Again, I didn't come up with the idea,but I thought it was interesting and it's something that I can see happening. And were it any other show, written by any other two people, I would completely agree with you that the theory was giving the show too much credit. But one thing that Moffat and Gatiss are adamant about is that they believe they have a truly intelligent audience. This is a show about noticing the intricacies of every situation, including the repercussions that Sherlock's "death" will have on people besides John and himself. It's just a theory, of course, and we won't know how it will pan out for WAY TOO LONG, but I honestly would be shocked if S3 began and Lestrade's life/role hadn't changed significantly.

I love your musings on Lestrade and whether or not Series 3 will reflect his guilt at sending Sherlock to his death. I honestly thought Rupert Graves was a bit of the unsung hero of this whole series, but especially this episode. His struggle at the prospect of having to bring Sherlock in for questioning, etc.-- it was just so flawlessly done. It was painful to the extreme-- Lestrade believed in Sherlock wholeheartedly, endorsed him, put his faith in him, and even let himself care about this "high-functioning sociopath". Why else would he always be so willing to drop everything and check on him? (Note: I loved the moment in HOUNDS when Greg insists that he's not there because of Mycroft-- he's there because he cares.)

I saw some meta (on tumblr, of course) in which someone discussed how the Fall is most likely the end of Lestrade's career, and I immediately established it as my personal head-canon. There's no way, after being in Sherlock's corner for so long and giving him free rein, that Lestrade is going to come out of this whole debacle unscathed. With Sherlock denounced and framed as a fraud, think of all the cases that are going to have to be retried without his testimony/evidenciary support etc. The expense of that alone is enough to cut Greg loose, but there's also his reputation at stake. There are so many more repercussions to this-- we've barely begun.

I could go on for hours, honestly. This episode. MY FEELS. I just can't articulate them clearly, because I'm still so FRAZZLED. Oh god. D:

Gah! Someone else as frustrated as I am about Jo and Laurie! I will never understand why he ended up with Amy. Every time I re-read Little Women, I always hope it will somehow, miraculously change and end up the way I want it to.

Finnicklet. Hee. <3

I think of other sea-related names for the baby and then I think "SHARK" and then I think "SHARK-KRUM" from Lego Harry Potter and then I think of the Finnicklet with a shark-head and then it just starts getting weird.

Stream of consciousness, y so crazy.

UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME? I didn't miss the trial. Part of me feels like it was a show for the Panem citizens who lost two leaders in one day. I sense that the people who eventually took control were the ones who ultimately wanted (/needed? I hope?) to be in power, anyway. Maybe it's because I haven't actually read it in awhile, but wasn't Putarch sort of distrustful of Coin anyway? I might be remembering that incorrectly, so someone please tell me if I am, but I feel like Coin was never touted as the "right" leader-- she was against Snow, and that's all the rebels really cared about at the time. When I read Mockingjay, I came away with the sense that Coin was just as much of a pawn as Katniss, only she didn't recognize it (or choose to recognize it). When I really thought about it, Coin was a woman of great ambition, and she had the drive and mindset to carry out the rebellion. In a lot of ways, I don't think Plutarch or Paylor could have done it as ruthlessly or efficiently as she did. But again, this is probably unpopular opinion. Though Katniss killing Coin was certainly unexpected, I have the feeling that the other people behind the rebellion sort of looked at each other and said, "Well...we can work with this too." Does that make sense? I'm feeling incredibly inarticulate this morning, so I don't know if I'm phrasing this correctly. Anyway, for me, Collins skipping over the trial was a sign of how pointless it really was. That's all, I guess. < / unpopularopinion >

I wonder if baby Finnick has a super-cool rockstar name, too. Because let's face it, Teddy Lupin totally gets all the girls with an acoustic guitar and soulful lyrics.

Real to the nth degree.

I was crying with laughter through this entire segment. I only wish i could give this ALL THE UPVOTES.

EVERYONE GRAB YOUR HAND MIRRORS AND STAY AWAY FROM THE PIPES!!

Intrinsically.