papertoweltiger:

Just watched ‘A Scandal in Belgravia’ again and realized one of Irene Adler’s most lasting impacts might be this scene. In the Empty Hearse, Sherlock says he wanted to get in touch with John but was worried he’d give away his secret. But Sherlock’s seen John lie competently about plenty of things, both in the episodes we’ve seen and, presumably, in the course of other cases. Why, then, does he think John’s a bad liar? Perhaps because of this instance, when John tried to lie about Irene being dead and barely managed. Would Sherlock realize that John was struggling with a mess of emotions - desire to protect Sherlock, desire to be honest and to respect Sherlock’s right to know, residual jealousy towards Irene - or would he just assume that John can’t lie when his heart is on the line? That old chemical defect…