Me watching this in 2024: 😭

I remember seeing posts about TJLC on instagram around 2016 when i first got in the fandom (rough year to show up haha) and didn't have a lot of context around how the fandom had been treated in and outside the show, but i was so excited to be part of something that felt so big. I've since had details filled in about just how awful the whole situation was, and the betrayal i feel on behalf of my younger self grows with each new slight I've learned about. Your content, and other fan theories were the happiest, most meaningful part of the entire experience and the only part i remember fondly. While it ended in such a bitter way, i still see the value in the excitement so many people had to be a part of telling a mainstream queer story, between 2 main characters. I'm typing all of this before actually watching the video, but thank you for all the effort you've put in towards a show that never deserved it. It still meant something to me. It had importance.

21:12 the clothes on the left side have the colours of the lesbian flag!

THE GAY IS ON

oh wow. i wasn't into tjlc back in the day - i honestly don't even remember if i came across your videos before or after season 4. but i do remember two things: 1) watching the videos and thinking "i have no idea if they're right, but the analysis is great and really entertaining" and 2) some of the aftermath, ie the videos suddenly being gone and some tumblr posts that suggested things had been much more painful than i could understand as a casual fan. i think i shared something at the time (aimed at you, but possibly through someone else) about how these videos reminded me of the things i loved about literary analysis, as an undergrad studying english.... well, i'm now a phd student studying the poetry of john keats through the lens of parasocial interaction. i relate to the pain you describe in this video and the first of the retrospective videos, not in relation to sherlock but in relation to my own academic pursuits. i did great at undergrad, my mphil was a hard experience (as i was diagnosed with autism during that year, finding out i had access needs that hadn't come up much as an undergrad but were suddenly very pressing as a postgrad) but i did well, and then i started my phd and things... got bad. long story short, i was pursuing a passion project that my faculty suddenly decided sucked, and i had a full on breakdown, and i'm still in a lot of pain over it. my current phd is a new project. almost everything you described going through in the aftermath of season 4 resonated with me, and honestly i don't know if i'm really ready to be going through this academic stuff again, but this video has really helped in cementing that i do need to face this head on and if i avoid it and abandon academia out of fear then i'm not being my whole self. thank you.

I am exhausted by people telling me a queer reading of Sherlock, Doctor Who, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Sailor Moon, The Matrix and so on is bonkers. Because it is not! Those shows were all queer as hell! And I love these shows helping me realise who I truely am. And I am queer. And I love it!

I think this is the forth time I rewatched the 7 "A Better Story" videos... And I read FADOW three times. My Johnlock heart and TJLC soul just needs this every few months 🤷‍♀

Hm... what if AJ is a 'J' as is a person with a name starting with the letter 'J'. Because Mary called John also James by ACDs mistake in canon. It also lets me think of the texts Mary recieved when John was in the fire in TEH. And considering John might be behind Moriarty's return video, he also is a 'J'.

love you

they probably wouldn't let them make the main characters openly gay

Wish I could've submitted myself, but I had 0 possibilities with that

Sherlock's childhood role models, his parents, finish eachother's sentences. Molly trying to end Sherlock's sentence with "...Have dinner?" To make him understand that they belong together, thus making it all the more evident that they don't, based on Sherlock's disconcordant answer. John finishes Sherlock's sentences right.

John's questioning of Sherlock here seems to parallel their questioning of each other in the s2 finale...

18:00 not sure what you were implying there when she does get pregnant with him xd

14:13 I thought you were gonna say something like how Sherlock's world stopped for John and something sweet, but that works too 😭

The fact that John asks "how are you doing this?" and not "why?" implies a character development between this and the return of Sherlock.

I feel like Sherlock's expectation here was possibly based on other experiences in his line of work. Others he faced off with were playing the game. He doesn't recognise that John isn't playing. He missed *him*, not the adventure.

I think it's interesting that the pilot, the great game, and a scandal in belgravia are both centred on first romance, two people dancing around each other. But both Moriarty and Irene are just playing the game, but John is genuine. He's the only real relationship.

"He needs to eat?" He's letting John feed him up. That's what boyfriends do.

The sister not a brother thing really foreshadowed Eurus, didn't it?

You are infinitely talented and deserve the very best

Are podcasts planned for your stories in the near future?❤please please please

Hi, Rebekah. Both the TJLC Explained and A Better Story mean a great deal to me and, evidently, other people, and it’s been a pleasure watching and revisiting these series. It would be amazing to see more content from you, however, it’s understandable that you might not want your other work to be associated with TJLC. If you do leave this channel for good, I hope to come across your other work elsewhere 🥺 Thank you for everything you’ve done so far, for being an amazing writer and content creator, and for contributing to such a monumental part of some of our teenage years ahahha. I rarely ever comment on anything but I just had to show my appreciation. You’re such a sweet person, and I’m glad you’re doing well and have found the enthusiasm to post again despite all the S4 drama. Best of luck with your PhD!

41:17 sad to see your video wayyy after season 4, turns out the explaination of all the facts is... queerbaiting yay! Either because they backed down or because they found it somehow funny to mess with it (or both). aha great. also Gatiss words at 1:16 are honestly weird to me, especially with what they ended up doing with Sherlock

40:00 literally loved it when the smiths started playing

11:33 I'm sorry the way they laugh at each other and then Sherlock's smile drops when he realises the depth of the situation and then John looks at him and he kind of can't meet his gaze anymore!?!😭

This isn't really johnlock related, but as far as I can remember, when Sherlock is telling Amanda about her affair and how he figured out from the hand cream she was gifted, Amanda touches the jade pin in her hair!!

