#sherlock speculation

In the trailer for The Final Problem, Mycroft tells Sherlock “Every choice you’ve ever made, every path you’ve ever taken, the man you are today is your memory of Eurus.” 

Mycroft sees his brother as someone, who, like him, disregards sentiment in favor of cold, calculated reason. Because of the innate human need to connect, abandoning sentiment completely is likely the result of a traumatic end to a sentimental relationship. 

The fact that Mycroft always says “Redbeard” to warn Sherlock about getting too emotionally close suggests that this was the initial trauma. 

The flashbacks we’ve been seeing are likely just before Redbeard was killed by his sister--it’s Sherlock’s last memory of being unafraid to love someone (a dog, but still). 

Mycroft’s discussion of Eurus suggests she is extremely dangerous: 

”It didn’t the last time” directly follows this, suggesting Euros is the same “legitimate security concern.” 

“Sherrinford” here likely suggests a mental asylum or prison, and a very high security one (this could very well be where all of the tortuous mind palace looking scenes we’ve seen could be, but that’s a whole different meta). 

Murderous tendencies are obviously a security risk, and if Eurus has the psychopathy of a serial killer, that would necessitate the high security Mycroft suggests is necessary. 

One of the first behaviors serial killers demonstrate is animal torture.

Mummy and Daddy Holmes would know this, and there would likely be signs that she was in danger of becoming a serial killer throughout her childhood. They likely tried many therapies, but nothing was working. And then Euros killed Redbeard, and they insitituonalized their daughter before she could move onto humans. 

In those flashbacks, Sherlock is young, which explains why he wouldn’t recognize her (even with his drug-addled state, he should have recognized her slightly if he had seen her at all recently). They Holmes family never talked about her. It’s why Sherlock is basing his behavior on her “memory,” not her presence. 

The depth of Sherlock’s fear of attachment, stemming from Redbeard, suggests this wasn’t an ordinary “dog grows old and dies” story. There was trauma involved. 

And nothing says trauma like watching your older (I’m headcanoning that she’s in between the brothers) sister kill your dog--two destroyed relationships at once. 

Sherlock loved his sister and his dog, and because he let sentiment blind him (or Mycroft and the Holmes parents hid the signs from him), he lost both in one event. To protect himself, he built emotional barriers. 

It’s the path he chose--because of his traumatic memory of Eurus. 

...is not a novel by Amanda Coe. Further ‘proof’. [puts on tin hat]

Ok, let’s go down that rabbit hole.

Many of us suspect there is still something coming from Mofftiss and the BBC and recent theories include the series Apple Tree Yard and it’s airing time which collides with a suspected fourth episode which can/could be  be found scheduled for Sunday, Jan 22nd on yahoo.

I went over to the BBC schedules and checked. Apple Tree Yard is there, complete with trailers and descriptions.

It says it’s based on a novel by Amanda Coe who also works as a screenwriter and created “Life in Squares” for the BBC.

Based on a novel. Since the tin hat is in place I thought: Better check that, I’m a detective!

So this is the official Apple Tree Yard description – it’s about a woman named Dr. Yvonne Carmichael. Okay, so far that seems all right.

So I searched for the novel “Apple Tree Yard” by Amanda Coe. Doesn’t exist.

Okay, maybe they changed the title but surely it’s based on something else? These are all novels of Amanda Coe’s I could find:

THERE IS NO DR. YVONNE CHARMICHAEL.

THERE IS NO DESCRIPTION THAT EVEN REMOTELY RESEMBLES APPLE TREE YARD.

I mean, I don’t know about adapting novels for television but… Aren’t you supposed to keep the title? Aren’t you supposed to keep the same characters? And their names? What’s the point of creating an adaptation which doesn’t … adapt … anything at all?

Take that and the names of the cast someone (I’m sorry, I forgot who!) already pointed out as well as the similarities in the plot description, ‘enigmatic stranger’ and all that. I’m not saying the BBC asked one of their writers to lend their name and reputation to a story that doesn’t exist but… they could do that. It’s possible.

Apple Tree Yard itself is definitely real, there are promo pictures, trailers and everything. But the part of it being an adaptation of Amanda Coe’s novel seems to me like a gigantic lie. Amanda Coe does create screenplays for the BBC, maybe this is one of her new creations that will definitely air but they decided to fuck with the description in order to [touches tin hat] make sure there is a time slot available and also a slight hint for us to pick up on?

Edit: okay, some of you told me it’s a novel by Louise Doughty but  there is no mention of the autor’s name in the BBC’s description! It clearly says “adapted from the novel by Amanda Coe”. 

The Scarlet Claw (1944) is considered one of the best of the Rathbone Holmes adaptations. An original story, it is a variation on the Hound of Baskervilles, including “a cold killer ingratiating himself with everyone in the vicinity.” (x)

The story takes place in the village of La Mort Rouge, “twelve miles from Quebec up towards the falls”. Note: These falls are not Niagara Falls, which was peripherally featured in S4 setlock (x), and also nowhere near Rouge, Canada (x).

But since we have Rouge in The Lying Detective (S4E02), let’s revisit the movie again. 

Ooh, a little sleight-of-hand, a little misdirection? Cool idea!