Sherlock/Heartwarming: Difference between revisions

{{work}}{{Heartwarming}}

{{quote| '''John:''' Something's wrong...<br />

'''Angelo:''' No, no. All part of the plan. Sherlock ''always'' has a plan.<br />

** On noting that Sherlock's plan had "gone wrong" John ignores Sherlock's order not to interfere, jumping up, running after the cab and then calling the police, prompting Sherlock later to smile and muse "Good old Dr Watson. I underestimated him."

* As in the aired version, Sherlock and John go to a restaurant, primarily so that Sherlock can keep an eye on the taxis outside. As in the aired version, John eats ([[Running Gag|or at least orders]]) and Sherlock doesn't. The difference is that when John remarks on it and asks if Sherlock isn't going to eat, Sherlock asks him what day it is. John replies that it's Wednesday, and Sherlock's comment is "I'm all right for a bit." John is completely appalled, turns all doctor-y on his new flatmate, and tells him "For God's sake, you've got to eat!"

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' Where is it?<br />

'''John:''' ... Where's what?<br />

'''Sherlock:''' Don't- just ''don't.'' What did you do with the ''gun?''<br />

** As in the aired version, Sherlock asks John if he's all right, as he ''has'' just killed a man. John's response in the pilot is very different to the aired version and next door to both [[Fridge Horror|fridge horror]] and a [[Tear Jerker]], especially when Sherlock responds in tones that are next door to affectionate:

{{quote| '''John:''' I've seen men die before- and good men, friends of mine. I thought I'd never sleep again... I'll sleep fine tonight.<br />

** There's one throwaway line in particular that warms this troper's heart: "Couldn't Harry help?" And John's response of "Yeah, like that's going to happen." Despite it being ''how many years'' since they trained at Bart's together, Mike still remembers off the top of his head that John has a sister named Harry who probably lives in London somewhere and who might be able to help. John's line and Mike's response to it seem to indicate he ''also'' remembers that John and Harry don't get along, and John assumes he'd remember, so he doesn't need to explain ''why'' that's never going to happen. Mike also makes a comment about how he knows John would hate living anywhere other than London and speaks affectionately about "the John Watson I know."

** There's a shot of Mike starting to smile when Sherlock asks John how he feels about the violin. In retrospect, Mike must have been pretty amazed that the high-functioning sociopath who is incredibly rude to just about ''everyone'' immediately accepted John, was about as respectful and pleasant as he's capable of being toward him, and in ''literally just under sixty seconds'' asks him to move in with him.

* Sherlock and John's first meeting in the lab. Sherlock, as usual, is very keen to show off his amazing deductive skills to impress John, but when John asks about how he does it, Sherlock ignores the question entirely. This is quite out of character for Sherlock, who just loves to explain how he comes to his conclusions on later occasions. But think about it this way: We later learn that it's not the deductions themselves that people find annoying or creepy, but the explanations of how Sherlock came to his conclusions. It is possible that Sherlock deliberately chose not to tell John the details because he didn't want to scare him away. He must have felt as immediately drawn to John as John felt drawn to him (on his blog, he says he found Sherlock to be oddly "charming"). Obviously, they had some kind of instant connection that became the foundation of their epic friendship. You could say that, in a way, they are soulmates. Aw.

** When Molly brings Sherlock coffee, he says "Ah, Molly. Coffee. Thank you." However, if you look carefully, Sherlock's looking at John and handing the phone back to him when he says "thank you." It's entirely possible that he wasn't thanking Molly for the coffee, he was thanking John for the phone. Again. He'd already thanked him for it only about a minute before. You can count how many times Sherlock ''thanks somebody'' in the course of two seasons on one hand (excluding when he's pretending to be someone else, e.g. a priest who's just been mugged) and in ''The Reichenbach Fall'' in particular it's hammered home that Sherlock really doesn't say "thank you" unless he really wants to/is prompted by someone else to say it.

* Sherlock introduces John to Mrs Hudson as "Dr John Watson". John had been introduced to ''him'' by Mike as simply "John Watson" <ref> (and to this troper's memory John ''never'' introduces himself as anything other than "John Watson")</ref>, so Sherlock's tacking on a reference to his MD is particularly respectful. Mrs Hudson in turn addresses John as "Dr Watson" all of ''once,'' and later in the same scene- after knowing him for less than five minutes- starts addressing him as "dear." [[hottip:*:<ref> In ''The Great Game,'' she even addresses John as "love", which is something she doesn't even call ''Sherlock.'' To this troper's memory, the only time Mrs Hudson ever calls him "John" is {{spoiler|when she's trying to console him at Sherlock's grave.}}</ref> John in his turn almost instantly clicks with ''her,'' rather adorably pushing his luck when she offers him tea by asking for biscuits as well.

* On the above scene, a very small moment: when they first go to look at the flat, Sherlock waits for John at the top of the stairs before opening the door for him and leading the way in. This troper has a physical disability, and can tell you that common courtesies like walking slower or waiting for someone with a disability is sadly not as common as it should be. That Sherlock didn't just self-interestedly wander into the flat leaving John to get there in his own time really is surprisingly considerate of him, without being condescending.

* Just before Lestrade comes to fetch Sherlock John again asks how Sherlock deduced all those things about John's military service, limp, Harry and her drinking and once again, Sherlock ignores him. Again, this is an example of the relatively gentle and respectful way Sherlock interacts with John from the beginning.

* Mrs Hudson indulgently watches an excited Sherlock practically fly out the door on his way to a crime scene. She tells John, "Look at him, always rushing about... my husband was just the same...". That is, she's comparing Sherlock to her husband, just as a mother might compare her son with his father. Which is adorable and completely establishes her maternal relationship with Sherlock inside of about one minute of screen time.

* Sherlock coming back to the flat for John. It wasn't just a matter of him needing an assistant. He chose a man he hardly knows, with only his word for it that he was a "very good" doctor. The conversation he has with John shows that he completely ''understands'' that John is missing his life as a soldier, and is up for examining a corpse, and anything else exciting that comes his way. It's heavily implied that ''nobody'' else understands this about John, which is why he's pretty much in the closet about his [[Blood Knight]] tendencies (and remains that way through two seasons.) Here are two men who both love the thrill of "the game." John ''understands'' why Sherlock referred to the fourth victim and note as "Christmas" even if he himself knows better than to say things like that.

