History Recap / ChildrenOfTimeS1E10E11E12E13Finale

%%* TheyDo

* YouGotSpunk: The reason why Moriarty and Moran appear to like Beth so much. That, and...
-->Ah, Beth -- you really have changed very little. I had forgotten how refreshingly [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] you could be.

** Chastity: Sherlock tries very hard to remain the gentleman he was raised to be during his InnocentCohabitation with Beth.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Beth slaps Holmes one ''good'' when he insults her very seriously. [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry He's not at all happy about it]].

-->You can be thankful my physical control far exceeds your own, but you would still be wise not to repeat [[ArmorPiercingSlap that performance]] in future.

%%* Always SaveTheGirl: Beth's driving goal throughout the finale.
%%* Anyone CanDie

%%* Back FromTheDead: Several separate cases.
%%* Beauty IsNeverTarnished: Averted in Beth's case.

%% * Berserk Button: Moriarty certainly knows how to press them. ''Eventually'' it comes back to bite him.
%% * Beware TheNiceOnes: Good heavens, Watson, Beth, and the Doctor all get in on the act.

%%* BreakThemBy Talking
%%* UsefulNotes/British Weather: Natch.

%%* The Cavalry: The Irregulars.

%%* Cliff Hanger: "Dynamics of a Point," "The Dying Detective," and "Every Good Fairytale".
%%* Coming OfAgeStory: For Beth.
%%* The Corrupter

%%* Cuteness Proximity: Any time a character comes into contact with Baby Kathy.

%%* Earn YourHappyEnding: And how!
%%* Emotions VsStoicism: One of Holmes's driving internal conflicts.

%%* Evil Gloating
%%* Evil IsPetty

%% * From BadToWorse:

%% * HeroicS acrifice: The heroes, in general, seem to have an unhealthy tendency towards this...
%% * Heroic Spirit

%%* TheHeros Journey: Holmes and Beth both undergo this.
%%* HopeSprings Eternal: The attitude of Beth, Sally, the Irregulars, and George and Nikola.

%% * Ironic Echo

%% * Let NoCrisisGoToWaste: Moriarty is the ultimate opportunist.
%% * LikeBrother AndSister: Will and Beth.

%% * Malicious%%Slander: Moriarty does ''not'' let up on the Doctor.

* ScrewDestiny[=/=]YouCantFightFate: Obviously a {{Motif}} of this trilogy.

* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: The Irregulars allow John and Sally to have some serious alone-time upon their reunion. Sherlock and Beth have their wedding night... [[InsatiableNewlyweds and beyond that]].
%%* InsatiableNewlyweds

%% * From BadToWorse: UpToEleven.

* PyrrhicVillainy: In the end, Moriarty is definitely regretting certain actions...

%%* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Beth's driving goal throughout the finale.
%%* AnyoneCanDie

%%* BackFromTheDead: Several separate cases.
%%* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Averted in Beth's case.

* BerserkButton: Moriarty certainly knows how to press them. ''Eventually'' it comes back to bite him.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Good heavens, Watson, Beth, and the Doctor all get in on the act.

%%* BreakThemByTalking
%%* UsefulNotes/BritishWeather: Natch.

%%* TheCavalry: The Irregulars.

%%* CliffHanger: "Dynamics of a Point," "The Dying Detective," and "Every Good Fairytale".
%%* ComingOfAgeStory: For Beth.
%%* TheCorrupter

%%* CutenessProximity: Any time a character comes into contact with Baby Kathy.

%%* EarnYourHappyEnding: And how!
%%* EmotionsVsStoicism: One of Holmes's driving internal conflicts.

%%* EvilGloating
%%* EvilIsPetty

%%* ForTheEvulz

* FromBadToWorse: UpToEleven.

* HeroicSacrifice: The heroes, in general, seem to have an unhealthy tendency towards this...
* HeroicSpirit

* TheHerosJourney: Holmes and Beth both undergo this.
* HopeSpringsEternal: The attitude of Beth, Sally, the Irregulars, and George and Nikola.

* IronicEcho

* LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: Moriarty is the ultimate opportunist.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Will and Beth.

