Donnie should be the one that gives Ron advice on the magic boom box - I feel like they’d have a good time collaborating on this 

There’s a Mezmer Ron poster on the wall (:

In fact, it calls him ‘The Magnificent Mezmer Ron’

Magicians as pointed out by Leo: John The Kaiser (inventor of the pinky shuffle) - Leo is also a massive fan of his - John is not a fan of Hypno (calls him an amateur despite Hypno being established, called him a thug. This is starting to feel kinda racist /hj) - guess this bitch is also at the Potluck 

Why the fuck does every magician have an accent? 

There’s a secret vault 

It has a secret password that Leo refuses to hear

Hypno’s just stuffing those journals into his arms like a pro 

“I was so close! How did you get out of my ingenious fashion trap?” “Did you learn the power of self love in order to break free?” (He smiles when he says it)

He also smiles in a really cute way as he waves goodbye after bending reality 

“What is it with magicians and their hatred of normal doors?!” - Raph (I don’t think he’ll ever come around to like Hypno)

“Pastor-rayna” - spell that shoots cards, also traps the victim in a card

“Asotherio!” - Spell that makes paintings come to life and beat up a teenager /hj

“Deli-anais” - allows the user to escape into different containers of varying sizes and shapes 

Hypno doesn’t say a spell with Leo, is literally performing a trick for him where he saws himself in half. It’s really sweet until the other turtles show up 

Venus DeMagic - the queen of quick change - according to Leo

Love how it’s easy to tell which posters Hypno added after the fact since they’re his human form with his villain name