Inklings // November 2020

Hello, my friends!

It is that time of the month where I join in on Heidi of Along the Brandywineʼs monthly linkup, Inklings!

How it works:

1. At any time during the month, on your own blog post a scene from a book or film that matches the prompt, including a link back to the original post in your post.

2. Leave a link to your post in the comments section of the monthly post and she'll post all your links with the next prompt.

You don't have to do it every month, just whenever you feel like it! It is so much fun, I highly recommend trying it.

I have participated: in July 2016, August 2016, September 2016, July 2020, August 2020, September 2020, & October 2020.

And now for this month:

November 2020ʼs prompt: A character making an undignified splash in book or film (i.e. landing in the likes of mud, or water dumped over their head etc.)

I have decided to simplify the titles of these posts, therefore making it so that you readers have to wait in suspense while I drag out my process of decision. Nice of me, isnʼt it?

When I read the prompt I immediately had some images from movies come into my head of people falling into the mud, but I couldnʼt figure out where they were from. I still canʼt, in fact. But, I was talking to my sister (I always need a second opinion, you know) and had inspiration. I was first going to talk about a hilarious scene from A Midsummer Nightʼs Dream (1999). I was going to do that because it is an ideal scene, but then my sister mentioned Sherlock Holmes, and I remembered another scene. Since that is the more available one as I have a copy of the DVD, I chose to do it. Plus, itʼs in my top 100 movies so of course it won over.

My pick for this month is from the movie Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). I canʼt tell you how many times my dad, older sister, and I watch this one as well as the first movie in the series. My little sister refuses to because she says they are scary, but my mom has liked the few scenes that she has seen. (Read my review if you have any content concerns). One of these days weʼll get her to watch both films fully!

While this scene doesnʼt technically have spoilers that directly relate to the plot, as it is pretty near the beginning (only about a half hour in, I think), it is still such an awesome scene that I want you guys to enjoy it for yourselves! I am cutting a few details (dialogue and the like) to stay concise to the prompt, so you should watch it to see all of it! But, if reading my description of it makes you want to see the movie, then Iʼm fine with that!

I now have written some notes to myself to find pictures prior to writing out the whole post. I did all of this, then couldn't find any images that have the actual splash! My bad. If you want to see it, you'll have to watch the movie. Sorry about that!

John and Mary are on a train. A man comes into their sitting compartment and when the lights go out he tries to stab them. They are able to overpower him and throw him out of the train. Sherlock appears wearing a womanʼs disguise, which he admits to not being that good.

Sherlock: “We donʼt have much time.” 

John: “How many are you expecting?” 

Sherlock: “Half a dozen.”

John: “Who are they?”

Sherlock: “A wedding present from Moriarty. Lovely ceremony, by the way, many a tear shed in joy.”

Mary: “Oh, John.”

John, on watch: “Just a minute, darling.”

Sherlock [to Mary]: “Do you trust me?”

Mary: “No!”

Sherlock: “Well then, I shall have to...do something about that.”

He throws her out of the train. We see footage of her falling and splashing as the train goes over a bridge.

Sherlock: “John, do shut the door.”

John does so, and looking around notices that Mary is gone.

Sherlock: “It had to be done. Sheʼs safe now! In my defense, I timed it perfectly.”

They then have a fight where John attacks Sherlock and they yell at each other for a while, the whole time Sherlock insists that he didnʼt just kill Mary. And says, again, that he timed it perfectly. The door opens and soldiers are there and they have to get a move on. We see how Sherlock previously set up some obstacles for the soldiers. There are a few explosions, climbing on the side of a moving train, and waiting. 

At the end they are both sitting on the back of half of a destroyed train car. John is still worried over Mary, and for the third time Sherlock says: “I promise, as I said, I timed it perfectly.”

Flashback to Mary falling out of the train. We see her land in some water with a very undignified splash.

“Hello!”

A light is not that far off and we see a boat coming towards her that has two people in it.

Mycroft: “Over here, madam! I believe congratulations are in order, Mrs. Watson. Iʼm the other Holmes.”

Mary: “You mean, there are two of you? Oh how marvelous. Can this day get any better?”

There you have it! Check out Heidiʼs post HERE to see what she chose and more details.

Thanks for reading! Talk to me at tell me, whatʼs your favorite version of Sherlock Holmes? How would you feel being pushed out of a train, even if you did end up safe? What are other good scenes where characters have “undignified splashes”? Iʼm feeling rather chipper today as I just won NaNoWriMo 2020. How is everything going for all of you? Until next time, my friends!

MovieCritic