#the devil's foot

[dathen]

Then my friend's wiry arms were round me, and he was leading me to a chair. “You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!” It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.

OOOOOOUUUUGHHHGH THERE IT IS THE LINES WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR

I have yet to see an aromantic analysis of this but now my brain and heart is overflowing with Many Thoughts brace yourselves

Look at the wording of this. This is not a character development moment for Holmes, but for Watson--a realization it took him far too long to come to, a glimpse that made him realize how deeply Holmes has cared for him all along. All his years alongside him culminating in a moment of revelation.

But to guage the significance of the revelation, we have to go back to the start--particularly, the start of this "Holmes is an unfeeling machine" viewpoint Watson has expressed so often.

In The Sign of Four, when Holmes admits to not noticing if Mary was attractive, Watson replies, "You really are an automaton-a calculating machine! There is something positively inhuman in you at times." Aromantic Holmes fans have talked about how deeply relatable this moment is--which of us haven't been compared to a machine for lack of the feelings we're supposed to have, or felt inhuman because of our alienation? It's painful to see Watson say this so bluntly, but their relationship doesn't stop there.

Over time, Watson understands that Holmes cares for and feels affection for him, but he seems to see himself as rather inconsequential to Holmes' life, no matter how many times Holmes insists he cherishes his company, no matter how many ways Holmes demonstrates how much he loves him. They're speaking different languages about what love means. This is also intensely relatable to aromantic people, especially neurodivergent ones like Holmes clearly is. (side note: It's been wonderful reading these stories alongside other nd fans who easily spot those demonstrations of love)

And then there's this moment is when Watson finally UNDERSTANDS. It takes Holmes trembling with fear over him being hurt, snarling with protective ferocity for it to hit how important he is to Holmes. We've been staring at what feels obvious the entire time, because he's like us, and then Watson says "For the one and only time I caught a glimpse" of it. Holmes isn't the one framed as needing to change--whether what his love is, or how he shows it. It's that Watson needs to understand and realize it's always been this way.

Swapping to Holmes' side: this line often comes up in conjunction with Holmes saying he's never loved in The Devil's Foot, as a way to disprove it or show that Holmes was lying for some reason. But I feel that Holmes' side of things is that he is not a murderous person. As this story shows, he had a gun to a man's head, his most beloved friend gets SHOT, and instead of pulling the trigger he just hits him with the gun instead. In Devil's Foot, Holmes is musing over this urge to kill out of revenge and concludes that his hesitation to kill is because of something he lacks: he's never been In Love, never been swept up in all the irrational impulsive floods of emotion he's observed stem from that. He's also never seen Watson shot and fear this deeply for his life.

For Holmes, the realization of this moment isn't being surprised at how much he loves Watson, but the realization that his own kind of love is capable of this murderous ferocity. It's not something inherently tied to the way Normal People (tm) fall in love--this is his Watson and his dearest friend and companion and confidant and life partner and he WILL tear someone limb from limb if they managed to kill him.

#letters from watson #the three garridebs #sherlock holmes #acd holmes #doctor watson #amatonormativity #aromantic #the devil's foot

[ofbakerst]

#figured out how to record video #expect more videos of holmes throwing shit on the floor #this is so funny god help me #the devil's foot #granada holmes #jeremy brett #video #my posts #untidy

[paradises-library]

"Upon my word, Watson!" said Holmes at last with an unsteady voice, "I owe you both my thanks and an apology. It was an unjustifiable experiment even for one's self, and doubly so for a friend. I am really very sorry." "You know," I answered with some emotion, for I have never seen so much of Holmes's heart before, "that it is my greatest joy and privilege to help you."

-"The Devil's Foot," Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

#the devil's foot #sir arthur conan doyle #letters from watson #sherlock holmes

[47gaslamps]

People who nearly succeeded in killing Sherlock Holmes, ranked in descending order of seriousness

Sebastian Moran (The Empty House). The man had enough vendetta to single-handedly keep Holmes out of London for three years, and didn't wait a day past Holmes' return to Baker Street to make good on the threat. Even after all Holmes' elaborate preparation against it, he still would have killed him if Watson weren't in the same room.

