Women are a lot of things on Sherlock, but they're rarely simply victims. Janine is one of many women (and men) Sherlock has manipulated, has lied to and led on, and has hurt. Sherlock faked an entire relationship to gain access to her office, which culminated in a faked proposal that made John fume. A weaker character would fall apart, would be furious and vicious, or would just melt and cry endlessly. This lady skips the silly over-the-top drama immediately and goes right for revenge. She doesn't cry and doesn't let him make her into a victim. Instead, she humiliates him in newspapers across the country and makes a tidy profit off it, enough to retire early. The scene is funny not only for it's ridiculousness, but for its authenticity. Janine never seemed like a woman who could be jerked around like that by a man, and she responded to his manipulation by pulling herself up and getting even. She knows the score, she knew Sherlock much better than he ever quite realized, so she didn't even seem mad at him. Just a bit disappointed. And Sherlock reacts to her humiliation by shrugging and basically saying "I believe I've earned something like this." The two part on good terms. Again, it's a frankly ridiculous situation the kind that could only happen with these characters, on this show.
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.
