Line #78 Recap/ChildrenOfTimeS1E10E11E12E13Finale


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4	This is it. The big ''four-part'' finale that the entire season has been building up to. And it is ''enormous'', easily the length of the rest of the season. This page is one huge spoiler, so if you don't want that, click back now!
5
6	'''''In "Dynamics of a Point"...'''''
7
8	The Doctor returns the gang to London, November 1895, then takes the TARDIS over to the Cardiff Rift to refuel. And that's the last event ripped directly from [[Series/DoctorWho Nu Who's Season 3]], specifically from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E11Utopia "Utopia"]]. Holmes is only getting [[ByronicHero darker and moodier]], and Watson insists that their time in the TARDIS is up. Holmes needs to move on with his life now, needs the stability of being ''home''.
9
10	The Doctor reluctantly agrees, heartbroken to have to leave his kids. Naturally, things fall apart completely in his absence. Holmes accepts [[Literature/SherlockHolmes the case of the Bruce-Partington Plans]] from his brother but doesn't include Watson in the deal; they proceed to have a tremendous falling-out which results in the Watsons leaving 221B.
11
12	Beth insists on joining the Irregulars and helping Holmes out on his new case, to the point where [[RefugeInAudacity she tells him point-blank that she's coming along for the ride whether he takes her or not]]. Holmes isn't at all happy but agrees. Eventually, however, she admits that she knows this case, and Holmes forcefully ensures that she'll return to 221B while he continues his investigation. Two vehement arguments follow, the latter ending on a decidedly dark note. Holmes apologizes, but Beth [[CallingTheOldManOut calls him out on his actions]]. Still, she says that leaving ''will'' break her heart, and [[MasterOfTheMixedMessage Holmes admits that he doesn't want her to go]].
13
14	Holmes ends up failing his investigation but isn't given time to dwell on it before he's [[Recap/ChildrenOfTimeS1E9Fractures kidnapped by]] [[Recap/ChildrenOfTimeS1E5TheIcarusExperiment Torchwood agents]]. And his host is none other than [[BackFromTheDead Professor James Moriarty]], alive and apparently in his forties. Moriarty explains the incredible circumstances of how he survived Reichenbach and rounds his tale off by declaring that Time is freezing over thanks to Holmes breaking one of his Fixed Points. Enter Colonel Sebastian Moran with a struggling Beth, who'd followed Holmes here and been caught by Moran. Moriarty realizes that, in Frozen Time, Beth is a TemporalParadox, and he explains that she will have to die to keep Time stable. Beth escapes, but Holmes is subdued by Moriarty. ''Watson'' is then brought into the equation, and Moriarty brutally exploits the friendship to force Holmes to capitulate to his will. It's quite simple: Moriarty wants to remake the Great Detective into himself.
15
16	'''''In "The Dying Detective"...'''''
17
18	[[TimeStandsStill The world is stuck in November 1895]]. Holmes and Watson are Moriarty's prisoners, Holmes having JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope after being given a SadisticChoice. The Doctor and the TARDIS are trapped ''inside'' the Cardiff Rift going haywire.
19
20	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. 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.
21
22	Meantime, [[TheCorrupter Moriarty is working on corrupting Holmes]], a process that Holmes allows quite willingly, [[StoppedCaring sick of dealing with emotions and heartache]]. Watson is subjected to witnessing the process on his own phone, thanks to Moriarty.
23
24	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.
25
26	Several months later, Beth has an all-too-close encounter with Moran, who [[AttemptedRape tries and nearly succeeds in raping her]] before [[KillTheCutie killing her]]. The Irregulars intervene, and Moriarty tells Holmes that Beth has been killed, testing his progress. He finds it wanting: [[NotSoStoic Holmes is obviously a bit shaken]] and lying when he expresses congratulations for Moran.
27
28	Eventually, the baby is born, a daughter whom Sally names after her best friend: Kathy. The group gears up at last for their double-rescue, which will occur in two different parts of London but ''must'' happen at the same time, lest Moriarty find out about the one and make it utterly impossible to reach the other. This means an uphill battle of wills for Beth versus the rest of the "family," who don't at all approve of her plan to slip into Moriarty's main base alone.
29
30	Beth eventually wins out, however, and the operations commence. The Irregulars have a simple time of it, having already infiltrated Watson's holding place. Beth, on the other hand, faces some close calls before finally reaching Holmes's room. But something's terribly wrong: if Holmes before was not quite being himself, the man before her is more like James Moriarty than Sherlock Holmes. Holmes takes all her shock and pleas and throws them back in her face, but Beth refuses to leave and tells him that his brother is dead. It's a stunning blow to Holmes, and, in the end, he leaves his room with Beth with the intent of talking their way out of Torchwood. Holmes starts out transparently enough, but Beth finishes for him and Moriarty [[WorthyOpponent can't help but be impressed]] [[RefugeInAudacity by her audacity]] and talent. On those merits, he allows them to run on a twenty-four hour head-start.
31
32	'''''In "Every Good Fairytale"...'''''
33
34	Meanwhile, [[TheCavalry the Irregulars]] have rescued Watson, who shares a joyous and tearful reunion with Sally and discovers that he's a father again. After a difficult conversation about Holmes and Beth, Watson realizes that there might still be hope for his friend.
35
36	Beth and Holmes set out on a long journey, uncertain of where it will lead them. Crossing the Channel, fortunately, presents little difficulty, thanks to Tom Johnstone, who had also ferried Beth and Will "months" before. Getting through France itself presents greater difficulties, some external and others internal, as the pair battle with each other and their own complicated feelings. Matters come to a head in Switzerland, when a jealous Holmes believes that Beth would rather marry Johnstone than stay with him, and Beth blurts out a pretty near AnguishedDeclarationOfLove. This leads to a FirstKiss as Holmes finally understands his own feelings, [[AltarTheSpeed which then leads to]] MyOwnPrivateIDo.
37
38	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, 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, and is essentially killed by Johnstone, who then takes Sherlock back to London.
39
40	'''''In "Together Or Not At All"...'''''
41
42	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. 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.
43
44	The TARDIS emerges from the Time Vortex and lands at Niagara Falls, where Tesla and Westinghouse have been returned thanks to the reality reset. Tesla enters and ends up inside a comatose Doctor's mind, where he meets the Doctor's avatar, [[Recap/ChildrenOfTimeS1E6ChildOfTime John Smith]] and discovers that the Doctor induced the coma himself in one last desperate attempt to avoid suicide, as his failure with his Companions was something that he could not live with. Nikola coaxes him out, and the Doctor takes him and Westinghouse back to London. The Time Lord is overjoyed to see his Companions again, alive and well.
45
46	Holmes invites Beth to partake in the investigation, this time trusting her not to create a paradox. But an attempt to have a real first date ends in tears when Sherlock tries to ascertain whether Beth is really ready to sacrifice her own time and her own family to live the rest of her life with him in the past. [[HeroicBSOD Beth breaks down]], unable to make that kind of decision either way. But when she leaves for Baker Street, she is kidnapped by Torchwood.
47
48	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]] UsefulNotes/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.
49
50	In the aftermath, there's a lot of damage to Beth's mind, spirit, and body that she and Sherlock have to deal with. Help comes in the form of an extraordinarily determined Doctor. He owes Beth in a very big way, and he's quite aware of it. He develops a plan and outlines it to his Companions: Beth can stay without sacrificing ''anything'', and the Doctor will get her Jack Harkness's Vortex Manipulator so that she can travel between Sherlock's time and her own. The Holmeses accept this proposition, and have an official wedding the next day, with Mycroft Holmes's stunned blessing.
51
52	There are a lot of pieces to pick up, but now Holmes, Beth, Watson, and Sally can do it together.
53
54	----
55	!!These Episodes Provide Examples of:
56
57	[[foldercontrol]]
58
59	[[folder:All Four]]
60	* AllUpToYou:
61	** Holmes indirectly gives Beth the information she needs regarding the Broken Point in order to fix it. At least, in theory...
62	** Sally encouraging her husband to make things right with Holmes.
63	%%* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Beth's driving goal throughout the finale.
64	%%* AnyoneCanDie
65	* BabyTalk: Sally and Beth do this with Kathy, and, of course, the Doctor ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E7AGoodManGoesToWar speaks]]'' [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E12ClosingTime baby]]!
66	%%* BackFromTheDead: Several separate cases.
67	%%* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Averted in Beth's case.
68	* BelligerentSexualTension: ''Loads'' of it between Holmes and Beth, despite his not realizing what's going on until very late in the game.
69	%% * BerserkButton: Moriarty certainly knows how to press them. ''Eventually'' it comes back to bite him.
