BBC Sherlock introduces Sherlock as a "sociopath" in a VERY surface-level reading, & then shows you repeatedly that he is anything but that. It's about pulling back the veneer of the ways people have misrepresented Holmes (& Watson) over the years, & show that it's all wrong.

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It's a play on Watson's "All emotions. . . were abhorrent to his cold, precise but admirably balanced mind" in ACD.

The Abominable Bride stated it: Watson says "That is the version of you that I present to the public. . . but I do not believe it."

That's the point of this show.

BBC Sherlock hands us a Holmes that is called–by himself & others–freak, sociopath, psychopath. But it also gives us a Mycroft who says "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher & yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?"

You are not supposed to agree with the characters who use those cruel labels for Sherlock, including Sherlock himself, because it's about slowly showing over time that it's never been true–in ACD canon, or BBC.

& it then invites you to ask: what were they trying to hide?

Sherlock is an emotional person who struggles with social cues, deeply cares about helping people, & is a gay man. "Sociopath" is his defense mechanism to keep people away.

Elsewhere, ACD's Watson is INFAMOUSLY an unreliable narrator; people have been asking "why" for a century.

What were Watson–& more specifically, ACD–covering up with inconsistencies?

The show is slowly aspiring to present the answer: that there was a true story to be told, that Holmes & Watson were & always have been in love, & that they had to hide it.

The "sociopath" thing is the first, most obvious element to look beneath to find truth.

& as for ALL THE REST, there's a lot! But this is why *I* think s4 is "John's blog" or alibi of some sort. It brings the "Watson as unreliable narrator" element to the forefront...

...& will explain it.

People read ACD Watson's stories & go "Why are all these details wrong? Did he just not care?"

People watch s4 & say the same.

But what comes next will expose the answer: false narratives were necessary for their safety because they're in love.

For canon era, what threatens their safety is homophobia/heteronormativity in society at large.

For the show, Moriarty & Mary are the personification of those things & force Johnlock apart; defeating them will lead to accepting & being open about the truth of their relationship.

This is why the writers say they thought everyone else was "getting it wrong" & it's about the relationship between 2 men.

BBC Sherlock a standalone story, but in wider context... it's commentary on Holmes & Watson in general, & illuminating hidden depths in ACD's canon.

LOVE TO GO OFF THE RAILS AND WRITE THREADS PEOPLE WILL JUDGE ME FOR IN THE YEAR 2020

(Standard disclaimer: you're free to disagree, I'm not trying to convince you, if it is not healthy for you to personally think about this show or have "hope" then please disengage, thank you)