Jump to content

Female Sherlock!


HerlockSholmes

Recommended Posts

Oh, this looks good!  Wonder if we are getting it simultaneously on Hulu?  If so, it might tip the scales for me subscribing.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought hard before posting this because I didn’t/don’t want to sound in any way sexist. But.....as a traditionalist I don’t like the idea of this. I’m preparing myself for comments.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought hard before posting this because I didn’t/don’t want to sound in any way sexist. But.....as a traditionalist I don’t like the idea of this. I’m preparing myself for comments.

 

Well, I'm a femme and I don't like the idea of a female Sherlock either.  Nor do I embrace a female Watson, Moriarty or a transgender Mrs. Hudson.  So I've got your back, bruv.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I understand what you mean, Herlock.  I think I do, anyway.

 

In many ways, the Holmes-Watson relationship is special because it is quintessentially male. In fact, due to its Victorian origins, it may be even more male/masculine than anything we can really produce today, since in that era men and women operated in very different spheres.  From that perspective, I think the idea of an all-female rendering of Sherlock Holmes is a horrible idea, because the world is full of female friendship stories, and we are relatively short of ones that celebrate male friendship in the way Sherlock Holmes does.

 

But on the other hand, I'm excited to try it, because I like seeing what you can change about the original and still have a recognizable Sherlock Holmes story. We have tried making it modern or putting the characters in different career or moving them to different countries, all with greater or lesser success.  I'm interested to see what a Japanese female incarnation will look like.  Maybe it will fall flat for me, but I'm going to give it a go.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

a transgender Mrs. Hudson

 

Forget the bugged underwear, Hikari.  This is the fanfic I want you to write.   :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought hard before posting this because I didn’t/don’t want to sound in any way sexist. But.....as a traditionalist I don’t like the idea of this. I’m preparing myself for comments.

Nah, that's fine, imo. I do like the idea of a female Holmes and Watson but I want to write them myself as fanfiction, not watch them on TV :-P

 

Before Sherlock, I refused to see any adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories because I liked the character so much. I only consented to watch the BBC show because Martin Freeman was in it, then, well... I fell in love.

 

Funny, I have never thought of Holmes as very male. For me, he always came across as if his gender didn't really matter.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

a transgender Mrs. Hudson

 

Forget the bugged underwear, Hikari.  This is the fanfic I want you to write.   :)

 

 

Boton,

 

This is not an original idea of mine--I refer you to the CBS series Elementary.  'Miss Hudson' appears in, I want to say, S2.  She is Kandis Kane, transgender entertainer and for a brief while, companion of Caitlyn Jenner.  It didn't last long, and may have just been a publicity stunt for 'I am Cait'.  Between you and me and the bedpost, the former Bruce/now Cait is a deeply mentally-confused individual.  She doesn't seem to really know who or what she wants, other than Attention.  Kandis seems much more at peace with herself, but she's been at it longer.  There wasn't any particular reason to make Mrs. Hudson (here a 'Miss') transgender, other than pushing the envelope for pushing the envelope's sake.  I think it would have been more hilarious if they'd make Sherlock's housekeeper a little Vietnamese lady who didn't speak a word of English but still managed to boss around Sherlock Holmes within an inch of his life.

 

I have a vivid imagination but I confess it falls short of inhabiting trans mind space.  I will leave this fan fic to those who feel that calling, possibly a trans author will step forward and oblige you.  I'll stick with my bugged underpants story if that's OK.  As a red-blooded hetero female who's never desired to be Other, I get a bigger kick out of imagining Sherlock, either in, or out, of his underpants.  I'm sure you understand.  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, yes, I do remember Miss Hudson from Elementary! I only watched three seasons, and then it lost my interest.  

 

I understand your perspective here.  I'm a Kinsey 0 cis-gender female who experiences primary sexual attraction, so a lot of the tags on fan fics I've actually had to look up, like "demisexual" and "asexual" as it applies to human beings and not to a form of reproduction. I have, however, had the fortune of knowing several transgender folks in my classes, and many of them have very interesting journeys that really make it clear that Caitlyn Jenner is nuts far more because of her proximity to the Kardashian family than anything else.