70	%% * BewareTheNiceOnes: Good heavens, Watson, Beth, and the Doctor all get in on the act.
71	* BloodierAndGorier: With FamilyUnfriendlyViolence (including several [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath Family Unfriendly Deaths]]) and some ColdBloodedTorture, the finale is this compared to the rest of the series.
72	%%* BreakThemByTalking
73	* 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 is the scene in which she returns to Torchwood to rescue Holmes, only to find him darker and rather like Professor Moriarty.
74	%%* TheCavalry: The Irregulars.
75	* CerebusRetcon: In-universe. Holmes is left with hardly any untainted memories of his childhood after Moriarty reveals that he was a large part of it.
76	%%* CliffHanger: "Dynamics of a Point," "The Dying Detective," and "Every Good Fairytale".
77	%%* ComingOfAgeStory: For Beth.
78	%%* TheCorrupter
79	* CourtlyLove: Beth's feelings for Holmes fall under this, since she's thoroughly convinced that he's completely a CelibateHero, as per Canon.
80	%%* CutenessProximity: Any time a character comes into contact with Baby Kathy.
81	* DarkerAndEdgier: "The Dying Detective" is definitely the darkest episodes of the season, and the near-rape and death situations are not all that earns it this distinction! The finale, as a whole, is also this to the rest of the season.
82	* DealWithTheDevil: Both Holmes and Beth at different times make essentially the same choice, selling themselves out when Moriarty confronts them with unbearable alternatives.
83	* {{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 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.
84	** Moriarty also pretty thoroughly murders Holmes's ChronicHeroSyndrome.
85	%%* EarnYourHappyEnding: And how!
86	%%* EmotionsVsStoicism: One of Holmes's driving internal conflicts.
87	* EndlessWinter: Or near enough, being late November in the British Isles and in the midst of the Continent.
88	* EveryoneCanSeeIt: Holmes is ''still'' the only one who can't/won't see Beth's attraction to him or vice versa. Made worse, though, by the fact that, this time around, even the ''villains'' can see it!
89	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Averted, Defied, and Discussed. 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.
90	%%* EvilGloating
91	%%* EvilIsPetty
92	* FlawExploitation: 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.
93	* ForcedToWatch:
94	%%** For Holmes, see SadisticChoice below.
95	** For Watson, being forced to hear audio recordings of Holmes's gradual FaceHeelTurn.
96	** And then Moriarty Mind Rapes both the Doctor and Beth to show them futures in which their loved ones are murdered.
97	%%* ForThe Evulz
98	* FreudianExcuse: The entire season up to this point is turned into one for Holmes to [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope Jump Off the Slippery Slope]].
99	%% * FromBadToWorse:
100	* GoshDangItToHeck: Played with. Typically invoked by Beth, [[JustifiedTrope justified in that she's a teenager and a good kid]]. Entirely ''[[DefiedTrope dropped]]'', however, when [[LetsGetDangerous the chips come down]]. See [[WhatTheHellHero What the hell, Sherlock?]] in "The Dying Detective".
101	* HeldGaze: A recurring event for Holmes and Beth.
102	%% * HeroicSacrifice: The heroes, in general, seem to have an unhealthy tendency towards this...
103	%% * HeroicSpirit
104	* 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. [[HeroicLineage Beth clearly comes from a heroic family]].
105	%%* TheHerosJourney: Holmes and Beth both undergo this.
106	%%* HopeSpringsEternal: The attitude of Beth, Sally, the Irregulars, and George and Nikola.
107	* InsaneTrollLogic: Beth more than once threatens to kill Holmes if he gets himself into (deadly) trouble.
108	%% * IronicEcho
109	* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Moriarty and Beth enjoy doing this, albeit with very different circumstances. 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.
110	%% * LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: Moriarty is the ultimate opportunist.
111	%% * LikeBrotherAndSister: Will and Beth.
112	* LongingLook: Beth gets in several poignant ones.
113	* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Played with. Holmes and Beth are certainly willing to go to extremes...
114	* MadnessMantra: "I can't" -- heartrendingly, almost a {{Catchphrase}}, as Beth says it all throughout the finale.
115	%% * MaliciousSlander: Moriarty does ''not'' let up on the Doctor.
116	* MindRape: Moriarty is chillingly good at this.
117	* NeverMyFault: Initially, ''[[SarcasmMode nothing]]'' is Holmes's fault. Eventually, this attitude [[HeelRealization transitions]] to ItsAllMyFault.
