(no subject)

[cactuswatcher]

I finally watched an episode of Sherlock which has started running on PBS. While I have to say this version of Sherlock Holmes is fairly true to the one found early in the original story "A Study in Scarlet," I'm not sure that's a good thing. I think the original had matured a bit or at least Watson understood his behavior a bit more by the end of that first story.

Arthur Conan Doyle's Holmes seemed to fit into his era, and take things as they came. This one is totally out of place and spent the opening correcting a criminal's grammar. It's something the original one might have commented on later, but certainly would not have gotten huffy about as this one did. This is Holmes, the unpleasant, overgrown adolescent. Most of the Holmes we've seen over the decades have been toned down; dedicated still , focused still, but not quite so annoying. It's as if the great detective had a child by Temperance Brennan of Bones who inherited her inability to behave in social situations, and his inability to find constructive ways to amuse himself between cases. Bones is best when she isn't so abrasive, Holmes is best when he's a bit more mature.

Comments

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

I was put off by that opening too(maybe it's because that's what I try hard not to do!)and agree that this Holmes is more adolescent and abrasive--but I like the 21st century Watson quite a bit. He has more "story" to me than the Conan Doyle Watson.

I missed some crucial scenes due to time taken up on ourlocal PBS station by a child-kidnapping alert; very creepy, given the events in the story.

Is the ending from "Study in Scarlet"?

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Oops, no, that was "Study in Pink." I'm still feeling something familiar in the cliff-hanger ending, but can't think which story. I thought it would be connected to "A Scandal in Bohemia," with the Czech (and even Bohemian) references, but didn't seem similar.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

The story mentioned pips as in "The Five Orange Pips." But that was a much different tale, the pips representing murderers instead of crimes.

Yes, the Study in Pink reference was fairly clear even though I missed that episode.

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

Oh this Holmes is meant to be very early days indeed - in fact the first episode is A Study In Scarlet, though the show switches the title to A Study In Pink. One of the things they're playing with in this initial run - which is only the three episodes - is the idea of Holmes as a high-functioning sociopath, with Watson providing his connection to humanity. It'll be interesting to see if Holmes does mellow and mature next season. (The grammar scene was terribly done though, I completely agree)

I'd recommend watching the first episode, it's definitely the best of the three.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

I remebered that people had said the first episode was good and the second was not.