Episode 1.1, "A Study In Pink"

[besleybean]

Sherlock always has been and I think will always remain my favourite canonical character. But I think Molly is certainly a favourite BBC Sherlock character.

This episode is actually only no 4 on my list of the 6.

[Carol the Dabbler]

[The pink lady] must have loved the child very much to have kept the name so close to her emotionally. The phone was very important. It saved the lives of others.....the child lives on and Sherlock didn't get it. Kind of sad really.

This came up on another thread, and reminded me of something that I wonder about every time I watch "Study."

 

Each time we see one of the cabbie's victims holding the bottle of pills, there's one less pill, so that when Sherlock is choosing, each bottle has only one pill left. If the cabbie hadn't died, would Moriarty have given him more pills to play with? Did Sherlock and John save the lives of future victims by using the phone? Or would Sherlock have been the final victim in any case?

[besleybean]

I think the latter.

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

I also think Sherlock would have been his final victim. The cabbie was dieing. It didn't take Sherlock long to figure it out so Moriarty would have known and probably this is what made him chose him. If he didn't die soon after Sherlock's apparent suicide, Moriarty could always have him killed as he did the leader of the Black Lotus killed and the elderly woman in "TGG".

[Carol the Dabbler]

I hadn't thought of that, but you're right -- the cabbie would have been a loose end, and Moriarty doesn't leave those lying around. So he might have helped the aneurism along a bit? Poor cabbie, he made the mistake of trying to play with the big boys, and they play rough.

[Julia Mae]

This came up on another thread, and reminded me of something that I wonder about every time I watch "Study."

 

Each time we see one of the cabbie's victims holding the bottle of pills, there's one less pill, so that when Sherlock is choosing, each bottle has only one pill left.

-------------------------------------

That's what I thought, also, until my daughter pointed out that each of the bottles in the previous suicides had three pills.  So I researched it.  Here's a pic from my post about it:

 

 

 

These are in order.  Here is the post, The Tale of the Killer Cabbie.  This is the premise:

 

According to John Watson's blog, he and Sherlock looked at the flat at 221B Baker Street on the 30th of January.1

The first of the serial suicides occurred on October 12th.  This means that long before Dr. Watson meets Sherlock Holmes, Moriarty is planning to kill him.

 

How do we know that?.....

[Carol the Dabbler]

That is so weird.  I didn't just assume that there were fewer pills each, I could have sworn that I had seen fewer pills each time.  But pending my next viewing of "Study," I will take your word for it.  All I can figure is that I saw three pills in Beth Davenport's bottle and one in Sherlock's bottle, then proceeded to interpolate and extrapolate.

 

Hmm, interesting.  You think the four "suicides" were handled differently from Sherlock.  Could be.  I don't recall seeing a second bottle in any of the first four cases, but then again, we were shown only a few angles on each.

 

[Julia Mae]

 

Hmm, interesting.  You think the four "suicides" were handled differently from Sherlock.  Could be.  I don't recall seeing a second bottle in any of the first four cases, but then again, we were shown only a few angles on each.

 

Well, giving credit where it's due, it was my daughter who said, "I think Sherlock's was different, special."  Then she said the other bottles had three pills.

 

I've been trying to piece it together ever since I confirmed she was right.   There were possible motives to kill the four victims we see.  Why would the cabbie kill Sherlock, why would Moriarty want him dead at this point?  Why dead in this way? 

 

If the cabbie is what he says he is: a pawn of Moriarty's, who is also Sherlock's fan and the cabbie's sponsor, why have a fake gun?  Could just shoot the wise-ass, couldn't he?  Guess not.  Had to be the apparent suicide route. 

 

If the cabbie is really dying of a brain aneurism, maybe both the pills are poisoned.  He kind of says so.  Sherlock assumes both bottles are identical and the cabbie responds, "In every way."  Maybe he means every way.  It would plant the theme of suicide/murder of Sherlock.  If he's a pawn, he might get a huge bonus for his kids if Sherlock dies, and an even  bigger one if he, himself,  dies.  I think that'd be an easy sell to a dying man.  

 

It never mattered which bottle he picked, it was all poison.

 

(BTW - I did just what you did, I was sure there were fewer each time.)

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

If the cabbie is what he says he is: a pawn of Moriarty's, who is also Sherlock's fan and the cabbie's sponsor, why have a fake gun?  Could just shoot the wise-ass, couldn't he?  Guess not.  Had to be the apparent suicide route.

I think the fake gun is the cabbie's idea. True, Moriarty could surely have gotten him a real one. But I think using a fake one appealed to the cabbie's sense of humor, another way for him to feel really superior to all those stupid people (assuming he was telling the truth about threatening the prior "suicide" victims with it).

 

I'd never made the connection, but you're right, if Sherlock had gone ahead and swallowed the pill (and assuming it was poison), it would have been chalked up as another apparent suicide. So Moriarty was already working on that idea.

 

You know, I bet Moriarty bribed the cabbie with more than just money for his kids. I bet he also stoked the cabbie's ego, commiserating with him about dealing with the stupid general public, and complimenting him on his own thinking.

[Julia Mae]

I think the fake gun is the cabbie's idea. True, Moriarty could surely have gotten him a real one. But I think using a fake one appealed to the cabbie's sense of humor, another way for him to feel really superior to all those stupid people (assuming he was telling the truth about threatening the prior "suicide" victims with it).

 

I'd never made the connection, but you're right, if Sherlock had gone ahead and swallowed the pill (and assuming it was poison), it would have been chalked up as another apparent suicide. So Moriarty was already working on that idea.

 

You know, I bet Moriarty bribed the cabbie with more than just money for his kids. I bet he also stoked the cabbie's ego, commiserating with him about dealing with the stupid general public, and complimenting him on his own thinking.