118	* ObviouslyEvil: Used to its most terrifying effect.
119	* OminousFog: Subverted. Beth once remarks just how ''useful'' the constant fog has been for herself and the Irregulars.
120	* OurVampiresAreDifferent: The plasmavore gets fleshed-out more here by virtue of having more screentime in the finale than in her first, brief [=TARDISode=], and comes off first as being very much a vampire... and then very much not so. She's an alien woman who plays at being TheVamp and ''does'' require blood to live as part of her DNA... However, she experiences some definite CharacterDevelopment.
121	* PoorCommunicationKills: The basis for nearly ''everything'' that goes wrong in these three episodes.
122	* PrecisionFStrike: Different words but quite as powerful in context.
123	** Holmes and Watson both call Moriarty a bastard, Holmes in his head and Watson to the man's face, as well as saying it again for good measure later on.
124	** 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".
125	* {{Reconstruction}}: Of Moriarty himself, even if he did have to [[CameBackWrong Come Back Wrong]] for it to happen. Often in fanfic, 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...
126	* RippleEffectProofMemory: Basically, anyone who is ''very'' connected to the Holmes/Watson/Moriarty conflict retains their memory both ''into'' Broken Time and back ''out'' of it. Notable characters who ''don't'' remember either way are Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft, and InspectorLestrade.
127	%%* ScrewDestiny: Obviously a {{Motif}} of this trilogy.
128	%%* SecurityCling
129	* SelfInflictedHell: Invoked several times by 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.
130	%%* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Bonus points for it having to be done ''twice''.
131	* SevenDeadlySins:
132	** Envy: Holmes envies Moriarty his emotional detachment. Moriarty harbors a severe malice towards the happiness of the TrueCompanions.
133	** Gluttony: Moriarty and Moran in their insatiable desire to inflict pain, particularly upon Holmes...
134	** Greed: Moriarty's hunger for power, as well as the reason for his corruption of Holmes.
135	** Lust: Moran (and possibly later Moriarty) towards Beth. (Also, the plasmavore, who really makes her living off of seducing men and tries to seduce ''Holmes''.)
136	** Pride: It has ''always'' been Moriarty's greatest shortcoming.
137	** Slothfulness: Dark!Holmes, who has no real ambition anymore and is bored to the point of suicidal intentions as a result.
138	** Wrath: Moriarty's most frightening trait. Also notable in Moran.
139	*** Watson's own anger with Holmes gives him a big push towards JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope.
140	* SevenHeavenlyVirtues:
141	** Charity: Beth, though she sees this virtue in herself as simply being her willingness to do what has to be done.
142	** Chastity: Sherlock tries very hard to remain the gentleman he was raised to be during his living with Beth.
143	** Diligence: Beth's hard, faithful work towards rescuing Holmes and Watson and restoring Time, as well as keeping Sally and the Irregulars safe.
144	** Humility: Sally is simply comfortable with herself, for the most part. Beth, on the other hand, has serious self-esteem issues.
145	** Kindness: Both women, though serious props to Beth for her handling of Holmes in his worst moments.
146	** Patience: Beth. Holmes. Worst moments. The one time she truly loses it... she immediately apologizes.
147	** Temperance: Sally, who ends up being the Voice of Reason.
148	%%* SnarkToSnarkCombat
149	* StaringDownCthulhu: Watson's general reaction to Moriarty's presence. Plus, you realize that Beth is truly Watson's DistaffCounterpart when she does the exact same thing.
150	* StockMonsterSymbolism: It's kind of inevitable, and it's deliciously subverted. Rather than having literal monsters serving as metaphors for real life issues, we have realistic humans who closely resemble mythical beings.
151	** Consider Professor Moriarty. He comes off as a classic vampire -- the similarities between him and Literature/Dracula are many -- in all but being literally undead and bloodsucking. He thrives off of inflicting pain (much as a vampire does from feeding), corrupts Holmes and attempts to corrupt Beth as well (as a vampire can convert others), and displays deadly fury when something goes seriously awry. (And as far as the whole undead thing is concerned, well... he was ''supposed'' to be dead long before now... and instead of dying, came back more powerful than ever before.)
152	** Colonel Moran is scarcely less vampiric, also thriving on sadism and clearly fitting the more hedonistic elements in vampire lore. (His blinding lust for Beth is truly disturbing.)
