Canon References In BBC Sherlock

[T.o.b.y]

"The Valley of Fear" really seems to have been heavily milked for Sherlock. It also has the "Dear me, Mr Holmes, dear me" telegram in it that was used in A Scandal in Belgravia. It's got the book code, it's got the fake death and the body switch with the "bashed in" face...

 

It also has another couple where one of the partners has a shady past (set in America) that the other doesn't know much about. And the person in question has a brand from the time he spent with a secret organization, which is still after him, which caused him to change his identity. Gosh, come to think of it, didn't it say "secret tatoo" among all those deductions Sherlock first made about Mary in The Empty Hearse?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh, you're right -- "secret tattoo" -- wonder what/where it is?

 

[Wiggins]

The best and wisest man whom I have ever known. The Reichenbach Fall-The Final Problem

[Caya]

Why, hello Wiggins and welcome to the forum!

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Welcome Wiggins. Good for you jumping right in!

[Wiggins]

Why thank you :-) Good to see a forum dedicated to a literary hero of mine.  Been a fan since I was a pre teen!!  

[Carol the Dabbler]

Firstly, I watched the Hound of the Baskerville and THEN I read the book.

I laughed so hard when I read 'Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!'

In the original story, those words were spoken by Sir Henry (i.e., he's been knighted), and in the TV episode, the character's name is Henry Knight.

 

Having read the original story all the way through since then, I see that Sir Henry is not a knight after all, he's a baronet (a hereditary rank below nobles and above knights).  But Moftiss couldn't very well have called their character Henry Baronet, now could they?

[Arcadia]

Sure, why not? They have characters called Sherlock and Mycroft......

[Five Orange Pips]

Hello! Mind if I join in?

I might be wrong about this one, but I think there's a brief scene in TRF where three young men ask Sherlock to take on their case about a comic book coming true. The text "The Geek Interpreter" appears on the screen, a clever reference to The Greek Interpreter. I'm curious about the three guys themselves, though-- are they a reference to The Three Students?

[Caya]

Hello, Five Orange Pips, and welcome to the forum!

 

There's more about the Geek Interpreter case in this blog entry on John's blog, and there are more references woven in, such as the guy being named Chris Melas. As for a Three Students reference, might well possible - Gatiss and Moffat like mixing and matching original cases, after all.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Hello, Five Orange Pips -- welcome to Sherlock Forum! 

 

You're right, the original "Greek Interpreter" was only one person -- so they must have had some reason for making it three.  (I hadn't thought of that.)

 

[T.o.b.y]

 

 

OK, I can believe that John felt like his friendship with Sherlock might be in jeopardy -- hmm, wonder if Sherlock was not only getting cozy with Magnussen's PA, but also getting even with John? At any rate, it's not only lovers who can feel jealous, friends can too.

 

Definitely. Also, haven't we all been there, in a way? A dear friend has fallen in love, and even though we're sorry that this means we'll be seeing less of them in the near future, we're ready to cheer the new couple on - until we first meet the other half of the equation.

 

And then the brain goes - you're in love with this?!

 

Love isn't rational, and it's not always easy to understand a friend's decision/impulse to pair up with a particular person. And since Janine was Mary's bridesmaid, John must've known her and her basic personality. No wonder he was staring like that.

 

Yes, it's such a brilliant modern update on the original unsuitability of the connection. The original conversation goes like this:

 

"At last, however, on a wild, tempestuous evening, when the wind screamed and rattled against the windows, he returned from his last expedition, and having removed his disguise he sat before the fire and laughed heartily in his silent inward fashion.

“You would not call me a marrying man, Watson?”

“No, indeed!”

“You’ll be interested to hear that I am engaged.”

“My dear fellow! I congrat—”

“To Milverton’s housemaid.”

“Good heavens, Holmes!”

“I wanted information, Watson.”

“Surely you have gone too far?”

“It was a most necessary step. I am a plumber with a rising business, Escott by name. I have walked out with her each evening, and I have talked with her. Good heavens, those talks! However, I have got all I wanted. I know Milverton’s house as I know the palm of my hand.”

“But the girl, Holmes?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“You can’t help it, my dear Watson. You must play your cards as best you can when such a stake is on the table. However, I rejoice to say that I have a hated rival who will certainly cut me out the instant that my back is turned. What a splendid night it is!”

“You like this weather?”

“It suits my purpose. Watson, I mean to burgle Milverton’s house to-night.”