 

I look forward to the bugged underpants story. I must admit, I have a certain fascination for imagining Sherlock Holmes in his BVDs (or out of them) as well.   :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No, I understand what you mean, Herlock. I think I do, anyway.

 

In many ways, the Holmes-Watson relationship is special because it is quintessentially male. In fact, due to its Victorian origins, it may be even more male/masculine than anything we can really produce today, since in that era men and women operated in very different spheres. From that perspective, I think the idea of an all-female rendering of Sherlock Holmes is a horrible idea, because the world is full of female friendship stories, and we are relatively short of ones that celebrate male friendship in the way Sherlock Holmes does.

 

But on the other hand, I'm excited to try it, because I like seeing what you can change about the original and still have a recognizable Sherlock Holmes story. We have tried making it modern or putting the characters in different career or moving them to different countries, all with greater or lesser success. I'm interested to see what a Japanese female incarnation will look like. Maybe it will fall flat for me, but I'm going to give it a go.

Thanks Boton,

 

Having said what I’ve said I can’t imagine that I won’t have a look. I suppose that one of the things that puts me off this interpretation is that I get the impression that some things are novelty purely for novelty’s sake. Obviously money talks and the name Sherlock will pull in the viewers (at least at first, depending on how much the public like it.)

Women obviously get short shrift in the Doyle stories. Apart from Irene Adler they are either damsels in distress or they bring in the tea (Doyle was hardly a modern man. He didn’t support women’s suffrage for example.) I wouldn’t dream of trying to ‘speak for’ women but why don’t they just write better roles for them. Create a new female detective who is cleverer than everyone else.

 

Perhaps I’m just an old fogey who yearns for the man in the deerstalker dashing out into the foggy night to hail a Hansom cab? Ahh.....those were the days

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, yes, I do remember Miss Hudson from Elementary! I only watched three seasons, and then it lost my interest.  

 

I understand your perspective here.  I'm a Kinsey 0 cis-gender female who experiences primary sexual attraction, so a lot of the tags on fan fics I've actually had to look up, like "demisexual" and "asexual" as it applies to human beings and not to a form of reproduction. I have, however, had the fortune of knowing several transgender folks in my classes, and many of them have very interesting journeys that really make it clear that Caitlyn Jenner is nuts far more because of her proximity to the Kardashian family than anything else.

 

I look forward to the bugged underpants story. I must admit, I have a certain fascination for imagining Sherlock Holmes in his BVDs (or out of them) as well.   :D

 

I've watched Kinsey and read up on the scale. The lower the number, the more hetero one is, ja?  I'm a '0' too, then.  Not familiar with the 'cis-gender' term, though.  'Demi-sexual' is also new to me.  I've just recently wrapped my head around 'Non-binary'.

 

My closest male friend is gay and when he used to live next door to me, we'd sit on either one of our respective porches and scope the talent walking by.  He usually could find something to appreciate far more easily than I, but if you saw where I live, you'd understand why my standards aren't quite that democratic.  Gay men make really good girlfriends for hetero women because they get where we are coming from vis. dude appreciation and they generally enjoy shopping and antiquing and other pursuits the gals are into.  My friend grew up in the country, and there wasn't a lot of money growing up, so he got very self-sufficient at traditionally masculine pursuits like hunting, hanging drywall and using power tools.  At his house, if it wasn't DIY, it didn't get done.  His family's affectionate nickname for him is 'Martha Black & Decker' because I'd wager there are very few other men on the planet that might spend the afternoon hanging drywall and installing plumbing on a bathroom remodel and chase that with an evening of coloring Easter Eggs according to instructions in Martha Stewart Living.  (Naturally he has a subscription.)   Coloring the Easter Eggs while baked on some really ace ganja was his own little touch.

 

We never discussed Kinsey as such.  I suppose he'd be a '6', though when he was young and confused, he did date girls in high school.  His significant relationships have been with men and in fact at the age of 41, he's found a life partner and I'm invited to their wedding next summer. 