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' You're a war hero who can't find a place to live, it's unlikely you've got an extended family, certainly not one you're close to.}}

* Sherlock's determination to not exclude John from helping him with the case. He clearly overheard John get upset about being left out of the excitement because of his injury and from then Sherlock is keen to make sure he's in on the action. When Sally blocks John from following Sherlock into the crime scene, John acts bashful and suggests waiting outside but [[Rule of Symbolism|Sherlock lifts up the barrier for him]].

{{quote| '''Lestrade:''' Who's this?<br />

'''Sherlock''' He's with me.<br />

'''Lestrade:''' Yeah but who is he?<br />

{{quote| '''John:''' That's fantastic!<br />

'''Sherlock:''' Do you know you do that out loud?<br />

'''John:''' Sorry, I'll shut up.<br />

** Again from that scene, the chair. John seems to assume that it's there to intimidate him or put him in a vulnerable position. The line "the leg must be hurting you, sit down" could be taken as passive-aggressive bullying, or you could also read it as a much more heartwarming straight line- Mycroft might be OK with kidnapping and bribing John, but he's not mean-spirited and wants to accommodate John's physical limitations. He not only arranges for John to be dropped off at the door of Baker Street, he even has the car stop by wherever John was currently living so he could pick up the gun on the way.

** After Mycroft finishes his meeting with John, Anthea reappears and says she's to "take [John] home". John gives the address as 221B Baker Street. He hasn't even moved in yet, in fact he only went there that afternoon to ''check the place out'' and since then he's been abandoned by his potential flat-mate, been warned off by a police sergeant to stay away from him because he's a "psychopath" and intimidated by said flat-mate's apparent "arch-enemy". In spite of all that, he's already decided that 221B is now his ''home''. Aww.

{{quote| '''John:''' So I'm basically filling in for your skull?<br />

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' ... Problem?<br />

'''John:''' Yeah. Sergeant Donovan.<br />

'''Sherlock:''' ''(Looking exasperated)'' What about her?<br />

'''John:''' She ''said'' you get off on this. You enjoy it.<br />

'''Sherlock:''' And ''I'' said 'dangerous'- and here you are.<br />

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' What do real people have then in their real lives?<br />

** What's heartwarming about this is that John has so far had two people inform him that Sherlock doesn't have friends and there seems to be good reason for that. Instead of being warned off, John is making it clear here that he ''wants'' to be Sherlock's friend, despite knowing he would most likely be the first and only one Sherlock has ever had.

* During the chase to follow the taxi, Sherlock and John climb up to the top of a building and Sherlock jumps from one rooftop to another. John hesitates from doing the same for a brief moment and Sherlock has to prompt him saying; "Come on, John! We're losing him." before he can make the jump. ''We're'' losing him? Sherlock could have easily just kept focusing on the task at hand, kept on running and not given a a damn as to whether John was catching up with him. Remember he did that very thing earlier that evening when he abandoned John at Brixton to find the suitcase. It's a wonder that he noticed John had stalled at all. But now he's prepared to wait for John and encourage him to realise how much he's capable of.

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' Mrs Hudson, Dr Watson ''will'' take the room upstairs.}}

* During the preceding scene, there are a number of both background and cut-to shots of Lestrade's reaction to John in general and the way he interacts with Sherlock. There's one particularly interesting shot while Sherlock blurts out his inability to understand why a woman would still be upset about a stillbirth that happened "ages ago." John says nothing but looks ''absolutely appalled,'' and then Lestrade seems to be watching the both of them, wondering what will happen next. As it turns out Sherlock, this time, doesn't need a lecture. John's horrified look and the dead silence that falls over the room is well enough to tip him off that what he's just said is ''really, really bad.'' And it's one of the very few times he seems unsure of himself and willing to admit that what he's just said is "not good."

** John's reactions to death in ''A Study in Pink'' in particular can be classified as heartwarming. When he goes with Lestrade and Sherlock in to view the body of Jennifer Wilson, there's a shot of each of their faces, and John is the only one to show any kind of real emotion- and it seems to be pity. You can see it again in the revelation that Rachel was Wilson's child and had been stillborn. There are two reaction shots of John as Lestrade is telling this to Sherlock- he reacts to "she's dead" with pity as it is, and when Lestrade is quite matter-of-fact with "technically speaking she was never alive... Rachel was Jennifer Wilson's stillborn daughter..." John winces and looks noticably upset to hear this. Sherlock, on the other hand, completely ignores the emotional side of the information and is simply confused as to ''why'' the victim would write her daughter's name on the floor as she was dying. John is surprisingly upset to hear about the stillborn child of someone he never knew, and which happened fourteen years before- Sherlock is surprised that the baby's ''mother'' would care after fourteen years. After years of playing with cadavers in medical school, going through residency and then going out to Afghanistan and not only dealing with military casualties but civilians as well- John could be forgiven for being more detached about the deaths of people he doesn't know. It's probable that The Pink Lady is the first dead body he's seen since Afghanistan. In any case, his respect for the dead is in sharp contrast to Sherlock's frank disinterest in them as anything other than puzzles to solve.

* The apologetic look on Sherlock's face after John basically tells him about the moment he thought he was going to die. It's quite a lot pity from the man who barely a minute ago was being looked on as a monster for not understanding why the woman would still be upset about her stillborn daughter. While Sherlock clearly has problems with empathy, it doesn't mean he's beyond sympathy too. And though he's only recently met John, he clearly cares enough about him already to hate the thought of him suffering.

{{quote| '''Lestrade:''' Why'd he [Sherlock] have to do that? Why'd he have to leave??<br />

'''John:''' [shrugs] You know him better than I do.<br />

* The final shot of Sherlock and John walking together, side-by-side, smiling at one another. One man who at the start of this episode was "so alone" and another who "didn't have friends"; now they have each other and they're both so ''happy''.

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' I need some air. We're going out tonight.<br />

'''John:''' Actually, I can't. I've got a date.<br />

'''Sherlock:''' What?<br />

'''John:''' It's where two people who like each other go out and have fun.<br />

'''Sherlock:''' [[Literal -Minded|That's what I was suggesting]]. }}

** And then, afterwards, Sherlock refuses to tell John what happened and that he ''nearly freaking died.'' Extra heartwarming when you remember the conversation Sherlock and John had in ''A Study in Pink'' about what a person would say if they were dying, if they'd been murdered. In what he may have thought were his "very last few seconds", Sherlock didn't say anything remotely clever or imaginative. He simply said [[Tear Jerker|"John."]]

** Sherlock also chooses to untie and comfort Sarah, even though she was no longer in any danger, instead of running after General Shan, who he could probably have overtaken on foot if he'd acted quickly. This was a sacrifice on his part, because he's later upset that she got away.