* MaliciousSlander: Moriarty does ''not'' let up on the Doctor.

* NotSoDifferent: Beth realizes that Holmes has done a FaceHeelTurn because he's acting just like Moriarty -- moreover, like Moriarty in the Canon rather than the man he's developed into.

On the run from Moran, Beth reaches Mycroft's office to get information on Oberstein, intending to track him down and get the Bruce-Partington Plans back to their rightful place. But once she acquires her data, Moran reappears and [[AnyoneCanDie shoots Mycroft]], Beth narrowly escaping the same fate. She reaches the Irregulas, with whom Sally has been staying, and from there heads off with the current lead Irregular, Will, to find Oberstein and get the papers back. [[spoiler:They succeed, but their hard work is all for naught. Time remains frozen, and Sally realizes that the case was never the issue -- it was always the friendship between her husband and his best friend.]]

[[spoiler:Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse]] join the womenfolk and the boys, and the band of misfits grows into a working, fighting family unit. Sally soon learns that she is pregnant, and as the group plans rescues for Holmes and Watson, they also seek out a truly safe place for Sally and the younger boys to stay.

The couple plan to lay low and rest in Switzerland for a bit before moving on, but while Sherlock wants to go to Italy, Beth wants to go home. At last, he grieves for his brother and promises Beth that they will go home. The next morning, however, [[spoiler:Moran and Agent Jones from "The Icarus Experiment" finally catch up with them, and Beth is accidentally shot in the ensuing struggle. She dies, Moran commits suicide for his blunder rather than having to face Moriarty's wrath, and]] Jones drags Holmes with him back across Europe. He enlists the wrong man to carry them across the Channel, however, [[spoiler:and is essentially killed by Johnstone, who then takes Sherlock back to London.]]

** Holmes indirectly gives Beth the information she needs regarding the Broken Point in order to fix it. [[spoiler:At least, in theory...]]

* [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl Always Save the Detective]]: Beth's driving goal throughout the finale.
* AnyoneCanDie

* BackFromTheDead: Several separate cases.
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Averted in Beth's case.

* BerserkButton: [[spoiler: Moriarty]] certainly knows how to press them. ''Eventually'' it comes back to bite him.

* BreakThemByTalking
* UsefulNotes/BritishWeather: Natch.
* BrokenPedestal: Beth's realization that her hero is not the man she believed he was, starting with handcuffs and spiraling down from there. Even worse [[spoiler: is the scene in which she returns to Torchwood to rescue Holmes, only to find him darker and rather like Professor Moriarty.]]
* TheCavalry: The Irregulars.
* CerebusRetcon: In-universe. Holmes is left with hardly any untainted memories of his childhood [[spoiler:after Moriarty reveals that he was a large part of it]].
* CliffHanger: "Dynamics of a Point," "The Dying Detective," and "Every Good Fairytale".
* ComingOfAgeStory: For Beth.
* TheCorrupter

* CutenessProximity: Any time a character comes into contact with Baby Kathy.

* DealWithTheDevil: [[spoiler: Both Holmes and Beth at different times make essentially the same choice, selling themselves out when Moriarty confronts them with unbearable alternatives.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: And how!
* EmotionsVsStoicism: One of Holmes's driving internal conflicts.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Holmes is ''still'' the only one who can't/won't see Beth's attraction to him [[spoiler:or vice versa]]. Made worse, though, by the fact that, this time around, even the ''villains'' can see it!
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Averted, Defied, and Discussed. [[spoiler:This is what makes Moriarty an even more dangerous opponent than he was in the Canon -- he goes so far as to ''mock'' Holmes for not having studied the affairs of the heart.]]
* EvilGloating
* FlawExploitation: [[spoiler:Moriarty]] is a master at this, exploiting Holmes's obsession with protecting Watson, the Doctor's insecurity at his darker side, Beth's maternal instincts, and the Doctor's need to protect his Companions.