 

While watching an episode of 'Orange is the New Black', or pondering the highly unlikely yet *possible* scenario in which I am stranded on a desert island with only another female for company, I pose the question to myself--under these conditions, could I have lesbian encounters?  The conclusion I have come to is, no, I really don't think I could, even if my fellow strandee on the island became a very dear friend.  That bell is just not rung for me, even though I can see how other women who consider themselves straight might make a detour in those situations.  Guess that makes me a Kinsey 0 cis-gender too . .?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I thought hard before posting this because I didn’t/don’t want to sound in any way sexist. But.....as a traditionalist I don’t like the idea of this. I’m preparing myself for comments.

Nah, that's fine, imo. I do like the idea of a female Holmes and Watson but I want to write them myself as fanfiction, not watch them on TV :-P

 

Before Sherlock, I refused to see any adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories because I liked the character so much. I only consented to watch the BBC show because Martin Freeman was in it, then, well... I fell in love.

 

Funny, I have never thought of Holmes as very male. For me, he always came across as if his gender didn't really matter.

I wasnt even happy when I heard about Sherlock. Fortunately it was one of the best surprises of my life

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

 

 

 

a transgender Mrs. Hudson

Forget the bugged underwear, Hikari. This is the fanfic I want you to write. :)

Boton,

 

This is not an original idea of mine--I refer you to the CBS series Elementary. 'Miss Hudson' appears in, I want to say, S2. She is Kandis Kane, transgender entertainer and for a brief while, companion of Caitlyn Jenner. It didn't last long, and may have just been a publicity stunt for 'I am Cait'. Between you and me and the bedpost, the former Bruce/now Cait is a deeply mentally-confused individual. She doesn't seem to really know who or what she wants, other than Attention. Kandis seems much more at peace with herself, but she's been at it longer. There wasn't any particular reason to make Mrs. Hudson (here a 'Miss') transgender, other than pushing the envelope for pushing the envelope's sake. I think it would have been more hilarious if they'd make Sherlock's housekeeper a little Vietnamese lady who didn't speak a word of English but still managed to boss around Sherlock Holmes within an inch of his life.

 

I have a vivid imagination but I confess it falls short of inhabiting trans mind space. I will leave this fan fic to those who feel that calling, possibly a trans author will step forward and oblige you. I'll stick with my bugged underpants story if that's OK. As a red-blooded hetero female who's never desired to be Other, I get a bigger kick out of imagining Sherlock, either in, or out, of his underpants. I'm sure you understand. :)

I didn’t know that Elementary’s Mrs Hudson was transgender. You’ve got me wondering about Mary Gordon now! Or even worse Minnie Rayner!

I too saw the first three series of Elementary ( I have the fourth but haven’t gotten around to watching it) and liked it but then I thought to myself “first Sherlock now Elementary. I’m straying too far from The True Path here

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Oh, yes, I do remember Miss Hudson from Elementary! I only watched three seasons, and then it lost my interest.

 

I understand your perspective here. I'm a Kinsey 0 cis-gender female who experiences primary sexual attraction, so a lot of the tags on fan fics I've actually had to look up, like "demisexual" and "asexual" as it applies to human beings and not to a form of reproduction. I have, however, had the fortune of knowing several transgender folks in my classes, and many of them have very interesting journeys that really make it clear that Caitlyn Jenner is nuts far more because of her proximity to the Kardashian family than anything else.

 

I look forward to the bugged underpants story. I must admit, I have a certain fascination for imagining Sherlock Holmes in his BVDs (or out of them) as well. :D

I've watched Kinsey and read up on the scale. The lower the number, the more hetero one is, ja? I'm a '0' too, then. Not familiar with the 'cis-gender' term, though. 'Demi-sexual' is also new to me. I've just recently wrapped my head around 'Non-binary'.

 

My closest male friend is gay and when he used to live next door to me, we'd sit on either one of our respective porches and scope the talent walking by. He usually could find something to appreciate far more easily than I, but if you saw where I live, you'd understand why my standards aren't quite that democratic. Gay men make really good girlfriends for hetero women because they get where we are coming from vis. dude appreciation and they generally enjoy shopping and antiquing and other pursuits the gals are into. My friend grew up in the country, and there wasn't a lot of money growing up, so he got very self-sufficient at traditionally masculine pursuits like hunting, hanging drywall and using power tools. At his house, if it wasn't DIY, it didn't get done. His family's affectionate nickname for him is 'Martha Black & Decker' because I'd wager there are very few other men on the planet that might spend the afternoon hanging drywall and installing plumbing on a bathroom remodel and chase that with an evening of coloring Easter Eggs according to instructions in Martha Stewart Living. (Naturally he has a subscription.) Coloring the Easter Eggs while baked on some really ace ganja was his own little touch.