* Several times in the episode, Sherlock makes a concerted effort to keep John at arm's length. The way he does this seems to imply he's trying to protect John from Moriarty, which kind of takes this into [[Fridge Horror]] territory when you see what happens at the end of both this episode and ''The Reichenbach Fall.'' John is with him on most of these cases but he's careful to keep John away from Moriarty. At one point John asks him if it ''is'' Moriarty and Sherlock, while being totally certain, simply says he doesn't know. He certainly isn't up for discussing it, and when he goes to actually confront Moriarty in person, he not only goes on his own, but he does so behind John's back.

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' I'd be lost without my blogger.}}

* The look on John's face when he sees that Sherlock is okay after abruptly leaving Sarah's to return home when he'd heard Baker Street had been bombed.

* Several times in The Great Game, Sherlock encourages John to solve the case. Although John doesn't quite manage it, it's both interesting and heartwarming that Sherlock, who is so defensive of his skills and desperate to be the only brilliant person alive, lets him try anyway and seems honestly pleased when he steps up. He's essentially trying to train John up as a sort of student of "the Science of Deduction." He doesn't really bother trying to teach anyone else.

** Sherlock's comments over John's deductions about the shoes are even more heartwarming because John had initially flatly refused to tell Sherlock his impressions; he protested "I'm not going to stand here while you humiliate me." Sherlock had apparently, for a change, been really ''listening'' to John's concerns- his compliments toward him were his careful efforts to absolutely ''not'' humiliate John in any way. The comment about John missing practically everything of importance was meant as a statement of fact, not a put-down, and despite feeling that John really did miss every important detail Sherlock ''still'' enthusiastically encouraged him and told him he'd done an excellent job.

** Even more cute, Sherlock calling John 'quaint' for wanting to help Mycroft's matter of national importance. It's mostly meant as teasing but it's still rather sweet. As is the next moment where he refers to John as his 'best man'.

** Sherlock and John don't really know each other ''that'' well at this point, so it's more understandable that Sherlock would expect John to just stay away and amuse himself while he got on with the Very Important Business of all the detective work. He throws him a bone by "letting" him deal with Mycroft. Despite the fact that this probably wasn't the "help" John had in mind, especially since at that point the Andrew West case didn't seem connected to anything in particular and Sherlock knew Mycroft would be pissed that he'd sent John and didn't come himself. John goes anyway. Mycroft is incredibly rude to him about it, telling him to his face he wanted ''Sherlock'' to come instead. John not only overlooks that bitchiness, he makes a fumbling attempt to excuse Sherlock without giving away exactly what he's working on.

** Also, John letting go of Moriarty when he realised Sherlock was now a target. He backs off far enough from Moriarty that he had no reason to believe he wasn't going to be shot by the snipers then and there for attacking him.

* After the old lady is shot and her call to Sherlock is cut off, there's a heartbreakingly sombre moment as the three men take in what has happened. Sherlock may claim not to care later but the expression on his face and the way he sinks back into his chair tells a completely different story. Also, John's hand comes to rest on the back of Sherlock's chair, very close to Sherlock's neck. It looks as if John is ready to comfort his friend if he needs to because he ''knows'' that Sherlock must feel some guilt, deep down inside, over not saving her when he had the chance.

* In the Connie Prince case of "The Great Game", John calls Sherlock thinking he has a lead, and pretty much orders him to get himself over to the Prince place ASAP. Sherlock immediately agrees and follows every single one of his instructions. Sherlock had solved the case well before John called, and presumably, before he even sent John out. He went out to the Prince house anyway. Although John was wrong, Sherlock seems quite proud that he had come up with a very plausible theory; he's even more proud of him a few minutes later when he correctly deduces how Andrew West was killed.

* Shortly after the resolution of the Andrew West Case, Sherlock is watching trashy telly and John is (probably) typing up on his blog about recent events. While the easy domestic scene would be heartwarming enough by the virtue of being there, considering previous tense scenes, it's made even better when John mentions that he's still waiting for Sherlock to admit knowing something about the solar system would have helped in figuring out why the painting in the fourth "round" was fake. Sherlock retorts that it didn't help John any. John replies that while that's true he is not a "consulting detective." What is Sherlock's witty reply? Sherlock simply grins to himself and concedes the point.

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' Don't make people into heroes, John. Heroes don't exist and if they did I wouldn't be one of them.}}

*** While it's delivered to sound quite brutal, there is an underlying heart-warming factor to it in that, just like with letting Molly know Jim was gay, Sherlock believes he has to be cruel to be kind. He seems genuinely put off that John is disappointed in him. Instead of trying to regain John's approval or impress him again, Sherlock simply lays it out flat - this is who he is and John is only going to be upset if he expects him to be something more. For someone with such a huge ego, it really is an impressive display of how humble he can be when he tells John that he's NOT a hero and also shows how [[Tear Jerker|even Sherlock]] is aware of the type of [[Anti-Hero|potentially twisted person]] he is.

{{quote| '''John:''' Let him go. Or I ''will'' kill you.}}

** And, as previous events have shown us, he would have.

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' Beautiful, isn't it?}}

** That whole scene is adorable in itself in how domestic it is. After John reminds Sherlock there's risotto in the fridge he comments that they're out of milk and Sherlock says he'll go get some. John is briefly stunned at him offering to do so and prompts him to get some beans as well which Sherlock agrees to. John still looks disbelieving but he's smiling anyway. He most likely knows that Sherlock won't get either items but he appreciates him offering.

* When John arrives at Buckingham Palace to find Sherlock sulking on the sofa wrapped only in a sheet- he's not even wearing ''underwear-'' there's no sign of exasperation or annoyance or embarrassment on John's part. That's just who Sherlock is, John's accepted that he has a stubborn and childish streak, and thinks the fact that his best friend is a thin white sheet away from being stark naked at the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II is ''absolutely hilarious.'' And, in turn, Sherlock's transition from dead serious, sulky pouting to cracking up laughing too. He's learning to laugh at ''himself'' and some of the absurd things he does. So far it seems John is the only person who brings out the silly giggling schoolboy in him, who gets him to crack jokes about invading Afghanistan and his brother being a "queen" and steal ashtrays for no other reason than to have a laugh about it. Did Sherlock, before meeting John, [[Tear Jerker|ever have anyone to have fun and laugh with?]] For a few moments in this scene, the pair of them are having so much fun just enjoying each other's company and revelling in most definitely not behaving 'like grown ups.'