I had a catching of the breath, and my skin went cold at the words, which were slowly uttered in a tone of concentrated resolution. As a flash of lightning in the night shows up in an instant every detail of a wide landscape, so at one glance I seemed to see every possible result of such an action—the detection, the capture, the honoured career ending in irreparable failure and disgrace, my friend himself lying at the mercy of the odious Milverton."

 

I copied a bit more than just the fake engagement bit, because I think this illustrates really well what a wonderful job they did in capturing the original spirit of the story, doesn't it?

 

By the way, can I just take a moment to say how much I love these two characters straight from the page, especially in this particular story? How Dr Watson goes from appalled at his friend's callousness to concerned for his honor and safety is very... well, I don't know. I'll call it sweet for the lack of a better word.

 

I do wish they'd kept this as well, though:

 

“You will be in such a false position.”

“Well, that is part of the risk. There is no other possible way of regaining these letters. The unfortunate lady has not the money, and there are none of her people in whom she could confide. To-morrow is the last day of grace, and unless we can get the letters to-night this villain will be as good as his word and will bring about her ruin. I must, therefore, abandon my client to her fate or I must play this last card. Between ourselves, Watson, it’s a sporting duel between this fellow Milverton and me. He had, as you saw, the best of the first exchanges; but my self-respect and my reputation are concerned to fight it to a finish.”

“Well, I don’t like it; but I suppose it must be,” said I. “When do we start?”

“You are not coming.”

“Then you are not going,” said I. “I give you my word of honour—and I never broke it in my life—that I will take a cab straight to the policestation and give you away unless you let me share

this adventure with you.”

“You can’t help me.”

“How do you know that? You can’t tell what may happen. Anyway, my resolution is taken. Other people beside you have self-respect and even reputations.”

Holmes had looked annoyed, but his brow cleared, and he clapped me on the shoulder.

“Well, well, my dear fellow, be it so. We have shared the same room for some years, and it would be amusing if we ended by sharing the same cell. You know, Watson, I don’t mind confessing to you that I have always had an idea that I would have made a highly efficient criminal. This is the chance of my lifetime in that direction. See here!”

 

Isn't this the John we'd all like to see again...?

[Arcadia]

You think that that John is gone? Hmmm... yet there he is, marching into Appledore, nary a question asked ... I don't know, I don't really see a difference in him, not in this respect. I see a change in John's circumstances, but not in his loyalty. I think. I need to watch it again, it's starting to go dim.........

[T.o.b.y]

You think that that John is gone? Hmmm... yet there he is, marching into Appledore, nary a question asked ... I don't know, I don't really see a difference in him, not in this respect. I see a change in John's circumstances, but not in his loyalty. I think. I need to watch it again, it's starting to go dim.........

 

Well, to be fair, the original Dr Watson did not have a family to worry about by the time the Milverton adventure came along. His wife was dead by then, and I think it is safe to assume there were no children.

 

John does not, however march into Appledore because he's concerned about Sherlock, does he. Sherlock convinces him to come along with the argument that John wants his wife to be safe. The whole time, it is Sherlock who draws John into the adventure, and not, as in the original, John who insists on sharing it. Not that I care that much as long as they're both in it somehow. But I just think that particular change away from the original is interesting (and possibly sad, somehow).

 

Interesting, by the way, that this is the one instance where Sherlock does not go off to confront the master villain on his own, where he almost insists on having John with him. What happened to "alone protects me"?

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Maybe he wanted John along this time as A] a witness, and B] a handy place to store a gun.  I guess we'll have a better idea of whether Sherlock's MO has actually changed, once we have some additional data from Series 4.

 

[Arcadia]

My first thought was "maybe he knew John wouldn't want it any other way." But of course the gun is the "real" reason John's there, innit? *sigh* That's the sad thing to me, my sense that Dr. Watson has become in some way more peripheral to the tale. Although my internal sense of story claims it won't stay that way. (My internal sense is such a romantic.)

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Oh I don't know. Yes, in the original Watson does insist on going even threatening to call the police if Holmes does not allow him to. But in HLV John does bring the gun, after all. Even though he does try to deny it. He still has it in his pocket. He didn't have to, not at all. He didn't even have to be there, especially with Mary who he hasn't talked to in months so, at least in my mind, yeah. John wanted to be there, Sherlock didn't have to hold a gun to his head or twist his arm very hard.