 

We never discussed Kinsey as such. I suppose he'd be a '6', though when he was young and confused, he did date girls in high school. His significant relationships have been with men and in fact at the age of 41, he's found a life partner and I'm invited to their wedding next summer.

 

While watching an episode of 'Orange is the New Black', or pondering the highly unlikely yet *possible* scenario in which I am stranded on a desert island with only another female for company, I pose the question to myself--under these conditions, could I have lesbian encounters? The conclusion I have come to is, no, I really don't think I could, even if my fellow strandee on the island became a very dear friend. That bell is just not rung for me, even though I can see how other women who consider themselves straight might make a detour in those situations. Guess that makes me a Kinsey 0 cis-gender too . .?

My understanding (and someone else please chime in if I’m wrong or miss the nuance):

 

The Kinsey scale is 0 to 5, with 0 being completely heterosexual and 5 being completely homosexual. A 1, then, would be someone almost always attracted to the opposite gender but who might find exceptions. A 4 is the same, with the person primarily homosexual.

 

“Cis-gender” just means that you identify as the gender they said you were at birth. I was identified as a girl after a look at my genitals at birth, and mentally I agree I’m female, so I’m cis. It is kind of a way to shorthand the opposite of trans.

 

Demisexual, if I understand right, is the case in which a person experiences sexual attraction but only after adding the intellectual or emotional component. For me, I would not actually sleep with someone I didn’t have a bond with, but I’m quite capable of arousal on sight, so I’ve seen that called primary sexual attraction.

 

I have also seen heteroromantic and homoromantic used, which I think is where your desert island scenario comes in for me. If I had to, I could form a kind of pair bond with another female, but I experience no desire to touch a female in a sexual way. This concept, which I admit I’m not fully up on, seems a lot like best friendship to me, but I may be missing a nuance here.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have also seen heteroromantic and homoromantic used, which I think is where your desert island scenario comes in for me. If I had to, I could form a kind of pair bond with another female, but I experience no desire to touch a female in a sexual way. This concept, which I admit I’m not fully up on, seems a lot like best friendship to me, but I may be missing a nuance here.

As I understand it, heteroromantic and homoromantic are terms mostly used by asexuals who experience romantic attraction.  There are believed to be multiple forms of attraction outside of sexual attraction.  Some asexuals are also aromantic, while others are not.  Those who are not indicate who they are romantically attracted to by using a term like that (there is also biromantic, and a few others I believe).

 

Words that could apply to me are asexual (sex-indifferent rather than sex-repulsed), possibly gray-sexual or demisexual; and on the romantic end, heteroromantic, gray-romantic, demiromantic.  To avoid more confusion (and having to explain myself constantly), I usually just use the umbrella term of 'asexual' with no additional information.  I believe I may be agender as well, but since I don't feel strongly enough about it to be bothered about being referred to by my biological gender, I don't correct people and I don't feel it interferes with my life to the degree that transgender people often feel.  There's actually a new word for that now: demigirl (I can't keep up with all these new terms!).

 

For me there is a huge difference between a romantic bond and a best friendship; although most people seem to find it difficult to articulate the difference in words.  I've heard people say that a romantic partner is just a best friend you have sex with, and if you took sex out of the equation, a friendship is what you'd have left.  But I disagree entirely (and I'm liable to rant).  I think just about everyone who's had both a romantic relationship and a true best friend would or should intuitively understand the difference.  And maybe not enough people have had a best friend like that, I donno.  :/  But if you have a husband, for example, you probably didn't just marry him because you thought he was hot; you had other feelings for him, and some of those could be considered friend-like feelings, but some of them you would not apply to a friend, even a best friend.  I've heard the example that if he got into some sort of an accident and could no longer have sex, he wouldn't suddenly become "your friend" to you.  You'd still feel something else.  Love for a best friend can be just as powerful and meaningful, but it is not the same  feeling.  People like to joke that it resembles romantic love, but it is not.

