Initial Rections To 'The Abominable Bride'
While the episode is still fresh in my mind, I wanted to expound upon that which I enjoyed and did not care for as to this Victorian interpretation.
Please be warned, however, that some of what I have to say upon the matter may be construed the wrong way, especially by those who flailed madly without thinking critically as to what I believe was an unintentional message the writers conveyed surrounding certain events pertaining to the suffragette angle. I won't apologize for having a diverging opinion, but I'll be damned if I do not give a well reasoned explanation for my conclusions.
Firstly, my initial impression of the episode in its entirety.
Having expected yet another trainwreck after the debacle that was much of series three (and S2 E1, if I am to be forthright), and despite my aforementioned criticisms, overall, my assessment of 'The Abominable Bride' was a positive one. It certainly showed a dose of humble pie had been consumed after the disastrous, almost sitcom/soap opera-esque turn the writers were taking with the last few episodes, and marked a nice return to something vaguely resembling a plot. It wasn't a particularly strong one, mind, but there were too many elements that were enjoyable or went a way to tie up loose ends that otherwise might have been left hanging in the air, which prevent me from disregarding it altogether.
Moffat & Gatiss went out of their way to write an entertaining episode that would cater to BBC Sherlock fans and at the same time delight us Holmesians; on that account, I really have to tip my proverbial hat at a mission well accomplished. Not only that, but the last few moments were such a heartfelt tribute to Mr Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, and that world where it is always 1895, that personally speaking, those few minutes redeemed the entire episode.
I adored the opening scene, wherein we have Watson depicted in the Second Afghan War, narrating verbatim from STUD. I cannot express how delighted it made me to see the doctor decked out in his medic uniform, even if it was only for a fleeting clip. Forget the fog and gaslight for a moment. The characterizations are what count, and there was a subtle change in this Holmes & Watson, though much of their modern BBC counterparts remained. I found myself, for the most part, a bit more impressed with Holmes's portrayal, but unfortunately, this Watson often did not work for me - a shame, as, not to put too fine a point on it, Freeman could really have been outstanding, and at times, he was. Some tweaks that would steer him less away from JudeLaw!Watson, and he might have given David Burke some competition.
And I do not say that lightly.
Unfortunately, he can only do so much with inferior scripting, and make no mistake, that very thing did rear its ugly head. Holmes, even when considering this is a Victorian AU of a modern adaptation, was on a rare occasion too brash and callous for my tastes. At one point, he mentions Watson is "equally culpable" for a mistake he himself made, and I know with every fiber of my being that ACD's Holmes, no matter how much strain he was under, would have kicked himself from here to Charring Cross before ever uttering such a remark. On that note, there were a few unsubtle nods to Granada, and Brett in particular.
They can copy certain scenes all they like, but this will never be Granada.
Anyhow... I was quite amused by fat suit!Mycroft, because I just KNEW they were going to give us a certain elder brother in elephantine proportions, and honestly, this episode succeeded very well in blending book!canon with the events of their own modern version, with nods to both in a mostly not-over-the-top sort of way. Not to mention the ending, with Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls... in all seriousness, that gave me the shivers. Watson coming to the rescue was nothing less than glorious, and an excellently played hand that I honestly could have applauded.
No exaggeration, but the finer details of the case, and how it pertains to the modern 'verse, particularly that atrocious Magnussen episode, went a long way in softening my heart to the possibility of watching S4, because it was in the last scene of S3 E3 that I lost whatever emotional investment I ever had in these characters. Actually, the modern scenes gave us some very nice character moments without making it too soppy, and undid some of the damage from aforesaid craptastic episode.
So, a fairly decent main plot, characterizations that were by no means stellar but not half as bad as I thought they might be (but I won't say they were particularly great, either) and the joy that was seeing Rupert Graves in side whiskers and Mrs Hudson threatening to starve out her tenants unless she gets more lines... joy. Undiluted joy. And Watson's moustache, by Jove
And yet, the combination of shaky characterizations, an occasion or two of disjointed plot elements a la ASIB, and the suffragette sub-plot - in its entirety, made me exceedingly angry. Enough, Messrs Moffatt & Gatiss, to remove one $17 DVD from my Amazon wish list. Because if my honest opinion is to be put forward, a good portion of Bride was ruined for me due to the particular direction in which they took the suffragette angle.
Allow me to explain.
At the denouement, we learn of a secret order of suffragists/general women's rights supporters who were somehow co-conspirators in Ricoletti's murder spree, because they felt disenfranchised or had been wronged by men/society at large. Sherlock goes on to condone their actions because obviously, if one supports the suffragette movement, murder is acceptable if a woman commits it when she has been ill-treated and begins killing for a "cause". I truly, to the core of my being, hope that was not the intended message; that if you feel society has done you a wrong, it's perfectly fine to take the lives of people who make your own life difficult. Not only is it the best example of moral relativism at its finest, it actually *undermines* any support for the Victorian era women's rights movement they may have started out with. IMHO, it's nothing for anyone who believes in egalitarianism to be proud of.
Along those lines, we have Watson acting like a complete jerk in that scene with the housemaid, which was the product of a dissection of several bits and pieces deconstructed from Canon, and haphazardly mashed together. It was so overdone, at one point I wondered if they actually had some personal grudge against poor Watson, because that scene certainly qualifies as skirting the boundaries of character bashing in my estimation - and worse, the undercurrent was that ALL men, no matter how wonderful they outwardly appear, are just patriarchal bastards.
It also took what could have been a reasonably good episode and just made me utter an unenthusiastic "meh" when all was said and done. There you have it. For the ha'penny it's worth, my thoughts on 'The Abominable Bride', which I am certain every fangirling Tumblrite will have found the height of intellectualism. As for myself, I never thought I would be so apathetic about this series, and I think it just shows how far it has fallen since ASIP.
