It’s two in the morning… and I am stupid.
no you’re a genius
Even Jim can’t escape the seduction that is Chocolate Chip. Brilliant use of the Internet!
We can only hope his Benedict gets his wish to play Holmes for another 15 years! Thanks to @holmesnews for posting on Twitter
In one of those “just-before-bedtime” moments, it struck me that BBC Worldwide has many apps in the iTunes AppStore, but NOT ONE related to Sherlock! This is a travesty! Such a brilliant show that leverages technology in a unique way should have a second-to-none iPhone app experience!
I hope this is fixed soon. I need some other Sherlock distraction while I wait for Season 3. Heck…I’d even pay for a Sherlock app. I bet Irene would, too!
Well, Do You?!
Too Cool! I just found this posted over on Google+ and love it. The original credit goes to http://bit.ly/xsfMKy
The Great Sherlock Experiment
THE PROBLEM: My wife enjoyed the first season of Sherlock, but didn’t take to it and enjoy it as much as I did. She likes the crime drama genre very much but seemed to be asking more questions than she usually does. I wondered if she was missing something.
THE THEORY: Perhaps she needed a bit of a familiarity with the original story to truly appreciate Sherlock. I knew she was missing this as she has not read the canon, but could this really make a difference?
THE EXPERIMENT: Have my wife watch the Granada adaptation of A Scandal in Bohemia before having her watch A Scandal in Belgravia. The Granada adaptation was a fairly faithful rendering of the canon and would be a good introduction to the canon story.
THE RESULT: My wife barely liked the Granada version. It was a little on the boring side, but then I half-expected this result. I suppressed the temptation to point out things to her that would have relevance later in Sherlock. I didn’t want to taint the experiment. We then watched A Scandal in Belgravia. She followed the storyline a bit better and was interested in seeing how the elements of the canon story were portrayed in a modern day adaptation.
This also provided a basis to discuss both Granada and Sherlock more in how they related to each other. I could see she was having more fun with the series. In fact, she eagerly watched the remaining episodes and, in my opinion, became more of a fan than she was for Season 1.
THE CONCLUSION: SUCCESS! No surprise to Sherlockians: more familiarity with the canon story leads to a better appreciation of Sherlock. Although Sherlock episodes stand well on their own to those who never read the stories, there is a far more satisfactory enjoyment of the episodes when you see how brilliantly the writers have incorporated the original into the new. Now BOTH of us are anxiously awaiting Season 3!
The Bar Set Too High
The new twitter avatar of Mark Gatiss emphatically demonstrates the appeal of BBC Sherlock to those of us who love the stories and portrayals of the past. Ironic, isn’t it, that a modern Sherlock Holmes reset is able to evoke nostalgia?
The producers have paid homage to the canon by incorporating elements, lifting dialogue word for word, and making constant allusions to it. They take associated items such as Paget’s depictions and even the deerstalker hat and treat it as one of us would. They even take one of the most famous Holmes portrayers, the wonderful Douglas Wilmer (above with Gatiss), and give him a cameo. They are working from a position of strength in that they were Holmes fanatics long before they created Sherlock.
Now comes news that CBS has picked up a “modern Sherlock Holmes” pilot. I don’t want to dismiss it entirely before I see it, but I just can’t imagine them being able to treat the Holmes universe as competently or lovingly as BBC. The CBS series will constantly be compared to BBC Sherlock. How can CBS possibly meet the expectations that us Sherlockians now have, thanks to the brilliance of the BBC?
Certainly, the choice of “Elementary” as the CBS series title seems to be leading us down a path of disappointment before it has even had a chance.
Holmes Tech
For being such a tech-savvy series that leverages the web ( see The blog of Dr. John H. Watson ), I’m surprised shocked BBC hasn’t released a Sherlock related iPhone app. Seems like such a natural fit.
BBC Worldwide has a wide variety of apps in the app store in the USA, but none for our favorite consulting detective.
A Belgravian Masterpiece
I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about BBC Sherlock’s Season 2 opening episode, A Scandal in Belgravia. With my Google Reader set to pick up current news stories about Sherlock and Sherlock Holmes, I was unable to avoid headlines ( like this one ) that contained the spoiler of Irene Adler’s occupation. My concern stemmed from a fear that the writers must have lost ther edge and were opting for the sensational over a substantaive storyline. Was I ever wrong!
