Episode 2.1, "A Scandal In Belgravia"

[Shadow Dweller]

Wish there is a picture from when BC tumble out from the Sheet like a Mummy out of its bandages, especially close-up shot of his expression  :D

[Carol the Dabbler]

Wish there is a picture from when BC tumble out from the Sheet like a Mummy out of its bandages, especially close-up shot of his expression  :D

 

I know I just saw some shots from that outtake somewhere around here in just the past few days.  But darned if I can find it now.  Someone posted a series of, I think, four frames showing successive stages of The Fall.  Does anyone recall where?

 

Also, all of the outtakes are on the Series 3 DVD extended edition, or whatever they call it.  (And, at least for the moment, here.)

 

No facial close-ups anywhere, though, near as I recall.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

He was facing away from the camera when he fell so all we see is his contorting to land more on his left shoulder than a direct face plant.  His facial expression at realizing he was about to go down would have been fun to catch.

[sfmpco]

Google brought up what appears to be a confirmation from Mr. C. himself:

 

 

Asked about childhood movie theater experiences, he mentioned: (1) once one of the friends he was with disappeared from the theater and freaked out BC’s parents; and (2) another time his stomach started hurting all of a sudden in a theater which turned out to be appendicitis.

 

Thank you!  Sometimes one sees AND observes.

 

Now to get confirmation that he sees a chiropractor because there is NO WAY he is in such perfect alignment without a chiropractor.  

[T.o.b.y]

:D I'm beginning to understand why tv tropes calls A Scandal in Belgravia "fanservice - the episode".

 

Am I the only person who was actually sorry when the sheet came down? For me, that scene kind of spoils the illusion for a moment, because that is definitely not Sherlock Holmes' body. That's the body of an incredibly fit and arguably well built actor, but it's not the "gaunt frame" of my favorite detective. Rather than force Benedict Cumberbatch to become borderline anorexic for the role, though, I'd be fine with them just keeping his healthy muscles covered and giving him the right costume to make him look more emaciated than (I hope) he'll ever be. They do a very good job there in general... And his face is luckily just perfect for the character, anyway. So guys? Just keep him clothed. If I want the rest, I've got an imagination, ya know... :P

 

[sfmpco]

Not sure what else he was doing at the time, but of course when he came back for TEH, his suits were 4 sizes larger because he'd beefed up for Khan.  And then he was pretty muscular for Little Favour.  

 

Lately I've been thinking he's a little too gaunt, almost hauntingly so, but the short haircut only accentuates that.  When he's got his Sherlock curls on, his face gets a bit rounder and softer.  

 

Mycroft won the adoration of fangirls by stepping on that sheet.  Really, though, it's just a mirror to Irene being totally naked later.

[Shadow Dweller]

Mycroft won the adoration of fangirls by stepping on that sheet.  Really, though, it's just a mirror to Irene being totally naked later.

 

Mycroft will get special brownie points from me should Sherlock really fell flat on his face after tumbled out from the improvised toga. That would be a perfect scene to end the comedy-gold bickering between them at the Palace. Only thinking about that is enough to give me a silly grin right now :D  *feeling mischievous*

[sittything]

Does he really seem too gaunt? I guess I've always just assumed he's a fairly slender guy naturally. But I tend to assume that of most skinny people because I'm underweight and can't gain to save my life.

[T.o.b.y]

I've been watching this episode again (it's just the perfect one for this time of year), and it struck me for the first time how large and glossy those printouts from Irene Adler's website are. I mean, why did Mycroft go to all that trouble? Was he planning to use them for anything special after showing them to his brother? Give them to some business aquaintance as a gift, perhaps? Hang them up in his bedroom? It's a mystery...

 

I also for the first time noticed Sherlock's hand movements during those scenes at the beginning where he's standing impatiently before a series of boring clients. That man can act with his hand alone. It's amazing.

[SherlockedCAMPer]

I daresay Benedict could act with any 1 part of his body barely moving with the rest of his body completely immobilized and it would be utterly brilliant.

[sittything]

A bit off-topic of SiB but in Hounds the mind palace scene in the lab is just beautiful to watch as far as his hand movements.  