** For Holmes, see SadisticChoice below.
** For Watson, [[spoiler: being forced to hear audio recordings of Holmes's gradual FaceHeelTurn.]]
** And then Moriarty Mind Rapes [[spoiler:both the Doctor and Beth to show them futures in which their loved ones are murdered]].
* ForTheEvulz[=/=]EvilIsPetty
* FreudianExcuse: The entire season up to this point is turned into one for [[spoiler:Holmes]] to [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Jump Off the Slippery Slope]].

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: [[spoiler: Moriarty]] and Beth enjoy doing this, albeit with very different circumstances. [[spoiler: Moriarty is Time Sensitive and knows how the Sherlockian fandom should have progressed;]] Beth ''is'' a {{Fangirl}} and thus knows how fans would react to various events.
* LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: [[spoiler:Moriarty]] is the ultimate opportunist.

* MaliciousSlander: [[spoiler:Moriarty]] does ''not'' let up on the Doctor.

* NeverMyFault: Initially, ''[[SarcasmMode nothing]]'' is Holmes's fault. [[spoiler:Eventually, this attitude [[HeelRealization transitions]] to ItsAllMyFault.]]

** See GoshDangItToHeck above. Beth uses G-rated swearing so much that you'd think she'd never say something serious, would you? Well... not if ''Holmes'' scares her. See the renamed WhatTheHellHero in "The Dying Detective".
* {{Reconstruction}}: Of [[spoiler:Moriarty]] himself, even if he did have to [[CameBackWrong Come Back Wrong]] for it to happen. Often in fanfic, [[spoiler:Moriarty]] ''cannot'' win the day ultimately because [[EvilCannotComprehendGood he can't understand]] ThePowerOfFriendship. Well... guess what he ''is'' able to understand this time, and guess how thoroughly and ruthlessly he utilizes that understanding...
* RippleEffectProofMemory: Basically, anyone who is ''very'' connected to the [[spoiler: Holmes/Watson/Moriarty]] conflict retains their memory both ''into'' Broken Time and [[spoiler: back ''out'' of it]]. Notable characters who ''don't'' remember either way are Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft, and InspectorLestrade.

* SecurityCling
* SelfInflictedHell: Invoked several times by [[spoiler:Moriarty]] when speaking with Holmes or Watson, explaining that he would have had gained no serious foothold in Holmes's soul had the pair not damaged their friendship so thoroughly. He also brings up more than once the fact that ''[[NiceJobBreakingItHero they]]'' [[NiceJobBreakingItHero broke Time]], putting them all in the CrapsackWorld.
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Bonus points for it having to be done ''twice''.

* SnarkToSnarkCombat
* StaringDownCthulhu: Watson's general reaction to [[spoiler:Moriarty's]] presence. Plus, you realize that Beth is truly Watson's DistaffCounterpart when she does the exact same thing.

* StoppedClock: Of course, a side-effect of [[TimeStandsStill Time Standing Still]].
* SweetPollyOliver: Beth as an Irregular.
* TakeAThirdOption
* TookALevelInBadass: Beth between "Child of Time" and "Dynamics of a Point", as well as mid-"The Dying Detective".
** Dear heavens, [[spoiler:Moriarty]] himself.

* TropeOverdosed: Quite possibly, but the whole thing ''is'' easily the length of the rest of the series.
* TrueCompanions: Sally, Beth, the Baker Street Irregulars, and George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla.
* VictorianLondon: And ''how''.
* VillainsNeverLie
* WelcomeToHell: Invoked by [[spoiler:Moriarty]] more than once.

* WickedCultured: Moriarty, Moran, and the plasmavore.
* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Beth and the Irregulars.

* XanatosSpeedChess: At which [[spoiler:Moriarty]] is a ''[[TheChessmaster master]]''.
** Beth, however, is the real player throughout the first three episodes, though she wouldn't even think of it that way, herself. Nevertheless, she gambits with Sherlock, the entire Time/Space Continuum, ''and'' the BigBad, moving from half-formed plans to well-plotted schemes to going in blind. When something goes wrong, she might blank out for a few minutes but she ''will'' adjust accordingly. Better still, [[spoiler:her gambits win more than anyone else's...]]
* YouAreWorthHell: Ruthlessly deconstructed.
* YouCantThwartStageOne: Never ever ever.
* YouGotSpunk: The reason why [[spoiler:Moriarty and Moran]] appear to like Beth so much. That, and...