* In the scene where John is talking to Mrs Hudson just before leaving the flat on New Year's Eve, he asks her if Sherlock's ever had a "girlfriend... boyfriend... a ''relationship'' of some kind, ever?" When Mrs Hudson says she doesn't know, John blurts out, almost angrily, "How could ''we'' not know??" So far as he's concerned, they're Sherlock's best friends, and they ''should'' know this stuff about him.

** Also worth pointing out that up until this point we have never seen Sherlock kill anyone. We've seen him torture people and show no objection to when others take a life for good reason (and what concern he does have in those moments is more for the state of mind of the one who killed them). We know that John has killed at least two people and god knows how many lives he had to take on his [[Fridge Horror|"bad days"]] in Afghanistan. But so far Sherlock, who has confessed to how little he cares about the lives of others, has never felt the need to take one and is surprised when others are unaffected by doing so. In fact, when Sally Donovan's prediction that one day they'll be [[Fridge Brilliance|"standing around a body and Sherlock Holmes will be the one that put it there]]" finally comes true; the body is [[Heroic Sacrifice|Sherlock's]]. And it's [[Faking the Dead|not even dead]].

{{quote| Irene: It's for his own safety.<br />

John: So's this. Tell him you're alive.<br />

Irene: I can't.<br />

** John's devotion to Sherlock during that week deserves a mention. He cancels his plans with his girlfriend and, presumably, his sister to stay with Sherlock as Mycroft asked. Unlikely ''because'' Mycroft asked but because he knew it was doubtful that Mycroft himself would be willing to stay with his own brother and look after him like John would. Jeanette even goes as far to describe him as a great boyfriend...to ''Sherlock''. And even refers to it as 'heartwarming' how John will do anything for him when Sherlock can't even remember his girlfriends. Thing is, neither can John as he forgets that Jeanette isn't 'the one with the dog', doubling as a [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Crowning Moment Of Funny]].

** Then there's why Sherlock was there; because he'd followed John. Despite moping around in his dressing gown when John left, he must have realised that the car wasn't sent by Mycroft and so he rushed to get dressed and chase after them to make sure John was okay.

{{quote| '''Mycroft:''' We are in Buckingham Palace, the very heart of the British nation. [[Full Name Ultimatum|Sherlock Holmes,]] ''put your trousers on.''}}

{{quote| '''Mycroft''' (''pouring tea''): I'll be "mother." <ref>i.e. He'll serve the tea.</ref><br />

{{quote| Mycroft: That's all it takes. One lonely naive man desperate to show off, and a woman clever enough to make him feel special... I drove you into her path. I'm sorry. I didn't know.}}

** Earlier on, Mycroft gives Sherlock a cigarette after he identifies the body in the morgue as Irene Adler. There's nothing overtly sentimental about the scene (quite the opposite, in fact) but it's still obvious that Mycroft is trying to comfort Sherlock.

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' Do you think there's something wrong with us?}}

** Lestrade gets one, too. When Sherlock asked for an ambulance, the way he answered that none of them were hurt sort of implied Lestrade showed concern. Later, when Sherlock gives a vague answer about how many times the guy fell out of the window, he simply walks away. His two friends and an innocent civilian weren't the ones hurt, meaning he'll just ignore the rather obvious fact that someone deliberately threw the person who hurt them out a window. Several times. He may or may not be a good officer, but he's a damn good friend.

* The whole Christmas Eve scene is pretty adorable. We open with Sherlock playing his violin. "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is an odd choice for Sherlock; Mrs Hudson's appreciative, tipsy comments imply that she'd specifically asked him to play, and he was obliging her (though he flat-out refused to wear the reindeer antlers.) What's extra heartwarming is everyone truly listening to Sherlock perform and genuingly applauding him when he's finished. Lestrade claps, John calls him 'marvellous' and Mrs. Hudson is beaming. Considering these three people spend most of their time being exasperated with the man; it's lovely to see a moment of them all complimenting his talents together.

** The part where Sherlock accidentally humiliates Molly is a borderline [[Tear Jerker]]; thus far she's pretty much been a [[Dogged Nice Guy|Dogged Nice Girl]], and for the first time she tearfully [[Did You Think I Can't Feel?|calls Sherlock out for his casual heartlessness]]. What does Sherlock do? Gives her an incredibly heartfelt apology and a kiss on the cheek. Awww.

** Half a second before his apology, Sherlock goes to walk off. That he changed his mind and apologised fully and very publicly was incredibly brave of him, considering how socially challenged and viciously proud he is. Also worth noting, to the careful viewer, that as he moves to turn away, he clearly gets a lump in his throat, which he swallows back, and his eyes are rather shiny.

*** Ultimately the Christmas Eve gathering comprises people who aren't spending that evening with their family, either because (like Sherlock) they're choosing not to, or (like, apparently, Molly) they don't have any family- certainly not any family locally.

* When the American agents burst into the room at Irene's house, with John at gunpoint, he blurts out "Sorry, Sherlock." It's a wonder how on earth he could possibly imagine the situation to be his fault- sure, Sherlock ''did'' tell him to man the door and let no-one in, but I don't think he thought that would involve wrangling with armed CIA agents.

** That entire scene, really. Mycroft doesn't want Sherlock to know that {{spoiler|Irene is actually dead - even if he ''did'' order her execution - and asks John to help him sell the lie that Irene's in Witness Protection}}. He doesn't know that {{spoiler|Sherlock's beat him at his own game}} and is concerned about his little brother's emotional health.

** There's an amazing piece of [[Fridge Brilliance]] that goes along with this. In ''The Great Game'', Sherlock asks if caring about victims will help save them, to which even John admits that it won't, thus Sherlock remarks that he'll continue not to make that mistake. When John is held at gunpoint, Sherlock is adamant that he has no idea what the code is. What motivates him to work it out, along with Irene giving him the clue, is the fact that John is three seconds away from being murdered. Because he ''cared'', he was able to save John's life. If John had meant nothing to him and thus he'd had no real interest in figuring out the code then John would be dead.

{{quote| '''John:''' I'm not stupid, you know.<br />

{{quote| '''John:''' What are you- what- no, no, no, no. Back to bed. You'll be fine in the morning... just sleep.<br />

'''Sherlock:''' Of course I'll be fine. I am fine. I'm ''absolutely'' fine.<br />

'''John:''' Yes, you're great. Now I'll be next door if you need me.<br />

'''Sherlock:''' Why would I need you?<br />

{{quote| '''I AM {{spoiler|SHER}}LOCKED'''}}

{{quote| '''Mrs Hudson:''' You left it in the pocket of your second-best dressing gown, you ''clot.''}}

** At the start of the scene, Sherlock starts speaking, believing that he's talking to John because he often doesn't realise John has left the room. When he it hits him that the only other person in the room is Irene, he suddenly looks completely lost and rather adorably asks; "Where's John?" Considering this woman not only sexually intimidates him but had also drugged him and beaten him with a riding crop it's no wonder he feels uncomfortable to be left alone with her. He's had no problem with her staying in their flat thus far because John was with them. Sherlock immediately asking for him when he and Irene are alone is almost like a child asking for their mum when they've been left alone with a stranger.

