Written by Lauren Shultz
Arriving three series in, Mary Watson (nee Morstan) had a hard job endearing herself to the audience yet thanks to great writing and a terrific performance from Amanda Abbington she was a fan-favourite within five minutes of her introduction. She’s the kind of person you would want to hang out with all the time; at least, we thought she was. Mofftiss’s reveal of Mary as the gunman in Magnussen’s office (along with her proceeding to shoot Sherlock) was possibly the most shocking moment of the series, which later unraveled into discovering her true past and identity. Read on for Mary’s top five moments, both good and “bad”.
- Skip code
BBC
In the beginning of “The Empty Hearse” Sherlock was under the impression that Mary would prevent him and John from solving cases. Even though Sherlock knew that Mary was really important to John, he wasn’t happy that she was getting in the way. But she changed that quickly enough. She was given a clue, figured it out immediately, and rode on the back of a stolen motorbike with Sherlock to save John. After that, Sherlock was happy to have Mary around.
- The Setup
BBC
One thing that makes Mary different from John’s other girlfriends is that she realizes the importance of his and Sherlock’s relationship. This scene from The Sign of Three shows what a great addition Mary is to the pair and to the series as a whole. She works backstage to make sure that both of them set up a case for the other, making sure the entire time that they think it was completely their doing. She knows that they need it more than they do themselves. Genius.
- “I’ll talk him round.”
This moment in The Empty Hearse may not seem important to the casual fan, but it means so much more than what’s on the surface. When Mary turned up in Series Three it seemed that she was going to destroy Sherlock and John’s partnership – something that maybe Sherlock thought too. But after she said this line to Sherlock after they got kicked out of the third restaurant for that night, it was clear Sherlock – and we – were wrong. Even after what Sherlock did to John and after knowing him for only one evening, she wants to help Sherlock fix it. She knows how much they mean to each other and the only interfering she’s going to do is to help them make up.
- The Assassin
“People like Magnussen should be killed. That’s why there are people like me”
You can’t talk about Mary without mentioning her bad side. Every Sherlock fan’s jaw hit the floor when in His Last Vow she turned around with a gun in her hand. Even though finding out Mary’s true identity wasn’t exactly “good”, all of these moments were amazing. This quote is one of the most intimidating lines any character has ever said. This just emphasizes the fact that Mary isn’t exactly cautious about stating the facts. She’s not proud of what she did and who she was, but she’s also not afraid to admit it.
- Shooting Sherlock
I’m sure I’m not the only one that screamed when she pulled the trigger and put a bullet in Sherlock’s abdomen. Some of you may not agree that this is Mary’s top moment, but this moment is the centre of an amazing plot twist, and she was the star. Even though shooting her husband’s best friend was really really bad, it was one of the very few options she had to keep both Sherlock and John alive and out of jail. Sherlock even elaborated on this fact later at Baker Street. The redeeming factors of this whole situation (even though they’re still not good) are that she was only in Magnussen’s office to protect John in the first place and she knew the shot wouldn’t kill Sherlock. Keeping those in mind, this moment was epic and enhanced Mary’s character and the series entirely.
You can also read our top Mycroft and Molly Moments.
Have any better Mary moments in mind? Mention them in the comments below!
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The thing is, though, she did kill Sherlock. If he hadn’t, through the Moriarty in his mind palace, believed John was in danger and forced himself back from death, it would have been “Good night, Cleveland!” I really don’t buy the whole “She didn’t intend to kill me” shtick. At the time he said this, Sherlock is quietly bleeding to death in their flat while trying to, I believe, follow that old saying “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Given the look on John’s face when he “forgives” Mary at Sherlock’s parents’ house, I’m wondering if it’s all not a gigantic ruse to keep her around until the baby’s born. That look was not the look of a man in love but the look of a man sacrificing himself for something bigger (i.e. his daughter). But, I guess we have to wait until Season 4 to see.
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I don’t know about her actually trying to kill Sherlock. I mean, if she was really trying to protect John, she would never do that. And the most important thing is that he didn’t die. But I do see your point about John really forgiving her. I was actually thinking the same thing.
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Excellent post, but Mary shot Sherlock in the chest, not the abdomen. (In fact, had he been shot in the abdomen, he’d be less likely to survive.)
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I disagree that Mary was trying to save Sherlock by shooting him, Sherlock died from that bullet wound, he flatlined. It was only the realisation that John was in danger that brought him back to life. Mary shot Sherlock because it would prevent John from finding out who she really was, with Sherlock dead, John would never know Mary was there. This is confirmed when Mary threateningly tells Sherlock in the hospital to keep who shot him a secret: “you don’t tell him, you don’t tell John”. When Sherlock leaves the hospital Mary goes after him with a gun, clearly planning to finish him off. The only thing that stops her is that Sherlock projects Mary’s face on the building, so the police would know who the killer was. That was my interpretation anyway.
Also, Mary being an assassin and potentially a villain, give the other scenes you have listed a different interpretation. The setup scene shows how easily Mary can manipulate John and Sherlock, and it is questionable why she wants them out of the way? The suspicion that she might be up to something sinister is reinforced by the antlers that are placed behind her head, that make her look devilish.
The scene where Mary says she “likes” Sherlock is also offputting. As the only things she knows about Sherlock is that he let John mourn him for years, only to turn up suddenly and act like it is no big deal. Upon seeing John’s grieve first hand surely she should be more sympathetic and supportive of the way John is feeling? and be angry and annoyed at Sherlock for what he did to John? But instead Mary says she “likes” Sherlock, she “likes” someone who lies, and shows little remorse to the hurt they have caused? Why would she like someone like that, unless Mary also has a lack of empathy towards other people?
This is just my interpretation of her character of course, and one of the reasons I really like the character is because there is still so much we don’t know about her. Mary is such a fascinating character and I hope we get more scenes of her scenes that show off her dangerous and villainous side in season 4.
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Is this satire? It has to be satire.
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