Sherlock, Episode 1, in excessive detail
Chronological order, point by point.
1) Watson has enough sense to watch what his therapist is writing about him, but not enough to not let on that he had done, despite, as a doctor, knowing how annoying that is.
2) While she might be wrong about the causes of his tremors, she's held up to be right about everything else. Including his trust issues. I'm presuming that the reason he originally chooses to go along to see 221B with Holmes is that Holmes is just going to do his thing and not try to (s)mother him (see also him snapping at Mrs. Hudson).
3) This is probably related to him shouting at Stamford about not being the man he was before. Which might also explain why he's not flat-sharing with a friend from his medical days.
4) The first three murders are suitably creepifying.
5) Hee! Sherlock Holmes using text messages to annoy Scotland Yard is amusing beyond belief. As is the bit with the riding crop. And that poor pathologist. It really is him, not you. (Also hee! "You've taken off the lipstick", "yes, it wasn't working for me.")
6) The bit about Mrs. Hudson's husband was interesting. I also liked 'I'm your landlady, not your housekeeper'. My Mum is still not over that being Una Stubbs, and is having problems with the younger brother from 'Room With A View' being the grizzled Inspector Lestrade.
7) Talking of Lestrade - yay! A non-incompetent, not actually mocked more than the world in general, actually one of the voices of reason that Holmes occasionally listens to, Inspector Lestrade.
8) Watson is just as much of an adrenaline junkie as Holmes. That despairing 'oh God no' at the idea of being stuck at home watching the TV.
9) The scene in the cab was fantastic. Best thing about getting stage actors in - long monologues with no obvious breathing. And Watson going 'you're amazing', and Holmes, being as he is a great giant peacock, is soaking it up. Even if he does get the tiny matter of the gender of Watson's sibling wrong.
10) I hope they're not setting Donovan up to be either 1) Moriarty or 2) bitchy because Holmes turned her down.
11) That being said, Holmes's take-down of Donovan and Anderson was awesome.
12) I can't help it, I'm a Holmes fan, so of course I squeaked at 'Rache'. I also like Holmes's explanation of why it was unlikely to be Rache.
13) They're giving Jonathan Aris work again. I approve. I'm not sure if I want Anderson to continue being incompetant, bitter and snarky, or wether I want him to be Moriarty.
14) I am in no way storing up Holmes's insults for my own future use.
15) The thing with the cameras was creepy. And I was so sure he was Mycroft at that point, and then I decided that he must be Moriarty. I spent the entire scene flip-flopping between those two points. Family verdict had it being Moriarty, and therefore Anthea got lumbered with being called Colonel Moran for the rest of the thing. Even with the revelation at the end, I sense I'm still going to be calling her the Colonel.
16) Mark Gattis is an evil genius. I once again renew my proposal of marriage to his brain.
17) The service revolver! And, in fact, the entire second scene in the car.
18) This is a three patch problem :D At first I was unhappy with it, because they shot it to look like Holmes was shooting up, and Holmes wouldn't during a case (see also, things that annoy me with many modern adapations). And then I was stuck at 'holy hell, Benedict Cumberbatch has pretty eyes'. And then I was filled with glee, because of course the Moff and Mark Gattis wouldn't make a mistake like that, and of course, Holmes couldn't be constantly puffing away on a pipe (or as he puts it, 'impossible to sustain a smoking habit in London these days').
19) The thing I liked best about the scene in the restaurant wasn't the 'I'm married to my work bit' but the bit with the owner, who was grateful to Holmes for getting him off a murder charge so he didn't go to prison, with Holmes pointing out that he did go to prison, but there being absolutely judgement going on.
20) The roof-top chase, which, like I said, made it look like the London I know, which is all roofs and stairs and mess and damp and glorious.
21) The end of the chase with the cab and the poor unfortunate traveller from the US, and Holmes having several copies of Lestrade's police ID because he pickpockets him whenever Lestrade is being annoying.
22) 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever done.'
'You invaded Afghanistan.'
'That wasn't just me.'
Ah, Holmes disapproving of the present war and later describing Mycroft as 'the British government, when he's not too busy being the British secret service or the CIA on a freelance basis' and saying that was close enough to being a master criminal. I know it's not going to be this that caused the grand falling out, but I would love it if it were.
