John Watson

[Arcadia]

Yeah, they're a bit like that, except I don't think we hear those four notes anywhere else in the Star Trek soundtrack. (?) But you hear John's motif (I'll call it) all over the place in Sherlock. Not just when John's on screen either, if I remember correctly. Whenever they need a touch of melancholy, interestingly enough.

 

I'm acutely attuned to soundtracks and how they affect a production, it always amazes me when other people say they never notice. My dad's influence, I suspect. He was an avid music nut.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I will freely admit that i pay far more attention to the dialog and to what I see on the screen than I do to a program's music.  Frankly, I think it's supposed to be that way -- the music is meant to be almost subliminal, to lend a certain mood to the show.  If you're actually paying attention to the music (especially on the first viewing), then in my opinion the composer has not done a good job.

 

I'm not saying I don't think the music is important -- I think it can be a very important element.  But most of the time, it needs to stay in the background.  So that's a tough assignment for a composer -- to write beautiful music that no one will notice!

 

On subsequent viewings, I do sometimes listen to the music.  I will sometimes watch the acting as such, also.  But I don't think those things are meant to stand out.

 

I managed to find John's motif and the four ST notes on YouTube (near the beginning of each clip).  They somehow remind me of each other.

 

[Artemis]

That reminds me of this, lol.

 

"Music Matters: The Importance of a Good Soundtrack"

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYud9sZ91Mc

 

 

[Arcadia]

I don't mean that I deliberately listen to the soundtracks ... just that I'm always very aware of them. It's not distracting unless the music doesn't fit the scene, but I think that's because I'm accustomed to experiencing a film that way, if you see what I mean. It's not a conscious effort. Same with cinematography. It's an important part of the experience for me, not a distracting one .... unless it's a bit not good, like it is in TST. It's going to take me a long time to find a way to appreciate that episode, because I'm so distracted by the pedestrian cinematography. And the awful lighting. And the horrible make up. And...

 

I love that clip, I've seen others like it. My battery's about to die or I'd go find some more, they're hysterical!

[Van Buren Supernova]

I love specific themes. Didn't pay attention until I start to recognize them in series (that provide longer opportunity to notice them).

Game of Thrones has different theme for each houses. Person of Interest has different theme for each important characters. Since I'm aware I love those details much more. (The very obvious one is Sherlock is Irene's theme)

[Arcadia]

Yeah, I love digging down into the craft of filmmaking, there is just so much cool stuff there. Just changing a lens on a camera can change the entire mood of a shot, for instance. So can changing a lightbulb. Or using a moving camera instead of a stationary one. Just fascinating.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Yeah, I love digging down into the craft of filmmaking, there is just so much cool stuff there. Just changing a lens on a camera can change the entire mood of a shot, for instance. So can changing a lightbulb. Or using a moving camera instead of a stationary one. Just fascinating.

I'm starting to pay more conscious observation to those as well. I know what you meant (I guess) with moving camera. I love long continuous shot (a 360 degree type) and I remember beautiful shots like we see camera as if it follows the person's POV in somewhere that looks like a rooftop and suddenly it stops at the edge and reveal the whole world under that, or when camera follow character from behind (I love behind the shoulder shot) and they step on somewhere like an arena, or an open landscape and we are treated with the whole view of those.

 

Eh.. not to stray too much from topic. :p

One thing that I appreciate a lot is subtle continuity, little things that let us know that showmakers pay attention, little things that only fans would catch.

I love series with tons of those. (POI is best!), example in Sherlock is when mummy Holmes nagged at daddy Holmes because he lost his spec and suggested that he hangs them on the neck with a chain in TEH. And voila, we see he did just that in HLV. Also probably less subtle, the continuity of the smiley face from TGG until the end of TFP. Even the How would you know? Sherlock and Mycroft's banter in SIB and TEH. Or Sherlock and John talking about Cluedo and we see Cluedo being stabbed on the wall, John's (see? On topic :p) RAMC's mug showed prominently in SIP and MHR when he was alone/suffering/grieving.

[Arcadia]

I admit I don't think continuity is Sherlock's strongest suite. But given the level of scrutiny each episode receives, they do alright.

[Van Buren Supernova]

Not the best, but there are enough gems to find. And that is better than many.

 

I don't think Sherlock is strong at handling cliff hanger too, in fact, there is a lack of it. (Cliff hanger ends up settled in quite quick, unsatisfying way that lack of importance and significance they indicate in the finale) but there are many worse as well.

So for me, it's enough for me to enjoy unless I want to pick particular things in this series apart which I don't.