* BackForTheFinale: Mrs. Hudson, InspectorLestrade, Mycroft Holmes, and the Baker Street Irregulars. [[TheBusCameBack The Bus]] ''[[TheBusCameBack Really]]'' [[TheBusCameBack Came Back]] on that last one (the Irregulars' last chronological appearance in the Sherlockian Canon is in ''The Sign of the Four'').
** Plus, the ''villains''...

* CantSpitItOut: Holmes even admits as much to [[spoiler:Watson]] later, regarding his confusion with his feelings for Beth.

* ChekhovsGunman: The Irregulars.

* IneffectualLoner: ''Holmes'' briefly becomes this.

* MamaBear: Mrs. Hudson.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Holmes and Watson [[spoiler:break a Fixed Point in Time with a serious rift they create in their friendship.]]

* OhCrap

* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: Knowledge of the whole of Time and Space? Yeah, ''that'll'' go over well... [[spoiler:It actually does, if you call a psychopath resisting madness and instead becoming more powerful than ever "going over well".]]
* TorturedMonster: Everyone, including the man himself, agrees that [[spoiler:Moriarty]] is a monster: there is absolutely no crime he will not commit. However, much of his current personality is built up of what happened to him after his supposed death -- after all, the man has been [[MerlinSickness aging in reverse]] for two decades by the time the story opens!

* WhamLine

* AngerBornOfWorry: Holmes's anger at Beth for ignoring his instructions, getting herself nearly killed, and getting herself marked for death.
* AttemptedRape: [[spoiler:The Irregulars rescued Beth JustInTime from being raped by Colonel Moran, which [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty he decided]] to do ''before'' [[KillTheCutie murdering her]].]]
* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: [[spoiler:The emotional, compassionate, loving Holmes becomes the emotionless, cruel, uncaring Moriarty. Or... so we think.]]
* BenchedHero: The Doctor.

* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:The Irregulars]] save Beth from being murdered ''twice'', which is lampshaded later on by her thoughts.
* BlatantLies: [[spoiler:Moriarty]] tells distressingly ''few'' of these, although one that he does use is Beth's death at [[spoiler:Moran's]] hands. Holmes wasn't entirely convinced but ''was'' visibly disturbed.
* BreakTheCutie: Beth ''and'' Watson.

** "Rule One: The Doctor lies." (Even though it's in the Doctor's future and [[spoiler:Moriarty]] is speaking of it as if it has already happened, this might have been a deliberate usage of that future.)

* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget
* [[DeadGuyJunior Dead Girl Junior]]: Baby Katherine for Sally's blasted-to-the-past [=BFF=] Cathy Nightingale.
* DespairEventHorizon: Holmes finally hits it [[spoiler:when he can't save Robin Locksley, his men, or Marion, and Robin is beheaded right in front of him]].
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt
** TheNightThatNeverEnds: For London, at any rate, stuck in false dawn around six in the morning.
** TimeStandsStill: Because of the broken Fixed Points, a la "The Wedding of River Song", producing a...
** CrapsackWorld: The world stuck in 1895 when Time freezes. Sally and Beth regard it this way for different reasons. This is followed by
** ApocalypseHow: A planetary Class Z if [[TemporalParadox temporal paradoxes]] are allowed to exist within Frozen Time. (And it would happen, anyway, because Reality continues to fracture

** RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Tom Johnstone may be an amoral smuggler, selling out his own country to Napoleon Bonaparte (and would have no problems in tossing Beth overboard if she objects to that), but, knowing Beth's actual gender, he assures her that she will not be taken advantage of.

-->[[spoiler:'''Beth:''' Sherlock, Mycroft is ''dead''.]]
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Holmes defends his attitude towards Watson [[spoiler:in Moriarty's presence]] as being this. "One does not bleed in front of sharks, Doctor!"
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Tom Johnstone.
** HistoricalHeroUpgrade: [[spoiler: Tesla and Westinghouse are back, and more awesome than ever!]]
** HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Oliver Cromwell. Whatever he did in real life, he commits some truly despicable acts here as the new [[spoiler:Sheriff of Nottingham]].

