CBS's "Elementary"

[Carol the Dabbler]

I missed the fourth episode this past Thursday (we were on vacation, and it totally slipped my mind). I've gotten so spoiled by the instant gratification of DVDs that it really frustrates me to have to wait for the reruns -- or wait for the DVD to be released.

 

The three episodes that I've seen can stand on their own, so I don't think you'll have any trouble just starting with the second one. About all you have to know from the pilot is that Joan is a former surgeon who walked away from her career after a patient died, and Sherlock's father hired her to be Sherlock's live-in "sober companion" after he left drug rehab.

[SherLOCKED221]

Drugs, well that may well exsplain the tatoos the wrote in.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Right the drugs could explain the tattoos from a "Holmes universe" perspective. But as for the real-world explanation:

 

... I ... like the fact that they've written Jonny Lee Miller's tattoos into the show as part of his character - it must make a nice change for him not to have to cover them up!

 

[SherLOCKED221]

I understand they are his REAL tattoos, mearly stateing the drugs explain them.

I guess Jonny Lee's Sherlock is a bit of a bad boy!

[Carol the Dabbler]

Or maybe he just has individualistic taste in personal decor!

 

In any case, I think the tattoos really work for the character, making him somewhat mysterious and exotic.

[SherLOCKED221]

What do they look like?

Tasteful or not?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Well, it's not like he has "Mom" on his biceps! As I recall, the general effect is more of an overall pattern, especially from the back.

[SherLOCKED221]

Many, (large or small)

Or few (large or small)?

 

I know it may sound odd asking, yet I am curious.

[aely]

Varying sizes from fairly tiny to about 6 inches and at least 5 I think.

 

 

Maybe I should explain that as a tattooed person myself I do tend to look out for them.

 

Talking of actors with tatts - some of the ones Abby from NCIS has actually are Pauley Perette's own.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I like Miller's tattoos on his Sherlock, and have seen some really cool ones on other people, but have never been seriously tempted to get any myself -- partly because I'm a real coward when it comes to needles!

 

I just noticed that the CBS web site has a video of the entire fourth episode (i.e., the one I missed this past Thursday) -- so I have put Hubby on notice that we need to go to his office (where there is high-speed internet service) some evening (before this coming Thursday) to watch it!

 

I assume that the second episode will air tomorrow (Tuesday) in the UK -- is it still at 9 pm on Sky Living?

[SherLOCKED221]

I have the slowest internet connection known to humankind and so I cannot watch movies online without fustration!

[aely]

Not that I am recommending it of course, but downloading and watching on your own computer can be easier - you also can get hold of subtitles then if needs be (which is why I'm downloading as Elementary is not broadcast over here with subtitles, or the pilot wasn't any way and tv companies don't care about the minority of people who *need* subtitles to watch tv properly, as I learned when I complained to syfy about the lack of Subtitling on Warehouse 13).

[SherLOCKED221]

The problem with downloading is that you have to use the internet, and because of my slow internet connection it takes forever to download anything.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Exactly. Which is why we're driving to my husband's office tomorrow evening to watch the show that we missed.

 

With our dial-up connection at home, it's a real stretch even to watch a short item on YouTube -- it takes at least half an hour to download a three-minute video, and even then, the sound quality is really poor because of the sampling algorithm. The hotel we stayed in last week had wi-fi -- what a difference!

[SherLOCKED221]

I'm wireless but I still feel the affect. It is so anyoing

[aely]

Yeah, but you can download while you're asleep. I didn't always get great speeds from my internet (maybe double that of a 56k modem), though it has improved recently, but I remember the days when it took 2 hours to download 1 song so maybe I just don't react the same as most people to slow download speeds. I'd rather download over a period of time than try to watch something streamed - my connection makes streaming a bit annoying to say the least.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Oh, I think I see -- you're making a distinction between downloading to a file and just watching something while it streams. Assuming that I could stay connected long enough, yeah, that would be good, though there would still be a practical upper limit on the length of the video. OK, say I'm downloading for ten hours. If downloading takes roughly as long as streaming, then I might be able to download an hour-long video in that time, and Elementary probably runs about 45 minutes.

 

Wouldn't I still have the degradation of sound quality, though? (Unless the sampling algorithm was different, in which case it might take about a year to download the show!)

 

We have a 56K modem, but our connection is usually about 40K.

 

Is there actually a way to download Elementary?

[aely]

I don't find there's any degradation of sound quality in the downloaded things I watch, but sound is really not my thing as due to wearing hearing aids I don't hear sound the same way as everyone else in the first place. As mentioned previously, I rely on subtitles to ensure I don't miss anything that is said.

 

How to download isn't really legal so I don't want to discuss it in a public forum just in case!

[Carol the Dabbler]

I also find myself relying more and more on subtitles, especially when watching British things. (Well, I should say anything non-American, but that amounts to pretty much the same thing in my case.) It's partly the accents (and the unfamiliar vocabulary) and partly the desire to "hear" absolutely everything. Also, I think there's a growing tendency to be realistic by having characters mumble or talk over one another. (And just maybe my hearing isn't quite what it used to be.)

 

Anyhow, I know a lot of people who use subtitles and closed-captioning, for a variety of reasons. I think we're going to see more and more things subtitled, due to increasing demand.

 

My biggest beef at present is with audio commentaries, which are hardly EVER subtitled, which makes no sense at all. With the movie itself, people are generally using their nice, clear acting voices, and usually talking one at a time, and it's often possible to lipread a bit (at least to know which person is talking), just as in real life -- AND there are usually subtitles. With the commentaries, you cancel all those advantages and then play the soundtrack in the background for good measure. Sure, I'm gonna understand that!!!

[aely]

Oh I am so with you on audio commentaries - it's something that spoiled the Sherlock dvds for me. Luckily someone on livejournal transcribed the commentaries eventually and that was a big help.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yes, I found those -- if you're talking about Ariane DeVere's partial transcriptions -- and they did fill in several gaps for me. She also did meticulously complete transcripts of the series 2 episodes, which are a great resource when quoting the show!

 

Unfortunately, as Ms. DeVere warns us in her preamble, the commentary "transcripts" are often just paraphrasings of the parts that she found the most interesting, with some bits ignored entirely. That is an observation, by the way, not a complaint. It must have been daunting enough to do true transcriptions of the episodes, even with all the advantages mentioned in my previous post. I can't even imagine actually transcribing an audio commentary!

[SherLOCKED221]

I am a young woman so I don't have difficulties with hearing, but another reason I don't use subtitles (except in foreign films i.e. French etc.) is that I have the strangest need to read every word and I find this distracts me from the body movements of the characters. Those little things that makes a show so engaging.

[aely]

I am a young woman so I don't have difficulties with hearing

 

I have been deaf since my 20s. Poor hearing doesn't always go with increasing age, so it's best not to make assumptions.

[SherLOCKED221]

I am sorry, but assumptions are so close to deductions that I often get them confused. Please don't be offended.

[Carol the Dabbler]

... another reason I don't use subtitles (except in foreign films i.e. French etc.) is that I have the strangest need to read every word and I find this distracts me from the body movements of the characters....

 

That is the great dilemma of subtitles. Without them, I miss some of the dialog. With them, I miss some of the action. My usual compromise is to watch once with them, then again without them.