Professor Moriarty (The Final Problem). Extremely serious, as we all know. Very nearly did come off a few times over. But... well, there's no doubt it would have come off, had he acted sooner- at any point before Holmes was on Permanent Red Alert and the whole criminal empire was collapsing about his ears. Put him in the ranks of those who tragically overestimated their opponents. If he were not a challenge and a treat but a part of the ordinary course of business, Holmes would certainly be dead.

Culverton Smith (The Dying Detective). Horrid man. Evil design. The plunging feeling in my stomach would vault him to the top of the list if left to its own devices. But he put all his hopes in sending Holmes a prank jewel-box. As there is no reason one would anonymously send Holmes a real jewel-box, that makes the effort a bit less serious.

Tonga (The Sign of Four). This stood a better chance of working. All he lacks is the ability to shoot accurately while on a riverboat, and it's an ugly way to die. But you can't take Tonga seriously. He is a walking extract from the pages of the Encyclopedia of Obscure Racism, and you can't get past that.

Baron Gruner (The Illustrious Client). Responsible for the greatest actual bodily harm Holmes incurs during the series, but not a full-throated murder attempt. He seems to regard a killing, a maiming and a roughing-up as basically interchangeable ideas.

Alec Cunningham (The Reigate Squires). What do you expect to happen after you've strangled Holmes in the next room from an active police inspector, guy? You think you're getting off that murder charge now? Should've used that energy to run like a bunny.

Sherlock Holmes (The Devil's Foot). What. Were. You. Thinking.

Count Sylvius (The Mazarin Stone). The grade of villainous plot I expect from a literal cartoon.

#sherlock holmes #acd canon #letters from watson spoilers #the devil's foot

[i-dont-talk-for-days-on-end]

I think the fact that it's Watson who gets Holmes out of the room with the poison in Devil's Foot, saving his sanity and likely his life, is so evocative of their whole relationship ...

#and i think that's the reason why I'm so obsessed with this story #acd COULD have done it the other way round #the devil's foot #sherlock holmes #letters from watson #acd canon #dr watson

[blistering-typhoons]

The Devil's Foot: Granada/Radio Holmes Edit

(bonus, under the influence of the devil's foot itself, in the radio adaptation, holmes and watson quote this simultaneously)

#this edit carjacked my brain and i just shifted into such a mode of adhd hyperfocus i am shaky now #but! this scene! jesus christ! #anyways apparently the time for radio holmes has come #i hope the two people who are going to eat this up are well fed <3 (one of them is me lmao) #sherlock holmes #granada holmes #radio holmes #john watson #the devil's foot #also shut up i know i use the same two fonts over and over

[sarnie-for-varney]

Watson looking after his husband yet again:

#sherlock holmes #his last bow #the devil's foot #sir arthur conan doyle #arthur conan doyle #conan doyle #acd #the return of sherlock holmes #granada television #granada holmes #dr john watson #dr watson #john watson #jeremy brett #edward hardwicke #lgbtq+ #queer #gay #video

[teaspoonnebula]

#jeremy brett #the devil's foot #behind the scenes #granada holmes #nomming a tourniquet #nom nom nom

[221b-johnlocked-1895]

I was rewatching "The Devil's Foot" from Granada Holmes and I thought something. Since I've never read anything about it, I decided to write it here.

Holmes decided to let Sterndale return to Africa, despite the fact that he had killed a man.

(For those who don't know or don't remember, Sterndale killed Mortimer Treggenis, because he killed his sister Brenda Treggenis, with whom Sterndale was in a romantic relationship)

Holmes himself says that he didn't get him arrested because he would have done the same. In fact, later in the story he says: “I have never loved, Watson, but if I did and if the woman I loved had met such an end, I might act even as our lawless lion-hunter has done. Who knows?"

