Modern television. It's heavily criticized, from expectant audiences and know-it-all fanatics of all ages, from celebrities, journalists and bloggers alike. Constantly ripping and tearing apart and analyzing the minute details, underlying inferences and themes of everything to appear on our televisions.
Hundreds of shows grace our screens, (or heartlessly vandalize them) from the ever informative works from The Discovery Channel, to side-splitting, embarrassing-laughter-inducing humor from Comedy Central.
And then there's Sherlock.
I first discovered the show on an ordinary, dull evening, flicking through the channels. I rarely watch television, much preferring to write or paint or read. However, on Friday evenings it has become somewhat of a tradition of mine to watch programs with my dad. It was when I first became interested in literature, and the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had been referenced and quoted on countless occasions during my search for a great story. I remember watching the final ten minutes of "A Study In Pink", having no idea what had happened in the past 1 hour and 20 minutes of the show (fifty minutes, I had assumed at the time, not knowing the episodes were 90 long), at the edge of my seat, and mildly appreciating the acting and presentation of the story, like I had with no other show in the past.
Soon, the mild appreciation became a healthy obsession after watching the complete episode, and so it began.
To my complete astonishment now, I decided to wait each week for the replays on BBC to play out, when I could have easily accessed the episodes online instantly. I felt like it was something worth waiting for, each one an event. Something to look forward to. I owed the show as much.
When I was trudging through knee-high snow on a relentless Duke of Edinburgh practice "walk" (It was a hike), all I could think about was coming home to a warm meal and watching the show, again.
When the second season replays began in the Summer, I found myself literally applauding "A Scandal in Belgravia" when it ended, cowering behind my pillow throughout "The Hounds of Baskerville", and crying hysterically at the climax of "The Reichenbach Fall".
As soon as the series ended, I hungered for more. I searched, "Sherlock, season three" in to google, without getting a straight answer. My heart jumped at the excitement of reading "October 31st, 2013" On IMDB. I quickly realized this date was near impossible, for the show had yet to finish filming episode three.
And so, we wait.
The waiting has led me to introduce several more (8) people to the show, who have all loved it just as much as I have since, and continue to wait in suspense. It felt like I was doing them a massive favor, like "Here, I give you a show that will spark your imagination and fuel your undiscovered, limitless love for the beauty of television and those involved in creating it".
Now, what is this love I speak so fondly of?
Since I knew I had so long to wait for season three, I signed up for a Tumblr account, and began researching as much information as I could about the current seasons. I was astounded to find the show's star, Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes, rapidly soaring to incredible heights of fame and stardom from the time I began watching the show until now. Since then, he's played Khan in Star Trek: Into darkness, Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate (An unfortunate box-office flop, despite the importance of the film and the mesmerizing performance from Cumberbatch) and Smaug the dragon in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. He also did the motion capture.
The latter alongside co-star of the show, the incredible Martin Freeman, who plays The Hobbit in... well, The Hobbit. Yes he's the hobbit. And no, that's not quite his actual height, though it's not too far off.
I'm just teasing of course.
That very sentence is also a popular line from Cumberbatch in interview, proving his acting ability is not his only great trait. Kind, bumble-y, smart and honest are words I would associate with him, and not just because Mark Gatiss and/or Steven Moffat has described him as such at some point or another. They are the writers and creators of the show by the way, if you were wondering.
Those two, alongside Moffat's wife, Sue Vertue (producer of Sherlock) and various and fluctuating members of the cast voice their memories and ideas for the episodes through the commentaries, found on the DVD extras and on youtube. It was these insights into the world of production which really got me interested with the fascinating behind the scenes aspects of television.
I've always loved watching the interviews and extras part of DVDs, I can count at least five films that I've never seen but have seen the makings of.
