When Moriarty looks at Sherlock shortly before they shake hands and he kills himself he notices something odd. Sherlock`s Pupillary reflexes are absent! This means he must`ve taken the Grayanotoxin and is therefore capable of faking his death. Because of this Moriarty uses his last option and commits suicide.
According to two very caffeine-addled and sleep deprived college students with nothing better to do.
And yes, I realize this is just a TV show but I’m trying to avoid filling out scholarship applications and this seemed the best way to accomplish that.
Cheers.
No, not your tears, fandom. We know the answer to that already.
The question is: why did Sherlock cry?
A) He was genuinely emotional at that moment.
B) He was putting on a sad act for John and got into the part, like we’ve seen him do before.
C) If you asked him, he would say it was…
I’ve looked through briefly and didn’t see it mentioned but has anyone explored the Grayanotoxin theory?
In The Reichenbach Fall when examining the footprints they found traces of plant matter which was identified as Rhododendron Ponticum. I found something VERY interesting on the matter. In the text, Switzerland as Describes by Great Writers, Reichenbach Falls are described as having very little vegetation it says, “Vegetation seems annihilated, except in the form of rhododendrons, mosses, and lichens.” RHODODENDRONS! The rhododendron contains high levels of Grayanotoxin in both the leaves and the nectar it produces. Symtoms of Grayanotoxin poisoning are as follows:
the big ones are EPIPHORA, depression of the heart and nervous system, and lack of pupillary reflex
epiphora is and overflowing of the tear ducts…
SHERLOCK CRIED! (SUPER OUT OF CHARACTER
depression of heart and nervous system means his heart rate would have slowed to practically nothing and his nervous system would stop working
John took his pulse and he “didn’t have one”
Pupils are non-reactive is obviously a big sign of lack of brain function making him look dead.
Right before he meets Moriarty Molly asks if he needs anything he talks to her alone and we don’t see the conversation. We can assume they were discussing the affects of the poison and if he would recover which he would have within 24 hours:
The grayanotoxins bind to sodium channels in cell membranes. The binding unit is the group II receptor site, localized on a region of the sodium channel that is involved in the voltage-dependent activation and inactivation. These compounds prevent inactivation; thus, excitable cells (nerve and muscle) are maintained in a state of depolarization, during which entry of calcium into the cells may be facilitated. This action is similar to that exerted by the alkaloids of veratrum and aconite. All of the observed responses of skeletal and heart muscles, nerves, and the central nervous system are related to the membrane effects.
Because the intoxication is rarely fatal and recovery generally occurs within 24 hours, intervention may not be required. Severe low blood pressure usually responds to the administration of fluids and correction of bradycardia; therapy with vasopressors (agents that stimulate contraction of the muscular tissue of the capillaries and arteries) is only rarely required. Sinus bradycardia and conduction defects usually respond to atropine therapy; however, in at least one instance the use of a temporary pacemaker was required.
I can’t say much on the theory of HOW he survived the fall BUT this does establish a theory on how he tricked John (a trained Dr. into thinking he was dead!)
Sorry again if someone has mentioned this theory previously!
When he’s looking for the place where the kids were hidden, he got the pictures from his homeless network and then he received the famous Rhododendron’s picture. Every buildings’s picture had a destination on Sherlock’s mental map, if you see. But not Rhododendron’s. Its picture was not placed in any part of the map.
We can deduce that it’s different, he didn’t need to know WHERE Rhododendron was.
Let’s begin our first Reichenbach mind palace
*turns on classical music*
[First of all, sorry for my English mistakes]
Reading all your beautiful theories I found up that all of them are amazing, but unfortunately uncomplete. We need to put them together to find one true final theories for the final problem, so let’s try to make a hint.
The truck The most reliable explanation of how Sherlock survived his fall. The misterious truck arrived under the building and immediately goes away when people approach to Sherlock. Moreover it contains big bags that could be pillows or something else. But we have some problems: the truck is small, the truck is quite far from the building and Sherlock doesn’t take a running start before his jump, the amount of bags is too low to keep safe someone who falls from… about 10 meters? Can it be an carelessness? Or simply a way to sidetrack us?
The body’s position It’s irrefutable: Sherlock jumps perpendicular to the buildings, but we see it parallel to the hospital when he touches the ground. Moreover his body changes position repeatedly: his legs, his arms… When he is taken on the barrel his head is turned to the buildings, the arms down of the barrow; when they enter the hospital, his head is turned to the street and the arms collected on his body.
Not Sherlock! Clearly the man on the barrow in the last frames is not Sherlock: different face, not blood.
White shirt When Sherlock falls a white shirt is clearly visible under his coat, while he’s wearing a purple shirt on the rooftop and on the ground. This is an accurate observation, but maybe Benedict wears a white shirt under the purple one? A dark shirt is evenly visible under his coat while he’s falling, so apparently he still wears the purple one.
Rhodedendron Ponticum Beautiful. Why does Sherlock show the Rhododendron’s picture to Watson during the kidnapping’s investigation? Initially I thought that Rhododendron would match the vegetation traces they found in the footprints, but then, when Sherlock summarizes again the clues to find Addlestone, he still thinks about “vegetation”, not Rhododendron, and he speaks about a river and a park, not a river and a Rhododendron’s plantation. But why John nods when Sherlock shows him the Rhododendron?
Tears The most OOC Sherock’s behavior. He is sad looking at John’s worry, because he’s going to tell him a huge lie, because he’s going to leave him, and we all want to believe in his tears. But Moffat said us to look up for a strange behavior. Aren’t the tears a very unusual externalization for Sherlock? The toxin extracted from Rhododendron causes lowering of vital signs and watery eyes. Moreover (and this is only my personal observation) his tear look strange and a little milky. They’re not common tears.
Hyperventilation Rapid breathing is very unusual for Sherlock (even if he breaths fast after he jumped agains the bus, but he has just ran and maybe he was justified). Does he hyperventilate to let him hold his breath after the fall? But if he has taken the Rhododendron’s toxin he doesn’t need it. But it’s still a good theory that will consider later.
The rubber ball If you squeeze a ball in your hands you can stop your pulse. Genius. We’ll consider it, but still he doesn’t need it together with the Rhododendron.
The Baskerville’s gas Sherlock keeps talking to John. He wants he watch at him falling. He wants he believe he’s dead. Suggestion? This is possible thanks to the Baskerville’s hallucinogen gas! When does John assume it? Maybe the biker who runs over him is the guilty, even if he keeps his hands on the handlebars all the time… it’s still a fiction!
The mask The mask that someone have theorized that Moriarty was wearing during the kids’ kidnapping and maybe Sherlock uses (the same or another one) to dress up another body.
Conclusion for the Mind palace #1:
Truck
Tears
Rhododendron
I will write down other complete theories using your own, don’t worry!
What’s the Rhododendron theory I’ve seen people mention? Can someone explain to me? I did a google search and read something on Mad Honey Disease (and wasn’t Rhododendrons used in the first Guy Ritchie Sherlock film?) but not sure how it’s relevant?
Read this blog and you’ll find the Rhododendron’s theory! C:
