"A Queer and Pleasant Danger" -- MissyJack's Take on Sherlock

[devifemme]

Woohoo, just found a marvelous LJ post on the BBC Sherlock Holmes series, contrasted with the ABC series updating Holmes and called "Elementary" -- http://missyjack.livejournal.com/986420.htmlRead more... )

Comments

[ggary]

I'm a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes from the age of about 10, when I first read the stories at school. At first I wasn't certain that an update to the modern era could work (although it has been attempted before), but it's nice to see that both have been a success. Personally, I prefer SHERLOCK to ELEMENTARY, and this isn't simply a question of national bias. The American show is good fun and well made, but it feels more like a detective show with a character called Sherlock Holmes, whereas SHERLOCK is genuinely an attempt to redo the character for the contemporary world. Although there are plots and mysteries, the centre of the show is the character of Holmes, and his friendship with Watson (the episode that they showed on New Years Day was very much about Watson forgiving Holmes for allowing him to believe that he had been dead for the past two years). Because it's British, no-one can actually say upfront how they feel about one another, and there's a huge amount of sub-text, not only between H and W, but with Holmes' brother Mycroft, Scotland Yard man Lestrade, Molly the Registrar who works in the local morgue and harbours a terrible crush on Sherlock, and their landlady Mrs Hudson.

The new episodes introduce Watson's fiancee, Mary (again, a character from the original stories) and it looks like this will be an important part of the new series. I had a look at Cumberbatchitis and it is beautifully put together. Having trawled through the internet I notice that there are a lots of sites showing drawings of H & W snogging in a way that they never do on the telly. Actually, it's interesting to see that the writers obviously take note of what is written on the internet about the show. One of the running gags is that the very straight Watson has to constantly deny the fact that he and Holmes are a gay couple. Sunday's episode, written by co-producer, co-writer and one of the co-stars of the show, Mark Gatiss (who is gay), wrote a scene where Watson tells their landlady Mrs Hudson that he is getting married:-

"Who is he?"
"It's a she! For the very last time, I was not Sherlock's boyfriend!"

(As an aside, the producer of SHERLOCK is Stephen Moffat, who also writes/produces DOCTOR WHO. When I was watching an episode of that show recently, one of the main characters is guest of a wedding. She is talking to one (female) half of the happy couple, and discussing the other half of the couple she says "So, she's finally going to make an honest woman of you". It's great to see this sort of "no big deal" treatment of the subject of same sex marriage on a hugely popular, prime-time show).

[devifemme]

Thanks, Gary -- I rather look forward to Sherlock as the Beeb sees him. I'm glad you ferreted out Anna's odd-but-fun Tumblr on Benedict C. (I know there is a huge community celebrating his modern -- and "gay" -- role out there, and Anna is a good guide to it.)

And you Moffat aside is wryly put: "no big deal" treatment of same sex marriage! Very cool, my dear friend!