Some things, which you may find completely and totally uninteresting about the show, that I personally love include:
1) The references to the original Holmes novels and stories
"You will never find a more obsessively accurate version of Sherlock Holmes, mostly because it's been motored by a couple of geeks" - Steven Moffat
Modern fans can appreciate the genius of the on-screen text, something I didn't like at first but the more I've seen of it, the more it's grown on me and now I love it. In fact, I've seen it done in some other shows here and there since it debuted on Sherlock, but it's never had quite the same impact. Modern and the old fans can truly appreciate the variety of references to the original stories, such as John's blog being stuck at 1895 hits (Known as Holmes' best year, when he was at the top of his game, mentioned in The Sign of Four if my memory serves correctly) and the incredibly complex reference to the stories through Star Trek (Modern Holmes quotes Spock, quoting original Holmes with "When you exclude the impossible, whatever remains no matter how improbable, must be the truth). Not to mention the puns with the various case titles at the beginning of a Scandal in Belgravia, The Naval Treatment as opposed to The Naval Treaty, The Speckled Blonde instead of The Speckled Band and of course, the titles of the episodes, A Scandal in Belgravia is loosely based on A Scandal In Bohemia, incorporating other stories. The references are countless and delightfully witty and clever.
2) The Hounds of Baskerville
Typically this story ends the same way. If you know a bit about the making of the show, you'll also know that Mark Gatiss had a terrible time trying to write this one.
"People expect certain things, you've got to deliver"
I loved the episode of course, although the episode is generally based on a horror and dark adventure filled theme, character development, including a favourite staple line of the fans,
"I don't have friends. I just have one"
Shows that Gatiss, although writing the episode a massive challenge, still took the time to include great character development and showcase the ever strengthening bond between Holmes and Watson.
3) The camera work and direction
Beautiful shots, created from director Paul Mcguigan's vision, make the show not only wonderful to listen to and interpret, but also engagingly creative and stunning to watch. In one commentary, Gatiss and Vertue talk about Mcguigan's secret directional obsession:
"Symmetry... symmetry..." said Gatiss.
"There was one terrifying moment when someone was threatening to move the sofa", Vertue.
This obsession has proved to be healthy, creating incredibly gorgeous and creative shots in every scene that just aren't seen anywhere else on television. Top movie-style quality.
4) The relationships between the characters
Okay, an article on the relationships between the characters cannot be written without the risky mention of fan fiction. Yes, a number of fans, not all, but a large number do in fact like to picture Holmes and Watson together, in the words of Holmes, "In a number of compromising situations".
"An imaginative range", you are assured.
In the original novels, there is no mention of a motherly relationship between Mrs Hudson and Holmes, however one of the slight twists in the show is such a relationship. The dynamic between the characters came about when in reality, Cumberbatch and Una Stubbs (Mrs. Hudson) showed a mother-son relationship on set, and it began to filter through on to the screen. Knowing Stubbs since he was a child, Cumberbatch often speaks of her with admiration and love. This relationship is my favourite of the whole show.
I think, the truth of the matter is, although Holmes and Watson are often mistaken for being a gay couple, the two men just absolutely adore each other, in a non-homosexual way.
Personally, although I find the drawings and inside jokes within the fandom amusing and clever, I would not under any circumstances like to see the two actually get together on the show. Can you not imagine how much that would ruin it for the fans of the original? Watson suffers from dysfunctional relationships, and of course break-ups, with various other female characters, and I think that is the best way to have it for now.
The chemistry between Holmes and... well, Holmes is also very interesting. This Holmes is in fact his older brother, Mycroft. In the original stories, Sherlock just simply gets on with him. Moffat and Gatiss, inspired from the completely under-rated classic Billy Wilder film "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes", provide the audience with a much steelier, snappier relationship.
Originally, Mycroft was described as being "The British Government", however the writers much preferred the idea of him as being sort of the sinister British government, full of dark plans and secrets. In the show, Shelock and Mycroft often quarrel, both smart but with different goals. Mycroft is more centered towards money and is sort of a more glamorous "Sherlock", whereas Sherlock just wants to have adventures and cure his own boredom.
In a Scandal in Belgravia, a sweet image of the boys' childhood was revealed when Mycroft (wonderfully played by Gatiss) says Sherlock first wanted to be a pirate. His look of nostalgia is heartbreaking, he's obviously thinking of how he was once his little brother was someone he could look out for, since he's always off doing something insane or illegal, but now he has no control over him.
A part of the humor of the show is also shown between the two, also referencing the originals, when Sherlock teases Mycroft about his weight, "How's the diet?".
There is also a bond that is visible also in a Scandal in Belgravia, where Sherlock asks,
"Do you think there's something wrong with us?"
