Episode 2.1, "A Scandal In Belgravia"

[sittything]

I LOVE this moment so much.  It's so creepy and sinister looking. 

 

[Pamela]

Oh, my!  Scroll up and down and compare them -- it's eerie!

[SherlockedCAMPer]

Oh, my!  Scroll up and down and compare them -- it's eerie!

 

I did that several minutes ago and agree it is eerie 

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yeah, you'd swear it was the same guy! 

 

[Boton]

Yeah, you'd swear it was the same guy! 

 

Heh. I knew there was a reason I liked you, Carol!

[Bakerstreet Irregular]

Is the top one the "Other one"....or maybe.....ooohhh...dizzy now.

[sherlockandjohn]

It's becoming harder and harder to regard any Sherlock episode as less great than the rest. (Except, maybe, TBB.) ASiB wasn't high on my list, but watching it again just now I see how many amazing scenes it has. I used to think it wasn't as focused on John and Sherlock's friendship as the rest of the episodes, but actually it brings out a very poignant side to that relationship. John is constantly trying to pry the truth about Sherlock's feelings out of him. Sherlock's panic when the American pulls a gun on John and counts down just knocks the wind out of me.

 

Also, it has some of Sherlock's most endearing moments with Molly and Mrs. Hudson. The expression on Sherlock's face when he realises that Molly's neatly wrapped present is for him. How he almost walks away, then turns back to own up to his mistake. The line, "Mrs. Hudson's been attacked by an American. I'm restoring balance to the Universe."

 

Some of the funniest moments are from this episode. I love how Sherlock shouts, "Shut up!" at his doorbell And, of course, the "Punch me in the face" scene... Brilliant!

 

And I have a renewed appreciation of the scene where Sherlock shuts up Mycroft. It's priceless to see Mycroft stunned to silence by his younger brother. It's equally priceless to see Sherlock stunned when Mycroft exposes that he has let his infatuation with Irene blind him. I love how human he is exposed to be there, and I also love his cynicism towards Irene when he punches in the correct passcode and delivers one gutting line after another about the faults of love.

 

Wonder what Sherlock is thinking when John is lying to him about Irene's fate towards the end... I imagine a good laugh on the inside: "Ha ha, John! You think you can fool me? Me, of all people?!"

[T.o.b.y]

The line, "Mrs. Hudson's been attacked by an American. I'm restoring balance to the Universe."

 

I adore Sherlock in that scene. I know it's not nice or good to throw people of windows, or wise to meet violence with even more violence, but this is sort of the same thing as with Magnussen - Sherlock outraged over villains hurting the few people he cares about and being truly sociopathic and ferocious about it with that collected, level-headed, still completely white-hot rage that he has - that somehow touches something in me and makes me go whooosh. And what a nice twist that it's not about his love interest, here. It's about Mrs Hudson, his landlady and, in a way, surrogate mother. I tell you, if someone treated my mother like that, I wish I had the physical ability to respond like Sherlock.

 

I love how he's a hero without expecting something in return. He's a dragon slayer, but he doesn't slay the beast to impress a girl so he can kiss her. He's just "restoring balance to the universe".

 

And that line about "what a tender world that would be". Oh my god. Oh my -

 

Yes, Sherlock is out and out wonderful in this episode. Which, by the way, I also love for coining the term "sherlocked".

 

 

[Pamela]

Through the years this episode keeps rising to the top in my estimation.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

I may not be one for all the skin the Irene shows, but I love the storyline and how it all plays out. There are some great lines in the episode.

[sherlockandjohn]

Indeed. Some of my faves are:

 

"In the end, are you really so obvious? Because this was textbook. The promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption. Then give him a puzzle and watch him dance." - "Don't be absurd!"

 

"All lives end. All hearts are broken. Caring is not an advantage."

 

"I imagine John Watson thinks love is a mystery to me, but the chemistry is incredibly simple and very destructive."

 

"Mrs. Hudson's been attacked by an American. I'm restoring balance to the Universe."

 

"I always hear 'Punch me in the face' when you're speaking, but it's usually subtext."

[Schlauer Fuchs]

I love this episode because it shows two very different aspects of Sherlock's personality. On the one hand, he really is human and he is blinded by a woman who knows how to use her feminine charms to even charm him. He is nearly outplayed by a dominatrix of all people. But on the other hand, there is the (in my opinion) most cruel scene of the whole series: Sherlock phoning Lestrade and telling him about the horrible injuries of the "burglar" while the latter sits there, listening and surely picturing what's going to happen to him. That is so insanely coldblooded that it always gives me goosebumps. And yet, I cannot do anything but love Sherlock even in this scene because I know that behind this very coldblooded behaviour there is a warm heart and a strong sense of justice ("Mrs. Hudson's been attacked by an American. I'm restoring balance to the Universe"). Not that I support self-justice and cruelty, but ah well... maybe the scene gives me goosebumps not because of Sherlock but because of myself.

