In Sherlock S03E03, every time when I watch the scene of Mary shooting Sherlock, I get perplexed about Mary's actual intention.
Let's have a look at the facts:
- Just after she shot him, Molly and Anderson (in Sherlock's head) decide how he should fall, because merely falling the wrong way would be fatal.
- Sherlock uses his mind palace to calm himself, as both Pain and Shock would kill him.
- He is declared dead for some time (the ECG shows a flat-line). The doctors walk away. He comes back only through superhuman force of will, to save John.
- When John informs Mary that Sherlock has woken up and pulled through, Mary's face becomes serious.
- In the Leinster Gardens, Mary points the gun at the shadowy figure as if to shoot him then Sherlock reminds her "If I die here, my body will be found in a building with your face projected on the front of it. Even Scotland Yard could get somewhere with that".
So, did she actually intend to incapacitate Sherlock? Or her motive was something else?