** Holmes gets out a message to Robin Locksley's Merry Men, [[spoiler: but it's too late: Cromwell already has them]].
** [[spoiler:Beth reaches Holmes's room to rescue him, and for a moment, Holmes seems like his old self again. But only for a moment...]]

* MoreThanMindControl[=/=]NotBrainwashed
* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler:Mycroft's murder proves to be the tipping point for his brother.]]
* NotAfraidToDie: Robin Locksley.
* NotSoDifferent: Beth realizes [[spoiler:that Holmes has done a FaceHeelTurn because he's acting just like Moriarty -- moreover, like Moriarty in the Canon rather than the man he's developed into.]]

* RedemptionRejection: Of the ''preemptive'' variety. Doubles as a WhamLine from Beth's POV.
* RedHerring: [[spoiler: The Bruce-Partington Plans. The case only hastened along the freezing of Time -- what really did it was Holmes and Watson breaking up. Even so, the first part of the episode revolves around resolving this plot point.]]
* SealedGoodInACan: Poor, poor Doctor and Watson...
* SelfInflictedHell

* StoppedCaring[=/=]LackOfEmpathy
* SuicideMission: Beth is well aware that her one-man rescue operation is probably this.
* TeamMom: Sally tries to be this for the Irregulars.

* TitleDrop: [[spoiler:Moriarty]] calls Holmes, Watson, and Beth the Doctor's "Children of Time." Holmes later uses the term, himself.
* TrappedInThePast: Beth.
* UnwantedRescue: Types 1 and 3 show up when Beth does to rescue [[spoiler:Holmes]].
* [[WhatTheHellHero What. The. Hell, Sherlock.]]:
-->[[spoiler: "You... Who ''are'' you?"

* AlmostKiss: [[spoiler:For a space of three or four paragraphs, it is so, sooo close between Sherlock and Beth. And then the train whistle sounds...]]

* FantasticRomance
* FirstKiss

* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: The Irregulars allow [[spoiler:John and Sally to have some serious alone-time upon their reunion. Sherlock and Beth have their wedding night... [[InsatiableNewlyweds and beyond that]].]]
* InsatiableNewlyweds
* HesBack
* HighHeelFaceTurn
* HopeIsScary: Just ask Beth.
* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler:Beth's death]] which includes the following:
** DiesWideOpen
** DeathIsDramatic: [[spoiler: She's shot accidentally in the torso, justifying the trope. It's vital enough to kill her in the absence of any modern aid, but she has to bleed to death first. This allows her just enough time for Sherlock to ''try'' to help her, for her to get in a few last words, and for one final, heartbreaking kiss.]]
** FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Shot and bleeds to death.
** LastKiss: [[spoiler:The very last thing Beth does before she dies is to kiss her husband.]]
* LoveRedeems
* MayDecemberRomance: [[spoiler:As is the case with the Watsons, there is twenty years between Holmes and Beth -- even more egregious in their case, however, as Beth is eighteen. Those twenty-year age gaps sure aren't stopping anybody...]]
* MomentKiller: Wow, train whistle.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness
* RelationshipUpgrade
* RescuedFromTheUnderworld: [[spoiler:Watson by the Irregulars.]]

* ShipperOnDeck: Nikola is very glad that [[spoiler:Beth and Sherlock resolve their issues]].
* ShutUpKiss: Of the gentle variety.
* StormingTheCastle: The Irregulars' rescue of Watson.

* ActionSurvivor: [[spoiler: Beth]] may be the only hero that actually dies, but Sally is the only one who manages to avoid experiencing near-death at all.
* AffectionateNickname: [[spoiler:Ohhh boy. Beth calls Sherlock "Kitty" because of his catlike-ness, and he calls her "sunshine" in turn.]]
* AfterActionHealingDrama: [[spoiler:Time has been set right after a brief scuffle with Moriarty, leaving Holmes and Watson injured. Enter Baby Time Lady Kathy...]]
* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler: Moriarty and Moran return to life upon Time resetting, only to be killed less than twenty-four hours later.]]
* BrokenBird: Beth's psyche undergoes some serious damage, dealing with nightmares and phantom touches. [[spoiler:Moriarty violates her mentally, and Moran violates her physically.]]
** A handful of vulnerable moments show that Sherlock is pretty much this, as well.

