Meta-ish thoughts on Scandal
Firstly: I'm not a purist. I haven't read all of the stories. I probably couldn't hold my own in a discussion with old school fans. In fact, I'm all for the recreation and reinterpretation of canon. I call myself a post-modernist (general post-stuff person). So I'm the person this episode was aimed at, aren't I?
One of the stories I have read is Scandal. And let me tell you, what they showed on tv, that was not it!
Irene Adler is one of my favourite minor characters of all time. She's only in one book, but she's had a huge impact on how we see Sherlock, and she's also important in her own right.
Here is a woman who, in 1891, had her own life and a successful career as an opera singer. She's beautiful, but that doesn't really have anything to do with why Holmes admires her (at least not according to Dr Watson, and his is the word we have to trust). He admires her because she's clever. Clever enough, in fact, to outwit her. And not only that, she's a moral person. She marries Godfrey Norton out of love. She is, in fact, a remarkable woman.
Now, the Irene of Sherlock is perhaps clever, but what she uses to dazzle Sherlock isn't that, it's her sexuality. Which shouldn't, and doesn't, do anything for him, since he's asexual. It was quite annoying that it was assumed that the sight of a naked woman would disturb him, or unsettle him so, even a good looking one (and that's of course entirely subjective, she was a bit skinny for my taste). I can't figure out why they decided she should be a dominatrix instead of an opera singer. Because it's more scandalous for the royal family? Quite stupid reason, I'm sure a lesbian affair would be scandalous enough, and Liz would dislike it enough to call in Mycroft.
Also, they completely destroyed the Godfrey Norton plotline. I mean, how difficult would it have been to make her Gunilla or whatever? Because Sherlock and Irene's relationship is completely different from the relationship of Holmes and Adler. Adler thinks of Holmes as a sweet old clergyman, and there is nothing sexual between them at all. In fact, Holmes seems quite happy that she married Godfrey, and hopes that they love one another.
But of course, the most annoying part is that she doesn't outwit him. He saves her, more or less all the time. No, the most annoying part is that she works with Moriarty. That pisses me off! Especially since Stephen Moffat claims to be such a fan. He's more or less killed the character and created his own wet dream.
Jane Clair Jones writes in The Guardian: "While Conan Doyle's original is hardly an exemplar of gender evolution, you've got to worry when a woman comes off worse in 2012 than in 1891." < href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/03/sherlock-sexist-steven-moffat(Link to the column, which is really more well spoken than I am)
I hope that Stephen Moffat is ashamed of himself!
(if anyone was spoiled by my cut-fail, sorry!)
This entry was originally posted on DW. Comment where you feel most comfortable. http://aron-kristina.dreamwidth.org/12021.html
One of the stories I have read is Scandal. And let me tell you, what they showed on tv, that was not it!
Irene Adler is one of my favourite minor characters of all time. She's only in one book, but she's had a huge impact on how we see Sherlock, and she's also important in her own right.
Here is a woman who, in 1891, had her own life and a successful career as an opera singer. She's beautiful, but that doesn't really have anything to do with why Holmes admires her (at least not according to Dr Watson, and his is the word we have to trust). He admires her because she's clever. Clever enough, in fact, to outwit her. And not only that, she's a moral person. She marries Godfrey Norton out of love. She is, in fact, a remarkable woman.
Now, the Irene of Sherlock is perhaps clever, but what she uses to dazzle Sherlock isn't that, it's her sexuality. Which shouldn't, and doesn't, do anything for him, since he's asexual. It was quite annoying that it was assumed that the sight of a naked woman would disturb him, or unsettle him so, even a good looking one (and that's of course entirely subjective, she was a bit skinny for my taste). I can't figure out why they decided she should be a dominatrix instead of an opera singer. Because it's more scandalous for the royal family? Quite stupid reason, I'm sure a lesbian affair would be scandalous enough, and Liz would dislike it enough to call in Mycroft.
Also, they completely destroyed the Godfrey Norton plotline. I mean, how difficult would it have been to make her Gunilla or whatever? Because Sherlock and Irene's relationship is completely different from the relationship of Holmes and Adler. Adler thinks of Holmes as a sweet old clergyman, and there is nothing sexual between them at all. In fact, Holmes seems quite happy that she married Godfrey, and hopes that they love one another.
But of course, the most annoying part is that she doesn't outwit him. He saves her, more or less all the time. No, the most annoying part is that she works with Moriarty. That pisses me off! Especially since Stephen Moffat claims to be such a fan. He's more or less killed the character and created his own wet dream.
Jane Clair Jones writes in The Guardian: "While Conan Doyle's original is hardly an exemplar of gender evolution, you've got to worry when a woman comes off worse in 2012 than in 1891." < href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/03/sherlock-sexist-steven-moffat(Link to the column, which is really more well spoken than I am)
I hope that Stephen Moffat is ashamed of himself!
(if anyone was spoiled by my cut-fail, sorry!)
This entry was originally posted on DW. Comment where you feel most comfortable. http://aron-kristina.dreamwidth.org/12021.html