153	* StoppedClock: Stopped clocks are a side-effect of [[TimeStandsStill Time Standing Still]].
154	%%* SweetPollyOliver: Beth as an Irregular.
155	%%* TakeAThirdOption
156	%%* TookALevelInBadass:
157	%%** Beth between "Child of Time" and "Dynamics of a Point", as well as mid-"The Dying Detective".
158	%%** Dear heavens, Moriarty himself.
159	* TookALevelInJerkass: ''Holmes''. Made painfully explicit in his treatment of Beth in "Dynamics", and he levels up even ''further'' in "Detective".
160	* TraumaCongaLine: Sally is the only hero who manages to escape this fate, and even then, not without some trauma of her own.
161	%%* TrueCompanions: Sally, Beth, the Baker Street Irregulars, and George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla.
162	%%* VictorianLondon: And ''how''.
163	%%* VillainsNeverLie
164	%%* WelcomeToHell: Invoked by Moriarty more than once.
165	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: The secondary CentralTheme to The Powers of [[ThePowerOfFriendship Friendship]] and [[ThePowerOfLove Love]].
166	%%* WickedCultured: Moriarty, Moran, and the plasmavore.
167	%%* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Beth and the Irregulars.
168	* WomenAreWiser: Than the heroes, at any rate, as Sally and Beth (and Mrs. Hudson!) consistently show more common sense and compassion than the men they love.
169	* XanatosSpeedChess:
170	%%** At which Moriarty is a ''[[TheChessmaster master]]''.
171	** Beth 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, her gambits win more than anyone else's...
172	%%* YouAreWorthHell: Ruthlessly deconstructed.
173	%%* YouCantThwartStageOne: Never ever ever.
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Dynamics of a Point]]
177	* 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''...
178	* BelligerentSexualTension: Shades of this between Holmes and Beth. The HotBlooded [[{{Tsundere}} Beth]] is quite aware of her feelings and [[EveryoneCanSeeIt doesn't exactly hide them]], but Holmes can't seem to figure his out, [[CannotSpitItOut let alone spit them out]]. Except for knowing that [[CantLiveWithThemCantLiveWithoutThem he doesn't want Beth to go]], even if he does [[MasterOfTheMixedMessage cuff her to cab doors and insult her dreadfully]].
179	* BigBad: Torchwood, as the season has been setting them up to be.
180	* BreakingTheFellowship: The consequences of the Doctor leaving [[FiveManBand the gang]] in London while he refuels in Cardiff.
181	* CallingTheOldManOut: Beth dishes this out to Holmes after they've both cooled down.
182	* CantSpitItOut: Holmes even admits as much to Watson later, regarding his confusion with his feelings for Beth.
183	* CantStandThemCantLiveWithoutThem: Holmes and Beth, heartbreakingly hard, by the end. Their last real conversation boils down to this:
184	-->'''Holmes:''' I don't want you to go.\
185	'''Beth:''' Then tell me to stay.
186	* CerebusSyndrome: Although we've had increasingly dark episodes, "Dynamics" is where this trope really kicks off.
187	%%* ChekhovsGunman: The Irregulars.
188	* CurseCutShort: Consider Beth's HotBlooded retort to Holmes (which she herself stops just in time):
189	-->How ''dare'' you, you selfish, inconsiderate--
190	%%* IneffectualLoner: ''Holmes'' briefly becomes this.
191	* JerkAss: "Downright cringe-worthy" does not ''begin'' to cover Holmes's behavior in this episode.
192	* JustAKid: Basically Holmes's purported attitude towards Beth -- made even worse when Beth actually ''says'' this about herself in as many words, adding "and nothing special".
193	* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Beth and Holmes have shades of this... which gets really uncomfortable when Holmes starts to rail abuse at her.
194	%%* MamaBear: Mrs. Hudson.
195	* ManChild: Beth bitingly (and rightly) accuses Holmes of this, to a degree:
196	-->"This from a grown man who ''indulges'' in petulant sulking on a regular basis?"
197	* MasterOfTheMixedMessage: Beth accuses Holmes of this as well, based on the way he treats her compared to his dislike of the thought of her leaving 1895.
198	* MeaningfulName: The title, which is truly a Wholockian title with references to both the Sherlockian Canon and Doctor Who.
199	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Holmes and Watson break a Fixed Point in Time with a serious rift they create in their friendship.