** Watson uses the TARDIS's [[AppliedPhlebotinum advanced medical equipment]] to heal [[spoiler:Beth's]] injuries, just as the Doctor did for Holmes in the first episode.

* ChekhovsGunman: The ''baby''.
* DarkestHour: [[spoiler:When Watson returns to Baker Street, Beth is dead, and Sherlock is convalescent from a drug-induced illness and held captive by Moriarty.]]
* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: [[spoiler: The Doctor explains that Beth's death was a Fixed Point -- no matter what else happened, that had to. He hastens to add that she was always meant to come back to life, also.]]
* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler:Beth]] had previously thoroughly chewed [[spoiler:Holmes]] out for his DealWithTheDevil. But when the chips come down, [[spoiler:she makes pretty much the same bargain.]]
* [[spoiler:EverybodyLives: Starts out with one hero dead and another half-dead. ''All'' heroes are alive at the end.]]
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: Well, what ''else'' are we to call Sherlock's French endearments when he's with Beth?
* GorgeousPeriodDress: [[spoiler:Beth's wedding gown]].
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: [[spoiler:Moriarty allows Moran to watch after a captive Beth, whom Moran proceeds to torment by violating her.]]
* [[spoiler:IHaveYourWife: A variation. Moriarty holds the Doctor and Beth hostage against each other, the Doctor and Beth against the rest of the gang, and Beth's UNBORN CHILDREN against her. [[TheChessmaster Can this man play chess or what?]]]]
* KarmicDeath: [[spoiler:Beth kills Moriarty, and Holmes and Watson kill Moran.]]
* LastVillainStand

* TheLostLenore: Beth, Type A, full circle.
* MindRape: Moriarty does this twice. [[spoiler:More extensively to Beth, beating her down to the point where he renders her incapable of committing suicide to escape him, but also to Sherlock.]]
* [[spoiler:NearVillainVictory]]
* NotMyDriver: Holmes flags the third cab (as per "The Final Problem") for Beth to avoid this. [[spoiler:Too bad Moriarty is savvy.]]
* ResetButton: Even lampshaded by Beth.
* PainfulTransformation: Moriarty's transformation [[spoiler:into a Time Lord]].
* PassThePopcorn: Sherlock asks the Doctor about having popcorn as [[spoiler:they ensure that Moriarty's corpse burns completely down]].

* SnowMeansLove: Subverted. [[spoiler:Sherlock and Beth are already married when London receives her [[FirstSnow first snowfall]] of the season. Sherlock looks at his bride, standing enraptured in the snow, and tells her that he's just fallen in love with her all over again.]]
* SoProudOfYou

* TheyDo
* TimeTravelRomance
* VillainousBreakdown
* [[spoiler:WorldHealingWave: Time being restored as Holmes and Watson reconcile, wiping out the Always 1895 world and leaving them with 1895 as it should be.]]

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Beth's father (a late-21st century InspectorLestrade) and her half-brother Geoff (several years older and in the USAF) are mentioned several times. [[InTheBlood Beth clearly comes from a heroic family]].

* MonsterSobStory: Everyone, including the man himself, agrees that [[spoiler:Moriarty]] is a monster: there is absolutely no crime he will not commit. However, much of his current personality is built up of what happened to him after his supposed death -- after all, the man has been [[MerlinSickness aging in reverse]] for two decades by the time the story opens!

** BiggerBad: [[spoiler:Moriarty.]]

* JerkassFacade: Holmes defends his attitude towards Watson [[spoiler:in Moriarty's presence]] as being this. "One does not bleed in front of sharks, Doctor!"

* SnowMeansLove: Subverted. [[spoiler:Sherlock and Beth are already married when London receives her [[FirstSnow first snowfall]] of the season. Sherlock looks at his bride, standing enraptured in the snow, and tells her that [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming he's just fallen in love with her all over again]].]]