As they watch a family mourning over someone's death. Sherlock knows they are different, and when someone dies, they just don't feel the same powerful emotions that others seem to feel. Sherlock and Mycroft's relationship is indeed a complex one, but I think one of the best modifications to the show from the originals is the relationship between the two.
That was just a focus on some of the lesser known relationships. Holmes and Watson, it goes without saying have an incredibly complex relationship. Holmes never needed a flatmate in the beginning, so why did he invite Watson in? Obviously he is paid vast sums of money for solving his crimes, so the money aspect cannot be true. I think he realized he was feeling a little lonely, although more likely, his first thoughts were 'Lets have someone I can experiment on' or 'Lets have someone who can constantly marvel at my intellect and remind me of it every day', both of which happen. By the end of the Reichenbach Fall, season two finale, it becomes apparent that infact, Holmes just simply adores him as his only friend.
Lastly on relationships, Holmes has a lovely "Network of carers" (Gatiss), that show in A Scandal in Belgravia when he seems to pass from Mycroft to John and Mrs. Hudson when he was grieving over Irene Adler's (Lara Pulver) fake death, and in The Hounds of Baskerville when Lestrade (Rupert Graves) is sent down to check up on him with the case, much to Holmes' relief as he was experiencing fear for the first time. The characters often consult with John as to how Sherlock is, rather than asking Sherlock directly.
5) The New and Interesting Characters
Moriarty
Andrew Scott provides us with a completely new and chilling villain, with no resemblance to the original. This is definitely a good thing, the original villain only really appears in one story and is not described in much detail. A new modern character was needed. Scott plays this character excellently, from dancing with a fire extinguisher in The Reichenbach Fall, to playing Moriarty, playing Jim from IT, playing Molly's boyfriend in The Great Game. His performance is outstanding, and won him a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor. The man in real life (well, in interview) is cheery and bright, a stark contrast with his dark on screen role. The fact that the character makes many stereo-typically gay jokes adds to the dark humor of the show, my favourite line from him must be "Is that a British browning AKB48 in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?" or "Westwood".
D.I. Greg Lestrade
Originally, Lestrade was a sort of rat faced detective, yet somewhat glamorous. Gatiss often mentions how if it wasn't for Holmes, this would be his show. Played by Rupert Graves, the character often acts as a father-like figure to Holmes, hinted at when in the Hounds of Baskerville, we are unsurprised to learn that Holmes didn't know his first name. He describes him in the originals as being the best of Scotland yard, and he definitely looks up to him for it. Also in the Hounds of Baskerville, fun fact, it wasn't originally written in the script that Lestrade would be so tanned, "brown as a nut", and it had to be quickly written in as a part of the script because it was so obvious. The character is brilliantly played by Graves and is one of the characters I most look forward to seeing in the upcoming episodes.
I think not.
Molly Hooper
A character with no equivalent in the originals, Molly is a somewhat awkward woman who works at St. Bartholomew's hospital (Holmes' workplace of choice), who is desperately in love with Holmes. Louise Brealey was so fantastic in her role, that the writers decided to write a lot more of her in to the script, and gave her the trophy boyfriend of Jim from IT, otherwise known as Moriarty. Near the end of the Reichenbach Fall, we are shown a strange scene between Holmes and Molly, in which he appears to be asking for her assistance with his suicide. I have a strong feeling that Molly will be an important character in
season three.
Irene Adler
Some fans did not like this character. I think this is because in the novels, she is seen as a heroine, whereas in the show, Holmes saves her in the end. Moffat once pointed out, in the actual novels, the big heroic thing she actually does is move house. In the show, she comes about 99% of the way to beating Holmes, and manages to win over a tin man's heart, so much so that even after she dumps him and assures him she had no feelings for him, he finds out where she is and saves her from being killed by terrorists. That to me, is quite an achievement. Wonderfully played by the stunning Lara Pulver, Irene is a fantastic character.
"So caught up in the fun of everything, you kind of forget she's actually quite abominable!"
6. Musical Score
An incredible musical score is featured on the show, I absolutely adore it. It totally conveys the emotions of the characters, with Irene having her own theme, John having his slow piano melody, and the chilling, incredible strings ensemble playing at the finale, when Sherlock is revealed to be alive, was completely mesmerizing. Beautiful.