Please be warned, however, that some of what I have to say upon the matter may be construed the wrong way, especially by those who flailed madly without thinking critically as to what I believe was an unintentional message the writers conveyed surrounding certain events pertaining to the suffragette angle. I won't apologize for having a diverging opinion, but I'll be damned if I do not give a well reasoned explanation for my conclusions.
Firstly, my initial impression of the episode in its entirety.
Having expected yet another trainwreck after the debacle that was much of series three (and S2 E1, if I am to be forthright), and despite my aforementioned criticisms, overall, my assessment of 'The Abominable Bride' was a positive one. It certainly showed a dose of humble pie had been consumed after the disastrous, almost sitcom/soap opera-esque turn the writers were taking with the last few episodes, and marked a nice return to something vaguely resembling a plot. It wasn't a particularly strong one, mind, but there were too many elements that were enjoyable or went a way to tie up loose ends that otherwise might have been left hanging in the air, which prevent me from disregarding it altogether.
Moffat & Gatiss went out of their way to write an entertaining episode that would cater to BBC Sherlock fans and at the same time delight us Holmesians; on that account, I really have to tip my proverbial hat at a mission well accomplished. Not only that, but the last few moments were such a heartfelt tribute to Mr Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, and that world where it is always 1895, that personally speaking, those few minutes redeemed the entire episode.
I adored the opening scene, wherein we have Watson depicted in the Second Afghan War, narrating verbatim from STUD. I cannot express how delighted it made me to see the doctor decked out in his medic uniform, even if it was only for a fleeting clip. Forget the fog and gaslight for a moment. The characterizations are what count, and there was a subtle change in this Holmes & Watson, though much of their modern BBC counterparts remained. I found myself, for the most part, a bit more impressed with Holmes's portrayal, but unfortunately, this Watson often did not work for me - a shame, as, not to put too fine a point on it, Freeman could really have been outstanding, and at times, he was. Some tweaks that would steer him less away from JudeLaw!Watson, and he might have given David Burke some competition.
And I do not say that lightly.
Unfortunately, he can only do so much with inferior scripting, and make no mistake, that very thing did rear its ugly head. Holmes, even when considering this is a Victorian AU of a modern adaptation, was on a rare occasion too brash and callous for my tastes. At one point, he mentions Watson is "equally culpable" for a mistake he himself made, and I know with every fiber of my being that ACD's Holmes, no matter how much strain he was under, would have kicked himself from here to Charring Cross before ever uttering such a remark. On that note, there were a few unsubtle nods to Granada, and Brett in particular.
They can copy certain scenes all they like, but this will never be Granada.
Anyhow... I was quite amused by fat suit!Mycroft, because I just KNEW they were going to give us a certain elder brother in elephantine proportions, and honestly, this episode succeeded very well in blending book!canon with the events of their own modern version, with nods to both in a mostly not-over-the-top sort of way. Not to mention the ending, with Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls... in all seriousness, that gave me the shivers. Watson coming to the rescue was nothing less than glorious, and an excellently played hand that I honestly could have applauded.
No exaggeration, but the finer details of the case, and how it pertains to the modern 'verse, particularly that atrocious Magnussen episode, went a long way in softening my heart to the possibility of watching S4, because it was in the last scene of S3 E3 that I lost whatever emotional investment I ever had in these characters. Actually, the modern scenes gave us some very nice character moments without making it too soppy, and undid some of the damage from aforesaid craptastic episode.
So, a fairly decent main plot, characterizations that were by no means stellar but not half as bad as I thought they might be (but I won't say they were particularly great, either) and the joy that was seeing Rupert Graves in side whiskers and Mrs Hudson threatening to starve out her tenants unless she gets more lines... joy. Undiluted joy. And Watson's moustache, by Jove
And yet, the combination of shaky characterizations, an occasion or two of disjointed plot elements a la ASIB, and the suffragette sub-plot - in its entirety, made me exceedingly angry. Enough, Messrs Moffatt & Gatiss, to remove one $17 DVD from my Amazon wish list. Because if my honest opinion is to be put forward, a good portion of Bride was ruined for me due to the particular direction in which they took the suffragette angle.
Allow me to explain.
At the denouement, we learn of a secret order of suffragists/general women's rights supporters who were somehow co-conspirators in Ricoletti's murder spree, because they felt disenfranchised or had been wronged by men/society at large. Sherlock goes on to condone their actions because obviously, if one supports the suffragette movement, murder is acceptable if a woman commits it when she has been ill-treated and begins killing for a "cause". I truly, to the core of my being, hope that was not the intended message; that if you feel society has done you a wrong, it's perfectly fine to take the lives of people who make your own life difficult. Not only is it the best example of moral relativism at its finest, it actually *undermines* any support for the Victorian era women's rights movement they may have started out with. IMHO, it's nothing for anyone who believes in egalitarianism to be proud of.
Along those lines, we have Watson acting like a complete jerk in that scene with the housemaid, which was the product of a dissection of several bits and pieces deconstructed from Canon, and haphazardly mashed together. It was so overdone, at one point I wondered if they actually had some personal grudge against poor Watson, because that scene certainly qualifies as skirting the boundaries of character bashing in my estimation - and worse, the undercurrent was that ALL men, no matter how wonderful they outwardly appear, are just patriarchal bastards.
It also took what could have been a reasonably good episode and just made me utter an unenthusiastic "meh" when all was said and done. There you have it. For the ha'penny it's worth, my thoughts on 'The Abominable Bride', which I am certain every fangirling Tumblrite will have found the height of intellectualism. As for myself, I never thought I would be so apathetic about this series, and I think it just shows how far it has fallen since ASIP.