Disclaimer: this is a spoiler-free zone, although some minor, specific details about the episode might be mentioned. Read at your own risk.
So, if for some reason you don’t own a TV or just got access to the Internet, hi, Sherlock is basically the best series ever and that’s all you need to know.
This show’s been around since 2010 and it has never gone unnoticed. No wonder why, the characters (based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories about detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner in crime Doctor John Watson) are extremely compelling and have been brough to this century in the most perfect way; the dialoge is quick, smart, and witty making the storyline even more interesting and grabbing than it already is (not to mention how there’s a plot twist every ten minutes, literally no loose ends).
If you’re familiar with Benedict Cumberbatch’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, you’ll know he’s a “high-functioning sociopath”, seemingly incapable of human emotions, and has a remarkable ability for deduction, all adapted to today’s world. It’s no suprise that he sometimes does drugs, smokes, or uses nicotice patches to keep himself from smoking.
Let’s fast-forward to this week’s episode. In the second episode of season four, Sherlock finds himself addicted to drugs and unable to live like a regular human being, he doesn’t leave his infamous apartment in 221B Baler Street for weeks. However, as the story goes on, he does go out eventually and walks the city of London with a woman he deduced was suicidal. All this under the strong effect of drugs and on the verge of breaking completely.
Between all of his high-talk gibberish, Sherlock makes one excellent point regaring suicide. The dialogue goes:
“Taking you own life. Interesting expression — taking it from who? Once it’s over, it’s not you who’ll miss it. Your own death is something that happens to everybody else. Your life is not your own. Keep your hands off it.”
This view may seem a bit harsh, it’s certainly something to discuss about, but it does give you something to think about. Suicidal people really believe that killing themselves is the only solution; it doesn’t get worse than that, it seriously doesn’t get worse than wanting to kill yourself. But we are people who live in a society; we have family and friends, people we work with, people we know, people who care for us.
Committing suicide is something that affects not only the victim, but also those who keep living after the person’s died. I don’t believe suicide is a selfish act, if anything I think it’s a desperate one, but we have to realize that it affects everyone. Your life is not just yours, you subconsciously share it with everyone in your life. And taking it away will make you stop suffering, not everyone else; everyone else will stay here and mourn your passing because they’ve lost a part of their lives, a part of themselves.
This is not a view you have to agree with, that’s okay, just something to think about. It’s very remarkable that they took the time in this show to address the issue, and they certainly make an excellent point. Sherlock is great overall, all the time, and this just made it even better.
