I was watching T.E.H the other day and I noticed that when Mr and Mrs Holmes are in 221B, discussing his father losing his lottery ticket and glasses, Mrs Holmes says this…
“I said, why don’t you get a chain and wear them round your neck. He says what, like Larry Grayson?”
This conversation gives the impression that Mr Holmes would find looking like Larry Grayson funny or a bad thing doesn’t it?
Oh well, just simple filler conversation right? Wrong! This is BBC Sherlock we’re talking about, and we all know EVERYTHING is planned. So…
I researched Larry Grayson, as I knew that name was familiar. He worked for the BBC, becoming most popular in the 70s. He was noted for being one of the first openly gay presenters in that field, and it was a shock for the BBC and their viewers. “But no one is openly gay in any field!” and “He’s just waiting for the right woman” were thrown around phrases with the ‘scandal’.
Now, it is a already a theory that perhaps the parents of Sherlock Holmes are not the best they could be… but ignoring that for the time being, is Mr Holmes making a homophobic joke? That he doesn’t to look like an openly gay man?
It is here that Sherlock goes from probably having his parents on mute…
… to slamming his hands down onto the arms of his chair and storming between them, putting their story to a sudden close with
“So did you find it eventually? Your lottery ticket?” looking and sounding definitely annoyed, understandably I presume.
Not only is this Moftiss addressing past sexuality scandals of the BBC, which we know by the BBC’s survey in order to include more LGBT content in its shows, which happened in 2009 (just before they did Sherlock), matters to them (and Mark is a member of the LGBT+ community anyway)… this also shows Sherlock getting pissed off with his parents because they have made a homophobic ‘slur’ (A.K.A a commonly thrown around homophobic joke, in this context – finding it a problem/funny to look like a gay man)
Obviously you don’t have to be a member to of the LGBT+ community to get annoyed at these jokes, but come on, this is telling of our little Sherlock, as this is the point he clocked back into the conversation, and that John arrives back into Baker Street minutes after this conversation, to which Sherlock makes sure his parents leave.
Seeing as Larry Grayson worked for the BBC, which owns Sherlock, I find this name detail very specific, and something the writers intended to further some aspect of the plot, especially as this moment with his parents does nothing to it otherwise (except that they are dressed like John and Sherlock… naww)
I’m just praying that Mr and Mrs Holmes making homophobic slurs isn’t going to be a recurring thing…
Just something I picked up on… Sorry if someone has done this little meta before!!!
There’s a meta going around that argues that Sherlock must have remembered the conversation about the lost glasses and (considerately) bought this glasses chain for Dad. Perhaps he did buy it (spitefully).