Parodies, such as the clever
Moriarty sat on a wall,
Sherlock Holmes, had a great fall,
and all Lestrade's horses,
and all Mycroft's men,
Couldn't put Watson together again.
To a slowed down, music box (Dr Watson is known for them) version of the "Game is on" theme tune.
Reichenbach Theories
I gave up about six months ago.
To be honest, I would rather it was a surprise for us all to discover with episode one.
One theory I must mention though:
I strongly suggest you don't go looking for theories after the premiere on the 15th of December, just in case it ruins it all for you.
Let's talk Fan Fictions
Often heart-breaking, surprisingly clever and well-written, and now and again, completely and utterly wrong. I love Sherlock more than words can describe, and the fans of the show that I have met are all intelligent, appreciative and respectful, however one thing that many people would be surprised to know about me is; I do not ship Johnlock. The friendship between them is too precious and too delicate, and I often feel that fan fictions may be very well-written and smart, but as soon as there's something that's gone a bit too far, I stop enjoying it.
I still think that everyone has the right to like and write about anything they like. I am simply voicing my opinion, I don't totally enjoy reading it myself.
However, I have read some fan fictions which I cannot ignore just because of some others I did not enjoy as much.
"Alone On The Water" available on Ao3, is heart-breaking and beautifully written.
Some cute, "fluffy" as they are called fan fictions are also very readable and enjoyable, including some where Watson cares for an ill Holmes, effectively compose a lovely idea of the two of them together.
I'm currently writing a fan fiction myself, titled "One More Step". The title has nothing to do with the story, it just sounded like a typical dramatic fan fiction title and I just wanted to get it started. It's available on Wattpad.
Speaking of Season Three...
The wait is almost over.
As I write my first draft of this post, it is the 7th of December, and therefore 25 days until episode one titled "The Empty Hearse", a play on "The Empty House".
What do we know so far?
1) Season three will consist of the normal three, 90 minute long short-films
2) The cast will remain the same
3) Amanda Abbington (Martin Freeman's wife) will play John Watson's partner, Mary Mortsan
4) The other two episodes will be titled "The Sign of Three" and "His Last Bow"
5) The three clues are Rat, Wedding and Bow
6) The filming ended on the 1st of September 2013, and will preview on 15th of December in London
7) There will be a mini-episode available online on Christmas day
8) We will find out how Sherlock survived the fall
9) Episode one will premier on British screens on New Years day, 2014, and has been described as being "The biggest comeback of British television"
10) John has grown a moustache. The fans do not like the moustache.
11) The second episode will premiere only four days after the first on the 5th of January, and the third a week later on the 12th
13) It's going to be absolutely brilliant.
So, What Isn't So Good About The Show?
Nothing is perfect, of course, but I must say, Sherlock is pretty damn close. I have very, very few criticisms, and most of them aren't because of the show itself.
One, there is something floating about that isn't very nice to talk about. The glorious Amanda Abbington, who plays Mary Mortsan, has received hatred from fans for coming between their favourite characters. Some have even gone as far as to send her death threats for sticking up for Steven Moffat's writing on twitter.
Guys, come on.
This is completely outrageous.
Yes, maybe there is certain stigma attached to Moffat for some reason, writing either homophobic or anti-feminist characters and scenes into his shows, but surely, if Amanda Abbington (self proclaimed feminist) has openly stated she admires his writing talent, and in no way finds him sexist or homophobic and knows him very well, then surely, he can't be. Even say he was all of those things, Amanda did a brave thing standing up for him, and nobody, absolutely no-one deserves death threats, especially if it's just for writing something. I mean, at the end of the day, it is just TV and Moffat has contributed so much to British television, without whom Sherlock would not exist, I find it disgusting that so-called fans would criticize that.
Also, it does no good to hate Amanda for the character of Mary Mortsan, who, spoiler alert, was written over a hundred years ago into the original novels. I personally believe her when she says the character is an interesting woman with a lot of great secrets, and I cannot wait to watch her on the show. Sorry, but I don't think Watson and Holmes were ever going to get together anyway.