 

 

How much of that do you think was choreographed/guided as far as object/word placement, and how much do you think was just put in after the fact based on the hand movements?

[Carol the Dabbler]

Now to get confirmation that he sees a chiropractor because there is NO WAY he is in such perfect alignment without a chiropractor.

He'd definitely need an adjustment after that "Buckingham Palace" tumble!

 

... that is definitely not Sherlock Holmes' body. That's the body of an incredibly fit and arguably well built actor, but it's not the "gaunt frame" of my favorite detective. Rather than force Benedict Cumberbatch to become borderline anorexic for the role, though, I'd be fine with them just keeping his healthy muscles covered and giving him the right costume to make him look more emaciated than (I hope) he'll ever be.....

  

Does he really seem too gaunt? I guess I've always just assumed he's a fairly slender guy naturally. But I tend to assume that of most skinny people because I'm underweight and can't gain to save my life.

Regardless of what his natural weight is, I hope he'll decide to just stick with it and , as T.o.b.y suggests, use camouflage. I've heard that if a person repeatedly loses and regains weight, they may eventually find it nearly impossible to lose weight -- which could be a hazard not only to his health, but also to his career.

[sittything]

 

Now to get confirmation that he sees a chiropractor because there is NO WAY he is in such perfect alignment without a chiropractor.

He'd definitely need an adjustment after that "Buckingham Palace" tumble!

 

... that is definitely not Sherlock Holmes' body. That's the body of an incredibly fit and arguably well built actor, but it's not the "gaunt frame" of my favorite detective. Rather than force Benedict Cumberbatch to become borderline anorexic for the role, though, I'd be fine with them just keeping his healthy muscles covered and giving him the right costume to make him look more emaciated than (I hope) he'll ever be.....

  

Does he really seem too gaunt? I guess I've always just assumed he's a fairly slender guy naturally. But I tend to assume that of most skinny people because I'm underweight and can't gain to save my life.

Regardless of what his natural weight is, I hope he'll decide to just stick with it and , as T.o.b.y suggests, use camouflage. I've heard that if a person repeatedly loses and regains weight, they may eventually find it nearly impossible to lose weight -- which could be a hazard not only to his health, but also to his career.

 

 

It does sound like he lost some weight for the part of Sherlock based on some quick Google-fu, and if that's true then he should most definitely not continue to diet for Sherlock.  Although, it also seems like he struggled to gain weight/bulk up for other parts so I'd guess he's probably somewhat slender naturally, just not Sherlock thin.  I wish that overall we could just let people be what they are naturally, whether that is thin or not, as along as they're healthy (eating well, exercising some).

[Arcadia]

I've been watching this episode again (it's just the perfect one for this time of year), and it struck me for the first time how large and glossy those printouts from Irene Adler's website are. I mean, why did Mycroft go to all that trouble? Was he planning to use them for anything special after showing them to his brother? Give them to some business aquaintance as a gift, perhaps? Hang them up in his bedroom? It's a mystery...

Real-world guess? So the audience could see them. In-story guess? Some clerical worker was ordered to print off some photos of Ms. Adler and, not knowing what they were for, decided bigger was better. ^_^

  

A bit off-topic of SiB but in Hounds the mind palace scene in the lab is just beautiful to watch as far as his hand movements.  

 

 

How much of that do you think was choreographed/guided as far as object/word placement, and how much do you think was just put in after the fact based on the hand movements?

I'm thinking a little of both, and boy I could watch those hands all day. Suddenly and disturbingly, I have a better understanding of Magnussen's fascination with Sherlock's hands......

 

... based on some quick Google-fu...

Google-fu!!!    Stealing......

[SherlockedCAMPer]

 

A bit off-topic of SiB but in Hounds the mind palace scene in the lab is just beautiful to watch as far as his hand movements.

 

 

How much of that do you think was choreographed/guided as far as object/word placement, and how much do you think was just put in after the fact based on the hand movements?

I'm thinking a little of both, and boy I could watch those hands all day. Suddenly and disturbingly, I have a better understanding of Magnussen's fascination with Sherlock's hands......