 

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I'd be more interested in watching a new Holmes and Watson if they were either English women or Japanese men.  I'm pretty sure that introducing two differences at the same time would make it seem like a whole different story to me, rather than the same basic story with a difference.

 

I liked Elementary until they made Joan into basically another Holmes rather than a traditional (albeit female) Watson.  After that (plus the revelations about Adler and Moriarty), I just couldn't get into it anymore.  It felt more like a detective soap opera (and for a while there I was starting to worry that Sherlock was heading in that direction as well).

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't get into "Elementary".  I wanted to, and I liked some of what I saw, but it just didn't hold my interest.  I can't put my finger on it, but I suspect it has something to do with the acting style or characters, specifically the Watson.  I didn't care for the Holmes at first, but I got used to him.  Not sure I ever bought Lucy Liu as Watson.  But I still don't know why.  :/

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think I'd be more interested in watching a new Holmes and Watson if they were either English women or Japanese men. I'm pretty sure that introducing two differences at the same time would make it seem like a whole different story to me, rather than the same basic story with a difference.

 

I liked Elementary until they made Joan into basically another Holmes rather than a traditional (albeit female) Watson. After that (plus the revelations about Adler and Moriarty), I just couldn't get into it anymore. It felt more like a detective soap opera (and for a while there I was starting to worry that Sherlock was heading in that direction as well).

Carol, you’ve reminded me what troubled me with Elementary. They made Watson way too clever!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

For me there is a huge difference between a romantic bond and a best friendship; although most people seem to find it difficult to articulate the difference in words.  I've heard people say that a romantic partner is just a best friend you have sex with, and if you took sex out of the equation, a friendship is what you'd have left.  But I disagree entirely (and I'm liable to rant).  I think just about everyone who's had both a romantic relationship and a true best friend would or should intuitively understand the difference.  And maybe not enough people have had a best friend like that, I donno.  :/  But if you have a husband, for example, you probably didn't just marry him because you thought he was hot; you had other feelings for him, and some of those could be considered friend-like feelings, but some of them you would not apply to a friend, even a best friend.  I've heard the example that if he got into some sort of an accident and could no longer have sex, he wouldn't suddenly become "your friend" to you.  You'd still feel something else.  Love for a best friend can be just as powerful and meaningful, but it is not the same  feeling.  People like to joke that it resembles romantic love, but it is not.

 

 

Thank you, thank you for this explanation.  This really helps me a lot.  This whole concept is both new and difficult for me.

 

You are right; what I feel for my husband is not friendship, regardless of whether or not we are physically intimate at any one point. I always sort of cringe when people say "I'm marrying my best friend."  I know what they mean, and it is a sweet sentiment, but I most emphatically did not marry my best friend; I married someone I felt romantic love for, and you are quite right that this is different.  My husband once said, "I use you as a best friend," which seemed accurate to me: we press one another into service in situations that require a best friend, but the relationship is something else entirely.

 

Thank you again.  I have a much better understanding!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn't get into "Elementary".  I wanted to, and I liked some of what I saw, but it just didn't hold my interest.  I can't put my finger on it, but I suspect it has something to do with the acting style or characters, specifically the Watson.  I didn't care for the Holmes at first, but I got used to him.  Not sure I ever bought Lucy Liu as Watson.  But I still don't know why.  :/

 

For me, it was the fact that they seemed to go out of their way to make sure that Holmes and Watson had no chemistry whatsoever:  not friendship, not romance, nothing.  Or at least I could never see it.  And that seemed a waste of two very good actors.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I think I'd be more interested in watching a new Holmes and Watson if they were either English women or Japanese men. I'm pretty sure that introducing two differences at the same time would make it seem like a whole different story to me, rather than the same basic story with a difference.

 

I liked Elementary until they made Joan into basically another Holmes rather than a traditional (albeit female) Watson. After that (plus the revelations about Adler and Moriarty), I just couldn't get into it anymore. It felt more like a detective soap opera (and for a while there I was starting to worry that Sherlock was heading in that direction as well).

Carol, you’ve reminded me what troubled me with Elementary. They made Watson way too clever!

