Episode 1.1, "A Study In Pink"

[sfmpco]

I knew a bit about Moriarty from the films "The Seven Percent Solution" and "Time After Time," and I think anyone with a broad education, even if they haven't read the ACD canon, is certainly vaguely familiar with the name Moriarty.  

[sittything]

Hey now, Jenny.  You saying I don't have a broad education?  ;)

[Arcadia]

There's a pun in there somewhere but perhaps we'll just leave it alone....

[sfmpco]

There's a pun in there somewhere but perhaps we'll just leave it alone....

 

Not saying a word.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

The Sherlock addicted FB page posted a tumblr pic collage that shows what appears to be Jennifer Wilson at the last press conference before her death and then the close-up of her face as the dead woman. I'm on my phone or I'd put it over here.

[Carol the Dabbler]

A Google search on "Jennifer Wilson" Sherlock brought up a bunch of photos, including this one of the reporter and this one of the body.  The hair matches and the reporter's clothing is all pink (she isn't wearing her raincoat, but why would she at a press conference?).  So yeah, it does seem possible that Wilson was covering the story (presumably for a Cardiff television station) before it caught up with her.

 

That is a cool touch, assuming it was on purpose -- and odd that it took people this long to notice!  I'll look forward to seeing that Facebook when you're able to post a link.

 

Come to think of it, whoever's at the Sherlocked convention can ask the actress who played Wilson whether she was also in the press conference scene.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

A Google search on "Jennifer Wilson" Sherlock brought up a bunch of photos, including this one of the reporter and this one of the body.  The hair matches and the reporter's clothing is all pink (she isn't wearing her raincoat, but why would she at a press conference?).  So yeah, it does seem possible that Wilson was covering the story (presumably for a Cardiff television station) before it caught up with her.

 

On the other hand, that photo of the reporter doesn't look all that much like Louise Breckon-Richards, the actress credited with playing Jennifer Wilson.  (Maybe they used a body double?  ;)  )

 

[HeroinOrHeroine]

I've watched this episode numerous times; decided to watch it again tonight and only just realized, on this viewing, that it's "67. Natural causes", and not "67 natural causes". Yowza.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

The pause between words is oh so subtle if not paying attention yet oh so important  It is like the use of punctuation in sentences.  Let's eat Grandma is very different from Let's eat, Grandma.

[HeroinOrHeroine]

I've always just vaguely thought, "wow, that's a lot of natural causes". Haha. Oh, dear.

[J.P.]

Okay, it wasn't mentioned apparently, at least couldn't find anything. So here it goes:

 

In the hotel scene when John is taking his laptop from the drawer and we see the gun - at some point I started to see it as a sign of John being suicidal. Maybe not acute suicidal, but keeping the gun just in case. Because what other reason would he have to keep it - especially if it was actually illegal for him to keep a gun after being retired from the army.

 

In this case meeting Sherlock actually saved John's life.

[Arcadia]

I thought of that when someone else mentioned it somewhere, but the way Mr. Freeman plays him, I really don't see John as suicidal. At loose ends and having nightmares, but not to the point of despair. He didn't seem to pay any attention to the gun the first time we see it, it just happens to be in the drawer he opens, and the camera zooms in to show us so we won't wonder later where it came from. At least, that's how it comes across to me.
 
Sherlock still saved his life -- by giving him purpose again -- but not, I would say, literally. But I suppose it's yet another one of those things that is intentionally ambiguous ... so maybe John was suicidal! But he strikes me as being made of sterner stuff than that.

[Caya]

Maybe he kept the gun not because he planned to commit suicide, but just in case, so that he could. I remember reading a statistic about one of the Swiss suicide societies (assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland) - a huge percentage of their clients that went through all the legal requirements to have an assisted suicide and already had the prescription for the meds ready and all, then decided not to go through with it after all, at least not yet. Unbearable pain apparently becomes a lot more bearable if you know that you could end it if you so chose. I guess it's similar with mental pain.

[Boton]

I thought of that when someone else mentioned it somewhere, but the way Mr. Freeman plays him, I really don't see John as suicidal. At loose ends and having nightmares, but not to the point of despair. He didn't seem to pay any attention to the gun the first time we see it, it just happens to be in the drawer he opens, and the camera zooms in to show us so we won't wonder later where it came from. At least, that's how it comes across to me.

 

Sherlock still saved his life -- by giving him purpose again -- but not, I would say, literally. But I suppose it's yet another one of those things that is intentionally ambiguous ... so maybe John was suicidal! But he strikes me as being made of sterner stuff than that.

 

I've never read that scene as John being suicidal.  I agree with your first paragraph -- I think the scene is just informative.  I almost don't think it would have been necessary in other contexts.  (In most of the Victorian versions I've seen, it is normal for both Holmes and Watson to have a gun, and in the Russian 2013 version, literally everyone down to Irene Adler is able to pull a weapon out at an opportune moment.) But my guess is, since my understanding of British law is that it is more difficult for a civilian to own a firearm, they wanted to establish that John had kept his army pistol so it wouldn't be so random later when he pulled it out.

 

But hey!  Didn't he also pull an apple out to put beside his coffee mug?  Maybe he's really Moriarty, and he was getting ready to carve IOU into it!  

[J.P.]

Maybe he kept the gun not because he planned to commit suicide, but just in case, so that he could. 

 

That's what I was trying to say.

 

 

I've never read that scene as John being suicidal.  I agree with your first paragraph -- I think the scene is just informative.  I almost don't think it would have been necessary in other contexts. (...)

they wanted to establish that John had kept his army pistol so it wouldn't be so random later when he pulled it out.

 

Yes, there is this statement, something like: if you show a gun in a story it will be fired later - don't even know who said this anymore... Otherwise John shooting the Cabby would be very deus ex machina.