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' Happy New Year, John.}}

* When Sherlock upsets Mrs Hudson in the opening scenes, John straight-up ''orders'' him to go and apologise to her. John rarely tells Sherlock what to do, and certainly not in those tones. We've never seen him even ''suggest'' that Sherlock go and apologise to someone that he's upset before. And while we've seen that Sherlock is acting out because he's gone cold turkey, and John has mostly been accepting of that fact that he's tearing the living room to pieces and being even ruder to ''him'' than usual, he's not going to let Sherlock use his lack of cigarettes as an excuse to be a dick and upset Mrs Hudson. His reaction when Sherlock blurts out the news about the wife in Doncaster is also the only time to date that John has ever used that tone of voice with him and protested that strongly against something he's said.

** On a similar note, when Sherlock and John are about to leave for Dartmoor they pause for a second to watch Mrs Hudson having what appears to be one hell of a row with her cheating romantic interest. Neither of them try to interfere, and they both look and sound quite proud of Mrs Hudson for standing up for herself and not putting up with being someone's Other Woman. In ''Belgravia'' and ''Reichenbach'' both Sherlock and John demonstrate that they're willing to defend Mrs Hudson at any cost- physically, if they have to- but they also recognise that in a lot of instances she's more than capable of standing up for herself and fighting her own battles.

* As he did in ''The Great Game,'' Sherlock says he's not going to take the case but he's putting his "best man onto it"- John. He even pats his shoulder while he says it, which is a bluff but surprisingly sweet gesture from someone who rarely touches anyone affectionately, other than Mrs Hudson. He then goes on to explain that he can trust John to send him all the relevant data, even though he doesn't understand a word of it himself. It comes across as an insult, but Sherlock seems to have meant it as a compliment. John has much more patience than Sherlock for painstaking collection of data. He's constantly writing things down, photographing them on his phone, etc. He's thorough and organised. <ref> You can really see this in ''The Blind Banker,'' in the sequence where they're trying to decipher the book code. There's a reason why Sherlock's role seems to be to read aloud the first word of page fifteen and then carelessly throw the book onto the pile beside John. The ''wrong'' pile. Twice he puts a book down on a pile next to John, and twice John, who is patiently writing things down, moves said book onto another pile. Sherlock might have a really organised Mind Palace and sock drawer, but he's got a terribly organised living room.</ref> If Sherlock can't be there to collect clues or evidence- or, as we've seen in the episode, if he's incapacitated and can't- he absolutely ''needs'' someone he can rely on to hand over the "relevant data" exactly as it was found.

* Sherlock and John pretend to have had a £50 bet going to see if the tour guide could prove that he'd seen the hound. After the guy finally does show them the proof, Sherlock ''still'' gives John the £50 even though there was never any bet in the first place and no need for the charade any further once they got the information they needed out of the guy. Afterwards, it's never shown or implied that Sherlock demanded the money back.

* After John pulls rank at the Baskerville base, Sherlock gives him this sly, sideways look of impressed amusement. He clearly didn't intend for John (or anyone else) to actually see it. Later, the only thing he says is "Nice touch." This passes for a massive compliment, considering that this is Sherlock we're talking about- but what John did ''wasn't'' just a ''touch,'' since at the point where John took over Sherlock seemed to be struggling, and they would probably not have got anything close to "the full tour" without John's ability and willingness to quite literally ''order'' it to happen.

** There's something nice, also, about John and Lestrade's exchange of their first names as greeting. It really cements the idea that although they met through Sherlock, John and Lestrade have a friendship outside of Sherlock- so much so that John's on a first-name basis with Lestrade, and Sherlock isn't. So far, as of the end of season 2, John is the ''only'' character to ever address Lestrade by his first name. It's partly a gag, but it also seems that of the principle characters, John's the only one who gives a damn about the guy when he's off duty and not necessarily being useful as a cop.

* And on the subject of Lestrade, Mycroft sending Lestrade to keep an eye on Sherlock. Presumably, he's given up hope of John "keeping an eye" on Sherlock, because while John is fiercely protective of Sherlock's safety, the two of them can't "behave like grown ups."

* Also, the beginning Baker Street sequence is more or less played for laughs, but there's a couple of rather heartwarming implications there. Sherlock and John "agreed" to Sherlock giving up smoking cold turkey; this has apparently called for a complete strategy, including Sherlock paying off local cigarette merchants. John's job is apparently to deny Sherlock his nicotine fix no matter how much he begs, but there's a secret stash and John knows where it is- just in case Sherlock becomes a ''complete'' mess and John judges that it's better that he relents and gives him a cigarette for the sake of his health and sanity. Otherwise, why not just throw out the cigarettes altogether, instead of hiding them?

{{quote| '''John:''' Sherlock. You're doing really well. Don't give up now.}}

{{quote| And then Sherlock did one of the most human things I think I've ever seen him do - he made Henry look at the dog's body. He didn't need to, he'd solved the case but it was as if he knew that the truly important thing was showing Henry what was real and what wasn't. Maybe the fear and doubt he'd felt, and maybe his experiences with Irene Adler, had humanised him?}}

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' It's all right. It's okay now.}}

** Bonus points for the sideways compliment of Lestrade being a "nice, scary detective from Scotland Yard."

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' I knew the effect it had on a superior mind so I needed to try it on an average one. ''(John looks annoyed)'' You know what I mean.}}

*** That is basically the closest thing to an apology from Sherlock. It's also a [[Call Back|call back]] to their conversation in ''A Study In Pink'' where Sherlock calls John an idiot before telling him not to take it to heart because "practically everyone is". Now Sherlock is acknowledging that John is of 'average intelligence' which is quite a step-up from 'idiot'. Meaning, while John's intelligence isn't on the same level as his own, Sherlock values John's mind above many others.

