Mummy Holmes

I’m going to go ahead and put it out there: there’s something off about Mummy Holmes. I’ve always thought so. And the last time a character irritated me from the get-go, I was right, so I’m going to go with it. Before we met the Holmes parents, a lot of people thought that they must’ve been pretty bad, and then we met them, and we were like, “Oh, never mind.” But I’m thinking we weren’t so far off after all, at least with Mummy.

First, the thing that is not the thing:

I’m aware of the Holmes parents mirroring Sherlock and John. This is not about that. This is specifically about Mummy Holmes’s personality. I’m not saying she’s evil or a villain or anything; I just think there’s more to her than meets the eye because some of the things she says are a little off.

Now, the thing:

Mummy wrote The Dynamics of Combustion, which is a spin on ACD Moriarty’s The Dynamics of an Asteroid. That alone makes me think there’s something more going on with her. I don’t think she’s “the real Moriarty” or a villain or anything like that; however the fact that she's so much of a bigger character than the father tells me she’s important, at least in Redbeard aka The Other One’s death.

About Sherlock and Mycroft’s parents, Steven Moffat said:

“Any time anyone has ever speculated on the parents of Sherlock Holmes they say he must have had a cold and loveless childhood. But that’s baloney! Sherlock and Mycroft are not the kind of kids who would have resulted from cold and loveless parents. Timid, frightened children are the product of loveless homes. Adults who are completely confident and don’t mind being different from everybody else, that’s the product of a very, very loving home life. That’s the product of someone always being told, “Doesn’t matter. You don’t have to be like anybody else. You can be who you are. Just be who you are.” This is what Sherlock’s been told, possibly too often given how he turned out.” (x)

And for some reason, everyone just decided to take Moffat at his word, because it’s not like he’s ever lied about anything. Sherlock isn’t completely confident. In fact, he’s very insecure: he thinks his only value is his utility. So I think this quote is misleading at best - I don’t think Sherlock came from “a very, very loving home life.” I don’t think it was horrible - but there are situations in between “blatantly, horribly abusive” and “perfect,” and Mummy Holmes is really not very nice.

Let’s start with the big one, the scene everyone thinks is so funny:

This is all very amusing, except that it’s actually not. Smoking is bad for you and she’s their mother and wants them to be healthy. But Sherlock and Mycroft are approximately thirty-five and forty; if they want to smoke, it’s no longer her business. They’re not doing it in her house. They courteously went outside. She can tell them that she wishes they wouldn’t, that she’s worried about them, that she’ll help them quit, but she can no longer spy on them and chastise them like they’re five - which is exactly what she does. She can no longer act like they’re not “allowed to;” they’re adults: they’re allowed to do whatever they want as long as it’s within the law and not in her house.

This is similar - although definitely not as strong - to the patronizing behavior we got from Mary in TEH and TSoT - and she turned out to be a villain, so I’m not dismissing it. We’ve been reading it as amusing that these two very independent and competent men can still be reduced to children by their mother, but I don’t think we’re supposed to - because it’s really not amusing at all. Mofftisson respect Sherlock and Mycroft, so any character who doesn’t is at least a little suspect: Irene, Mary, CAM, etc.

And Sherlock’s reaction is pretty telling:

He’s so proud of himself for getting away with it. But there’s the thing: he shouldn’t have to be. That’s how a kid would react because they can't just say “Yes, I am smoking and it’s really none of your business.” But Sherlock is an adult; he can. But he apparently doesn’t think he can: the speed at which Mycroft and Sherlock turn around and have their lies ready means that this is not an infrequent occurrence; they were expecting it. At thirty-five and forty, they were expecting their mother to spy on them.

Sherlock sometimes acts like a kid, but Mycroft? The fact that he’s doing it too means this is an ingrained behavior for both of them that they can’t tell Mummy the truth because she doesn’t respect their choices.

I’m not sure Sherlock even notices this because it’s so normal for him, but Mycroft definitely does and he doesn’t like it:

MRS HUDSON: Your mother has a lot to answer for. SHERLOCK: Mm, I know. I have a list. Mycroft has a file. (x)

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