The 2010s had some of the best series ever – and some of the most frustrating final seasons. In addition to Game of Thrones, which ended up wasting its enormous potential, you probably also have to BBC series Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson.
Even hardcore fans agree that the 4th and final season is quite better Crime nonsense was. But while most people accepted this unfortunate fact, for some the drops were far from over. What if the finale was bad on purpose? What if this is all part of a clever meta-narrative that needs to be deciphered, Sherlock-style? The secret one 4th episode of season 4 will surely be released any moment and will straighten everything out as soon as we figure it out!
The Sherlock Conspiracy: Why Some Fans Believed in a Secret Episode That Never Was
Sherlock began as a promising reinterpretation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic crime novel, which showrunner Steven Moffat (Doctor Who) brought to modern London. In addition to individual cases, a homoerotically charged rivalry was built up between Sherlock and the criminal mastermind Moriarty (Andrew Scott) from episode 1 onwards, and between Watson and the brilliant investigator it often felt like more than just a friendly Baker Street flat share. Queerbaiting is the key word.
Season 2 ended with The Reichenbach Falls on a mega cliffhanger as Moriarty and Sherlock seemingly died. How the freelance detective was able to survive the whole thing kept fans of the event series busy for two years between seasons. When things finally got going, it turned out that Moffat and Co. weren’t half as interested in a coherent explanation as the fans. At the same time, the season opener, The Empty Coffin, cynically ridiculed queer hopes for the series that had flirted with them for years.
Not a good sign, but everyone tuned back in for the final three episodes of Season 4. Okay, the opening seemed very uninspired and the second episode more or less stood on its own. But with that Series Finale His Last Vow (Premiere date: January 15, 2015) you would definitely have a blast when it comes to Sherlock’s past and the relationship with his loved ones. Instead, the finale was about his crazy sister, who had already prepared Saw death games for her brother with Moriarty years ago. Geez.
“Evidence” for the 4th episode of the 4th season of Sherlock: The Lost Special
Not just fans who wanted John and Sherlock to be a couple (aka John Lock) come together, were disappointed by the series finale. But it was precisely these fans who didn’t give up after the final. Some on Tumblr have been talking about The JohnLock Conspiracy (TJLC) for a long time – the assumption that the series is secretly working towards a relationship between the two main characters. The terrible 3rd episode of the 4th season wasn’t really the series finale, but a feint caused by a Mindpalace twist or something similar in the true finale aka episode 4 needs to be clarified.
To be fair, there were some clues that you could interpret as evidence of this if you really wanted to see them. Here is just an excerpt from the far-reaching conspiracy (via Sherlock subreddit):
The week after the finale passed and what was on BBC One wasn’t a new Sherlock episode, but Apple Tree Yard aka After I Met Him – a TV movie starring actress Emily Watson. For many, the Sherlock conspiracy was over, some still didn’t want to believe it. Similar behavior can be seen among members of doomsday cults when the dated Armageddon is still a long time coming: an excuse and a new date are quickly sought.
Some fans simply didn’t want to believe that Sherlock and John wouldn’t end up together and end their series on such a low note. Not least because co-author Mark Gatiss is gay himself and cited one of his favorite films called The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes as a source of inspiration (via The Guardian ), in which the duo lives together like an old married couple. In addition, fans were led to believe by hints from the writers that there were more clues to decipher in the series than was the case at the end.
The Final Problem: The Sherlock conspiracy casts wide shadows
The topic of Sherlock and specifically the JohnLock conspiracy Even years later, many people still care. How much interest there continues to be in the TV disappointment can be seen, among other things, in the number of views of two popular YouTube essays on the subject: Hbomberguy’s Sherlock review, for example, has a whopping 15 million views on the platform, the TJLC video from Sarah Z at least 2.5 million.
The latter brings forward a valuable argument that you should definitely take into account before judging the stubborn fans behind the Sherlock conspiracy theory too harshly:
Almost all people contact us via email [für das Video] contacted stated that they were queer teenagers at the time the series aired. Which means it was a group of hopeful young people who wanted representation and weren’t yet disillusioned with television.
As is so often the case, it becomes clear that authors bear great responsibility. Not only to know your audience and take them seriously, but also to refrain from unnecessary queerbaiting. Not telling an LGBTQ story is okay, but keeping an entire passionate wing of the fan base in line with constant flirtations with it isn’t okay in the last decade either.
Ultimately, the Sherlock conspiracy wasn’t about getting another episode of content from your favorite series – it was about being seen and seeing yourself reflected.