 

But hey!  Didn't he also pull an apple out to put beside his coffee mug?  Maybe he's really Moriarty, and he was getting ready to carve IOU into it!   

 

 

You know what? At the pool scene, when John is showing and speaking for Moriarty - the first time I saw it I doubted John for a moment. Probably even Sherlock had this thought - that he invited his arch-enemy to live with him. This would be a story twist, huh?

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Maybe John and Jim are cousins and John is smarter than he lets Sherlock think he is.  That would be an interesting plot twist.  Now to finish this theory over in a series 4 thread.

[Boton]

 

 

 

 

 

You know what? At the pool scene, when John is showing and speaking for Moriarty - the first time I saw it I doubted John for a moment. Probably even Sherlock had this thought - that he invited his arch-enemy to live with him. This would be a story twist, huh?

 

 

I think that was the intention.  I think Sherlock doubted John.  For some reason, I didn't doubt John for a minute on my first several viewings.  Either I was "very loyal, very quickly," or (truth) I was counting pips, and it bothered me that the fifth pip hadn't happened, so that's what I assumed John to be.  It was only on later viewings that I realized what a shock it could be to see John and not be sure what was going on.

[J.P.]

Another highlight of MF's acting. Great.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I've watched this episode numerous times; decided to watch it again tonight and only just realized, on this viewing, that it's "67. Natural causes", and not "67 natural causes". Yowza.

The pause between words is oh so subtle if not paying attention yet oh so important  It is like the use of punctuation in sentences.  Let's eat Grandma is very different from Let's eat, Grandma.

 

The newspaper obituary for one of my classmates said that he "loved cooking and serving his Lord."  When I sent a copy out to the rest of the class, I added a comma.

 

In the hotel scene when John is taking his laptop from the drawer and we see the gun - at some point I started to see it as a sign of John being suicidal. Maybe not acute suicidal, but keeping the gun just in case. Because what other reason would he have to keep it - especially if it was actually illegal for him to keep a gun after being retired from the army.

 

In this case meeting Sherlock actually saved John's life.

... the way Mr. Freeman plays him, I really don't see John as suicidal. At loose ends and having nightmares, but not to the point of despair. He didn't seem to pay any attention to the gun the first time we see it, it just happens to be in the drawer he opens, and the camera zooms in to show us so we won't wonder later where it came from. At least, that's how it comes across to me.

 

Sherlock still saved his life -- by giving him purpose again -- but not, I would say, literally. But I suppose it's yet another one of those things that is intentionally ambiguous ... so maybe John was suicidal! But he strikes me as being made of sterner stuff than that.

I suspect that a good bit of the potential-suicide vibe is actually a carry-over from the pilot, for those of us who've seen it. In the corresponding scene there, John gives the gun a very meaningful look -- though of course we don't know what he's actually thinking. Maybe it just reminds him of Afghanistan.

 

Yes, it could be intentionally ambiguous. Considering that Mr. Freeman is very well known for playing each take a bit differently, he might have played it both ways in both versions, with the difference that we see being due to the director/editor choosing certain takes to use.

 

[sittything]

During the pool scene, when John first walked out for a split second I was all:

 

 

 

[besleybean]

Me too!

[J.P.]

Yes, it could be intentionally ambiguous. Considering that Mr. Freeman is very well known for playing each take a bit differently, he might have played it both ways in both versions, with the difference that we see being due to the director/editor choosing certain takes to use.

 

Yes, I have heard that too, that's why I wondered about the Pilot. Because if you watch both versions simultaneously, the same line sound - and often look - identical. The pacing, the tone, everything. I had this line about diversity of takes in the back of my head and thought, hell, he could also repeat the lines like a computer.  

[Van Buren Supernova]

Rewatched, few notes:

 

I never like the way Donovan treats Sherlock, but her line to John,"Did he follow you home?" :lol: :lol:

 

Sherlock Holmes is actually a courteous and friendly young man.

He hugged and kissed Mrs.Hudson! And said 'please' to John.

 

Great first appearance of Sherlock, I know this show is special when the main character is introduced this way, poking his head and sniffing inside body bag.

And of course, taking risk of suspicious policeman knocking on my door, I have to say that,"If you have to beat up a corpse, you might as well get into it."

 

 

Not very related to the story but significant enough I hope:

 

- Can anyone kindly explain why it's impossible to sustain smoking habit in London? 

I figure it must be an expensive habit, or is it too very restricted?

 

- Same question going for not owning a car. (But John managed to own a car in HLV?)

I spent years living in a very expensive city and found it easier, even more economical than public transport, to actually ride a bike. 

With all the taxis that he takes, why doesn't Sherlock owns a bike instead? And he looks very bad-ass with that in TEH. Also, imagine how much expenses he saves by taking all those shortcuts he knows!

 

- Looking from the amount of responses, does this forum exist after series 1? I can imagine the excitement of over one hundred pages discussion for HLV. So 17 pages seems very low.

[sittything]

I'm not sure what's more iconic for me about ASIP.  Him peaking his head around the door to give his name, or John and Sherlock laughing and smiling at the end at the crime scene.

 

I'm not sure when this forum was created, but I'd wager the length of the HLV thread has to do with the controversial nature of HLV.  Some love it, some hate it, some of us aren't sure how we feel about it. 

[Boton]

I'm not sure what's more iconic for me about ASIP.  Him peaking his head around the door to give his name, or John and Sherlock laughing and smiling at the end at the crime scene.

 

 

 

I sometimes watch SiP just because I so love that introduction scene.  Just having someone "real" and modern introduce himself as Sherlock Holmes and give the 221B Baker Street address gives me chills.  

 

But my favorite scene is the two of them cracking up in the hallway after the chase.  To me, that's the moment that we really knew those two were going to be friends forever.