Page 71 - SHERLOCK transcripts

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In the flat, Sherlock is on his feet again and the fight has moved back into the living room. The
attacker takes another swing at Sherlock who ducks underneath the sword and then quickly
straightens up, pointing directly over the man’s shoulder.
SHERLOCK: Look!
(The man has already half turned in that direction with the swing of his sword and is also
perhaps momentary distracted by their reflections in the mirror over the fireplace behind him.
Sherlock takes advantage and swings a powerful uppercut to the man’s chin, and the man drops
unconscious into Sherlock’s armchair. Sherlock straightens up and immediately checks his
reflection in the mirror, straightening his jacket and cuffs and then dusting himself down. He
looks down at the man with disdain, as if indignant that he messed his suit up.)

Some time later Sherlock is sitting in his armchair calmly reading a book. There is no sign of the
attacker. John walks up the stairs and into the living room, stopping just inside the room and
looking around as if he suspects that something has happened in his absence, but he can’t tell
what.
SHERLOCK (not looking up): You took your time.
JOHN: Yeah, I didn’t get the shopping.
SHERLOCK (looking indignantly over the top of his book): What? Why not?
JOHN (tetchily): Because I had a row, in the shop, with a chip-and-PIN machine.
SHERLOCK (lowering his book a little): You ... you had a row with a machine?
[It won’t be the last time that John argues with a ‘machine,’ Sherlock baby, but let’s not go
there right now ...]
JOHN: Sort of. It sat there and I shouted abuse. Have you got cash?
(Sherlock holds back his amused smile and nods towards the kitchen.)
SHERLOCK: Take my card.
(John walks towards the kitchen where Sherlock’s wallet is lying on the table, but before he gets
there he turns back to his flatmate indignantly.)
JOHN: You could always go yourself, you know. You’ve been sitting there all morning. You’ve
not even moved since I left.
(Sherlock briefly flashes back in his mind to a moment in the fight when he ducked under a
swing from the attacker’s sword. [And oh my goodness can you see how the blade cuts right
into The Coat hanging on the back of the door?! *cries*] He tries to look nonchalant as he turns
the page of his book while John picks up the wallet from the table and rummages through it for
a suitable payment card.)
JOHN: And what happened about that case you were offered – the Jaria Diamond?
SHERLOCK: Not interested.
(Using a piece of paper as a bookmark he shuts the book with a loud snap, and only then
realises that the attacker’s sword is still lying underneath his chair in plain view. He quickly
slams a foot down onto the end and slides his foot and the sword further back to get the
weapon out of sight.)
SHERLOCK (firmly): I sent them a message.
(Flashback to his uppercut that ended the fight.)
(John has now found a card he can use, but pauses to bend over to look more closely at the
new long narrow gouge in the top of the table. He sighs and runs his finger along the cut,
rubbing at it in case it’s just a mark that can be removed.)
JOHN (in an exasperated whisper): Ugh, Holmes.
(Looking across to his flatmate, he tuts pointedly. Sherlock shakes his head innocently. John
turns and leaves the room, trotting down the stairs as Sherlock smirks.)

Later, John staggers up the stairs carrying several bags of shopping.
JOHN (sarcastically): Don’t worry about me. I can manage.
(Sherlock, who is now sitting at the dining table with his hands folded in front of his mouth as
he looks at a laptop screen, barely glances across to John, who sighs heavily as he carries the
bags into the kitchen and dumps them onto the table. Sherlock is engrossed in reading an e-
mail from someone called Sebastian Wilkes. The full e-mail isn’t shown but what text can be
seen reveals that Sherlock and Sebastian haven’t seen each other for a long time. Sebastian
has heard that Sherlock is now a consultant – or a consulting detective – and tells him that
“There’s been an ‘incident’ at the bank” which he hopes that Sherlock may be able to sort out.
He asks him to drop by and says that he’ll be relying on Sherlock’s discretion. John turns
around from the kitchen table and frowns when he realises which piece of equipment Sherlock
is looking at.)

Transcripts by Ariane DeVere (arianedevere@livejournal.com)