Neither. I think (and hope, because if I’m wrong I absolutely believe it would have been queerbaiting and definitely not ‘fans reading really far into everything’) they’re in the process of constructing a romance which will eventually be actualised between Sherlock and John. That’s kind of what my blog’s about.
Is it possible for there to be an in-between? (She asks wistfully.)
Like, I think they’re seriously, deliberately staging the question. I do. I think they have purposefully constructed the characters and narrative and symbolism and all to bring into question the idea that you should just look at these characters and assume they’re straight.
But I think that’s the point of it and the extent of it. I don’t think they ever intend to answer the question they pose: I think asking the question is the whole point. ”Look at this guys! They’re almost like a couple, aren’t they? What makes you think they’re not?”
Is that queerbaiting? Is it queerbaiting when they’ve successfully gotten the most widely-read news organizations in the world to write flailing, gleeful are they/aren’t they op-eds about the possibility of a Holmes and Watson that are gay?
I mean, I don’t know. That’s an honest question. I’m not in the group most harmed by queerbaiting, so I don’t have the internal equipment to really gauge it for myself.