The only thing I could ever criticize from the actual show are slight parts of the script to the Hounds of Baskerville, I understand Gatiss had a hard time writing it as there's so much expectation with this story. I love the episode no less, but a couple of bits here and there felt a bit messy, over-complicated and not quite apparent to me, even after about six times watching the episode, I still found myself questioning things that didn't quite make sense to me. That could just be me not fully understanding the story, but I still loved it over all and it was still up to the same high standard as the others.
Let's talk Season Three
So, when I first wrote this, I was in a desperate mental state due to lack of Sherlock. Recently our screens have been graced with a whole three episodes, and our smaller screens with an app, and our even smaller screens with a soundtrack that has blown the season one and two sound tracks out of the water.
So the speculation came to a close, and I was a little sad to finally say goodbye to the hiatus, but look, here we are again. My friends and I arranged an Empty Hearse party, along with Sherlock cake pops and Cluedo. We sat down, carefully avoiding our delicate and sensitive feels, to watch Season Three (finally), episode one.
The Empty Hearse
Before it even started, I had chills. Like, I was almost hyperventilating because we have waited for so long and I just couldn't wait to see my favorite faces on the screen again. The first thing I noticed - and loved beyond explanation - was the music. Holy mother of god, the music this season is absolutely, insanely good. Even in the first couple of seconds I was like yes, this is going to be a good soundtrack. Then the first theory came, I forgot about all of the things they had said that I'd reminded myself of over and over again, "Not without a bit of teasing on the way", etc. etc. I totally threw away my inhibitions and became momentarily drunk on the moment, so yes, I completely believed the first theory. Until he kissed Molly, then I screamed and came back to earth, but I loved it all the same.
Okay, let's get this straight. There have been complaints that the episode was too fandom-orientated and they shouldn't have spent so much time referencing things the fans have said. Firstly, this script was written a long time before even half of the theories had come out. They knew what we would think, they aren't stupid, and the script isn't just a "fan-service". Now I'm not saying this in total defense of the episode - yes it was wonderful and had some lovely moments in it - but that doesn't stray from the fact that the plot is comparatively weak compared to the likes of Scandal and Hounds. Never the less, it was still a very enjoyable episode, full of twists and turns and character development. Let's just note that I was right, Amanda played a fantastic Mary, the best I've ever seen. She is incredibly subtle, tasteful and different to how I imagined she would be, and I loved seeing her most of all.
Sherlock is totally damaged in this episode, we can see right from the start that he's been through his own personal hell, a different kind to John's though. He's been all over the place dismantling Moriarty's network, and it shows he's had a rough time. His main way of coping appears to be through humor, a strong point in the episode and much different to past seasons, the first two episodes are bursting with witty humor. This is something that I appreciated particularly, as the original books were actually very funny and I tend to enjoy the versions that do the humor as well as the crime solving and characters, it's the full package this show, really.
The Empty Hearse referenced the story of The Empty House, of course, Jack the Ripper was also mentioned, and of course it focuses on the Guy Fawkes story too. The plot was probably the weakest, it was a bit jumpy and all over the place without a straight forward route, but to be fair the episode had a lot to deal with and it must have been immensely difficult to write even the character parts well, so kudos for that. I would liked to have seen a slightly stronger opening that relied a little less on the devoted fandom for love, like in the beginning it seemed like the show was proving how wonderful it could be, now it's sort of riding that, but I don't want to complain too much because overall it was a fantastic season. Not the best of openings though, I only have A Study in Pink and my favorite episode to compare with so they aren't the easiest to top.
Acting: 10/10
Character Development: 9/10
Plot: 6/10
Humor: 9/10
Overall: 7/10
The Sign of Three
This is the only episode that has come close to the wonder of A Scandal in Belgravia for me, it is my joint favorite now. I loved it from first watch, but after many more, it grew on me until it reached the top spot. The plot is much stronger than episode one, not the strongest still, but definitely stronger. The way everything comes together in the end is pure genius. The acting is superb, and many times I questioned whether or not Sherlock was truly sincere or if he was just acting. In short, Benedict's acting was so good that I couldn't decide whether his character was acting or not, meaning it was so believable I was questioning the character's sincerity more than the actor's, which is quite impressive.
