“Tell me,” said Holmes—and
I could see by his eyes that he was much excited—“was this a mere addition to
the first or did it appear to be entirely separate?”
--Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Dancing Men”
Austin:
Obviously, it has been well
established that we are a massively successful blog that is highly acclaimed
not only in the English language but also in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
This has been well reported on and it's not egotistical to ponder that I think
millions--nay, tens of millions--have been waiting for us to finally review the
hit BBC series Sherlock.
WELL WE'RE FINALLY BLOODY DOING IT.
Just a few weeks away from our one-year anniversary we're reviewing
the show that arguably makes us such active Sherlock Holmes fans today. We have
been fans of the stories for years but what Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss
created, at least for me, renewed that love in a major way.
So this week when I revisited the pilot, "A Study in Pink"
for the umpteenth time it was that canonical love that felt very apparent
throughout every minute. The idea of updating the Victorian hero to the modern
day sounds like a gimmick but putting a story into a new setting really allows
for them to make their homage/appreciation into a dramatic setting without it
just being a repetitive wink.
The original story of "A Study in Scarlet" is just a
jumping off point in structure. Using modern dramatics they are able to
re-examine what it would be like for Watson to meet Sherlock for the first
time, how Sherlock would interact with modern police/technology and who really
are these famous characters. There is a rich psychological examination going on
with the two leads (with Watson literally seeing a shrink before the opening
credits).
It's a look at Doyle's original stories made by true fans. There are
plenty of little Easter eggs with my favorite being the fact that one of the
detectives reads RACHE on the floor and assumes it's German for
"revenge" which was Sherlock deduced in the original story. When we
first see Sherlock's apartment, it's just a treasure trove of odds and ends
that are designed with a loving care that encourages exploration. This world is
a playground for them to make adventures and this episode is just oozing with
potential.
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| "Sherlock where are my keys?" "Ask the skull." "I did; he was looking guilty in your direction." |
So what about
this episode's giddiness resonates with you the most? The banter, their
mystery, the characters, the tributes or just the fact that Mrs. Hudson
sometimes gets high?
Leigh: Gather
'round kids for I have a yarn to spin (GET IT?! IT'S A PUN BECAUSE I JUST GOT A
SPINNING WHEEL FOR MY BIRTHDAY BECAUSE I CAN'T GET ANY NERDIER!). Once upon a
summer steamy, as I pondered weak and weary (that's all I remember of The Raven
so I can't parody it anymore) I was bored. It was yet another summer that I had
nothing to do. No job to be found, no classes that were offered that I needed,
no air conditioning to soak in. All I had that summer to entertain me was my
knitting and my Netflix. I was bored and had just watched the first season of Downton Abbey and then a few not as good
period dramas and needed something to entertain me when what pops up in my
"Recommended for You" column but Sherlock.
There was that guy from The Office
that I enjoyed and another guy who, wait, really? His name is Benedict
Cumberbatch? Surely that's a stage name like Engelbert Humperdinck. I decided
to give it a go because, again, I had nothing to do. I was doubtful, I'll admit
The opening scenes being about Watson's PTSD, while a nice way to modernize it,
was a bit cheesy. And then there was this Beezlebub Cumbersplat
who just didn't look like how I pictured Sherlock Holmes and we all know that
if the casting doesn't fit EXACTLY what I had pictured then it is obviously
wrong.
But I'll tell ya, they won me over. I was skeptical up to the scene
where Sherlock and Watson meet and then when Holmes walks out the lab door, I
was hooked. I thought the script, while not a direct adaptation, was a great
way to modernize and pay homage to a great series. The little references to
various stories, not just A Study in Scarlet, throughout the whole episode were
also nice. This episode is much like other movies we've talked about and
discussed. It wasn't a direct adaptation, thankfully, but it had enough
references and nods to Sherlock Holmes that it was able to capture the feel of
the mysteries and the characters without feeling like it had to hit every plot
point to remain faithful to the canon and was still a successful modernization.
The characters to me also had a fantastic chemistry. Even the
tertiary characters like Anderson, don't feel useless or in the way of the
story. This is one of those shows that to understand every scene, you need to
have your eyes looking at the screen the whole time. I tried watching Sherlock
with my mom but she thinks that the TV is something you have on in the background
while doing something else. There were numerous times that I told her she
needed to see what was going on to get what was happening. Even after watching
this episode multiple times, I still felt the need to be physically looking at
the TV screen the whole time because of the nuanced acting and the little
Easter eggs like you said. This is a show that has so much thought put into
every little thing that even the coffee cups that Watson and his friend at the
beginning of the episode are drinking out of are a nod to the canon.
I completely agree that this show was made by people who not only
loved the Sherlock Holmes novels and stories but also respected it. That
respect is how you get such throw away details that most people won't notice
but the hard core fans will like the coffee cups.
