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why does Sherlock leave the planning of his 'death' so late in the game?
I just finished reading Stranger at the Gate and am full of feeeeeeelings about the transcendental love of Sherlock and John, but seriously for a moment, with my serious face, let's talk about the power of that love, Reichenbach edition.
"If I were assured of your eventual destruction I would,
in the interests of the public, cheerfully accept my own."
Sherlock Holmes, The Final Problem
Moriarty has had Sherlock's number since The Great Game, and whatever bigger and better things he intends to do after his "publicity campaign" at Old Bailey, he comes for tea in 221B to remind Sherlock that "I owe you a fall." During the footprint analysis at Bart's when Molly compares Sherlock to her dying father, he doesn't contradict her, and seems genuinely puzzled at her offer of help. "What could I need from you?" Sherlock doesn't have any sort of contingency plan at this point. He's a dead man walking, because that's an acceptable outcome if it means he takes Moriarty with him.
These are the things that happen between "you look sad when you think he can't see" and Sherlock taking Molly up on her offer:
deducing the location of the warehouse at Scotland Yard
discovering the children; the little girl's scream in the hospital
the Sir Boast-A-Lot cab ride
Donovan laying out her theory and the police chief dressing down Lestrade
Mrs. Hudson delivering the burnt gingerbread cookie parcel
Sherlock discovering the camera, then fishing to see where John stands
Sherlock and John's arrest and subsequent escape
the confrontation with Moriarty at Kitty's apartment
Somewhere in there, Sherlock finds a reason to live. And that reason is John Watson.
Sherlock is silent for the entire confrontation in Kitty's apartment, finally seeing all the pieces of Moriarty's game on the board and bitterly impressed. But the news exposé, Richard Brook, those are just details; he already knows from the little girl's scream at the hospital that Moriarty plans to discredit him. He could just be letting John vent - Moriarty did, after all, kidnap and strap him into enough Semtex to blow them all to kingdom come. But that's not what Sherlock is doing.
He's watching whether John's trust in him can be called into question, when everyone else (including Lestrade, a detective inspector and one of the very few people Sherlock trusts) is wondering whether he's been getting away with the perfect crime. A continuation of their interrupted talk in 221B, except now John has all the information, and Sherlock has to know what it adds up to for him.
Because even if Mycroft can prove Richard Brook is fake and restore Sherlock's credibility (doubtless), and Sherlock dispatches Sebastian Moran and the rest of Moriarty's network (time-consuming but not impossible), is any of it worth coming back for if he doesn't have John? Solving the petty crimes of unskilled criminals, living his dull, sober life alone in a shabby apartment he likely keeps chiefly to annoy Mycroft? It had been enough, once - before John. But if he doubted Sherlock even for a second, there would be no coming back from that.
Sherlock's career is pissing off bad people, he has enemies, and it's likely by the grace of his brother that real trouble hadn't darkened his doorstep until now. But Moriarty has played a long game to get here, beating Mycroft Holmes and Scotland Yard, then walking free from what should've been a slam-dunk court case - all to get to Sherlock. Except Moriarty was disappointed in the end: his most worthy adversary had taken a "pet", believed the fantasy of a key that could open any door, proved himself so dreadfully ordinary after all. Sherlock would jump to his death to save his friends, and Moriarty brought a gun because he'd intended to shoot himself all along, following his raison d'etre down into oblivion.
Ironic that his grand plan falls apart just as it comes together in Kitty's apartment. John was supposed to believe him: if he could get John to pause for a single second, it would be the final nail in Sherlock's coffin. Instead, John, good, moral, stalwart John, proves (of course he does, in their first week together he saved Sherlock from himself, a much tougher task than killing him) his unwavering faith - and Sherlock realizes that he has something worth living for. Maybe it was a little more selfish than that - he cares for John, but more specifically he wants to continue his life with John. If he'd just wanted to keep him safe, that could've been better accomplished by actually dying. But it would seem caring is only a disadvantage when used to manipulate people: Love had doomed Irene's plan, but saved her life. Moriarty had counted on love to carry Sherlock over the edge with him; instead, it's the reason Sherlock decided to live.
That's why he left John in the middle of the street after Moriarty escaped claiming he had private business; why he asked an impossible, career-risking feat of Molly at the 11th hour; why he spent a sleepless night at Bart's pulling together the only true deception he's ever committed: cheating death.
