{"id":170841,"date":"2015-01-26T10:58:23","date_gmt":"2015-01-26T10:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/"},"modified":"2018-09-11T09:25:21","modified_gmt":"2018-09-11T09:25:21","slug":"earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-170841 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/attachment\/170842\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o1_250-150x150.gif\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o1_250-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o1_250-100x100.gif 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/attachment\/170843\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o2_250-150x150.gif\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o2_250-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o2_250-100x100.gif 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/attachment\/170844\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o3_250-150x150.gif\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o3_250-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o3_250-100x100.gif 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/attachment\/170845\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o4_250-150x150.gif\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o4_250-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o4_250-100x100.gif 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/attachment\/170846\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o5_250-150x150.gif\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o5_250-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o5_250-100x100.gif 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/attachment\/170847\/'><img width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o6_250-150x150.gif\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o6_250-150x150.gif 150w, https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/tumblr_m5h9el5Gtx1qju7t7o6_250-100x100.gif 100w\" sizes=\"100vw\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p><a class=\"tumblr_blog\" href=\"http:\/\/earlgreytea68.tumblr.com\/post\/109063062589\/skulls-and-tea-redkiteslongnights\" target=\"_blank\">earlgreytea68<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a class=\"tumblr_blog\" href=\"http:\/\/skulls-and-tea.tumblr.com\/post\/79706955700\/redkiteslongnights-penandpage-oh-my\" target=\"_blank\">skulls-and-tea<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a class=\"tumblr_blog\" href=\"http:\/\/redkiteslongnights.tumblr.com\/post\/26616164188\/penandpage-oh-my-god-it-was-a-test-holy\" target=\"_blank\">redkiteslongnights<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><a class=\"tumblr_blog\" href=\"http:\/\/penandpage.tumblr.com\/post\/26480785512\/oh-my-god-it-was-a-test-oh-my-god-it-was-a\" target=\"_blank\">penandpage<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><img alt=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/78.media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_m6mlhhAfJe1qcd9m7.gif\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Oh my god.\u00a0It was a <em>test.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Holy f\u2026 I thought John was just smirking to himself about the corrupt nature of government. But this is just proof; Mycroft really is smarter than Sherlock. The warehouse wasn\u2019t just a babysitting interview and salary negotiation, even if Sherlock thought it was. it was a damned <em>test,<\/em> and John passed. He\u2019s too morally driven to sell Sherlock out, and therefore not inclined to stab Mycroft in the back. Four for you, Mycroft. You go, Mycroft.<\/p>\n<p>(Also, CONTINUITY, Mr. Gatiss. You\u2019re doing it right.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Wait\u2026 did folks think that Mycroft was actually going to pay John to spy on Sherlock?<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s CIA-British-Government-Big-Honcho. He can control London\u2019s CCTV network <em>and<\/em> its phone boxes. He\u2019d need a former Army grunt (untrained in intelligence) hanging around the flat and slipping him spy messages? Unlikely.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Of <em>course<\/em> it was a test.<\/strong>\u00a0If John hadn\u2019t passed it, ASiP would have ended with our good doctor in the boot of a black sedan somewhere out on the moors. Or at the bottom of the Thames.<\/p>\n<p>Who else was probably tested by Mycroft and passed?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><em>Lestrade<\/em>:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/78.media.tumblr.com\/afb2abaa37529fd05d79865288461b08\/tumblr_n2i3tzWeqB1ts6q6eo1_500.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/78.media.tumblr.com\/a6af759a98b396a9f7477a8e55d8f617\/tumblr_n2i3tzWeqB1ts6q6eo2_500.png\" \/><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<div>\n<p><strong>MYCROFT:<\/strong>\u00a0Interesting, that soldier fellow. He could be the making of my brother. Or make him worse than ever.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>LESTRADE:<\/strong>\u00a0Sherlock Holmes is a great man, and I think one day\u2014if we\u2019re very very lucky\u2014he might even be a good one.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Why, exactly, is Greg Lestrade so invested in Sherlock\u2019s sobriety, from the very beginning? And why do he and Mycroft go about using the same methods to monitor it, whenever John Watson\u2019s not in the picture?<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>LESTRADE:<\/strong> It\u2019s a drugs bust. [\u2026] They\u2019re not strictly speaking on the drugs squad, but they\u2019re very keen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>MYCROFT:<\/strong> Some members of your little fan-club. Do be polite. They\u2019re entirely trustworthy, and even willing to search through the toxic waste dump that you are pleased to call a flat.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As Detective Inspector, wouldn\u2019t Lestrade have an <em>actual<\/em> drug squad at his disposal? Why the below-the-table machinations, if not to protect Sherlock and avoid any actual drug charges?<\/p>\n<p>Lestrade operates as Sherlock\u2019s patron saint and advocate in the Yard. The only time things seem to get cocked up is when a higher-ranking officer like the Chief Superintendent in <em>Reichenbach<\/em> gets into the mix. A less-involved officer\u2014someone untested by Mycroft.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve got a direct allusion to the depth of Mycroft and Lestrade\u2019s involvement in <em>Baskerville<\/em>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>SHERLOCK:<\/strong> I\u2019m waiting for an explanation, Inspector. Why are you here?<\/p>\n<p><strong>LESTRADE:<\/strong> I\u2019ve told you: I\u2019m on holiday.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHERLOCK:<\/strong> You\u2019re brown as a nut. You\u2019re clearly just back from your \u2018holidays\u2019.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LESTRADE<\/strong> <em>(trying to look nonchalant)<\/em>: Yeah, well I fancied another one.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHERLOCK:<\/strong> Oh, this is Mycroft, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p><strong>LESTRADE:<\/strong> No, look \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>This is a guy willing to leave Tahiti (or wherever) at a moment\u2019s notice because Sherlock needs looking-after. Mycroft can trust him, and probably has done for a longer time than we think. You\u2019d better believe Lestrade\u2019s been tested too.<\/p>\n<p>(Lestrade and Mycroft also both refer to Sherlock as a child, much to his chagrin.)<\/p>\n<p>Mycroft\u2019s overarching concern seems to be Sherlock\u2019s safety and sobriety, and Lestrade\u2019s actions mirror this.\u00a0We haven\u2019t been told how Sherlock and Lestrade first started working together\u2014all we know is that it started some five years before the events of ASiP, when Sherlock was in his mid-twenties.<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-something junkie geniuses get bored. Very bored. They need <em>something<\/em> as an alternative to getting high. I wonder which came first for Lestrade\u2014Mycroft\u2019s test, or Sherlock\u2019s first case for the Yard.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, I think Greg and John both passed big brother\u2019s test with flying colors.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Yup. This this this. Every Mystrade I\u2019ve ever written.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>earlgreytea68: skulls-and-tea: redkiteslongnights: penandpage: Oh my god.\u00a0It was a test. Holy f\u2026 I thought John was just smirking to himself about the corrupt nature of government. But this is just proof; Mycroft really is smarter than Sherlock. The warehouse wasn\u2019t just a babysitting interview and salary negotiation, even if Sherlock thought it was. it was &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/2015\/01\/26\/earlgreytea68-skulls-and-tea\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[168,16,18790,217,65,15,1810,4],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170841"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170841"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170841\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":170848,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170841\/revisions\/170848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.merindab.com\/private\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}