Canon Discussion Post: The Second Stain

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

It's canon discussion time, everybody! What did you all think of The Second Stain? As always, I've written up a few of my own random thoughts and comments, which are behind the jump. Add your own in the comments!

Note: Granada discussion is available in the Granada discussion post. Thanks!



- What was in Lady Hilda's letter that caused her to be blackmailed? Would her husband, who seems devoted to her, really think it "criminal"? There was truly no way for her to explain its contents, whatever they were?

- Eduardo Lucas only knows about the blue envelope because his spy in Trelawney Hope's office saw it. Holmes learns this from Lady Hilda, but seemingly never does anything about it. Isn't that a serious problem? There is a spy in the English government and Sherlock Holmes knows! Sure, this letter incident is taken care of, but what about next time? And yes, Lucas is dead, but I can't imagine his inside man would have too hard a time finding someone else to pay for his services.

- "I am going far to screen you, Lady Hilda." Holmes certainly does, going to great lengths to cover for her mistake. Why so far, in fact? Is it because he knows she loves her husband and didn't steal the letter for nefarious purposes? Usually when Holmes asks someone to tell him the truth and they refuse, he simply gives up on them. It happens with Blessington in RESI, and even just earlier in this story with the Premier and Trelawney Hope himself. But Hilda gets numerous chances. Even after Holmes concedes defeat, he hangs about to give her yet another opportunity to come around. Is it because she's a woman? Or is something else at work?

- It doesn't look like Bellinger is buying Holmes' story about how the letter got back into the box in the end. Would he act on that suspicion, or simply let "diplomatic secrets" stay secret?

- "You are most long-suffering." Sometimes I think Watson's patience in waiting for Holmes to explain his current theories, however long that takes, is really the reason they do so well together. A more inquisitive companion might drive Holmes batty asking him to explain his entire thought process every step of the way. Watson just lets it happen. Holmes will come to him with the answer when it's ready, and Watson will offer whatever help he needs until then.

Comment away, and join us next week for The Reigate Squires!

Comments

[hisietari.livejournal.com]

I think Holmes leaves the spy where he is because that way they have means and ways to control what's going on, and even find out who that fellow is working for. If Mycroft (for he'd be the one Sherlock would report to first) had the guy removed, more were likely to get in, but then Holmes task force wouldn't know where to look. This way they have a temporary advantage to build on.

No idea about Holmes's real intentions with Lady Hilda, but he's usually on the protective side when it comes to women, and younger ones as such. By helping her so much he averts a lot of trouble for everybody involved, there's no public scandal whatsoever, scandal that would damage her husband's career and destabilise the politics of his time profoundly when they don't need any more worrying tendencies.
Secondly, he might feel pity for her. A young woman with a husband like that doesn't always have an easy time, and we get our share of husband in the beginning quite alright, I'm afraid. She's so afraid of the consequences that she does one huge stupidity after the other, but that requires a lot of braveness, too. Maybe Holmes admires this passionate longing in her to do things right, but helps her because there's nobody else who does. Without his support, everybody would have turned against her, and everybody does. What I love about Holmes is that he doesn't judge, but if he does, it's in favour of those who have nobody else to speak for them. In some way he applies that method here.

[ennui-enigma.livejournal.com]

In answer to a few of your excellent questions and points you raise here:

The whole blackmail thing with the letter written by Lady Hilda reminded me of the letters Charles Augustus Milverton used on his victims. I've always chalked it up to something having to do ruining a Brit's honor. As you say, I can't imagine any letter I might have written in my pre-marriage days containing something I couldn't tell my husband. Too many secrets b/t Lady Hilda and her husband.

Interesting and valid point about the spy. Must be for another story - on of those untold tales of Watson's.

I just saw Holmes giving Lady Hilda extra opportunity to cooperate and tell the truth b/c he saw something in her manner and eyes that told him she would eventually bend to his request - just needed some prodding in the right direction.

Bellinger didn't buy the story of the letter never leaving the dispatch box. I like to imagine he was professional enough to allow this to remain a 'diplomatic secret' though.

Holmes appreciated Watson's patience. We know Holmes didn't like to reveal his train of thought and case notes until he held all the cards in his hand. It can get annoying with someone wanting to know all the details of your investigation when you aren't certain yourself. Once Holmes comments, "you have the grand gift of silence." Yes, I think they got along so well b/c Watson allowed Holmes to operate in his own way.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

What struck me particularly was that Holmes is being consulted by the Prime Minister when he is apparently in the early stages of his career - we see nothing of a career build up based on cases with the less exhaulted members of the population.

Also Holmes says that if he solves this case it will be the crowning glory of his career, which seems rather sad so early on - after that nothing else will reach the same heights.

[snycock.livejournal.com]

It's interesting to me how gentle Holmes is with Lady Hilda - really, with how genteel he is with all the women we've seen, even though we know that he thinks little of the gender as a whole. He's really not as brusque and rude as his modern counterparts, and I wonder if that's just the Victorian age, or if his ignoring social conventions gets translated differently in modern times.

I also kept thinking that if the contents of the letter were that bad, and the potentate who wrote it had written it in a fit of pique, but now regretted it, why didn't they just destroy the letter? What purpose could it serve, saving it? It just seems like they're tempting fate, there.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Maybe there was more to the letter than the Prime Minister admits to. After all, we only know what two politicians wish us to know. They would be sure that Holmes' honour would prevent him from reading the letter.