* During the Johanna Quartet, Sweeney is stopped from killing a customer because said customer has brought his wife and daughter with him. This may seem like a case of practicality (as there's a couple of witnesses) and most productions do go with this interpretation. However, in the 2014 concert version, Bryn Terfel (who plays Todd) even gives the two girls a lollipop each after giving their father a shave. This (in addition to his lyrics, which have him addressing Johanna with loving terms of endearment) indicate that seeing the man's family has reminded Todd of Lucy and Johanna.
* As tragic as the whole thing is, it's actually pretty sweet that Lucy spends her days hanging around her old house, or the house where her daughter is now living. She doesn't remember or recognize Johanna, but she still has enough maternal instinct left to want to be near her.
* If you take a more favorable interpretation of Anthony, his part of "Johanna (Reprise)" becomes this, as it becomes a vow to Johanna, who at this point is locked away in a madhouse with God-knows-what being done to her, [[IWillFindYou that he]] ''[[DeclarationOfProtection will]]'' [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl find and rescue her]], [[{{Determinator}} no matter what]].
* Even the first "Johanna" is this in a bittersweet way, as it comes after Anthony has witnessed Turpin shout at and shove Johanna into the house for merely ''talking'' to a man, with the Beadle cruelly killing the bird Anthony brought for her, and, in some productions, actually ''hear'' Turpin lust after his ward. In that moment, Anthony's motivations go from "oh my God, what a beautiful girl! I have to get her to notice me!" to "oh my God, that girl needs my help! I have to get her out of there!".
* Mrs. Lovett suggesting that, once Anthony gets Johanna out of the Judge's house, she and Todd can live above the pie shop like they used to, and Johanna can have a proper family with Todd finally getting to be a father again, and Mrs. Lovett more than happy to be her stepmom is genuinely kind of sweet. [[MoodWhiplash Mrs. Lovett's suggestion that they'll have to tie up loose ends by killing Anthony is less so]].