 

 

Yes, I like the idea that the fake gun made him feel superior.  Also, I'm not sure what the concealed or carry laws are in London, but if it's like Canada, just having a real gun can get you some serious prison time.  

 

And if Sherlock died that way, it would be obvious that he had been taken in, somehow, and he'd "die in disgrace" as Jim said was "the point of all this" on the roof of Saint Bart's.

 

Yes, I agree, if the Killer Cabbie is just as he represents himself, he certainly seemed to resent the "so clever" Sherlock and wanted very much to best him.  Moriarty seems like  quite the psychological manipulator.  

 

[bborchar]

Just watched this episode dubbed in Japanese.  The voices are hilarious- John has a very deep voice and Sherlock is more of a tenor.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I once watched Gilligan's Island dubbed in German.  They had apparently decided that Gilligan would sound funnier with a squeaky voice, not at all like Bob Denver's baritone.  With that experience in mind, I was very impressed by the choice of voice actors for the Spanish dubbing of The Hobbit.

 

I would say that I hope the Japanese dubbing becomes more realistic, but since they've started with those voices, they'll probably keep them.  And I can understand their not wanting to confuse the viewers.

 

[bborchar]

I once watched Gilligan's Island dubbed in German.  They had apparently decided that Gilligan would sound funnier with a squeaky voice, not at all like Bob Denver's baritone.  With that experience in mind, I was very impressed by the choice of voice actors for the Spanish dubbing of The Hobbit.

 

I would say that I hope the Japanese dubbing becomes more realistic, but since they've started with those voices, they'll probably keep them.  And I can understand their not wanting to confuse the viewers.

 

 

 

 

I would say that Sherlock's voice is your typical "hero" voice in Japanese.  John...I guess they wanted something that didn't sound like the typical squeaky-voiced bumbling sidekick- they probably wanted to emphasize that he was a soldier, older and smart, so they cast someone with a deep voice.  Moriarty is definately your crazy evil villain voice.  The actors who dubbed Sherlock in Japanese:

 

Sherlock: Satoshi Mikami

Watson: Toshiyuki Morikawa

Lestrade: Hara Yasuyoshi

Mrs. Hudson: Ikuko Tani

 

I also found a Japanese manga of Sherlock (it was only time, lol).  Pretty much word-for-word, though.  I only read the first chapter of SIP at my friend's behest (on a Doctor Who kick atm, still trying to work my way through Tennant).

[Earendil]

My favourite episode from the 1st series, mainly because it was the first time I met such a wonderful show with brilliant actors (and you never forget your first time, aren't you?  ).

But I still cannot figure out how Sherlock made that trick with the mobile phone texting at the police press conference? Everyone in that room got the text "wrong" on his/her mobile phone simultaneously. How on earth did he make it? 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Maybe there's an app for that? Like a massive conference call?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Or maybe he hacked into something that the phone company had set up for testing new phones en masse.

 

Earendil, you may have have noticed that my favorite S1 episode is the same as yours, and it's for the same reason.  Even though I think "The Great Game" is also wonderful, "A Study in Pink" was our introduction to this amazing universe.

 

[Caya]

We only saw what happened in that room. Maybe he hacked into the area's cell phone tower and hundreds of people were baffled to read that they were wrong about something.

 

Could've caused some interesting situations. "But dear, you know I had to work late yesterday." *ding* "Wait, I'm receiving a message."

[Janie]

This is my favourite S1 episode too. The scene when we see Sherlock for the first time always reminds me that this was the moment when I became completely addicted to this show 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yeah, I think it was "We'll start with the riding crop" that really got my attention!  (I am a real sucker for whimsy.)

 

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

I loved the music in that scene. "The Science of Deduction". As much as I love the "Unaired Pilot" there is no music at all as he is beating that poor dead body, and I miss it.

[SH/LotR/Zelda Fan]

The music of the whole pilot just seems wrong to me...

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

 I'm not questioning your opinion, as yours is a very valid point. Not everyone is crazy about any particular soundtrack, tv or movie. But may I ask....what was it about the music of the pilot that you didn't like?

[SH/LotR/Zelda Fan]

Well, I find music a bit hard to explain, but I'll try. I also haven't watched it for a while, which doesn't help. I think it was mainly the fact that it didn't have the main tune (The Science of Deduction) and the kind of main tune that replaced it was kinda...too shaky and loose...I don't really remember much (in terms of music), just that I didn't like the music. Time to rewatch...

[ToniLianne]

I actually missed this episode when it aired, and only started watching Sherlock because surprisingly my mum who hates every other show I watch, had watched it and loved it and thought it would be my cup of tea so to speak, how right she was! Me being me, I still didn't actually get around to watching "A Study In Pink" until after the second series, when I bought the boxset and eventually watched it. So anyway naturally I thought the episode was brilliant, and as always very cleverly written. I loved the introduction to the characters, in particular to John Watson, as with missing this episode in the first instance I had missed seeing Watson's back story and I quite like knowing the backgrounds of characters for me I think this plays a part in the characters development, and it was interesting to see how John's character changes with Sherlock's influence.

I also really enjoyed the plot/case I know that these series are based on the original stories, but having never read them or seen any other adaptations of Sherlock it was completely new for me, and I cannot comment on the accuracy of relevance to the original cases, but I thought it was really well done and like how they have managed to modernise it and probably inspired a whole new generation of Sherlock Holmes fans, like myself.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Familiarity with Conan Doyle's original stories is certainly not a prerequisite for understanding and enjoying the Sherlock episodes.  I didn't read his novel A Study in Scarlet till well after I'd been blown away by "A Study in Pink" (which I did happen to see when it first aired here).  In general, the episodes are inspired by the original stories, rather than being actually based on them.