Well, we know, thanks to what Holmes himself said in "The Adventure Of The Three Garridebs": "If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive.".

I think that it's quite clear that the "woman" in question, or better, the person who Holmes loves, is Watson.

#granada holmes #sherlock holmes 1984 #granada holmes meta #acd canon meta #johnlock #johnlock meta #granada johnlock #acd johnlock #granada johnlock meta #the devil's foot #the adventure of the devil's foot #his last bow #the three garridebs #the case-book of sherlock holmes #acd canon

[thefisherqueen]

Holmes paced with light, swift steps about the room; he sat in the various chairs, drawing them up and reconstructing their positions. He tested how much of the garden was visible; he examined the floor, the ceiling, and the fireplace; but never once did I see that sudden brightening of his eyes and tightening of his lips which would have told me that he saw some gleam of light in this utter darkness.

Watson knows Holmes so well by now. They really are in that 'understanding each other without needing words' part of their relationship

#letters from watson #sherlock holmes #the devil's foot #intimate friends

[skyriderwednesday]

I can only imagine Watson's thought process for picking Poldhu Bay was something like:

"Well, the last time I took Holmes on holiday for his health, people immediately knew he was in town and we had the local police inspector harassing us to assist with a crime within two days -- plus Holmes was nearly strangled to death. This time I'm going to take us somewhere as remote as possible, the far end of Cornwall should do it."

And he is now bloody furious it didn't work.

#sherlock holmes #letters from watson #the devil's foot #with this story i am also pointing excitedly because!! #i've been there!!! #i've been to poldhu bay!!!!

[werrrrrrrrrrrrrrrcat]

Please check my devil's foot based animation!

Song is estranger by Jack Stauber!

#art #fanart #digital art #sherlock holmes #sherlock fanart #digitalart #john watson #ttfbs #animation #animatic #acd sherlock #acd holmes #acd johnlock #the two from baker street #the devil's foot #Youtube

[ofbakerst]

#the devil's foot #granada holmes #paget #comparisons #gifs #my scans #jeremy brett #edward hardwicke #my posts #queue

[immortal-in-their-way]

Okay, Holmes and Watson are brilliant smart members of society but I swear, sometimes they show their true state of being; that of having but one braincell between the two of them. Please observe this exchange if you will.

Holmes: Watson, I am quite sure that this powder is poisonous. In fact, the smoke resulting in it having been burned has already killed two people and driven two others mad. However, just to be sure that it is truly deadly we should set fire to it in this room where we are and observe each other to see if we die or not.

Watson: This seems totally reasonable, Holmes. I'm game, let's light the thing up.

Holmes & Watson later, coughing on the grass: OMG!! WE COULD HAVE DIED!!!

#like what did you expect #??? #Idiots #Sherlock Holmes ACD #Sherlock Holmes #dr watson #They have one (1) braincell #This is the appropriate time to exclaim #no shit sherlock #And watson #The devil's foot #They are total madmen your honour

[paradises-library]

"How do you know that?" "I followed you." "I saw no one." "That is what you may expect to see when I follow you."

-"The Devil's Foot," Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

#the devil's foot #sir arthur conan doyle #letters from watson #sherlock holmes

[virtues-of-artemis]

No but like -

At the end of The Adventure of the Devil's Foot, Dr. Sterndale says to Holmes in defence of his actions that "Perhaps if you loved a woman, you would have done as much yourself."

Sherlock confirms this when he says "I have never loved, Watson, but if I did and the woman I loved had met such an end, I might act even as our lawless lion-hunter has done," - i.e, kill someone.

BUT in The Adventure of the Three Garridebs he says to Garrideb that "If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this room alive."

Ahem ahem excuse me?

Oh and also this:

“You're not hurt, Watson? For God's sake, say that you are not hurt!" It was worth a wound -- it was worth many wounds -- to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.”

Sorry, what was that, Watson?? 👀

#acd sherlock #sherlock holmes #john watson #johnlock #acd canon #they're definitely boyfriends❤️ #the devil's foot #the three garridebs