When his own token attempt on the roof at convincing John that he's a fraud fails (only this time it was to spare him pain, and then with it's a trick, just a magic trick, Sherlock offers the only truth he can afford), he can't help his small sob because for all his cleverness, it has come to this. John has to watch him die so he would have no questions. Since there will be no body to examine, and witnesses will either be suspiciously silent (Homeless Network) or too easy to trip up (John's bound to have learned a few interrogation tricks, working alongside Sherlock), there has to be no doubt in John's mind. By faking his death, Sherlock does what no one else has managed to do: betray John's trust in him.
All he can do now is hope that John's trust survives his fall.
"If I were assured of your eventual destruction I would,
in the interests of the public, cheerfully accept my own."
Sherlock Holmes, The Final Problem
Moriarty has had Sherlock's number since The Great Game, and whatever bigger and better things he intends to do after his "publicity campaign" at Old Bailey, he comes for tea in 221B to remind Sherlock that "I owe you a fall." During the footprint analysis at Bart's when Molly compares Sherlock to her dying father, he doesn't contradict her, and seems genuinely puzzled at her offer of help. "What could I need from you?" Sherlock doesn't have any sort of contingency plan at this point. He's a dead man walking, because that's an acceptable outcome if it means he takes Moriarty with him.
These are the things that happen between "you look sad when you think he can't see" and Sherlock taking Molly up on her offer:
Somewhere in there, Sherlock finds a reason to live. And that reason is John Watson.
Sherlock is silent for the entire confrontation in Kitty's apartment, finally seeing all the pieces of Moriarty's game on the board and bitterly impressed. But the news exposé, Richard Brook, those are just details; he already knows from the little girl's scream at the hospital that Moriarty plans to discredit him. He could just be letting John vent - Moriarty did, after all, kidnap and strap him into enough Semtex to blow them all to kingdom come. But that's not what Sherlock is doing.
He's watching whether John's trust in him can be called into question, when everyone else (including Lestrade, a detective inspector and one of the very few people Sherlock trusts) is wondering whether he's been getting away with the perfect crime. A continuation of their interrupted talk in 221B, except now John has all the information, and Sherlock has to know what it adds up to for him.
Because even if Mycroft can prove Richard Brook is fake and restore Sherlock's credibility (doubtless), and Sherlock dispatches Sebastian Moran and the rest of Moriarty's network (time-consuming but not impossible), is any of it worth coming back for if he doesn't have John? Solving the petty crimes of unskilled criminals, living his dull, sober life alone in a shabby apartment he likely keeps chiefly to annoy Mycroft? It had been enough, once - before John. But if he doubted Sherlock even for a second, there would be no coming back from that.
Sherlock's career is pissing off bad people, he has enemies, and it's likely by the grace of his brother that real trouble hadn't darkened his doorstep until now. But Moriarty has played a long game to get here, beating Mycroft Holmes and Scotland Yard, then walking free from what should've been a slam-dunk court case - all to get to Sherlock. Except Moriarty was disappointed in the end: his most worthy adversary had taken a "pet", believed the fantasy of a key that could open any door, proved himself so dreadfully ordinary after all. Sherlock would jump to his death to save his friends, and Moriarty brought a gun because he'd intended to shoot himself all along, following his raison d'etre down into oblivion.
Ironic that his grand plan falls apart just as it comes together in Kitty's apartment. John was supposed to believe him: if he could get John to pause for a single second, it would be the final nail in Sherlock's coffin. Instead, John, good, moral, stalwart John, proves (of course he does, in their first week together he saved Sherlock from himself, a much tougher task than killing him) his unwavering faith - and Sherlock realizes that he has something worth living for. Maybe it was a little more selfish than that - he cares for John, but more specifically he wants to continue his life with John. If he'd just wanted to keep him safe, that could've been better accomplished by actually dying. But it would seem caring is only a disadvantage when used to manipulate people: Love had doomed Irene's plan, but saved her life. Moriarty had counted on love to carry Sherlock over the edge with him; instead, it's the reason Sherlock decided to live.
That's why he left John in the middle of the street after Moriarty escaped claiming he had private business; why he asked an impossible, career-risking feat of Molly at the 11th hour; why he spent a sleepless night at Bart's pulling together the only true deception he's ever committed: cheating death.
When his own token attempt on the roof at convincing John that he's a fraud fails (only this time it was to spare him pain, and then with it's a trick, just a magic trick, Sherlock offers the only truth he can afford), he can't help his small sob because for all his cleverness, it has come to this. John has to watch him die so he would have no questions. Since there will be no body to examine, and witnesses will either be suspiciously silent (Homeless Network) or too easy to trip up (John's bound to have learned a few interrogation tricks, working alongside Sherlock), there has to be no doubt in John's mind. By faking his death, Sherlock does what no one else has managed to do: betray John's trust in him.
All he can do now is hope that John's trust survives his fall.