What we were treated to instead was implied (not outright) bareness that played a key role in the storyline. Irene Adler bares all (literally) to Sherlock which ironically provides the best disguise from which Sherlock can’t draw conclusion.
With that concern out of the way, I was able to enjoy one of the most entertaining shows on television. It is packed with action and twists that are seldom seen on the small screen and would make for a very good movie (are you listening, Guy Ritchie?).
Here are a few highlights that really worked for me in this Episode:
Canonical References - Gatiss and Moffat give more that a passing “shout-out” to Sherlockians who are familiar with the stories. They go out of their way to spend precious air-time coming up with silly references (the deerslayer hat) and brilliant plays-on-words with titles from the canon, such as The Geek Interpreter and The Speckled Blonde. That they are able to slip these in and provide some humor at the same time show the brilliance of their writing. Then there are the actual elements of SCAN which are re-formed into this adaptation: the scandalous picture, Sherlock’s disguise as the beaten clergyman, the hidden compartment for the photo, etc. This episode packed the most canonical material yet for Sherlock.
Sherlock’s Humanity - As soon as the titles for Season 2 were announced, we had a pretty good idea that Sherlock’s human side would have to be more fleshed out, especially in this Episode, with Irene Adler. My biggest annoyance with the series through Season 1 was that Sherlock was a tiny bit one-dimensional. Particularly, I was a little peeved that Holmes’ love for music was relegated to a few violin pluckings and harsh bowings. You can imagine my excitement in BELG when Sherlock’s love for music, even composing, is highlighted.
To me, this is an essential part of his character that was missing and they filled this hole. The writers did not stay stagnant…they’re developing these characters over time and doing so in a way in which those that love the canon can embrace.
But what DIDN’T work for me?
Not much at all. The most glaring mistake I thought the writers made was having Adler explicitly explain to John that the combination to the safe was her measurements.
I was so proud of myself to have figured that out on the fly that I felt somewhat betrayed when it was blatantly revealed a few moments later. Yes, I know…that’s probably a bit “snooty” of me. However, I would have much rather seen the reveal done in a more subtle manner:
IA: “The key code to my safe”
JW: “What was it?”
IA: “Come now, Dr. Watson. You had a good view of each measurement yourself. Do you not observe?”
I know. My script-writing stinks, but I think you get the idea. I realize I’m really nit-picky here. If this is the biggest problem I have with a TV episode, then it has to be a rather good one. My general opinion of TV is not very high.
Some Holmes fans have had a hard time accepting the ending, which has (in some cases) nearly ruined the entire episode for them. They claim the ending is disjointed from the storyline and are disappointed for its perceived lack of sticking to the canon. Although I understand where they are coming from, I disagree. But that is a topic for another time, perhaps the next post?…
“No talking, under any circumstances, is allowed”
My favorite canonical reference from BBC Sherlock The Hounds of Baskerville:
Upon notification of the security breach, we see Mycroft obviously at the Diogenes Club, enjoying the quiet and non-company of other unsociable men. Which is the very reason he is forced to text Sherlock rather than give him a call that we know he would prefer (from Season 1).
This is a great example of the tight and coherent writing for the series. Very subtle. Very smart. How very shrewd to maintain the continuity of the series and call back to the canon at the same time. Some might call it “Brilliant!”
Joining All the Sherlockian Fun
I’ve made a decision. One that I hope will be lots of fun. Rather than merely use this Tumblr account to follow Sherlockian and Sherlock Holmes blogs, I’m going to join in the fun and start writing a bit myself. After all, could this be a better time for a Holmes fan? I think NOT!
Look for my insights on the new Season 2 Episodes of the BBC Sherlock in the short term. Longer term, I’m sure there will posts as I read through the canon and view episodes of the Granada series along with the mid-1960’s BBC Holmes productions. I even have an idea for a project that might be a lot of fun…but more on that later.
As a bit of a tribute, pictured in this post is the edition of the Complete Sherlock Holmes that my Dad purchased for me in my teens. It was a gift of love that wasn’t that easy to find near where we lived. But he persevered for me, as he usually did. Although he’s been gone over 10 years now, I miss him and will remember always his sacrifices, both the great and the small, for me. Unfortunately, this edition was lost in a minor flooding incident a few years ago. We were very lucky that it was the only thing destroyed and there was almost no other damage. But…I still wish I had that old volume.