200	* NoHuggingNoKissing: Blithely subverted by Beth early on when, high on excitement, she throws her arms around Holmes and hugs him hard. Sadly... things go downhill from there.
201	%%* OhCrap
202	* RefusedByTheCall: Poor Beth... ''twice''. First by the Doctor, who says that he's taking her home (after her having been only to the 1980s and then the 1890s), then by Holmes, who doesn't want her to break something in the Time-Space Continuum by tagging along on a recorded case.
203	* TheReveal: "Welcome back to the nineteenth century, Mr. Holmes. [[WhamLine So charming to see you once again]]."
204	* SadisticChoice: Sell your soul or let Watson be broken piece by piece. Yeah, that goes down about as well as it sounds.
205	* SherlockScan: Mycroft pulls silent scans on his brother and Watson, realizing that there are a ''lot'' of details that don't add up.
206	* TagAlongKid: Holmes won't stop thinking of Beth in this light.
207	* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: Knowledge of the whole of Time and Space? Yeah, ''that'll'' go over well... It actually does, if you call a psychopath resisting madness and instead becoming more powerful than ever "going over well".
208	* TorturedMonster: Everyone, including the man himself, agrees that 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!
209	* UnrequitedLove: As far as Beth can tell, and it only gets worse as the story progresses, taking her relationship with Holmes into AllTakeAndNoGive territory.
210	%%* WhamLine
211	* WouldHitAGirl: The villains come as no surprise, but ''[[TookALevelInJerkass Holmes]]'' does...
212	-->You can be thankful my physical control far exceeds your own, but you would still be wise not to repeat that performance in future.
213	[[/folder]]
214
215	[[folder:The Dying Detective]]
216	* ADayInTheLimelight: Holmes remains TheProtagonist, but [[{{Deuteragonist}} Beth]] steps up to be TheHero.
217	* AngerBornOfWorry: Holmes's anger at Beth for ignoring his instructions, getting herself nearly killed, and getting herself marked for death..
218	* ApocalypseHow: A planetary Class Z if {{temporal paradox}}es are allowed to exist within Frozen Time. (And it would happen, anyway, because Reality continues to fracture.)
219	* AttemptedRape: The Irregulars rescued Beth JustInTime from being raped by Colonel Moran, which [[IHaveYouNowMyPretty he decided]] to do ''before'' [[KillTheCutie murdering her]].
220	* BecameTheirOwnAntithesis: The emotional, compassionate, loving Holmes becomes the emotionless, cruel, uncaring Moriarty. Or... so we think.
221	* BenchedHero:
222	%%** The Doctor.
223	** Poor Sally expresses her despair at being stuck at "home" while waiting for her baby to be born.
224	* BigDamnHeroes: The Irregulars save Beth from being murdered ''twice'', which is lampshaded later on by her thoughts.
225	* BlatantLies: Moriarty tells distressingly ''few'' of these, although one that he does use is Beth's death at Moran's hands. Holmes wasn't entirely convinced but ''was'' visibly disturbed.
226	%%* BreakTheCutie: Beth ''and'' Watson.
227	* CallForward:
228	** "Rule One: The Doctor lies." (Even though it's in the Doctor's future and Moriarty is speaking of it as if it has already happened, this might have been a deliberate usage of that future.)
229	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E2TheFiresOfPompeii Pompeii]] also gets a mention -- from the viewpoint of human history, it's already happened, anyway.
230	* TheChosenOne: Holmes and Watson get to see firsthand the consequences of ''not'' fulfilling a Fixed Point in their timeline, a.k.a. the consequences of screwing Fate: it screws ''[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the entire planet]]''.
231	* CrapsackWorld: The world stuck in 1895 when Time freezes. Sally and Beth regard it this way for different reasons.
232	%%* TheDarkSideWillMakeYouForget
233	* DeadGuyJunior: Baby Katherine for Sally's blasted-to-the-past [=BFF=] Cathy Nightingale.
234	* DespairEventHorizon: Holmes finally hits it when he can't save Robin Locksley, his men, or Marion, and Robin is beheaded right in front of him.
235	%%* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt
236	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Moriarty really wants Moran to stop thinking of Beth in a sexual light.
237	* FutureMeScaresMe: Calling the Doctor "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS23E4TheUltimateFoe Valeyard]]" turns out to be an effective weapon.