23) The whole of the 'drugs bust scene'. In between Lestrade using it to tell Holmes off, Watson's absolute certainty that Holmes would not take drugs and Holmes having to tell him to be quiet because yes, he was (and yeah, that flat's not clean), and every single police person Holmes has insulted previous to this helping out, nay, even volunteering.
There's also the bit where Lestrade and Holmes compare nicotine patches, which intrigues me. Because Lestrade has to have met him somehow, so I'm wondering if some sort of drugs bust or rehab was the occasion.
Then there's the bit where Anderson describes Holmes as a pyschopath and Holmes replies 'high-functioning sociopath, do your research'. It makes me think pondery backstory things re: the great row between him and Mycroft.
As does the 'he's a great man, but one day he may be a good one' bit from Lestrade.
24) I love that Holmes is absolutely awestruck by the cleverness of the last murder victim.
25) I really like the creepy lighting on the cabbie and how he lures Holmes down the stairs.
26) Okay, so alright, the minute I saw Phil Davis's name on the cast list, and saw he wasn't playing a regular, I knew he was the murderer. I don't mind this, because it gives him a chance to do the unexpected and low-key psycho-killer routine he does so well.
27) He does it very well. Maybe not the best ending to the plot, but I love how he keeps stringing Holmes along.
28) Holmes's voice when he says 'I am playing, this is my turn'. This man could be dangerous, which is just what's needed.
29) And that, at the last, the murderer won't tell Holmes whether he chose the right pill or not.
30) Holmes being perfectly fine with putting the boot in is interesting, and, I think, definitely related to Donovan's thing of 'one of these days, we'll find him over a body and he will have been the murderer'.
31) Holmes with the blanket, nearly giving away who the shooter was, and then realising and going 'ignore me, in shock, rambling'. It was sweet. Mind you, I'm not entirely sure Lestrade hadn't worked it out himself.
32) The Mycroft reveal. With one of them having upset Mummy. And yes, I can imagine the Christmas dinners, in fact, I think I've lived through several of them.
I mean, there's things I didn't like about it, mostly the music, and I'm interested to see where they're going with the whole psychosomatic thing, and I'm so glad they've gone for an hour and a half rather than hour longs, but mostly, I'm asquee!
1) Watson has enough sense to watch what his therapist is writing about him, but not enough to not let on that he had done, despite, as a doctor, knowing how annoying that is.
2) While she might be wrong about the causes of his tremors, she's held up to be right about everything else. Including his trust issues. I'm presuming that the reason he originally chooses to go along to see 221B with Holmes is that Holmes is just going to do his thing and not try to (s)mother him (see also him snapping at Mrs. Hudson).
3) This is probably related to him shouting at Stamford about not being the man he was before. Which might also explain why he's not flat-sharing with a friend from his medical days.
4) The first three murders are suitably creepifying.
5) Hee! Sherlock Holmes using text messages to annoy Scotland Yard is amusing beyond belief. As is the bit with the riding crop. And that poor pathologist. It really is him, not you. (Also hee! "You've taken off the lipstick", "yes, it wasn't working for me.")
6) The bit about Mrs. Hudson's husband was interesting. I also liked 'I'm your landlady, not your housekeeper'. My Mum is still not over that being Una Stubbs, and is having problems with the younger brother from 'Room With A View' being the grizzled Inspector Lestrade.
7) Talking of Lestrade - yay! A non-incompetent, not actually mocked more than the world in general, actually one of the voices of reason that Holmes occasionally listens to, Inspector Lestrade.
8) Watson is just as much of an adrenaline junkie as Holmes. That despairing 'oh God no' at the idea of being stuck at home watching the TV.
9) The scene in the cab was fantastic. Best thing about getting stage actors in - long monologues with no obvious breathing. And Watson going 'you're amazing', and Holmes, being as he is a great giant peacock, is soaking it up. Even if he does get the tiny matter of the gender of Watson's sibling wrong.
10) I hope they're not setting Donovan up to be either 1) Moriarty or 2) bitchy because Holmes turned her down.
11) That being said, Holmes's take-down of Donovan and Anderson was awesome.
12) I can't help it, I'm a Holmes fan, so of course I squeaked at 'Rache'. I also like Holmes's explanation of why it was unlikely to be Rache.
