Most of the best endings are bittersweet, and this one certainly qualifies. Sherlock laid his heart out for all to see in this episode (whatever heart he has). He saved a life, he gave a speech, he even flirted successfully with a pretty girl. You could say that Sherlock made enormous strides towards being an actual person in this episode, towards being what in the pilot Lestrade called "a good man." There's a reason Mycroft was all sneery about the wedding. But when Sherlock walks out of there early, we see him draw away from any development he may have managed in the episode. After his last speech and his last vow, he found himself alone on the dance floor. Everyone else had someone, and he felt awkward and vulnerable. So he left. He walked out of his best friend's wedding, put up his collar, and never looked back. This scene is a reminder of how difficult Sherlock still finds emotions. And it's a reaffirmation of the central feature of his character: that he does not behave like other people, and he does not particularly want to. You can only change a character as iconic as Sherlock so much, and having a great time at a wedding after he's solved a good puzzle is not something Sherlock would ever be interested in. So there he goes.
Rebecca Kulik lives in Iowa, reads an obsence amount, watches way too much television, and occasionally studies for her BA in History. Come by her personal pop culture blog at tyrannyofthepetticoat.wordpress.com and her reading blog at journalofimaginarypeople.wordpress.com.
