Sherlock S02 Episode 1--Almost perfect except when it's not
I'm really conflicted about A Scandal in Belgravia.
On the one hand it's a gripping story with lots of plot twists, it has an intriguing opponent for Sherlock, it has funny and heartwarming moments, it has lots of stuff that makes my inner fangirl happy. (Hello there, bedsheet scene!) It would have been perfect except for ... the sexism.
Sexism is a recurring pattern in series 1, but I have to admit I'm not all that good at picking up on sexism unless I'm actively trying, and I'm very willing to turn a blind eye for a good show. This episode's solution, however, was a slap in the face for me, especially since the Victorian(!) original really excels in that regard.
Other people have stated this more eloquently than I could, so I'm just dropping links here:
That’s Doyle’s (or Watson’s!) version of the story, then: the great detective is made a fool because he fails to acknowledge that women can be clever, too. In Moffat’s adaptation, the logic of the original is precisely reversed.
This was so nearly a plot of my dreams: a queer female sex worker outwits one of our greatest minds, remains calm and collected throughout with a hit of exploring the performativity of sex work? But then Steven Moffat wrote it.
And now I'm going to console myself with screencaps of naked Sherlock.
ETA: Another write-up: It’s pretty when a story written over 120 years ago has better gender politics than its modern reimagining.
This entry was originally posted at http://rebecca2525.dreamwidth.org/6727.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
On the one hand it's a gripping story with lots of plot twists, it has an intriguing opponent for Sherlock, it has funny and heartwarming moments, it has lots of stuff that makes my inner fangirl happy. (Hello there, bedsheet scene!) It would have been perfect except for ... the sexism.
Sexism is a recurring pattern in series 1, but I have to admit I'm not all that good at picking up on sexism unless I'm actively trying, and I'm very willing to turn a blind eye for a good show. This episode's solution, however, was a slap in the face for me, especially since the Victorian(!) original really excels in that regard.
Other people have stated this more eloquently than I could, so I'm just dropping links here:
That’s Doyle’s (or Watson’s!) version of the story, then: the great detective is made a fool because he fails to acknowledge that women can be clever, too. In Moffat’s adaptation, the logic of the original is precisely reversed.
This was so nearly a plot of my dreams: a queer female sex worker outwits one of our greatest minds, remains calm and collected throughout with a hit of exploring the performativity of sex work? But then Steven Moffat wrote it.
And now I'm going to console myself with screencaps of naked Sherlock.
ETA: Another write-up: It’s pretty when a story written over 120 years ago has better gender politics than its modern reimagining.
This entry was originally posted at http://rebecca2525.dreamwidth.org/6727.html. Please comment there using OpenID.