{{quote| As the hound prepared to attack, we shot it and we saw that it was just a dog. }}

{{quote| Sherlock had some ID he'd appropriated so we were able to bluff our way in.}}

* At the boarding school, Lestrade points out "Miss Mackenzie, housemistress... go easy." Sherlock responds by whipping off her shock blanket and viciously shouting at her. When she gives him the information he needs and begs him to believe her, he says "I ''do''. I just wanted you to speak quickly." His tone, and for a second his facial expression, is surprisingly gentle. And then he announces "Miss Mackenzie will need to breathe into a bag now"- he cared, on some level, that the woman was now hyperventilating, even though it was his fault. He simply saw the need for information, quickly, outweighing the down side of upsetting her further.

* So Sherlock and John are both arrested one night- and the next day, John shows up at the flat again. Mrs Hudson automatically assumes that Sherlock "sorted it out"- the idea that Sherlock might really have kidnapped and poisoned two children apparently never even occurs to her, even though the police apparently had enough evidence to arrest him on suspicion. (She also isn't particularly surprised to see John, which may have led her to assume he'd managed to "sort out" the whole issue of assaulting the Chief Superintendant of Scotland Yard, too.)

{{quote| '''Mycroft:''' John... I'm sorry. Tell him, would you?}}

* There's another implication of John and Mycroft's meetings in ''The Reichenbach Fall,'' and it's heartwarming for Sherlock and rather a [[Tear Jerker]] for Mycroft. John has repeatedly complained that Mycroft doesn't have to keep freaking kidnapping him to talk to him; he can just ''phone him.'' (On one occasion, in Belgravia, he actually does, but that appears to be because kidnapping him was not good logistically just then.) John is now used to Mycroft's people bundling him into a car to take him to an undisclosed location for a chat with Mycroft. These pretty much always involve Mycroft asking John to do something for Sherlock; to protect him or look after him in some way. Mycroft, even 18 months after he and Sherlock met John, does not understand that John doesn't need to be kidnapped, threatened, humiliated, bribed or otherwise manipulated into looking after Sherlock. He's John Watson. It's what he ''does.'' It's pretty much his full-time job. He's Sherlock's ''friend.'' Mycroft's attitude toward John heavily implies that not only does he not really understand that John is genuinely Sherlock's friend (heartwarming) it implies that Mycroft doesn't understand what a friend even is, because he doesn't seem to have any himself (tearjerker.) Mycroft has "colleagues." He has people who help him advance in his work, and people he helps to advance in theirs. He has Sherlock. He has people he's polite to for his own ends, and one unnamed person (perhaps the guy at the palace) who he refers to as a "friend"; but I sincerely doubt that That Palace Guy would shoot someone to save Mycroft's life, or crash-tackle the craziest bastard in Britain, expecting to die for it, for no other reason than wanting Mycroft to live.

{{quote| '''Molly:''' You look sad. When you think he [John] can't see you.}}

{{quote| "What do you need?"<br />

"If I wasn't everything that you think I am, everything that ''I'' think I am...would you still want to help me?"<br />

"What do you need?"<br />

{{quote| '''John''': No one will ever convince me that you told me a lie.}}

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' I'm a fake.<br />

'''John:''' ''Sherlock.''<br />

'''Sherlock:''' The newspapers were right all along. And I want you to tell Lestrade, and I want you to tell Mrs Hudson, and Molly- in fact, tell everyone who will listen to you- that I created Moriarty. For my own purposes.<br />

'''John:''' Okay, Sherlock, shut up. Shut ''up.'' The first time we met- the first time we ''met''- you knew all about my ''sister,'' right?<br />

'''Sherlock:''' Nobody could be that clever.<br />

{{quote| '''John:''' Got a warrant? HAVE you?<br />

{{quote| '''John:''' He's not resisting...<br />

'''Sherlock:''' It's all right, John.<br />

'''John:''' He's not resist- no, it's ''not'' all right, this is ridiculous!<br />

'''Lestrade:''' Get him downstairs, now.<br />

'''John:''' You ''know'' you don't have to be-<br />

** And of course, Sherlock's line. Even in the middle of his world crashing down around him and the humiliation of being arrested, he himself is quite calm and quiet, and his primary focus is on reassuring John. Extra poignant because this is Sherlock's ''only'' line during the scene- until he and John speak at the police car, that is. He doesn't say anything else to anyone- he doesn't try to protest his innocence or say anything to Mrs Hudson or Lestrade at all. And it's really in [[Tear Jerker]] territory that if John hadn't got himself arrested and ended up on the run with him- something Sherlock couldn't possibly have expected- the last thing he ever said to his best friend ''would'' have been "it's all right, John."

** Sherlock doesn't look at all surprised when John is arrested along with him. But when he hears that John punched the superintendent for him, he briefly smiles to himself, both touched and proud to have a friend who's willing to get himself arrested to stay with him.

{{quote| '''Lestrade:''' Well don't let it get to ya. ''I'' always feel like screaming when you walk into a room. In fact, so do most people. ''(Glares at Sgt Donovan.)''}}

* John rushing out to be with Mrs Hudson, after learning that she is apparently dying. He's extremely upset, so much so that he misses a few things: Sherlock's pitifully bad acting, and the fact that they're both sleeping in the lab of St Bart's because they're ''fugitives.'' Either it never occurs to John that going to Mrs Hudson will probably result in his re-arrest (or that it may even be a police trap) or he plain doesn't care.

* Lestrade's reaction to Sherlock and John escaping. Yeah, Sherlock has a gun to his best friend's head. Yeah, the supposed psychopathic genius has a loaded gun. And Lestrade's reaction is more along the lines of, 'Christ, I have to deal with another mess he's made,' rather than, y'know, actually showing any sort of panic at the psychopathic genius with a hostage and loaded gun running about.

*** Which also sort of ties in with the earlier moment where Sherlock rather adorably and sadly touched Lestrade's forehead and told him he needed to be strong against the niggling doubts forming in his mind. Lestrade was doing that; despite all the supposed evidence, despite Sherlock's stunt, which really didn't help his case at all, Lestrade still believed in Sherlock's innocence and genuineness.

{{quote| '''John''':No. I know you for real.<br />

'''Sherlock''': One hundred percent?<br />

* John calling Sherlock "the best man [that he's ever known]" at his friend's grave. As well as being a line [[Mythology Gag|from the original books]], it's also a lovely [[Call Back]] to the times when Sherlock has referred to John as his "best man".

** To add to the above scene, the fact that Sherlock is there, watching John from afar. The placing of the gravestone and how overgrown the burial mound is shows that a considerable amount of time has passed since he faked his death. And yet, Sherlock is still watching over John to make sure he's safe. It's a mix of heart-warming and [[Tear Jerker|tear jerker]] to wonder how often he looks in on John, watching his friend grieve without being able to show himself or comfort him. And John, all the while, not knowing that Sherlock is alive and still protecting him.