[Arcadia]

If they had more episodes per season, I think I might agree about the cliffhangers. As it is, I think it works better when they wrap them up in the first episode, the way they did the first couple of times. Otherwise the resolution of the cliffhanger takes on too much importance, as it did in S4. The big reveal sort of fell flat, imo, because we were expecting too much of it by the time it showed up.

 

Or maybe the resolution just wasn't a very good one. :p At any rate, the plots are not the most important thing to me in this show; the characters are, and in that regard I think they do just fine. Mostly.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I too prefer it when the cliffhanger merely gives us something to think about during the hiatus, then gets resolved (or not :P ) quickly in Episode 1.

 

VBS, if you love 360's and other intricate shots, you ought to check out Leverage. They do all kinds of cool stuff with their cameras. (And the DVD has audio commentary for every single episode, where they point out all that kinda stuff and how they did it.)

[Van Buren Supernova]

At any rate, the plots are not the most important thing to me in this show; the characters are, and in that regard I think they do just fine. Mostly.

I detect hesitation. :p

Is it HLV? You know mine is TLD. XD

But up to S4 I'd say the series has one of the best characters development and consistency.

 

I agree that Sherlock's cliffhanger being wrapped up in first episode is good thing (I feel relieved when Mary dies at the end of T6T), and Moriarty out of pool. I don't want it to be dragged unnecessary if it doesn't flow naturally.

 

Let me see if I could explain it..

A good cliffhanger with satisfying solution in my mind works as something that seems resolved, crisis is averted but it actually does significant damages in the long run to the plot, that make sense. I add the last part because I think they meant Moriarty-Eurus as long run but it feels more like a patch-on. I like the two season Moriarty arch, but as said, the solution to the cliffhanger, the phone call, is not significant in term of satisfying explaination for the impeccable timing and content.

 

But then again, I understand the limitation and priority in Sherlock and fine with that.

 

*peeking at the thread tittle*

John!

I can't seem to figure out what are John's hobbies? Any ideas?

Hobbies is my main and maybe only thing to connect with people, I feel lost when someone tells me that their hobbies are sleeping and eating :O (you call that hobby??)

 

He cycles, but for necessity.

He writes, maybe he enjoys that, but he didn't do it before Sherlock.

Medical is profession.

Cluedo, Sherlock forces him.

Does he do something for fun; gardening, baking, secretly fascinated with Sudoku (it distracts him from Sherlock Holmes's deduction he used to enjoy!), fishing? Try fishing? (And oh well, now I remember Donovan asked the same question. Didn't mean that!)

[Artemis]

I think they meant Moriarty-Eurus as long run but it feels more like a patch-on.

 

I thought so too.

 

I can't seem to figure out what are John's hobbies? Any ideas?

 

I've wondered this myself.  The only one I can think of is reading, maybe.  I've seen him read several times on the show.  He has nights out with friends, so maybe he's the type that just enjoys an evening in a pub.  Between being a doctor and working on cases with Sherlock, he may not have time for much else.

 

 

[Pseudonym]

He's clearly a BDSM fiend, that's why he hates Irene so much - competition. ;)

[Arcadia]

 

At any rate, the plots are not the most important thing to me in this show; the characters are, and in that regard I think they do just fine. Mostly.

I detect hesitation. :P

Is it HLV? You know mine is TLD. XD

But up to S4 I'd say the series has one of the best characters development and consistency.

 

 

No, mine is T6T. Sherlock's characterization in that one really grates at times, particularly in the beginning. Re: TLD, are you referring to John? Because I thought everyone was letter perfect in that one ... even, ahem, John. It wasn't a pleasant thing to see, but it just felt true to me. But his rudeness to Sherlock in TSo3 and TAB took me aback.

 

 

I think they meant Moriarty-Eurus as long run but it feels more like a patch-on.

 

I thought so too.

 

 

I thought so three. But I did like the way they tried to weave Eurus into the story from the beginning of the season, with her different disguises. But again, three episodes wasn't enough to really pull it off. They should have had more hints of her importance in S3, imo, not just the word "Redbeard."

 

 

I can't seem to figure out what are John's hobbies? Any ideas?

 

I've wondered this myself.  The only one I can think of is reading, maybe.  I've seen him read several times on the show.  He has nights out with friends, so maybe he's the type that just enjoys an evening in a pub.  Between being a doctor and working on cases with Sherlock, he may not have time for much else.

 

 

​I think Sherlock is his hobby. Wait, that didn't come out right. :D I think working with Sherlock is his hobby.

 

He's clearly a BDSM fiend, that's why he hates Irene so much - competition. ;)

And that too, of course; it's so obvious that the rest of us simply didn't bother to mention it.