238	* HeelRealization:
239	-->'''Beth:''' Sherlock, Mycroft is ''dead''.
240	* HiddenHeartOfGold: Holmes defends his attitude towards Watson in Moriarty's presence as being this. "One does not bleed in front of sharks, Doctor!"
241	%%* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Tom Johnstone.
242	* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Tesla and Westinghouse are back, and more awesome than ever!
243	* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Oliver Cromwell. Whatever he did in real life, he commits some truly despicable acts here as the new Sheriff of Nottingham.
244	* HopeSpot:
245	** Holmes gets out a message to Robin Locksley's Merry Men, but it's too late: Cromwell already has them.
246	** Beth reaches Holmes's room to rescue him, and for a moment, Holmes seems like his old self again. But only for a moment...
247	* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: The scary thing is that not even much "[[SadisticChoice encouragement]]" was ''needed''...
248	%%* LackOfEmpathy
249	* LongestPregnancyEver: Averted with Sally. Although she is pregnant in Frozen Time, she is a ''TemporalParadox'' within Frozen Time, as is her baby. The two of them and Beth age normally whilst everyone else stays the same.
250	** Which means that all ''other'' pregnant women are stuck in whatever stage of pregnancy they were at before Time froze. FridgeHorror, indeed.
251	* LovingAShadow:
252	-->“I suggest you relay your message to his shade, wherever it may roam, and cease to bore me with your melodramatic sentiments.”
253	%%* MoreThanMindControl
254	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: Mycroft's murder proves to be the tipping point for his brother.
255	* TheNightThatNeverEnds: For London, at any rate, stuck in false dawn around six in the morning.
256	%%* NotAfraidToDie: Robin Locksley.
257	%%* NotBrainwashed
258	* 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.
259	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
260	-->"Then what ''does'' matter to you? The fact that because you're oh-so-aloof-and-alone, you're not going to be hurt anymore by the people you love? You're not going to see them get hurt or die? [...] Coward."
261	%%* RedemptionRejection: Of the ''preemptive'' variety. Doubles as a WhamLine from Beth's POV.
262	* RedHerring: 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.
263	%%* SealedGoodInACan: Poor, poor Doctor and Watson...
264	%%* SelfInflictedHell
265	* SoftGlass: Subverted. Beth even snarks that she does a lot of window-jumping, but she doesn't get through it unscathed.
266	%%* StoppedCaring
267	* SuicideMission: Beth is well aware that her one-man rescue operation is probably a suicide mission.
268	%%* TeamMom: Sally tries to be this for the Irregulars.
269	* TemporalParadox: What Beth and Sally become once TimeStandsStill.
270	* TimeStandsStill: Because of the broken Fixed Points, a la "The Wedding of River Song", producing a CrapsackWorld.
271	* TitleDrop: Moriarty calls Holmes, Watson, and Beth the Doctor's "Children of Time." Holmes later uses the term, himself.
272	%%* TrappedInThePast: Beth.
273	* UnwantedRescue: Types 1 and 3 show up when Beth does to rescue Holmes.
274	* WhatTheHellHero:
275	-->"You... Who ''are'' you?"
276	[[/folder]]
277
278	[[folder:Every Good Fairytale]]
279	* AlmostKiss: For a space of three or four paragraphs, it is so, sooo close between Sherlock and Beth. And then the train whistle sounds...
280	* BelligerentSexualTension: If you thought it was bad in "Dynamics of a Point," it gets worse. Ohhh, it gets worse, particularly with a SleepCute scene and a truly painful AlmostKiss.
281	* DeathIsDramatic: Beth is 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 [[LastKiss ]]one final, heartbreaking kiss.
282	%%* DiesWideOpen: Beth's death.
283	* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Beth is shot and bleeds to death.
284	%%* FantasticRomance
285	%%* FirstKiss
286	* FlashbackNightmare: Initiates a heartbreaking scene for Sherlock and Beth.
287	* InsatiableNewlyweds: The Irregulars allow John and Sally to have some serious alone-time upon their reunion. Sherlock and Beth have their wedding night... and beyond that.
288	%%* HesBack
289	%%* HighHeelFaceTurn
290	%%* HopeIsScary: Just ask Beth.
291	%%* KillTheCutie: Beth's death.
292	* LastKiss: The very last thing Beth does before she dies is to kiss her husband.
293	%%* LoveRedeems
294	* 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...
295	%%* MomentKiller: Wow, train whistle.
