95
votes
Accepted
Why are the landscape shots in Sherlock so blurry?
BCdotWEB's answer does an excellent job of explaining how this effect is done, and I just wanted to chime in a little about a possible why.
Tilt-shift is used to make real life, full-sized landscapes ...
- 674
66
votes
Who is the guy in Sherlock's mind palace?
He is obviously not Moriarty
He most certainly is Moriarty. On the left is a picture of him, and on the right is the "chained guy" you describe:
The Moriarty in Sherlock's mind palace ...
- 22.1k
65
votes
Accepted
What is Mycroft's job?
His official position is never stated, either in the TV series or the canon Doyle stories.
Essentially, in the TV series, he is a troubleshooter for the British establishment granted (or assuming) ...
- 133k
53
votes
Is the Cluedo joke in Sherlock's "The Hounds of Baskerville" a random gag or is the game genuinely broken?
It is just a simple joke about Sherlock's stubborn refusal to consider that he might have missed the point, or to see things in anyone's terms but his own. You don't need to know the rules of Cluedo ...
- 10.9k
52
votes
Accepted
Is the Cluedo joke in Sherlock's "The Hounds of Baskerville" a random gag or is the game genuinely broken?
The victim in Cluedo is always Dr Black. [S]He is not a player & has no player card, so their card can never be in the 'whodunnit' envelope. Therefore, they can never have committed suicide, by ...
- 53k
47
votes
Accepted
What was the movie playing in Sherlock (The Final Problem)?
It's not a real film. It's a fictional 'classic' noir film made for this show. If you look them up on IMDb, the actors playing 'Leonard' and 'Velma' in that movie are contemporary actors and started ...
- 99.8k
43
votes
Why are the landscape shots in Sherlock so blurry?
This is due to the tilt-shift photography:
Tilt-shift photography is a creative and unique type of photography in which the camera is manipulated so that a life-sized location or subject looks like ...
- 48.7k
40
votes
Accepted
Why does Smith keep asking the duration of employment to his staff members
He usually asks people's employment longevity when they have criticised or questioned something he has done or when they refuse to immediately do something he has requested.
The way he asks often ...
- 22.5k
38
votes
Accepted
Why does Sherlock (BBC) use miles?
The UK’s usage of the metric system is a mixed bag. Here’s a somewhat brief overview:
Travel
Large distances are measured in miles, with yards for shorter ones
Speed is miles per hour, or mph
Fuel is ...
- 518
32
votes
Accepted
Why are there such big gaps between Sherlock seasons?
It's because of scheduling.
When you have two leads who are also featuring in major films like The Hobbit... (together!) and Star Trek plus having writers and producers who are involved in a variety ...
- 26.4k
32
votes
What is Mycroft's job?
It was answered in the first episode A Study in Pink only, here is that conversation:
Dr John Watson: He's your brother?
Sherlock Holmes: Of course he's my brother.
Dr John Watson: So he's not...
...
- 118k
30
votes
Why does Smith keep asking the duration of employment to his staff members
As each occurrence happened when a member of staff was trying to restrain him or not bend to his will, I believe it was simply his not-so-subtle way of reminding them that he had the power to remove ...
- 1,747
23
votes
Accepted
Why does Sherlock say he knows ash?
The ash knowledge is a reference to the classic Sherlock Holmes from the novels. The punch is for being drunk and obnoxious.
Spark Notes have an article on classic Sherlock Holmes references, and ...
- 51.3k
22
votes
Accepted
The A. G. R. A. flash drive
Arrogant, not Amateur.
A.G.R.A were at the top of their game and had complete trust in each other; which held out, as they were betrayed by an external source that was itself a mole within an ...
- 38.5k
22
votes
How come Sherlock still remembers how to play the violin?
Talents and skills are a subconscious memory, also known as procedural or implicit memory and often are excluded from amnesia, brainwashing or other memory damaging events. Memories of specific ...
