Series/Sherlock

A fridging is specifically for the purposes of advancing a different character's personal plot.

Yes, but in a character-specific work, or any work with a primary protagonist (like Sherlock) every development could be said, from a Doylist perspective, to advance that specific character's plot, regardless of why it's done from a Watsonian perspective. In that sense, from a Doylist pespective, everybody who dies gets fridged.

This is why I'm thinking that fridging can't happen in a Doylist sense, because from that perspective every character is a tool to advance the plot.

edited 5th Jan '17 2:13:30 PM by Robbery

Yeah, no. Sure, all characters are tools, but ideally main characters exist to further their own plots and not just the plots of others. Mary's death isn't a fridging because it impacts John and Sherlock, but because her death doesn't further her own narrative any.

I'd say death will halt any character's narrative.

Her death, however, is a result of her own actions and an outgrowth of her own character (rather heroically throwing herself in front of a bullet to save Sherlock). Yes, Norbury was firing at Sherlock, but Mary's putting herself in the way of the bullet was Mary's action. Thus her narrative ends because of her own choice. From a Doylist sense, sure, they might have killed her just to get rid of her and possibly to screw with Sherlock and John, but even then it was in-character and a result of her own actions. As I understand it, that's counter to the definition of a fridging.

edited 5th Jan '17 3:17:08 PM by Robbery

If one reads Stuffed into the Fridge, it's pretty clear that this is Not An Example of that.

The laconic reads:

Relevant trope here is I Let Gwen Stacy Die.

Colloquially, "fridged" I guess refers to fatal cases of Collateral Angst.

It was just an enforced Die for Our Ship to placate those fans. Such a freak waste and probably Ruined Forever sign.

If Johnlockers think it's a Die For Our Ship, they're going to be roundly disappointed.

We could just give the showrunners the benefit of the doubt since we don't know where this is going yet.

So I think when they announced last year's special they were talking about a fourth and fifth series to follow, but now haven't I been hearing this is going to be the last one?

If it's the last full series I hope they have a special we can salivate over for two more years coming after it.

Moffat and Gatiss said this series will "Feel more complete" after you see the finale, they do have an idea for a fifth, they just don't know when they'll be able to make it, so this just wraps up the original era before they begin a brand new chapter with the next series, whenever it is.

I think a lot of American commenters also got confused because they called it a "series finale" and not a "season finale"....except that this is a British show and Sherlock Series 4 and not Sherlock Season 4 like it would be in the US.

The BBC Media Press Release for the finale also calls it "the last episode of THIS series", not the last episode of THE series"

Maybe the American press got confused. I'm sure I saw reference to "the final season" in an article about the announcement.

edited 7th Jan '17 3:11:38 PM by TParadox

Okay, watched The Lying Detective, it was pretty good, until the ending, then it got really stupid. And based on the clip for the next episode, we're going back to full on Bond next week.

Much much better than last time. Coincidentally, Moffat wrote this one.

Toby Jones is fantastic in general, and he nailed the role. I still think that killing off Mary was a huge mistake, but Watson's grieving process worked. The ending is absurd, but Moffat works well with absurdity.

I wonder if when Mofftiss were writing that scene between Sherlock and Culverton, they were thinking of that Rathbone film where Holmes talks Moriarty into using "bleeding to death" as the method to kill him (Holmes) in order to stall for time for Watson and the Yard to get there.

By "the ending", are you referring to the very last scene, or everything after the case was solved?

Because the former was bonkers, but I loved everything between it and the solving of the case.

So who else was worried that she was about to pull off a mask, Judge Dredd style, and reveal Moriarty beneath?

Not this was any less batshit insane.

At first I thought it'd be Irene (given the random happy birthday text), then I thought Moriarty in drag would be totally up his alley

Ok, so...

• Confirmation Irene is alive? or did I misheard that scene?
• What the fuck just happened?

Unless they do some pretty good explaining in the next episode, I'm going to have a hard time believing someone as hyper-observant as Sherlock, even given the condition he was in, wasn't able to recognize...well, you-know-who. I don't say they can't make a decent case for it, but I'll have to hear that case first.

Also, they're getting a trifle infatuated with their own visual artistry and cleverness.

Just watched The Six Thatchers...and, honestly, wouldn't the world be better without Sherlock? Just asking. It's like, for the first time, the writing didn't try to excuse his utterly insufferable behavior, and instead went to the logical conclusion. I honestly can't buy that anyone would sacrifice itself for such a prick either, I'd honestly have rather watched the Watsons solving crime than watch this miserable asshole again.

Honestly, I don't know if it would be better without him, but even after the developments of the latest episode, I'm finding it difficult to root for Sherlock and John's friendship, that's why when they sorta reconcile in *The Lying Detective* and hug, and it's a hug that I found moving, but I feel that I found it moving because I've been following the story since the beginning, rather than any actual development in the episode or this season so far.

And anyway, it probably won't matter, because according to the promo in the season finale we're having explosions, secret relatives, and a probable ending that doesn't matter how they try to explain it, I'm pretty sure it will come across as a telenovela/Scooby Doo episode.