13) They're giving Jonathan Aris work again. I approve. I'm not sure if I want Anderson to continue being incompetant, bitter and snarky, or wether I want him to be Moriarty.
14) I am in no way storing up Holmes's insults for my own future use.
15) The thing with the cameras was creepy. And I was so sure he was Mycroft at that point, and then I decided that he must be Moriarty. I spent the entire scene flip-flopping between those two points. Family verdict had it being Moriarty, and therefore Anthea got lumbered with being called Colonel Moran for the rest of the thing. Even with the revelation at the end, I sense I'm still going to be calling her the Colonel.
16) Mark Gattis is an evil genius. I once again renew my proposal of marriage to his brain.
17) The service revolver! And, in fact, the entire second scene in the car.
18) This is a three patch problem :D At first I was unhappy with it, because they shot it to look like Holmes was shooting up, and Holmes wouldn't during a case (see also, things that annoy me with many modern adapations). And then I was stuck at 'holy hell, Benedict Cumberbatch has pretty eyes'. And then I was filled with glee, because of course the Moff and Mark Gattis wouldn't make a mistake like that, and of course, Holmes couldn't be constantly puffing away on a pipe (or as he puts it, 'impossible to sustain a smoking habit in London these days').
19) The thing I liked best about the scene in the restaurant wasn't the 'I'm married to my work bit' but the bit with the owner, who was grateful to Holmes for getting him off a murder charge so he didn't go to prison, with Holmes pointing out that he did go to prison, but there being absolutely judgement going on.
20) The roof-top chase, which, like I said, made it look like the London I know, which is all roofs and stairs and mess and damp and glorious.
21) The end of the chase with the cab and the poor unfortunate traveller from the US, and Holmes having several copies of Lestrade's police ID because he pickpockets him whenever Lestrade is being annoying.
22) 'This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever done.'
'You invaded Afghanistan.'
'That wasn't just me.'
Ah, Holmes disapproving of the present war and later describing Mycroft as 'the British government, when he's not too busy being the British secret service or the CIA on a freelance basis' and saying that was close enough to being a master criminal. I know it's not going to be this that caused the grand falling out, but I would love it if it were.
23) The whole of the 'drugs bust scene'. In between Lestrade using it to tell Holmes off, Watson's absolute certainty that Holmes would not take drugs and Holmes having to tell him to be quiet because yes, he was (and yeah, that flat's not clean), and every single police person Holmes has insulted previous to this helping out, nay, even volunteering.
There's also the bit where Lestrade and Holmes compare nicotine patches, which intrigues me. Because Lestrade has to have met him somehow, so I'm wondering if some sort of drugs bust or rehab was the occasion.
Then there's the bit where Anderson describes Holmes as a pyschopath and Holmes replies 'high-functioning sociopath, do your research'. It makes me think pondery backstory things re: the great row between him and Mycroft.
As does the 'he's a great man, but one day he may be a good one' bit from Lestrade.
24) I love that Holmes is absolutely awestruck by the cleverness of the last murder victim.
25) I really like the creepy lighting on the cabbie and how he lures Holmes down the stairs.
26) Okay, so alright, the minute I saw Phil Davis's name on the cast list, and saw he wasn't playing a regular, I knew he was the murderer. I don't mind this, because it gives him a chance to do the unexpected and low-key psycho-killer routine he does so well.
27) He does it very well. Maybe not the best ending to the plot, but I love how he keeps stringing Holmes along.
28) Holmes's voice when he says 'I am playing, this is my turn'. This man could be dangerous, which is just what's needed.
29) And that, at the last, the murderer won't tell Holmes whether he chose the right pill or not.
30) Holmes being perfectly fine with putting the boot in is interesting, and, I think, definitely related to Donovan's thing of 'one of these days, we'll find him over a body and he will have been the murderer'.
31) Holmes with the blanket, nearly giving away who the shooter was, and then realising and going 'ignore me, in shock, rambling'. It was sweet. Mind you, I'm not entirely sure Lestrade hadn't worked it out himself.
32) The Mycroft reveal. With one of them having upset Mummy. And yes, I can imagine the Christmas dinners, in fact, I think I've lived through several of them.
I mean, there's things I didn't like about it, mostly the music, and I'm interested to see where they're going with the whole psychosomatic thing, and I'm so glad they've gone for an hour and a half rather than hour longs, but mostly, I'm asquee!