- 67.8k
22
votes
Why does Sherlock (BBC) use miles?
It's a little-known fact that the U.K. is actually one of the few - if not the only - place(s) in Europe that still uses miles to measure distance! The U.K. does use some metric, but it's a bit of a ...
- 4,147
21
votes
Accepted
What is the relationship between the theme songs in Sherlock Holmes (2009 movie) and Sherlock (BBC series)?
They were not influenced by Zimmer
Michael Price and David Arnold answered this in an interview:
How much of an influence was Hans Zimmer's score from the Sherlock Holmes movie?
Regarding ...
- 14.5k
18
votes
How did Sherlock know specific personal information about John Watson when meeting him for the first time?
Check out the complete conversation for your answer:
Source IMDB:
Sherlock Holmes: When I met you for the first time yesterday, I said "Afghanistan or Iraq?"
Dr John Watson: Yes. How did ...
- 10.5k
18
votes
Does Sherlock have an eating disorder?
Eating Disorder...NO
But that's not to say that Sherlock's eating habits are regular.
"Don't eat when I'm working, digestion slows me down."
The Blind Banker - Sherlock Holmes
Which is a ...
- 133k
18
votes
Why does Sherlock use "God"-expressions when he does not believe in god?
Why not?
Just because someone doesn't believe in God doesn't mean that they can't use the word "god". It's likely that he grew up using these phrases and they're just part of his vernacular and using ...
- 26.4k
18
votes
Why are Sherlock and Mycroft written as snarky atheists?
For an in-Universe answer, both Sherlock and Mycroft are "super-geniuses" who put their faith not in faith, but in reason and logic.
Both are highly educated so it must be assumed they are fully ...
- 6,939
16
votes
Why was Eurus sent back to Sherrinford?
At the end of the episode, Mycroft explained to his parents that she was no longer verbally communicative. That is; she would no longer talk. The only communication she appears to respond to is ...
- 3,336
16
votes
Accepted
Why did Mycroft and Sherlock disguise themselves to meet Eurus?
This one is explained in the dialogue.
When the Governor has apparently uncovered the disguise, thinking it to be Sherlock, but in fact Mycroft, he protests...
"This is insane, this is ...
- 133k
15
votes
Accepted
What do the dancing men say in "The Final Problem" of Sherlock?
I actually looked into this last night after watching it, as I hoped it was an easter egg or message to viewers, but sadly no. It's directly quoted from the original short story "The Adventure of the ...
- 1,747
14
votes
Accepted
Who is the person the Sherlock special episode is dedicated to?
He was an editor on Sherlock who died in February last year.
Charlie Phillips, a TV comedy editor whose credits include Psychoville, Him and Her and Man Down, has died in his mid-fifties. Reece ...
- 99.8k
14
votes
Accepted
What is with the list in the special episode of Sherlock?
Its a list of all the drugs Sherlock has taken so that if he's in trouble Mycroft can help him.
- 332
14
votes
Sherlock S04E03: how does the prison glass disappear?
This is made clear in the dialogue by Sherlock and a quick angled shot.
"The signs..you suspended the signs"
The text wasn't etched on the glass...they were (replacement?) signs suspended in place....
- 133k
13
votes
Accepted
Is Eurus mentioned in books?
In the original books, no, a sister is never mentioned. However, in a very roundabout way, the seeds of her origin are contained within the books.
The only sibling mentioned in Doyle's books is Holmes'...
- 1,747
13
votes
Accepted
What is Eurus's motive in the final problem
She doesn't want to torture Sherlock, she wants to play with him. Specifically, she wants him to play with her. At least, that's what the childhood version of herself wants and it manifests in ...
- 144
12
votes
Accepted
Why does Sherlock get angry?
I found an obscure Tumblr blog which has a video of this under discussion. Unfortunately, it's not embedable here so I'll try to summarise the cast's thoughts and comments from Mark Gatiss. It's only ...
- 133k
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