 

 

Poor Dr. Watson . .  he can't get no respect for his brain, despite finishing medical school, becoming a first-rate surgeon with the warm bedside manner of the first-rate GP as well, and rising to the rank of Captain in Her Majesty's Army.  He's most likely the smartest guy in any room that does not contain a Holmes brother--and yet his reputation in the popular mind is of this genial bourgeois idiot who should barely be capable of tying his own cravat.  Thanks, Nigel Bruce!  One wonders if Watson were perceived as so stupid before Mr. Bruce made him the Clown Prince of sidekicks.

 

In regards to the faux Watson portrayed by Lucy Liu on Elementary . . I seem to be in a miniscule minority who finds the charms of both this character and this actress quizzically overrated.  Lucy herself seems like a sweet and likeable woman who has turned out to have significant chops as an episode director (she's done several every season), and is cute in the gag reels.  She is probably pleasant to work with.  Not so Joan Watson.  What a grim, grating, self-absorbed, moody harpy.  And can we say 'materialistic', too?  Joan seems quite fixated on her financial compensations.  She needs a steady cash flow to keep stocking her endless brownstone closet with those gauzy bohemian minidress schmattes she favors.  This Watson is not half as clever as she believes herself to be.  She couldn't cut the mustard as a surgeon, after all--bailed on 16+ years of education after one mistake.  Yes, a patient died, and she was responsible, but Joanie was mentally unable to get back up on the horse afterwards.  The mettle of a surgeon is tested in the fire of crisis, and she melted.  She strikes me, underneath all her surface disaffectness and pretensions to sophistication, as nothing so much as a spoiled Chinese-American princess who is used to getting her own way in all things.  I know we, the audience are supposed to bond with her, but she's so chilly and off-putting, I've never been able to.

 

The show does improve after Season 1, and develop more depth than the stunt ratings grab S1 came off as, but fundamentally, I have grave issues in accepting either Lucy or Johnny Lee Miller as 'Watson & Holmes'.  At least the BBC 21st century update retains the traditional setting of London & recognizable traits and features of the characters and their world.  Elementary goes so far off the reservation that nothing really recognizable survives except the characters' names.  (and only last name, in the case of Watson).  The way I get through it is by framing this show as the seriocomic set of adventures of an Odd Couple pair of housemates in New York City--one, an eccentric recovering heroin addict who fancies himself Sherlock Holmes reincarnated, and his long-suffering sober companion-turned-partner, a petite Asian woman approaching a certain age who refuses to accept that miniskirts really shouldn't be worn by women who are considerably over 35, especially not in New York in the winter.

 

The opening title sequence is pretty cool, I admit.  And Aidan Quinn as Capt. Tommy Gregson covers over a variety of sins.  I have another fan fic in mind--a BBC Sherlock/Elementary crossover episode screenplay called "G. & T.".

 

Synopsis:  the commanders of the respective law enforcement jurisdictions, Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade of Scotland Yard and Captain Thomas Gregson of the NYPD meet as part of a new international multijurisdictional shadowing scheme.  Each will spend a week observing the other at work and taking notes on their colleague's law enforcement systems.  Gregson flies to London to liaise with his opposite number at the Yard.  This is his second trip to London;  he had been there in the aftermath of 9/11, but then-Detective Sergeant Lestrade  had been on honeymoon in Bali at the time.  Greg takes Tommy to his local, and over several pints, the two LEOs get acquainted and share anecdotes about their work.  While sharing the adventures and aggravations of working with an off-kilter, brilliant consulting detective called Sherlock Holmes . . . a profound mystery is revealed, to their mutual consternation.  To wit:  They can't possibly both have a consulting detective called Sherlock Holmes!  One of the Holmeses is an imposter!  Lestrade summons 'his' Holmes & Watson (the real ones) . . and Sherlock Holmes immediately boards a redeye to JFK to get to the bottom of this upstart who is impersonating him in New York, dragging Watson along with him, of course. 

 

It would surprise no one that the two 'Sherlocks' Do Not Get On . . and why would they if one's a fake?  The two Watsons on the other hand bond immediately and warmly.  Joan takes Jawn to a Mets game, where they flirt and talk shop about cardiothoracic surgery, leaving their two Sherlocks to do whatever it is they do. 

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you again. I have a much better understanding!