[Pseudonym]

Ah right, so when you say working with Sherlock do you mean...?

[Arcadia]

I knew it.... :p

[Pseudonym]

Well, I couldn't disappoint you, could I?

[Pseudonym]

Here is a music clip to placate you. 

 

 

Or alternatively there is this less melodic version. 

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

When I get into the code, I can see that you've posted a couple of YouTube items -- but all I actually see in your post is your text, with a couple of big white patches between.  What's everybody else seeing?  (I would try to fix your post, but I'm having trouble posting videos myself lately!)  Added:  Wait -- now I see the first video (and it plays for me), but the second is still a big white patch.  Maybe it's my wi-fi?  Aaand on third load I see both and am also able to play (unfortunately!) the second one.

 

Regarding John's hobbies -- good question!  Let's see -- he learned to play the clarinet in school, but apparently has not followed up on that.  He picks up women (or at least attempts to).  He does seem fairly dedicated to his blog, so may have done some writing in the past as well.

 

We actually know very little about his private life (meaning his life apart from Sherlock) in general.  He has a sister that he has never gotten along with.  He's a medical doctor.  He was in the army in Afghanistan, then invalided home.  Umm -- he learned clarinet in school.  Help me, I'm struggling here!

[Artemis]

When I get into the code, I can see that you've posted a couple of YouTube items -- but all I actually see in your post is your text, with a couple of big white patches between.  What's everybody else seeing?  (I would try to fix your post, but I'm having trouble posting videos myself lately!)

 

I can see both of the videos.

 

But his rudeness to Sherlock in TSo3 and TAB took me aback.

 

What rudeness are you referring to?

[Arcadia]

Here is a music clip to placate you. 

 

 

SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! I WANT ONE!!!!

 

Aaand on third load I see both and am also able to play (unfortunately!) the second one.

 

Regarding John's hobbies -- good question!  Let's see -- he learned to play the clarinet in school, but apparently has not followed up on that.  He picks up women (or at least attempts to).  He does seem fairly dedicated to his blog, so may have done some writing in the past as well.

 

We actually know very little about his private life (meaning his life apart from Sherlock) in general.  He has a sister that he has never gotten along with.  He's a medical doctor.  He was in the army in Afghanistan, then invalided home.  Umm -- he learned clarinet in school.  Help me, I'm struggling here!

 

He gets kidnapped a lot, does that count as a hobby?

 

 

But his rudeness to Sherlock in TSo3 and TAB took me aback.

 

What rudeness are you referring to?

 

 

In TSo3, when he says (and I probably paraphrase) "You're not a puzzle solver, you're a drama queen!" I thought both the tone and the words were unnecessarily harsh. And in TAB, "tell me where my bloody wife is, you prick, or I’ll punch your lights out!" was even harsher. Although thinking back on it, that was in Sherlock's head, wasn't it? So I guess I can't really blame John for that ... except that implies that's what Sherlock would expect from John. So it's still a bit not good.

 

​I think there's at least one more instance where I thought John's ire exceeded the circumstances, but I can't come up with it right now. Prior to S4, I mean. In S4 it was definitely excessive, but that was part of the plot, not just a throwaway line.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Regarding the whole "drama queen" thing in TSo3 -- there's a medical emergency on the other side of that door.  John wants Sherlock to stop fum-fawing and actually DO something.  No time to waste on playing pretty-please, so he just *shocks* him into action.

 

How's that?

 

Though actually I think it was more like simple impatience.  Maybe not polite, but quite understandable under the circumstances.  In any case, hey, it worked!

 

As for TAB, maybe it wasn't so much that Sherlock would have expected such treatment from John, but rather that he felt he deserved it?  (I don't offhand remember that scene, so I'm just winging it here.)

[Arcadia]

Both are good possibilities. But it doesn't stop me from flinching when I hear the lines.

 

What I like is ... okay, during those scenes, I flinch because I think John's supposed to be better than that, and no one protests his behavior. But in TLD,  they show that he (sometimes) is exactly like that ... but the audience is tipped off that he knows it's wrong, and that he knows he needs to do better. So I'm more inclined to regard the first two instances as a kind of build up to his total loss of control in TLD. That's what I like; the continuity of his character development.

 

Also, it is soooooo far from where I thought (hoped) they would go with John in S4. Here I thought (hoped) they'd show John making some sort of spectacular gesture for Sherlock's sake; and instead he ends up beating the crap out of him. Nope, didn't see that coming.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Spectacular gesture?  Such as?  And why did you expect it?