* This episode is packed full of moments where John demonstrates how protective he is of Sherlock. But there's one subtle moment near start of the episode that proves how it goes both ways. When Sherlock is approached by Kitty in the Men's before Moriarty's court case, he's initially dismissive of her and shows no interest in wasting any time with her. Then Kitty threatens to write about him and John being "more than just platonic" and that's when Sherlock turns on her. He knows John is upset by what his press nickname "''Bachelor'' John Watson" implies and while Sherlock doesn't care what people say about him, he knows that John cares and he doesn't want John to endure any further humiliation. Sherlock doesn't simply make some tactless deductions about Kitty, he enjoys verbally ripping her to shreds for daring to bring John's name into things. Shame that this act of defence on his best friend's behalf is what comes back to aid in his downfall later in the episode.

{{quote| '''Moriarty:''' Everyone has their pressure point. Someone who they want to protect from harm.}}

{{quote| '''Sherlock:''' Take my hand.}}

** While avoiding having the handcuffs chafe their wrists is the most logical reason for this, there's nothing to say there wasn't more to this moment. In fact the reason behind it is never mentioned and it's only afterwards that John tells Sherlock that they need to ''co-ordinate''. After that, John clutches Sherlock's sleeve or they don't bother at all. [[Your Mileage May Vary|It could possibly be]] that, in that moment after more or less "proving" to the police that he is a criminal and forced to go on the lam, Sherlock honestly wanted some physical reassurance that he still had his best friend with him and that they were in this together. The next time they properly hold hands is when they jump in front of the oncoming bus.

** What was originally a cute line in the midst of all the tension becomes a [[Tear Jerker|tear jerker]] later in the episode when John tries to take the hand (or rather, the wrist) of Sherlock's corpse and has to have his fingers prised off by the crowd to keep him away. The same goes for when Sherlock is on the roof and the shot of their outstretched hands makes it look as if they're reaching out to each other.

* Lestrade being one of the three friends which Sherlock would kill himself in order to protect. We knew that John was a given, he'd already been used as collateral against Sherlock twice, as has Mrs. Hudson who we've seen that he loves like a mum. But Lestrade? We've not seen any example so far of Sherlock showing concern, affection or even much respect for the D.I. In the previous episode Sherlock didn't even know his first name and was incredibly rude to him for just showing up when Lestrade only wanted to help them. We've seen Lestrade show loyalty and trust in Sherlock as well as being willing to go against the law for him several times but there's been little to no examples of Sherlock doing anything as heartwarming for him in return. Now we find out that, despite his ungrateful attitude, he really does care about Lestrade and is willing to throw himself off a building to save his life.

* The development of Sherlock and John's friendship. What starts simply as two lonely men wanting cheap accommodation quickly becomes the both of them giving the other purpose in life. Sherlock gives John the excitement and danger he's been missing from the war while John gives Sherlock the admiration and praise for his talents that he seems to so rarely get. By the end of the first episode alone they've affected each others lives tremendously. Sherlock has cured John's limp and John has saved Sherlock's life. Over the next two episodes, the initial spark seems to have faded as both have become used to each other and so the 'infatuation' stage if you will has worn off. Sherlock takes advantage of John's loyalty and treats him like a dogsbody that he expects to follow him everywhere and do anything for him regardless of whether John may have his own plans (''The Blind Banker''). John, in turn, is exasperated with Sherlock's coldness and things almost reach breaking point (''The Great Game'') when he's forced to accept that Sherlock isn't a perfect hero. Had their friendship been any weaker then the two would have probably parted ways at that point. The pair don't seem to realise how strongly they really do care for each other until Sherlock sees John strapped to a bomb and John witnesses Sherlock's panicked reaction that shows he really does care. While series 1 was all about establishing their friendship, series 2 revolves around how domestic their situation has become. As Irene points out (in ''Scandal''), they are a ''couple'' in whatever sense of the word. However they're still discovering new things about each other and the series focuses on how they'll stick by each other through the good and the bad. John still becomes annoyed at Sherlock's behaviour at times but it's no longer a surprise for him. That's just how Sherlock is. And John no longer defends him simply out of some fanboy 'crush'; he genuinely adores him and will do anything to protect him. He knows now, more so than he did by the end of ''The Great Game'', that Sherlock's bad points often appear to outweigh the good. But John simply doesn't ''care''. If anything John's devotion is strengthened because he recognises how ''human'' his friend is. Sherlock, in turn, is so used to John's company that he feels he can ignore him or experiment on him but the thought of John either being killed or losing faith in him for good causes him to [[Not So Stoic|panic]]. For all the crap he pulls, by the end of the series he appreciates everything John has given him and, in return, Sherlock willingly sacrifices his life (more or less) to save John and his other friends.

** And on the other side, whenever Sherlock takes a moment to ask John if he's "All right?". From the uncharacteristically soft way he delivers the question after John has just shot the cab driver (even though ''he'd'' been the one who'd narrowly avoided being another murder/suicide) to his utter panic when John is strapped to explosives or even after the experiment at Baskerville which ''Sherlock'' himself had set up. Even when he's being arrested and humiliated, all he cares about is reassuring John that it's "all right" even when they both know it's really not. These small displays of empathy are not limited to John either, as Sherlock's attempts to comfort both Sarah and Mrs. Hudson show.

* At the beginning of ''A Study in Pink'', Sherlock seems to take himself ''very'' seriously. He's certainly hilarious, frequently, but it's generally snark or social awkwardness, and not him intentionally being funny. At the conclusion of the chase after the cab, John starts laughing at the absurdity of it all and how ''golden'' Sherlock's punchline "Welcome to London" was- Sherlock looks confused by John's laughter and demands "what...?" By the time they get back to the flat, he's ''giggling'' and making jokes just to get John to keep laughing as well. Later, in ''Belgravia,'' he's stealing ashtrays and making jokes at Mycroft's expense- again, for no other reason than to make John laugh. He ''tries'' to do it again in ''Baskerville,'' trying to "break the ice"- John doesn't respond to it this time, which helps clue him in that he might actually have to apologise. He doesn't deliberately joke with John ''often,'' and he doesn't seem to do it for anyone else's benefit. But there are definite moments where you can see his sense of humour developing and becoming more "normal." Also, it's extremely heartwarming that sometimes he just wants to cheer John up by, oh, say, nicking him an ashtray from Buckingham Palace. He genuinely likes to see John happy.