Well,once again im finding myself watching the playlist.

I hope someone is still reading comments here... I have been watching all TJLC in chronological order for the last weeks and am really amazed about all this witty, emotional and beautiful content. As to my favorite johnlock-like ships, I would like to recommend Tiberius Blackthorne and Kit Rook (later Herondale) from the Shadowhunters series by Cassandra Clare. They can still become canon, because there are some books in process still. Unfortunately, they are not on screen at the moment. But there are always Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood from the same series who have become a canon couple and are already on screen. :)

hi!! i haven't checked back in with your channel in years and totally missed this comeback! i'm currently rewatching sherlock one episode per week with the friend who got me obsessed with the show back then and it was been such a healing experience for me so far... i can't believe how you must feel! just to add on to everyone else, i was also a teen who learned english by watching your videos and i am still thankful to you for that! i liked your content so much i even showed it to my mum haha. january 2017 was a huge disappointment in my life up until that point but i never regretted your videos. i remember i tried to defend you on tumblr against that person who took over your url, to no great success. you can't believe how happy i am that you are doing well now and i am excited to watch the new videos i missed! much love <3

I am HAUNTED by the fact that Mary named her daughter after herself. And I never could quite figure out why… until these videos. And now I understand.

❤,you are really so brave and kind to change my mind to think about this show in an extend. thanks.

The scene where John compliments Sherlock is so sweet, it really captures the original ACD Holmes quote, "My companion flushed up with pleasure at my words, and the earnest way in which I uttered them. I had already observed that he was a sensitive to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her beauty." He seems genuinely taken aback.

That's a masterpiece. I am so happy, that I found your videos after years!

which chapter is the get together chapter, please someone tell me. I need to read the happy ending first to muster up the courage for the whole thing

24:12 i just realized that Moriarty's backstory trauma has to do with being in the same mental space as pilot Sherlock except he was weaker to the call of sociopathy+revenge. I've been in the same situation as that dude in the middle of an active street, vulnerable and crying, and I had people completely ignore me and not help... Is there a more blatant call to ask for help than this?! And yet no one was there for me. That really solidified the misanthropic beliefs i carry to this day. Cherry on top? I relate to Sherlock's character very much. So i say, what if Moriarty was in a similar situation, too? What would you do if you not only went through the same things (nurture) but also had to deal with a weaker nature that results in sociopathy+will to get revenge? Maybe you'd obsess on the only one you've found in the world that you percieve to be like you...

found these series a bit late but enjoyed every second of it. watched the whole thing in a couple days and walked out a changed person, thanks a lot.

I say this as someone who never got past series 1 when watching Sherlock, but who watched all 7 parts of this: your work here was not only super interesting and obviously with so much thought and work behind it, it's also so very kind and thoughtful towards fans, towards the writers, towards strangers, towards yourself. I think no media is ever perfect, and I think we can all say Sherlock certainly isn't, but any work that can make anyone think so hard about it, spend so much time with it, has value. and yeah, I hope however much pain the series finale caused so many queer and young viewers, there is something good to be taken out of all this. I think you show it can. wishing healing for all who are still hurting tbh

I love you and I also kinda in love with you. Thank you for your work! You are as talented as you are beautiful (it’s a lot btw)❤😊

JUST TEA FOR ME THX... I feel old. Thank Rebs we now have "From A Drop Of Water"

your vids are so succint and brilliant

Sherlock and John = Xena and Gabrielle

Brilliant. I think Sherlock is gay but on the asexual spectrum as well.

Samara or Sumatra? James or John? Chips or Suicide? Sense or Nonsense? I really hate what Mofftiss made us go through... Or makes us go through... Because stupid little fanGIRLS (WOMEN!) and queer people (ugh, the gays) do not deserve a happy ending? We do not matter! Why do we always have to struggle, survive and fight? Can we, just for once, have something nice? Just so? Just because we are also humans?

I don't know if anyone already pointed it out (or if it even makes sense) but I just noticed something. Sherlock says that Mary might have a British accent right now but she probably isn't English. She never denies this (she does let Sherlock do a lot of the talking at this stage, talking that isn't true so this might be false as well but lets just pretend it is correct). AJ then calling Mary the English woman makes little sense in and of itself. But again, looking at AJ as a John mirror (or as John "being" AJ) it makes way more sense why he calls her that. John only ever knew Mary as English. It's late and this thought just passed me so it's not thought threw but thanks for reading and have a lovely day!

7 years later and the surprise wasnt spoiled yet (still Hoping ofc)

♥️🥰🫶🏻♥️

19:01

Just finished rereading this story, still love it to pieces!! 🙏🏼💕💕

I’ve come back to this series, finally ready to watch it all the way through. I just wanna quickly thank you for giving a warning in the last episode, because I did need to take a break before watching this in its entirety. This is the first time I’ve visited anything related to season 4 since it came out, and your Big Bopper genuinely helped this to not be as terrifying. I got through it in one piece. It felt a lot less daunting to watch it with you as opposed to watching it on my own. Thank you, truly. I’m so interested in the next episode, but I admit I’m still so scared. Sherlock was a show that genuinely broke my heart, and I’m scared Dracula will be too similar… but I’ll trust you! I’ll take time and come back to hear your thoughts on it! Thank you again for all the hard work you’ve done on this series, seriously. It means so much.