Glad I could help! :smile:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

I couldn't get into "Elementary".  I wanted to, and I liked some of what I saw, but it just didn't hold my interest.  I can't put my finger on it, but I suspect it has something to do with the acting style or characters, specifically the Watson.  I didn't care for the Holmes at first, but I got used to him.  Not sure I ever bought Lucy Liu as Watson.  But I still don't know why.  :/

 

For me, it was the fact that they seemed to go out of their way to make sure that Holmes and Watson had no chemistry whatsoever:  not friendship, not romance, nothing.  Or at least I could never see it.  And that seemed a waste of two very good actors.

 

 

Well, you've hit the nail on the head, exactly.

 

If the gag reels/bonus features are anything to go by, Jonny & Lucy have a very warm and collegial working relationship.  There's a lot of laughter and goofing on set.  Neither actor appears to take themselves half as seriously as Holmes and Watson take themselves.  Jonny Lee (in collusion with the writers) is hitting the misanthropic aspect of Sherlock Holmes hardcore.  This Holmes is a prematurely old crabby guy that hates everybody and everything.  He dumps unrelenting verbal abuse/belittlement on his roommate.  At first it's understandable, since Watson was hired by Sherlock's hated father to babysit him.  But all these years on, I fail to see why a smart, savvy professional woman would continue to take this whiny, peevish, immature, intentionally hurtful treatment from someone supposed to be her closest friend, partner and confidante.  For all her self-absorption and superior attitude, Joanie appears to have very low self esteem.  She did leave Sherlock for a while, but she came back.  It's a very dysfunctional partnership--I don't see the mutual regard/respect that is there with other pairs.

 

Two degrees of Sherlock Separation:  Jonny Lee Miller co-starred with Benedict Cumberbatch in a long-running and critically acclaimed stage run of Frankenstein at the National Theatre.  The two actors swapped parts every night, taking it in turns to play Dr. Victor Frankenstein or the Creature.  The show was sold out every night and hundreds of people saw the show dozens of times.  That was in 2009.  Doesn't it seem a bit too neat to be sheer coincidence that a year after Benedict rocketed to stardom as Sherlock Holmes on the BBC, his close friend and former co-star JLM would be tapped to headline an American version of "Sherlock"?  The shows are so very different, I don't consider them direct competition for each other.  Jonny Lee is a good actor . . . but he is miscast as Sherlock Holmes.  He might have made a smashing Moriarty on his friend's show, but his energy is altogether wrong for Sherlock.  He did very well as the guest villain on S5 of "Dexter"--villains are where his strengths lie.  His Holmes is very prickly and very uncomfortable in his own skin.  To underline this, they force Jonny to act every scene in clothing that is at least one size too small for him.  That would make anybody crabby.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Someone else who knows more industry gossip than I can fill in the blanks, but I think after BC and JLM were in Frankenstein together, the Elementary team sought permission to do an Americanized Sherlock - kind of an adaptation of an adaptation.  The Sherlock side were pretty emphatic that they'd better not see their intellectual property reinterpreted.  So, if Elementary feels like someone trying very hard to not remake Sherlock, that's apparently because that's what it is.

 

That said, what I will give JLM and his Sherlock Holmes is his unparalleled ability to delivery relatively long ACD quotes and make them sound like they belong in modern American conversation. There is one episode where Sherlock is at an NA meeting, and he delivers his story using the "give me problems, give me work" speech.  I was absolutely floored.  I had never before heard that speech as anything but a mixture of admiration and frustration for Sherlock's own rapid cognitive abilities, but JLM delivered it with such remorse.  That Sherlock rued the fact that he was fine as long as he was distracted, but his own mind was his enemy, solving problems so quickly that he couldn't distract himself fast enough to stay away from heroin. For me, that is my favorite interpretation of that ACD scene amongst all of the Sherlock Holmes iterations I've seen.

 

I also liked JLM's delivery of the intro Irene Adler speech: "To [me], she was always The Woman..."  He is explaining the draw of Irene to Watson, and with only a few minor changes, he gives the ACD speech with great elevation, and then stops and says, "And the *sex*, Watson!  The things I learned!" 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Who's Online   0 Members, 0 Anonymous, 38 Guests (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of UseWe have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.Privacy PolicyGuidelines.