So we both
admit that we love this show and this episode and it's part of the reason why
we're writing this blog right now. But what are some of the problems with it?
Surely you've found some? How about that mystery?
Austin: I
actually think this mystery works rather well. It's an original concept that
manages to make sense of the idea of serial suicides. ("How can we protect
ourselves?" "Don't commit suicide.") That oddball crime is
something that is purely fitting with Doyle stories especially some of the
really goofy ones from Adventures. The creators didn't just want to play
with the Sherlock characters; they wanted to evoke the plots of those stories
as well. That is the part that is often forgotten in recent adaptations.
Solving the crime made sense to me on a beat to beat level. Analyzing
the pink woman and discovering she was an adulterer from her jewelry and where
she was based on what articles of clothing were wet was top-notch Sherlock
observation. The audience is not able to pick up the ring, but before Sherlock
solves it we are given the clues (Dirty/clean). By the way that Sherlock was
able to deduce things from her body and how he was able to learn about Watson
proved immediately we're dealing with a very smartly written character.
Because he's that smart, it's disappointing that I solved the
mystery before he did. During the fun chase scene of the cab, the whole time I
figured they were chasing the cab driver. So when Sherlock looks at the
passenger and gives I found it problematic that he didn't look at everyone in
the car. It's another 20 minutes or so before he figures out it's the cab
driver and really he just solves that because the cabbie literally goes to 221B
Baker Street.
Then there's the really unfortunate element of the plot. The fact
that The Princess Bride exists. On a purely thematic level it's
fantastic. The idea that the two poisons are identical and it tests the
arrogance of Sherlock Holmes to the point where he's on the verge of killing
himself just to prove he's smart enough. Excellent stuff. Yet a really famous
movie did this entire thing as a joke. Not everything needs to be 100%
original. I'm sure there are astute mystery fans who can point to random novels
through the years that had cab drivers as the murderer or a moment when a
detective realized there was after work collaborations through knee bruises.
The problem with this episode is that The Princess Bride is so
famous that even though I've seen "A Study in Pink" more times than
that movie I can't help but watch that scene and not think of the original
inconceivable trick to the death. Especially when the cab driver is especially
like Wallace Shawn when he's screaming MORRRIATTYYYYY.
But like I said I still really like the scene because the direction
is top-notch and it is a wonderful character moment for Sherlock that shows how
far he risks his own life and why he needs someone like Watson to keep him
safe/sane. Just cut the Moffat-y dialog that says "Here's the really
clever bit...."
How about you?
Do you have problems with the episode at all? Are they able to be done in
service of examining characters or are they just straight-up mistakes?
Leigh: I
honestly don't remember if I had thought it was the cabbie after the chase
scene. I did think it was a neat idea to bring up though because there are just
some people we inherently trust because they're not supposed to be serial
killers or sociopaths. Cabbies, nurses/doctors, policemen, teachers, and it
takes us aback as an audience when these people who have some level of control
over our lives, abuse that control and power. Having the cabbie be the serial
killer/serial suicide convincer? was interesting, I thought. I do remember
thinking after watching this episode for the first time that it was a neat move
that I hadn't seen too much of.
The Princess Bride bit though... I love The Princess Bride. It's one of the
movies I quote relatively frequently, like the rest of the world. I instantly
thought of that scene when watching Sherlock and the cabbie battle over who is
smarter. Some of the dialog seemed incredibly reminiscent and while I know that
it would be hard to write any scene like that without accidentally quoting The Princess Bride, I just wish that it
was a bit different, add almost a different level of logic behind the move to
try to outsmart Sherlock, something so that it wasn't SO familiar.
As an episode as a whole, I can't think of any moments that are
mistakes. There was a lot of thought put into each scene and each reference and
each of the modern aspects. Things that are clumsy are meant to be like Watson
attempting to hit on a woman who is definitely not interested. We see why
characters do what they do and their actions make sense. Watson is challenged as
to why he has become so loyal to Sherlock Holmes so quickly and yet it makes
sense as to why he stays. Watson is enamoured and impressed by Sherlock Holmes
and sees helping him as a way to not be stuck into a predictable after-war
life. Lestrade's desperation on not knowing what to do about cases is blatant,
especially when he just comes out and says it. He doesn't go to Sherlock for
help because that's what the canon says, he goes to him for help because he is
out of ideas as to how there could be serial suicides.
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| "Damn twerking..." |
And the mystery is
complex enough that I don't think TV cops could figure it out. Maybe a CSI team
or one of the more specialized shows but then those detectives are just a
Sherlock Holmes-type device. The episode might not be flawless, but there is a
reason why it is one of the most talked about shows on TV right now.
Next time,
Sherlock Holmes finds looo-oooveeee! (But not really).
And here is
Austin Lugar with the last word…
Austin:
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