296	* MythologyGag: So much for "[[BeamMeUpScotty Elementary, my dear Watson]]" -- Holmes vows that he will never, ''ever'' say that, after having been overexposed to an enthusiastic fandom in "Watson and Sparrow".
297	%%* OOCIsSeriousBusiness
298	%%* RelationshipUpgrade
299	%%* RescuedFromTheUnderworld: Watson by the Irregulars.
300	* SheCleansUpNicely: Sherlock's reaction to Beth in a dress.
301	* ShipperOnDeck: Nikola is very glad that Beth and Sherlock resolve their issues.
302	%%* ShutUpKiss: Of the gentle variety.
303	%%* StormingTheCastle: The Irregulars' rescue of Watson.
304	* TrueBlueFemininity: When Beth wears a dress for the first time around Sherlock, it's blue. And she clearly [[SheCleansUpNicely Cleans Up Nicely]] in it.
305	[[/folder]]
306
307	[[folder:Together Or Not At All]]
308	* ActionSurvivor: Beth may be the only hero that actually dies, but Sally is the only one who manages to avoid experiencing near-death at all.
309	* AffectionateNickname: Ohhh boy. Beth calls Sherlock "Kitty" because of his catlike-ness, and he calls her "sunshine" in turn.
310	* AfterActionHealingDrama: Time has been set right after a brief scuffle with Moriarty, leaving Holmes and Watson injured. Enter Baby Time Lady Kathy...
311	* BackForTheDead: Moriarty and Moran return to life upon Time resetting, only to be killed less than twenty-four hours later.
312	* BrokenBird:
313	** Beth's psyche undergoes some serious damage, dealing with nightmares and phantom touches. Moriarty violates her mentally, and Moran violates her physically.
314	** A handful of vulnerable moments show that Sherlock is pretty much this.
315	* CallBack:
316	** Watson uses the TARDIS's [[AppliedPhlebotinum advanced medical equipment]] to heal Beth's injuries, just as the Doctor did for Holmes in the first episode.
317	** Sherlock and Beth renew their exploration of the TARDIS.
318	%%* ChekhovsGunman: The ''baby''.
319	* DarkestHour: When Watson returns to Baker Street, Beth is dead, and Sherlock is convalescent from a drug-induced illness and held captive by Moriarty.
320	* DeathIsTheOnlyOption: 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.
321	* DramaticIrony: Beth had previously thoroughly chewed Holmes out for his DealWithTheDevil. But when the chips come down, she makes pretty much the same bargain.
322	* EverybodyLives: Starts out with one hero dead and another half-dead. ''All'' heroes are alive at the end.
323	%%* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: Well, what ''else'' are we to call Sherlock's French endearments when he's with Beth?
324	%%* GorgeousPeriodDress: Beth's wedding gown.
325	* IHaveYouNowMyPretty: Moriarty allows Moran to watch after a captive Beth, whom Moran proceeds to torment by violating her.
326	* 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?]]
327	%%* KarmicDeath: Beth kills Moriarty, and Holmes and Watson kill Moran.
328	%%* LastVillainStand
329	* LighterAndFluffier: After the first three episodes -- and, indeed, the first half of this episode itself! -- the second half of TONAA presents a ''dramatic'' shift in tone! Primarily fluff with good ole hurt/comfort.
330	%%* TheLostLenore: Beth, Type A, full circle.
331	* MindRape: Moriarty does this twice. 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.
332	%%* NearVillainVictory
333	* NotMyDriver: Holmes flags the third cab (as per "The Final Problem") for Beth to avoid this. Too bad Moriarty is savvy.
334	%%* ResetButton: Even lampshaded by Beth.
335	%%* PainfulTransformation: Moriarty's transformation into a Time Lord.
336	* PassThePopcorn: Sherlock asks the Doctor about having popcorn as they ensure that Moriarty's corpse burns completely down.
337	* SnowMeansLove: Subverted. 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.
338	%%* SoProudOfYou
339	* TakeThat: Holmes delivers several of these to his own fandom when Beth asks him questions about himself and his past.
340	%%* TimeTravelRomance
341	%%* VillainousBreakdown
342	* WorldHealingWave: Time being restored as Holmes and Watson reconcile, wiping out the Always 1895 world and leaving them with 1895 as it should be.
343	[[/folder]]

Context Recap / ChildrenOfTimeS1E10E11E12E13Finale