[T.o.b.y]

This is part of the description of what it's like inside Milverton's house when Holmes and Watson break in at night:

 

"The thick, warm air of the conservatory and the rich, choking fragrance of exotic plants took us by the throat."

 

And look at this picture:

 

 

Orchids! They may be plastic, but they still reminded me of that sentence the minute I noticed them...

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Oh yes. Mofftiss are sticklers for detail from Canon if nothing else.

[T.o.b.y]

Indeed. Here, by the way, is the original version of Holmes voicing his antipathy towards Milverton and comparing him to an animal - in the original version a snake instead of a shark:

 

"Do you feel a creeping, shrinking sensation, Watson, when you stand before the serpents in the Zoo and see the slithery, gliding, venomous creatures, with their deadly eyes and wicked, flattened faces? Well, that’s how Milverton impresses me. I’ve had to do with fifty murderers in my career, but the worst of them never gave me the repulsion which I have for this fellow."

 

Here's what I presume gave birth to the scene where Sherlock says that if they know who he is, they know who John is, too:

 

"Milverton’s smile broadened; he shrugged his shoulders, removed his overcoat, folded it with great deliberation over the back of a chair, and then took a seat.
“This gentleman?” said he, with a wave in my direction. “Is it discreet? Is it right?”
“Dr. Watson is my friend and partner.”
“Very good, Mr. Holmes. It is only in your client’s interests that I protested. The matter is so very delicate—”

 

And here is Holmes' opinion on the matter of Milverton's death. While I do not agree with the Sherlock team that Doyle was implying the detective actually shot him himself, I do think this kind of proves that Holmes would not agree with our moral qualms as voiced repeatedly in the thread for His Last Vow:

 

“Well, I am afraid I can’t help you, Lestrade,” said Holmes. “The fact is that I knew this fellow Milverton, that I considered him one of the most dangerous men in London, and that I think there are certain crimes which the law cannot touch, and which therefore, to some extent, justify private revenge. No, it’s no use arguing. I have made up my mind. My sympathies are with the criminals rather than with the victim, and I will not handle this case.”

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Absolutely. It seems Mofftiss left it to Lady Smallwood to voice her sympathy with the criminal (Sherlock) in this instance.

[Arcadia]

How do you mean, Fox?

[Arcadia]

And here is Holmes' opinion on the matter of Milverton's death. While I do not agree with the Sherlock team that Doyle was implying the detective actually shot him himself, I do think this kind of proves that Holmes would not agree with our moral qualms as voiced repeatedly in the thread for His Last Vow:.......

Actually, if Sherlock's motive had been revenge I might have found his action easier to accept, for some reason. Not sure, haven't thought it thru, and probably doesn't make sense; but that was my first thought. As it is his actions are based on what might happen, Minority Report style.

[Carol the Dabbler]

This is part of the description of what it's like inside Milverton's house when Holmes and Watson break in at night:

 

"The thick, warm air of the conservatory and the rich, choking fragrance of exotic plants took us by the throat."

 

And look at this picture:

 

 

Orchids! They may be plastic, but they still reminded me of that sentence the minute I noticed them...

Actually, I think they're anthuriums -- not that that makes any difference, since they're still tropical. 

 

Actually, if Sherlock's motive had been revenge I might have found his action easier to accept, for some reason. Not sure, haven't thought it thru, and probably doesn't make sense; but that was my first thought. As it is his actions are based on what might happen, Minority Report style.

But isn't it revenge to some extent?  Magnussen had already (in effect) killed Lord Smallwood, which must have been especially galling to Sherlock, since Lady Smallwood had hired him to protect her husband.  But Sherlock hates CAM even before Smallwood's death, and we're never told specifically why, but clearly there had been prior victims as well.  So there's all of that, plus the threat that he gleefully poses to Mary and John.

 

[T.o.b.y]

But isn't it revenge to some extent?  Magnussen had already (in effect) killed Lord Smallwood, which must have been especially galling to Sherlock, since Lady Smallwood had hired him to protect her husband.  But Sherlock hates CAM even before Smallwood's death, and we're never told specifically why, but clearly there had been prior victims as well.  So there's all of that, plus the threat that he gleefully poses to Mary and John.

 

I think it's more than revenge. If it was only that, I wouldn't like it. Shooting Magnussen was a solution to an actual problem, how to stop this creep from manipulating entire governments to do his bidding. He posed a threat to more than a few individuals, and killing him was an effective way of putting a stop to that danger.