Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper of BBC's Sherlock

Originally published at my Sherlock Tumblr, Oddly Sherlockian, this is an analysis of the dynamic between Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper on BBC's Sherlock.

This blog is new, so you don't know me yet. (Unless you know me in real life, in which case, hello!) But among the various things I like, at probably the top of the heap is BBC's Sherlock. My interest wanes from time to time - 3 episodes every 1 to 2 years isn't quite enough to keep me fully engaged, no matter how great the show is - but when I'm in Sherlock mode (as I am right now), I go full out.

After two years of waiting, series 3 is finally upon us. The first episode - The Empty Hearse, penned by Mark Gatiss - has now aired in the UK. (America has to wait until January 19th to see it on PBS... if they don't want to track it down online before then.) 

As an admittedly huge Sherlock fan, I have, of course, already seen it the episode. And I am overwhelmed with very fangirlish things to talk about! 

I may be kind of a tomboy, but I'm still a girl. I like relationships and romance in my fiction. Sherlock, by the nature of its premise and titular character, never really had any of that in previous episodes, so fanfiction sustained me before. As someone who prefers reading het (rare in the fandom world!) only so I can imagine myself in the role of the lucky girl, "Sherlolly" was the only obvious pairing in the show at first. Irene Adler came later, but I was devoted to the very mismatched, incredibly unlikely pairing of Sherlock/Molly. (And Irene is paired with practically every screen version of Sherlock Holmes... I want something different!)

Now listen, I'm not a fool. Not about this kind of stuff. I knew Sherlock and Molly could never possibly be a "thing," no matter how much I liked the idea. This version of Sherlock would never have a "thing," with anyone, and certainly not the geeky little unsexy Molly, who doesn't even exist in Arthur Conan Doyle's canon. I knew this. It sucked, but I dealt with it.

But after watching The Empty Hearse, I feel like I really have to re-evaluate... everything. Everything I thought I know about this show, these characters, and even the writers.

So, if you're interested in this topic, please read on for my spoiler-filled personal feelings about The Empty Hearse, and what I think may possibly be going on between Sherlock Holmes and Molly Hooper.

WARNING - SPOILERS FOR SHERLOCK S3E1, "THE EMPTY HEARSE"

The Magic of Myth

As I'm writing this, we are in the first hours of 2014. Will this year be better than 2013 was? God, I hope so. At any rate, it's already a more productive year for me, because hey, look - my first blog post!

I thought I'd start out with an easy topic that couldn't possibly cause any controversy: Religion!

Whoa there, cowboy, get back here. I promise this won't be too terrible.

(And now I shall spinelessly hide behind a disclaimer that I know will do nothing to stop angry commenters.)

*~Friendly Disclaimer of Groveling Friendly Friendshipfulness~*

I do not claim to be right about anything. I don't know shit, and fully admit it! I fully believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions about religion, spirituality, et al. If I say anything that offends you, just tell yourself, "This Jess chick is talking out of her ass (a thing she is wont to do). Jess is a stupid [insert sexist or gender-equanimous slur of your choice] and nothing she says can shake my faith. I pity her for having literal used urinal cakes for brains."

Now, that that's out of the way, let's get to the shit that'll probably piss people off!