The whole episode was centered around a best man's speech, and the best I've ever heard at that (sorry brother). It was everything, beautiful, funny and heart felt, even for Sherlock. A lot of people have said it's the least Sherlock-y episode yet, and I feel the same, but I loved it even more for that. It's not the normal thing, it's different looking and sounding, but it still has the charm I love about the show.
The stag night. The only criticism here is that they didn't make it a bit longer, I could have watched that all night. Apparently they have a lot of unused footage, so I'm hoping it makes it onto the internet or a box set in years to come. Very funny and completely how these characters would act in this situation.
Amanda was wonderful, yet again. At this point, I was certain she would die in the next episode, because I loved her so much, and you know what shows are like. Well, Moffat is like. I could have watched a show just called "Mary", all about her.
Acting: 9.5/10
Character Development: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Humor: 10/10
Overall: 9/10
His Last Vow *DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN YET! AIRS THIS SUNDAY IN USA!*
One of the things I loved about this episode, before it even came out, was the fact that we were misled a great deal with the trailers and what the cast and crew had said. Even the bloggers, newspapers and critics kept it well under wraps until the big day. We were led to believe that someone dies, which was true, but more like someone we love dies, which was also true, but at the same time completely the opposite. See what I mean?
I'm glad they didn't just kill Mary off, that would have been a bit of a cheap move. Instead they brought her in, completely unexpectedly, and I can't get enough of this new sweet but I-can-still-kick-your-but character. Perfect.
The plot was pretty solid too, but I felt like it lacked a good structure. The colours used are blues and steely silvers, so when a pop of vibrancy with the drug den that
The episode is a tug of war between great actors, stealing scene by scene. Before the episode even properly begins, we begin as we mean to go on, with Lars Mikkelsen playing an incredibly complex and chilling villain, completely unlike Moriarty and any other villain I've come across in the past. Fantastic. Next up, Benedict steals the show with his mind palace performance. Then we witness Andrew Scott taking the wheel with his utterly astounding appearance as Sherlock is dying and he manages to both persuade him to die and bring him back to life with a single perfect sentence, "John Watson is definitely in danger". Not long after we see Amanda Abbington taking over when she transforms into assassin Mary, or A.G.R.A., and spills out the truth about her past. Not for long though, because a Mr. Martin Freeman steals the show as expected with his reaction to this news.
All the awards. Give this episode awards, please.
Only criticism really, is that I think the explanation as to why everyone John has met is a "psychopath" was a little weak and didn't seem like the best of reasons, but hey-ho, you can't be pleased all of the time. It probably made more sense than I think it did.
Acting: 10/10
Character Development: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
Humor: (Very little, still excellently done) 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Season Three
Let's not even start on the ending. He's back, and I think we're in for a real treat in season four. Overall, season three was fantastic. Season two still stands out to be the best I think, with each episode consistently flowing into the other and very consistent, solid plot and character. However, I think season three completely out does season two in twists and turns, humor and new characters. Also acting. And don't even get me started on the music, I could listen to that for the rest of my life. The only issues I have overall with this season is the weaker plots, the slightly inconsistent character development and lack of a solid structure, I felt anyway. It would have been nice for the show to have stayed a little more grounded and gone less for the dramatic super-hero style scenarios and focus more on Sherlock's intellect. I also noticed he was wrong about things quite often, and definitely a little slower than last season. This could be a vital piece of plot so I'm not going to say anymore.
Season three overall: 8.5/10
Very pleased with the new season, I have high hopes for season four!
Anyhow, that was the first draft of a rather extensive essay on Sherlock and why I love it. I will clean it up a lot and re post it sometime, add in some parts I forgot to mention. If you actually took the time to read all of that, you deserve a medal.
Some quotes haven't been checked, the pictures weren't even cropped from my Ipod, yes, it's rough but I'm going to improve upon it.
May I also add that if you take any of this writing completely seriously and expect a fifteen year old to write better and not have opinions, you may be suffering from stupidity, and any non-constructive criticism based comments will be violently avoided and not cared for. :)
Li xx
Update 1: Added "R" to "Sherlock" in the title, added musical score section (7.12.13)
Update 2: Changed "eho" to "who" and added season three analysis (30.01.14)
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