{{quote| '''Sally:''' Still hanging 'round him, then?<br />

'''John:''' Yeah, well...<br />

'''Sally:''' Opposites attract, I suppose.<br />

*** And then there's the fact this rubs off on Sherlock, too: Apart from him talking practically nonstop for the entire series, the second season quite often shows him with a quick snack in his hand and in one scene in ''A Scandal in Belgravia'', it is implied he has developed a habit of sleeping in late. Seems like he actually took some advice from his doctor ...

* So in two series, John has put up with a ''lot'' from Sherlock. Apart from him being probably the worst flatmate in history, simply being ''friends'' with Sherlock has (directly or indirectly) caused John to be, among other things: kidnapped twice (and that's if you ''don't'' count Mycroft's efforts), threatened with execution by gunshot, strapped to explosives, held at gunpoint no less than four times, knocked unconscious twice, drugged once and arrested twice. He's killed two people, pointed a loaded gun at several more, committed housebreaking, fraud and arson, conned his way into a top secret weapons base, assisted in the hacking of a computer system and encouraged a fellow doctor to violate doctor-patient confidentiality by getting her drunk and chatting her up. Let's not go into the fact that Sherlock has apparently, deliberately or otherwise, also sabotaged no less than ''four'' of John's relationships. He's had national newspapers make sly insinuations as to his sexuality because of his friendship with Sherlock. He's been ignored for days at a time, insulted, dismissed, used as the butt of numerable mean-spirited jokes and cruel put-downs, had doors literally shut in his face and has had Sherlock hang up the phone on him mid-sentence. And he's still Sherlock's friend. Twice in Season 2 do things reach a crisis between Sherlock and John: during the fireside conversation in ''Baskerville'' and the conversation about Sherlock being a fraud in ''Reichenbach.'' <ref> Since the "Mrs Hudson has been shot" argument is a set-up and Sherlock is incredibly passive, it doesn't really count as a two-sided conflict.</ref> And both arguments were about the same thing: John will simply take all of the above listed crap, that comes with being Sherlock's friend, but he can't stand the idea of Sherlock saying or implying that they ''aren't'' friends.

* On the above note, Sherlock, having some sociopathic tendencies, is a skilled manipulator and lies very convincingly. Except when it comes to telling lies to John, where he is almost always ''awful'' at it, and has to rely on John's naivete or fear or other factors to avoid being caught out. (Examples include lying to John about what happened in Soo Lin's flat in ''The Blind Banker,'' lying to him about giving Mycroft the memory stick in ''The Great Game,'' lying to him about the hound glowing in ''The Hounds of Baskerville,'' lying to him about not caring about Mrs Hudson in ''The Reichenbach Fall'' and, later in the episode and the most epic example of all, lying to him in the phone call at St Bart's. In all these examples he's so awkward or acts so badly that it's clear he's not comfortable telling those lies.) He finds lying to others easy when he's able to put on a fake persona, but with John he's genuine, making it difficult for him to effectively lie. By the end of series 2, he actually goes out of his way to avoid having to directly lie to John (examples include simply ''ignoring John'' in ''Belgravia'' if he doesn't want to tell him the truth, and his behaviour in ''Baskerville'' when forced between lying to John about locking him in the lab, and admitting to doing that to him, neither of which he wants to do.)

{{quote| He'd found the woman's missing suitcase because he'd known it would be pink, like the woman's clothes. It hadn't even crossed my mind and when I said this, he told me I was an idiot. He didn't mean to be offensive, he just said what he thought. I've been called worse things but his bluntness was still a bit of a surprise. He just didn't care about being polite or anything like that. I was starting to understand why he didn't seem to have many 'colleagues'. }}

{{quote| There was one other thing though. Before the taxi driver died, he said a name. A name of someone or something that had helped him. Moriarty. I've never heard of it and neither has Sherlock. Of course, he loves it. He thinks he's found himself an arch-enemy. He's a strange child.}}

{{quote| And since that night? It hasn't stopped. Oh, there's so much more I've got to tell you. }}

{{quote| Sherlock: You never told me about {{spoiler|Sarah}}.<br />

** Sherlock's comment in itself is amazingly heartwarming when you see it as him scolding John for not telling him about something like that. It's pretty rough to find out your best friend's girlfriend broke up with him ''weeks later on said best friend's blog.'' Sherlock's comment indicates that so far as he's concerned, John ''should'' tell him these things, because he's interested in what's going on in John's life and wants to know if something is upsetting him. It's entirely possible if not probable that [[Sherlock Scan|Sherlock already knew that John and Sarah had broken up,]] but the point wasn't that they'd broken up, it was that John told his ''blog'' about it before he told ''Sherlock.'' Especially when you consider that John had pointed out that a large part of why it hadn't worked with Sarah was because of his devotion to Sherlock. Reading that about yourself on a public blog would be pretty awful, especially as it's implied that John didn't tell him directly because he didn't think Sherlock would care. Sherlock's response is basically "I ''do'' care, and I'd like you to tell me these things in person because I do care." And instead of sulking childishly about the fact John doesn't confide in him, Sherlock just goes out and selflessly buys his friend a present<ref> we've never seen Sherlock drink beer so far and it doesn't seem to be his preference of beverage</ref> to cheer him up and, at the same time, apologize in his own way for being the part of the reason him and Sarah broke up.

{{quote| I could see the look in Sherlock's eyes - a flash of, not anger, but hurt. For a second, he looked like a little, lost child. I should have been horrified that he'd even doubt me for a second but, to be honest, it was so refreshingly human of him. He actually did value our friendship. He did, despite himself, care.}}

** In the above, he also speculates on the person holding the rifle, and refers to the unknown assistant of Moriarty as "his John Watson". He naively, adorably assumes, comparing this guy to ''himself,'' that of course he wouldn't kill Moriarty, an assumption he was working on when he [[Taking You Withwith Me|tried to get Sherlock an escape route.]]

{{quote| '''theimprobableone''': ridiculous<br />

* After the third episode of series two, John posts just a single line. {{spoiler|He was my best friend and I'll always believe in him.}} This doubles as a tear jerker.

{{quote| You look so lovely in that hat!}}

* Thanks to [[Orwellian Retcon]] this [https://web.archive.org/web/20130405052434/http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/blog/29march entry] that was posted at the end of Series One no longer exists but this beautiful line deserves some spot-light:

{{quote| A few months ago [[Tear Jerker|nothing much happened to me]]. That's all changed and I'm happy. Life is good.}}