[Boton]

I love this episode because it shows two very different aspects of Sherlock's personality. On the one hand, he really is human and he is blinded by a woman who knows how to use her feminine charms to even charm him. He is nearly outplayed by a dominatrix of all people. But on the other hand, there is the (in my opinion) most cruel scene of the whole series: Sherlock phoning Lestrade and telling him about the horrible injuries of the "burglar" while the latter sits there, listening and surely picturing what's going to happen to him. That is so insanely coldblooded that it always gives me goosebumps. And yet, I cannot do anything but love Sherlock even in this scene because I know that behind this very coldblooded behaviour there is a warm heart and a strong sense of justice ("Mrs. Hudson's been attacked by an American. I'm restoring balance to the Universe"). Not that I support self-justice and cruelty, but ah well... maybe the scene gives me goosebumps not because of Sherlock but because of myself.

 

The "restoring balance" scene really is part of one of the themes of the series.  It has reverberations through the end of HLV:  Sherlock is willing to use what is essentially vigilante justice to protect and defend his friends/family.  It is very cold, and very calculating.  And yet, I love it, and I cheer for him, because no one gets to mess with Mrs. Hudson and remain unscathed.  

[T.o.b.y]

I think this is the kind of thing Sherlock was talking about when he said he was on the side of the angels, but not one of them. He's not a good person, per se. And I see why he insists on not being a hero. I mean, he is, but quite a dark one at times. He could just as well have become a villain. Sherlock could be Moriarty. But he's not. He's much more complicated, and more interesting.

 

Isn't it great how the man show brutally took revenge on Mrs Hudson's behalf and shot Magnussen in cold blood is the same who youtubed folding serviettes for John and Mary's wedding and wrote and rehearsed their waltz? Really, among all my fictional favorites, Sherlock must be the character who has the most complex and fascinating personality. It really is almost as if he were real, yet he's so fantastical, too.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Now I'm wondering -- what if Mrs. Hudson had been attacked by a Belgian or a Russian -- would Sherlock have been OK with that?  What if she'd been attacked by a British person?

 

[Arcadia]

Then he would have only been restoring order to the planet, not the entire universe.

[Schlauer Fuchs]

Now I'm wondering -- what if Mrs. Hudson had been attacked by a Belgian or a Russian -- would Sherlock have been OK with that?  What if she'd been attacked by a British person?

 

Why would he? I can't see a difference and wouldn't expect a different reaction (except maybe because he was already angry with that particular American for threatening John).

 

[Boton]

I think this is the kind of thing Sherlock was talking about when he said he was on the side of the angels, but not one of them. He's not a good person, per se. And I see why he insists on not being a hero. I mean, he is, but quite a dark one at times. He could just as well have become a villain. Sherlock could be Moriarty. But he's not. He's much more complicated, and more interesting.

 

Isn't it great how the man show brutally took revenge on Mrs Hudson's behalf and shot Magnussen in cold blood is the same who youtubed folding serviettes for John and Mary's wedding and wrote and rehearsed their waltz? Really, among all my fictional favorites, Sherlock must be the character who has the most complex and fascinating personality. It really is almost as if he were real, yet he's so fantastical, too.

 

Oh, God, yes! [/John's voice]  I love that, and I get the impression from interviews and from DVD commentary that the writers and actors want us to see that dichotomy.  If Sherlock loves someone, he really, really loves them -- and expresses it in tangible ways.  (More so in S3 than in S1, but that makes for a nice progession.)  But if he thinks someone should be on the receiving end of justice, he can mete that out without blinking an eye.  I do find myself sometimes wanting to be his friend (I sure don't want to be his enemy!), but I also want to study him to see what makes him tick.

 

 

Now I'm wondering -- what if Mrs. Hudson had been attacked by a Belgian or a Russian -- would Sherlock have been OK with that?  What if she'd been attacked by a British person?

 

I think he would have behaved the same, except that, in the first two instances, "Belgian" or "Russian" would have sounded like an expletive, as "American" did in the original.  If it had been a Brit, he would have probably described the person differently but the sentiment would be the same.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Now I'm wondering -- what if Mrs. Hudson had been attacked by a Belgian or a Russian -- would Sherlock have been OK with that?  What if she'd been attacked by a British person?

 

Why would he? I can't see a difference and wouldn't expect a different reaction (except maybe because he was already angry with that particular American for threatening John).

 

I think he would have behaved the same, except that, in the first two instances, "Belgian" or "Russian" would have sounded like an expletive, as "American" did in the original.  If it had been a Brit, he would have probably described the person differently but the sentiment would be the same.

I don't see any practical difference either, Schlauer Fuchs, but Sherlock seems to see one.  OK, he's basically angry that she was attacked, but maybe the fact that her attacker came all the way across the Atlantic to do his dirty work is the proverbial straw?

 

I'm trying to imagine equivalent dialog in an American production, and can't come up with anything that sounds natural with the attacker being British.  I think it would have to be someone from a country considered either exotic (in which case the statement would be more humorous that it seems to be here) or hostile.  Which bolsters my impression that Sherlock's comment is a little bit of Yank-bashing.

