-- "Moriarty's Return," by T. Arnold Johnston

-- "Moriarty's Return," by T. Arnold Johnston

I really think Mycroft release the Moriarty video. Let's look at what we know. Mycroft will do anything to protect Sherlock and the best opportunities he has to do that are in his position as the British Government. he wont jeopardize that. Moriarty's face was an animation. He is a DRAMA QUEEN. epic drama queen. he would not pass up a chance to show off. we saw Moriarty shoot himself in the head. More importantly Sherlock, master of observation and deduction, saw him do it. and Sherlock believes Moriarty dead and defeated. Mycroft couldn't stop the other gov officials from punishing Sherlock not without risking his position. Sherlock committed murder in front of dozens of witnesses after all. What effect did the video have? It terrified ppl not least of all the same gov officials that sent Sherlock(the person who exposed/revealed and subsequently defeated Moriarty) to his death. illustrated that without someone like Sherlock England is practically defenseless against threats like this and that these kinds of threats won't stop coming. Focused everyone's attention on Sherlock, gov n public alike, as he was the only 1 to successfully deal with Moriarty before. Now that the public is aware of the threat they will expect Sherlock to step up and thwart it again. The gov cant very well say "well we sent him away sry". This video backed the gov officals into a corner. They couldn't send Sherlock off with this threat looming. The public wouldn't stand for it and he's their best hope of handling it. if Moriarty managed to survive somehow he would want an extremely dramatic return and he's entirely too vain to settle for an animation of his face to do it. at the very least he would have recorded himself saying "did you miss me" and put it on a loop. Also he was desperate for Sherlock. like madly in love with him. the only other option that would be in character for him would be sending Sherlock hints that he's alive and working. Sherlock has been back nearly a yr at this pt and there were no hints that Moriarty and his network weren't detroyed til the moment he's heading to his death. Bit too convenient wouldn't you say? What have we seen Mycroft do to protect his brother? Interigate and attempt to intimidate Sherlocks new flatmate so he doesn't hurt Sherlock. spy on sherlock and said flatmate warning about potential drug use triggers. supplies Sherlock with cases so he doesn't get desperately bored. he runs an entire gov surely he has other ppl to take these cases besides his civilian brother? Mycroft knows sherlock feels so he tries to warn him off potentially hurtful/heartbreaking situations. also he tries to hide the death of a woman he believes his brother cares for because he can't predict the effect it would have on him. caring is not an advantage. does actual leg work to extract him from Serbia. so is it that far fetched to think he would fake the return of Moriarty to keep his baby brother alive? he worries constantly after all.

OMG! So I just thought of a thing! I subscribe to the theory that Mary works or worked for Moriarty and she has more secrets to be revealed. Right so what if SHE'S the 1 who put out the video of Moriarty? I mean she owes Sherlock HUGELY. He didn't ruin her chances with John after she shot him. He shot Magnussen to continue to keep her secrets safe. And she was an assassin. She likely still has contacts from her old life. She could have gotten 1 of them to make and mass broadcast the video of Moriarty. She's clever enough to know they wouldn't exile Sherlock if Moriarty were a threat again. She knows what losing Sherlock will do to John. She may even realize it's a death sentence. So she stepped in because she owes Sherlock thay much. What if?! What if?! What if?!

I think it's a rouse by Mycroft. He is so overly protective of Sherlock I can't see him simply letting Sherlock go off to certain death. Especially not when it seems he's at least partly responsible for something bad happening to another Holmes brother(Sherrinford). Also take what Mycroft said at Xmas at  Mummy Holmes'. "Losing you would break my heart." Not to forget he IS the British Government. So he'd have the power and resources for a mass broadcast like that. Of course he wouldn't tell Sherlock his plan to save him or that he did. That would be much too sentimental for a Holmes.

I've got a theory!! It's not mine, but i can't remenber where i saw it. Sherlock closed his eyes, when Moriarty shot himself (of course he did, who wouldn't do that). SHERLOCK NEVER ACTUALLY SAW MORIARTY DIE! hlrg..

JMxx