In HLV, I think that the very first comforting/calming thing that Sherlock goes looking for in his mind palace is John — but when he opens that door in the hallway, he encounters Mary in her wedding dress and gets shot (tangled associations). So he goes in search of Redbeard instead. But Redbeard was always the second option.

loudest-subtext-in-television-d:

Oh, holy shit.  This is good.  VERY GOOD.  THANK YOU.

Rewatching it, it goes like this:

Mycroft:  ”There must be something in this ridiculous memory palace that can calm you down.  Find it.”

[Sherlock starts running down the stairs that look like the ones from ASiP, the first visual hint we see of John.]

Mycroft:  ”The east wind is coming, Sherlock.  It’s coming to get you.”

[Sherlock runs down the stairs more, opens a door, gets shot by Mary in her wedding dress, falls backward screaming.]

[Sherlock runs through Roland Kerr-Further Education College from ASiP, also reminiscent of John, opens a different door, gets Redbeard.]

Yeah, I think he was looking for the thought of John to calm him down — hence all the stuff from ASiP — but it was immediately connected to John marrying Mary, and Mary shooting Sherlock, so he had to find something else.  Thinking about John just then wouldn’t have been calming.

Awww, jesus.  This is killing me.