Sherlock is convalescing from a drug-induced illness that nearly killed him when Moriarty shows up at 221B. Watson appears soon afterwards, and the ensuing confrontation ends with Moriarty dead and the estranged friends wounded. [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Holmes and Watson ask for each other's forgiveness]]... and [[ResetButton and Time starts to thaw]]. [[WorldHealingWave The world is returned to the morning on which their first breakup occurred.]] Beth enters, resurrected by the repaired timeline, followed closely by Sally with baby Kathy, who still exists as a newborn by virtue of being a TemporalParadox. Baby Kathy senses the injuries of both men, and it awakes her Time Lord reflexes, her regenerative abilities healing Watson and Holmes completely. (This is [[Recap/ChildrenOfTimeS1E1SmithAndHolmes the second time in the series]] that Holmes has been wiped clean of marks via the Time Vortex.) The stunned companions realize that the Bruce-Partington Case must be solved once more from the very beginning, and Holmes and Watson set out to do so, the way they were always meant to.

* [[spoiler:GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Doubles as a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming for both couples. The Irregulars allow John and Sally to have some serious alone-time upon their reunion. Sherlock and Beth have their wedding night... [[InsatiableNewlyweds and beyond that]].]]
* [[spoiler:InsatiableNewlyweds]]

* [[spoiler:MayDecemberRomance: As is the case with the Watsons, there is twenty years between Holmes and Beth -- even more egregious in their case, however, as Beth is eighteen. Those twenty-year age gaps sure aren't stopping anybody...]]

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Brutally averted in Beth's case.

* {{Deconstruction}}: Of the Doctor himself, InUniverse and out of it. Moriarty [[BreakThemByTalking Breaks Him By Talking]], and viciously deconstructed him in discussion with Holmes. Moreover, the Doctor ''can't stop the BigBad'', not by being the Doctor. He's dealing with a human [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] CursedWithAwesome and DangerouslyGenreSavvy, and the ''only'' way to stop him is to kill him. Moriarty won't allow the Doctor to bargain a happy ending out of the situation, so the Doctor has no resort other than to utilize his Oncoming Storm self.

* NotMyDriver: Holmes flags the third cab (as per "The Final Problem") for Beth to avoid this. [[spoiler:Too bad Moriarty is DangerouslyGenreSavvy.]]

Professor Moriarty and Colonel Moran are alive once more, and Moriarty is hellbent on survival, this time with an also-captive Doctor's aid. [[BreakTheCutie In order to break Beth]], Moriarty gives her [[ForcedToWatch visions of potential future children dying in]] WorldWarI. [[DramaticIrony Beth submits to his will in order to prevent that future,]] and the Doctor agrees to help him [[DealWithTheDevil in exchange for Beth's safety]]. Moriarty proceeds to transform himself into a Time Lord, and when Sherlock, Watson, and Nikola arrive, the brand-new Time Lord seems to hold all the cards. ...''except'' for Beth's hands, which are busy freeing herself even as Moran flaunts his possession of her in Sherlock's face. Moriarty's revelation of his new status is the last straw for [[BrokenBird a half-broken Beth]], who could live with a human Moriarty but not a half-immortal one. In an unguarded moment, she incapacitates Moran and uses his revolver to shoot the Professor; Holmes and Watson then shoot Moran as he rises to kill Beth for that. Moriarty attempts and fails to summon up enough regenerative energy, and exchanges a last few, almost-affectionate words with Sherlock before dying.

----

* GenreSavvy: Beth and Sally.

* ResetButton: Even lampshaded by [[GenreSavvy Beth]].

* RescuedFromPurgatory: [[spoiler:Watson by the Irregulars.]]

* AttemptedRape: [[spoiler:The Irregulars rescued Beth JustInTime from being raped by Colonel Moran, which [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty he decided on the spot]] to do ''before'' [[KillTheCutie murdering her]].]]

* TeamMom: Sally to the Irregulars.

-->Ah, Beth--you really have changed very little. I had forgotten how refreshingly [[HotBlooded hot-headed]] you could be.