Archived fic rec - The Perils of Urban Wafare

[sakura_no_miko]

Title: The Perils of Urban Warfare and The Inexactitude of Loss

Author: phantomjam

Fandom: Sherlock

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: John/Sherlock

Warnings: cases involving gory bodies, character death, grieving, general talk of suicide, violence, PTSD

Other notes: episode based, post Study in Pink / post Reichenbach, grieving process, therapy, outside point-of-view, character study,

Length: 7k

Summary: The problems of acclimatising to civilian life a.k.a the travails of John, his therapist and Sherlock.

My thoughts:

 

This was one of the first Sherlock fics I read. You check that timestamp–Sherlock’s first episode aired on July 25, and this fic was posted on the 28th. Amazing!

But what got me to write this entry was the even-more-amazing sequel. This is a Reichenbach story where–spoiler–Sherlock doesn’t come back. Or hasn’t yet come back, perhaps.

The end of 2011/beginning of 2012 was an interesting time, since we got both the Robert Downey Jr version of the Reichenbach fall in December, and then the Sherlock take on it in January. And yet, both of them did something I was terribly unhappy with–after a heartbreaking scene of Sherlock dying, and Watson’s grief, they both revealed that Sherlock was, in fact, alive. I hated that. Hated it. It felt a bit cheap. I mean, most of the public knows Sherlock was brought back to life later, but what was so wrong with ending on that real moment of grief? (I’m also a bit sad that they didn’t end The Two Towers with Frodo being “dead,"and Sam hero'ing off.)

So I adore this fic, for exploring the grief, and making it abundantly clear that, when Sherlock returns, John will be completely justified in punching him hard. Even it was for the greater good, that was a lot of pain caused, pain that can’t be taken back. As John tells his therapist, they’ve changed.

Also, I like that the therapist is a big character here. John doesn’t agree with her point of view, regarding Sherlock and their relationship, and the dynamic between them in the first story versus them in the second story is great to watch, because it’s really in the second story where we get to see more of why she’s a good therapist, and a good person for John to talk to. She may not entirely understand or approve of Sherlock, but she also offers an important, detached perspective that reminds the audience that, as amazing as an eccentric, adventuring consulting detective can be, he’s really not always the best part of John’s life.

 

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Originally posted on tumblr on 04/14/13