I need to talk about this moment.
Sherlock is terrified of Moriarty. Legitimately terrified of him. So terrified that Moriarty is literally the monster under Sherlock’s bed and the thing that keeps Sherlock up at night.
In The Great Game, Sherlock wanted to meet Moriarty. He reveled in the game, loved the chase, and saw Moriarty as the one man who could actually challenge him. He invited Moriarty to the pool just so he could finally meet his nemesis.
And then Moriarty got John. He took him, strapped Semtex to his chest, and threatened to burn Sherlock’s heart away. And now Sherlock fears Moriarty more than anything else. More than the Hound, more than his own brain lying to him, he is afraid of Moriarty.
It’s no longer a game, it’s real.
Can I just applaud Andrew Scott for his stupendous acting abilities? He’s taken what few appearances the writers have given him (All in all, I think he’s had about 15 minutes of screen time in the entirety of Sherlock) and completely transformed himself. If you were to see Andy on the street, he’d just look like another bloke to you, right? I mean he’s got these big doe eyes, and he’s really very adorable, but when he slips into Moriarty, he becomes this force of completely malicious energy. Never once do you doubt that Moriarty is unhinged. Never once do you doubt that he is truly evil.
I love how at first, he wanted to meet Moriarty, then when Moriarty touched his doctor, his John Watson, suddenly it’s all real and suddenly he’s terrified of Moriarty.
What might we deduce about his heart?