That's shit writing, and yet they made it the central theme of the season. Yes. This was my first reaction to season 3, strongly reaffirmed by watching the next two episodes. It's beyond me how anyone is seeing meaningful character development there.
But don't tell me that Sherlock is now a more open and caring individual, when he shows zero remorse for having crushed his best friend two years prior.
*nods* It's pretty inconsistent across the board, isn't it? Who is this Sherlock Holmes who calls himself "ridiculous" and says that he's a child John and Mary have been looking after? That makes no sense in the context of Sherlock's charcterization whatsoever, even if you're willing to buy the Sherlock's small heart grew three sizes that day arc they seem to be trying to construct. More caring, yes, perhaps, but hardly a man who now sees himself as childlike or ridiculous
( ... )
There's no way I'm going to tell you to shut up, because this response is lovely! I'd much rather try to hash out what's going on with this character (and what *I* can do with it) than spiral into an endless complaint fest. I mean, I clearly needed to let off more steam, but I also want to do the meta/analysis work to make sense of it all. So clearly I'm about to reply in kind. :)
I feel like they're playing fast and loose with ways to make you like the character more, and that's annoying.This really is at the heart of the problem, and it's what pinged me as fan-service early on. They don't just want you to like this character; they want you to LOVE him (and assume you already do) yet still keep the he's-such-an-asshole jokes. You can't have your cake and eat it too, writers. He can't be the Perfect Man Whom Everybody Loves and also the Complex Antihero. The dancing, ugh. A perfect example of something completely unnecessary AND out of character, thrown in because the writers think it will amuse. (Same with the "I'm a child" joke.)
( ... )
They don't just want you to like this character; they want you to LOVE him (and assume you already do) yet still keep the he's-such-an-asshole jokes. You can't have your cake and eat it too, writers. He can't be the Perfect Man Whom Everybody Loves and also the Complex Antihero. My two cents on this: In all fairness to the writers, this *is* a very consistent theme in the show, albeit one that continues to anger and repel me. They *do* want you to love this character while retaining the right to depict him as an asshole, and they seem to be getting away with it. They undercut awkward or painful moments with humor; they create lovable characters (Molly, Mrs Hudson) whose function is to love and forgive him and model that behavior for us; they add manipulative details (the dancing, the childhood dog) that pull his center of gravity back away from the negative, even though they haven't justified or earned these details. It's either a very cynical move on their part or indicative of a fundamental lack of parity between writers and
( ... )
In all fairness to the writers, this *is* a very consistent theme in the show, albeit one that continues to anger and repel me.Hm, that's a fair point. I think what made his character more workable for me in earlier seasons is that when he was a jerk, at least people got angry. We were seeing him through John's perspective, will all his flaws intact, instead of And I don't think he's ever done anything to genuinely hurt the people he liked until now, which makes me more critical of him now. But I'm not sure. I have to explore this more fully to see if that's true
( ... )
At this point, Sherlock is being written as all things to all people, and it's frankly ridiculous. He's funny! He dances! He's self-deprecating! He's tender! And yet he's the person who ruthlessly manipulated the one person he professed to love, who never gave a thought to the effect of persistent grief on John (he even says John might still have a heart attack), who never truly felt remorse. WHAT THE FUCK, SHOW.
I'd love to discuss Mary with you, if you're up for it! If I do write any post-season 3 fic, it will be about Mary and John.
I'm starting to wonder if fan reactions to this show are being divided based on the fan's favorite character. Because if you're here for Sherlock, the writers shower the character with nothing but love. But if you're here for John...get ready to be fucked over.
(And your comment about Martin cutting his own lines-I haven't seen that interview clip, but that's a fascinating tidbit. I completely believe it, too. No one knows subtlety like Martin Freeman does.)
I'd be happy to discuss Mary! I have a few initial thoughts that I've been tossing around with magnetic_pole above, but I'm definitely still getting a feel for her. I hear you on Mary/John fic. I want to write season 3 fic with all three of them, but I'm having the hardest time figuring out how Sherlock even factors in anymore, except as a third wheel.
I think you're right. While I haven't seen anybody fail to praise MF's acting as John, it's clear that the show is steering away from him, or at least from his concerns, to urge Sherlock into taking center stage alone.
The interview I mentioned is here, and the line is: Martin is especially good at interrogating a script, and dispensing with superfluous lines that he can achieve with a sardonic glance.
As for Mary, I thought I knew what I wanted to say about her, but over at my post, rachelindeed has been changing my mind with her clear-eyed logic! So I'll have to get back to you on her.
Comments 12
Reply
Reply
*nods* It's pretty inconsistent across the board, isn't it? Who is this Sherlock Holmes who calls himself "ridiculous" and says that he's a child John and Mary have been looking after? That makes no sense in the context of Sherlock's charcterization whatsoever, even if you're willing to buy the Sherlock's small heart grew three sizes that day arc they seem to be trying to construct. More caring, yes, perhaps, but hardly a man who now sees himself as childlike or ridiculous ( ... )
Reply
I feel like they're playing fast and loose with ways to make you like the character more, and that's annoying.This really is at the heart of the problem, and it's what pinged me as fan-service early on. They don't just want you to like this character; they want you to LOVE him (and assume you already do) yet still keep the he's-such-an-asshole jokes. You can't have your cake and eat it too, writers. He can't be the Perfect Man Whom Everybody Loves and also the Complex Antihero. The dancing, ugh. A perfect example of something completely unnecessary AND out of character, thrown in because the writers think it will amuse. (Same with the "I'm a child" joke.) ( ... )
Reply
Reply
Reply
At this point, Sherlock is being written as all things to all people, and it's frankly ridiculous. He's funny! He dances! He's self-deprecating! He's tender! And yet he's the person who ruthlessly manipulated the one person he professed to love, who never gave a thought to the effect of persistent grief on John (he even says John might still have a heart attack), who never truly felt remorse. WHAT THE FUCK, SHOW.
I'd love to discuss Mary with you, if you're up for it! If I do write any post-season 3 fic, it will be about Mary and John.
Reply
(And your comment about Martin cutting his own lines-I haven't seen that interview clip, but that's a fascinating tidbit. I completely believe it, too. No one knows subtlety like Martin Freeman does.)
I'd be happy to discuss Mary! I have a few initial thoughts that I've been tossing around with magnetic_pole above, but I'm definitely still getting a feel for her. I hear you on Mary/John fic. I want to write season 3 fic with all three of them, but I'm having the hardest time figuring out how Sherlock even factors in anymore, except as a third wheel.
Reply
The interview I mentioned is here, and the line is: Martin is especially good at interrogating a script, and dispensing with superfluous lines that he can achieve with a sardonic glance.
As for Mary, I thought I knew what I wanted to say about her, but over at my post, rachelindeed has been changing my mind with her clear-eyed logic! So I'll have to get back to you on her.
Reply
When I get a chance, I'll have to pop on over to your post and see what's being said. :)
Reply
Leave a comment