 

[Boton]

 

I don't see any practical difference either, Schlauer Fuchs, but Sherlock seems to see one.  OK, he's basically angry that she was attacked, but maybe the fact that her attacker came all the way across the Atlantic to do his dirty work is the proverbial straw?

 

I'm trying to imagine equivalent dialog in an American production, and can't come up with anything that sounds natural with the attacker being British.  I think it would have to be someone from a country considered either exotic (in which case the statement would be more humorous that it seems to be here) or hostile.  Which bolsters my impression that Sherlock's comment is a little bit of Yank-bashing.

 

 

Part of what I hear is a little bit of exasperation that this whole thing reaches as far as America (and presumably the CIA) before Sherlock really knows anything about the extent of the "Bond Air"/Coventry project.  That, good heavens, it's not bad enough that Mrs. Hudson got attacked, but that the stupid international arm of Irene's network has reached into Sherlock's home.

 

Someone British would have to reflect on this (I'm American), but sometimes in British shows I hear a tiny hint of Britishness itself being a bit of an exclusive club.  A hint of pride, I think, and maybe a desire to handle British matters within the U.K.  If that's true, I think it's kind of cool.  I would argue that we have a version of that in America that's reflected in our TV shows, but it isn't quite the same thing and doesn't get conveyed the same way.

[Boton]

So the relevant part (thanks to Ariane DeVere's transcripts)

 

He goes upstairs and hurries into the living room.

JOHN: What’s going on?

(He stops at the sight of Neilson, bound and gagged with duct tape and sitting on the chair near the fireplace. His nose is broken and blood has run down his face and is dripping from his chin. Mrs Hudson is sitting on the sofa and Sherlock is in a chair nearby, holding Neilson’s pistol aimed at him with one hand, and his phone to his ear with the other.)

JOHN: Jeez. What the hell is happening?

SHERLOCK: Mrs Hudson’s been attacked by an American. I’m restoring balance to the universe.

 

If I were going to rewrite that for an American audience with an American Sherlock and John and a British Neilson, I may have to say something like:

 

SHERLOCK:  "Mrs. Hudson's been attacked by this presumptuous British twit.  Luckily I was here to restore balance to the universe."

 

In other words, I just argued myself into believing that "American" in the original is actually far more of an expletive than one might expect. 

[Schlauer Fuchs]

Wow, so if I get this right you, Carol and Boton, feel like "American" here is used like an invective, a foul name for a foul creature, as if "American" in British English equals "bad guy"? I have never given a second thought to Sherlock's description of Neilson as "an American" because that's just what he is. I never thought he meant it condescendingly but just as a brief and factual description of what was going on.

 

 

 

I don't see any practical difference either, Schlauer Fuchs, but Sherlock seems to see one. 

 

Can you elaborate on that? Why do you think Sherlock sees a difference? I might be blind here, but I don't see him seeing a difference. But it's quite possible that I just missed something!

[Boton]

Wow, so if I get this right you, Carol and Boton, feel like "American" here is used like an invective, a foul name for a foul creature, as if "American" in British English equals "bad guy"? I have never given a second thought to Sherlock's description of Neilson as "an American" because that's just what he is. I never thought he meant it condescendingly but just as a brief and factual description of what was going on.

 

 

 

Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say "a foul name for a foul creature."  But I do think that, in this case, it is particularly galling to Sherlock that Mrs. Hudson was attacked by an American, specifically, and that it might have been infinitesimally easier to take if the assailant had been British.  But I certainly wasn't personally offended by it as an American; in fact, I chuckled pretty hard at the whole scene and was completely on Sherlock's side.

[Arcadia]

Same here, I took "American", in that context, to be a kind of expletive, and I found it extremely funny. Since some Americans do in fact seem to think we are the only ones that matter in the universe....

[Carol the Dabbler]

I wasn't offended either, though I suppose I could work myself up to it, now that the thought has occurred to me. Sounds like a waste of energy, though.
 

Wow, so if I get this right you, Carol and Boton, feel like "American" here is used like an invective, a foul name for a foul creature, as if "American" in British English equals "bad guy"? I have never given a second thought to Sherlock's description of Neilson as "an American" because that's just what he is. I never thought he meant it condescendingly but just as a brief and factual description of what was going on.
 

I don't see any practical difference either, Schlauer Fuchs, but Sherlock seems to see one.

Can you elaborate on that? Why do you think Sherlock sees a difference? I might be blind here, but I don't see him seeing a difference. But it's quite possible that I just missed something!

It's just -- why does Sherlock consider it relevant to mention that the man is an American?  I could see him being, as Boton conjectured, concerned that the CIA was involved -- but in that case, why didn't he say that Mrs. Hudson had been attacked "by the CIA" (or if he wasn't sure of that, then "by an American agent")?  Why just "an American"? Yes, Nielson is apparently an American -- but by that line of reasoning, why didn't Sherlock say, "Mrs. Hudson has been attacked by a white man"? Why is "American" the relevant characteristic?  If I were Sherlock, I think I'd be more concerned about the "agent of a foreign government" part.