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How do you like them apples

Someone must have already done this better but the penny just dropped.

Apples.

John is first introduced to us with the “this is John” symbols of green apple and RAMC mug, with crown, rod and snake motif.

There’s an obvious relationship between snake and apple: in Genesis the serpent (phallic - sex symbol) talks Eve into eating the apple. Original sin. Apples are temptation, and John is an unblemished green apple. So John either is temptation, is tempted himself - or both- and is also associated through the RAMC logo with loyalty, medicine, military service, and royalty (the crown).

The next big apple moment doesn’t come until TRF, which is replete with biblical referencing (I may be on the side of the angels etc). This time, the apple is Snow White red, and we get heaps of big red flashing arrows that this is both important and DEFINITELY related to the fairy tale.

Moriarty tells us he is the villian of the fairy tale. Oh look! - here is the wicked witch poisoning the ORIGINALLY GREEN apple, which turns red. Watch it and die. Note the skull (hi Billy).

The poison apple causes a sleep like death- now one of the cool things here is the tie-in with the theory that Sherlock, or maybe John, is unconscious or in a coma in s4.

The antidote:

… the kiss of life from Dr Watson? CPR FTW.

But wait, we learn more about the meaning of the apple. The witch tells Sherlock Snow White that it is a ‘wishing apple’ and asks her what her heart’s desire is - the prince. So now the apple ALSO represents her (Sherlock’s) desire to marry the handsome prince (John) and live in his castle:

JUST ONE MORE MINUTE there is more Very Important Stuff. When we meet our heroine Snow White she is only singing INTO A FUCKING WELL looking suspiciously similar to the one John was stuck in at the end of TFP… it is a wishing well, and a voice from within the well sings back to confirm to her that her wish - to find ‘the one she loves’ today - will come true. So this is another interesting way in which the ending of S4E3 TFP cycles back to the beginning of Sherlock and John’s relationship as Prince Charming arrives! And Sherlock you stupid bastard Snow White promptly runs away. FFS.

BONUS POINT: the bloody blue birds on the wall at John’s wedding finally make some sort of sense:

They are trying to protect Sherlock/Snow White from Moriarty/the wicked witch. Honey, you should see me in a crown.

John = a sexy tempting green apple

Moriarty “poisons the apple.” The green apple is John, and Moriarty means to poison Sherlock’s relationship with him to ‘burn the heart out’ of him. The blue birds on the wall mean this plan is coming to fruition AT JOHNS WEDDING. Sherlock, in his canon misery, will reach for the cocaine bottle. John’s blog fails to update at all after the honeymoon, and Sherlock’s has disappeared altogether.

But, we have a decent chance of John performing rescue breaths on sherlock to complete the arc and wake him up.

…… I hope.