Okay let me be very clear on something before I start. I DID NOT watch the whole of Sherlock series so I don't really know the exact details of the entire history between Sherlock and Moriarty. I just watched the last episode of the second season and it intrigued me so much so I went sherlock on Sherlock..
I started by carefully scanning the screen shots of the part when he jumps from the hospital building and I have reached my conclusion: Sherlock really did jump from the building. But he never hit the pavement directly.
http://sc.aithine.org/sherlock/203/25/index9.html
If you follow the link and carefully observe the pictures in the first four rows you'll understand what I mean. The first two rows of pictures very clearly show Sherlock falling with him in direct view. But in the third row the second picture shows Sherlock falling out of the screen view. The third picture is just a screen shot of the building and the fourth picture shows the pavement. Nothing so special about those shots right? WRONG! (I love saying it like that)
The fourth picture shows the portion of the pavement where Sherlock should have fallen but it's empty AKA Sherlock never fell directly on the pavement.
How could John not see that?
Simply explained. If you follow the next series of screen shots you will observe John looking UPWARDS. i.e he was watching Sherlock while he was in the PROCESS of falling down. He didn't actually get to see Sherlock hit the ground because he was knocked over by the cyclist. That's why you never really get to see John looking down on the ground. Before getting knocked down, John's eyes never came to the level where he could see the pavement and given that John's eyes were on Sherlock the whole time, one can conclude that these screen shots of John do not take place after Sherlock has jumped but actually take place simultaneously, and at the precise moment when Sherlock 'touched base' John was knocked over so he never really saw where Sherlock fell.
Also,
http://sc.aithine.org/sherlock/203/25/index10.html
if you observe Sherlock's position on the pavement, it's in front of the second bench to the left. But again, in link 1, the area in front the the bench to the left is empty. So Sherlock never fell directly on the pavement.
So where did Sherlock fall?
http://sc.aithine.org/sherlock/203/25/index10.html
Observe the third and fourth rows. The pictures show a truck full of shoppers in front of Sherlock. I think that's where Sherlock fell. Stuffed shoppers can easily dampen his fall from that height leaving him uninjured and he could have easily rolled our of the truck onto the pavement to play dead.
http://sc.aithine.org/sherlock/203/25/index10.html
Observe the second, third, fourth and fifth rows. You can see the truck leaving in the far top right side of the screen shots. So after Sherlock fell, the truck quickly moved away so no one would be able to link Sherlock's fall to a soft landing. Everyone's attention to it's brief presence is eclipsed by a man falling from the building.
How did Sherlock get time to put up blood?
http://sc.aithine.org/sherlock/203/25/index10.html
Notice how John is still down when people start gathering around in the last four rows? They block his view of Sherlock. Gives you plenty of time to garnish yourself in blood doesn't it?
Though the blood on the pavement could have been set up already. Remember how Sherlock wanted John to keep his eyes on him all the time and not look around? While Sherlock distracted John with his "emotional" farewell and pathetically bland lies, someone could have been throwing some blood around on the pavement.
One more proof that supports my theory (I read it somewhere else, I forgot where, but its NOT my observation):
http://sc.aithine.org/sherlock/203/25/index9.html
First three rows show Sherlock falling face down. But,
http://sc.aithine.org/sherlock/203/25/index11.html
In these pictures Sherlock's position is sideways. Shouldn't he have landed like he was falling? (Now this is my theory:) Sideways could be the resulting position of having quickly rolled out of the truck and onto the pavement (given that maybe he didn't have the time to change his position to face downwards).
IN CONCLUSION:
Sherlock fell in the truck, landed on the shoppers, rolled out onto the pavement were the blood was already thrown and played dead.
It was a well-timed, well-conducted little theatrical gesture of death.
P.S: I feel really REALLY sure of my theory. So sure that I even took up a bet on it with my movie-buddy. Even then, maybe I am missing out something. So if anyone has an opposing argument or some unexplained phenomenon please do let me know I would love to go all sherlock on it and find a good reason
P.S.S: I'm going to try the hash tagging thing. Let's see if it works.
#sherlockdidn'tdie #howsherlockfakedhisdeath #sherlock
