Original artwork, not a still
Anderson, don't talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the whole street.
— Sherlock · 2010
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line is Sherlock's contempt in one sentence: not an insult to Anderson's job but a verdict that his thinking out loud is actively making the area less intelligent. It tells new viewers within minutes that Sherlock's brilliance comes with cruelty, and that the police he works with half-resent and half-need him. Fans quote it for any mouthy colleague, and Anderson stayed the recurring butt of the joke throughout the series.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for SherlockShow the scene
In Sherlock series 1, episode 1, "A Study in Pink" (BBC One, 25 July 2010), Sherlock has brought John Watson to a Brixton crime scene where a woman in pink lies dead. Forensic officer Anderson, who loathes him, offers that the word scratched by the victim is the German for revenge. Sherlock overrules him and completes it as the name Rachel. He then works out from the woman's luggage that her phone holds the answer, and when Anderson grumbles "So what?", Sherlock cuts him off with this line. Anderson is played by Jonathan Aris.
Sources (3)
- Sherlock S1E1 transcript, Springfield! Springfield!Crime scene sequence, Rachel and the phoneReference checked
- A Study in Pink, Baker Street WikiHeader and PlotReference checked
- Philip Anderson, Baker Street WikiIntroReference checked
Context reviewed
