Discussion Post: The Final Problem

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Hello again to everyone! Time again for a bit of discussion about this week's story, The Final Problem. It's the other half of the hiatus, so it's a biggie. It's been interesting to read them out of order. Gives a different flavor to them -- I enjoyed it. Here are some questions and thoughts to get you started. Please add your own!

- Professor Moriarty and his brother are both named James? Oops. I suspect ACD was not paying attention.

- Watson seems particularly dense in his initial meeting with Holmes. "There was something very strange in all this." Uh... yeah, you could say that. What tipped you off? The busted knuckles from a fistfight or the fact he told you he was afraid he was going to be shot by an airgun through your window? Something does seem to be amiss here! Excellent detective work, Doctor.

- Do you think the ruse of the sick woman was all that convincing? Perhaps it was just very finely crafted by Moriarty to push all of Watson's sympathy buttons: dying person, alone, a woman, English.

- Holmes said his plan for the aftermath of his encounter with Moriarty was a more "placid" existence, a life in "the quiet fashion which is most congenial to me, and [concentrating] my attention upon my chemical researches." Do you really think he could have been happy that way at this point in his life? If not, is he lying to Watson or himself? Do you think Watson believed him?

Comments

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

The letter was an inspired way to get Watson out of the way. There was no way Watson would reject it out of hand, whatever his suspicions he would have to way it up. No doubt Holmes realising what the truth was would have encouraged Watson to go. And Moriarty would almost certainly know that Holmes would understand what the letter was about and would therefore know that it would achieve his desired result.