After thinking about it, so do I. Between the violin playing and the mind palace in HoB, it's brilliant. then it just occurred to me that when he fell (as much as his hands were unintentionally bound), he turned to hit shoulder first which protects the violin playing hands (as bound as they were).

[T.o.b.y]

What a beautiful episode this is. Some of the shots... And the music! I'm not musical and never notice the score much beyond "hmmm, lovely", but Irene's theme is one of the very few I can identify and I love it. 

 

I watched A Scandal in Belgravia in a dark room today with a lot of candles burning and the snow (finally!) falling gently outside. I can whole-heartedly recommend the experience.  

[sfmpco]

If anyone is interested, I actually did find a reasonable piece of fan fiction regarding  the 48 hrs after Irene was told to RUN.  Rated M, of course.  Very interesting writing style, and well told.  Can I post the link? Is that okay?

 

You can always just message me and I'll share it.

[sfmpco]

I should add that although it's rated M, it's not pornographic.  If you're wanting 50 Shades of Adler, this isn't it.

 

I should also add that I initially left out the word FIND in the previous post.  Please know that I did NOT write it.  However, I am glad I found it because it definitely saves me the trouble of writing that scenario (it was on my TO DO list).

[Carol the Dabbler]

Technically, the link should go somewhere in the "adult" fanfic subforum, but that area's been pretty dead lately, so if you want anyone to actually see your post, I'd recommend you go ahead and put it here.  Just be sure to include a mature-content warning in the same post -- don't want anyone going there by accident.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

OK, I see that you've already posted the link in its own little thread here in the general Sherlock fanfic area, and you included a very clear content warning.  Good job.

 

[Boton]

:D I'm beginning to understand why tv tropes calls A Scandal in Belgravia "fanservice - the episode".

 

Am I the only person who was actually sorry when the sheet came down? For me, that scene kind of spoils the illusion for a moment, because that is definitely not Sherlock Holmes' body. That's the body of an incredibly fit and arguably well built actor, but it's not the "gaunt frame" of my favorite detective. Rather than force Benedict Cumberbatch to become borderline anorexic for the role, though, I'd be fine with them just keeping his healthy muscles covered and giving him the right costume to make him look more emaciated than (I hope) he'll ever be. They do a very good job there in general... And his face is luckily just perfect for the character, anyway. So guys? Just keep him clothed. If I want the rest, I've got an imagination, ya know... :P

 

I am never going to argue with seeing BC in a sheet, but I agree that there is a bit of a disconnect between the thinness of canon Holmes's body and BC's body.  I wish they would just let this Sherlock be a bit more muscular than canon Holmes, because BC looks best when he has more muscle, and I don't think it is healthy or a great example to encourage actors of either gender to become anorexic just for a part.

[sfmpco]

 

:D I'm beginning to understand why tv tropes calls A Scandal in Belgravia "fanservice - the episode".

 

Am I the only person who was actually sorry when the sheet came down? For me, that scene kind of spoils the illusion for a moment, because that is definitely not Sherlock Holmes' body. That's the body of an incredibly fit and arguably well built actor, but it's not the "gaunt frame" of my favorite detective. Rather than force Benedict Cumberbatch to become borderline anorexic for the role, though, I'd be fine with them just keeping his healthy muscles covered and giving him the right costume to make him look more emaciated than (I hope) he'll ever be. They do a very good job there in general... And his face is luckily just perfect for the character, anyway. So guys? Just keep him clothed. If I want the rest, I've got an imagination, ya know... :P

 

I am never going to argue with seeing BC in a sheet, but I agree that there is a bit of a disconnect between the thinness of canon Holmes's body and BC's body.  I wish they would just let this Sherlock be a bit more muscular than canon Holmes, because BC looks best when he has more muscle, and I don't think it is healthy or a great example to encourage actors of either gender to become anorexic just for a part.

 

 

He looked really good as Khan and also as Ace.  But in Frankenstein, which was superb, I just keep thinking that he was so sinuous and lean, and I'm not a big fan of seeing sinews as if they're only covered with a very thin layer of skin.

[T.o.b.y]

I don't know why, but it just struck me. If you string together Molly's dialog in the Christmas scene, like this:

 

MOLLY: Thank you. I wasn’t expecting to see you. I thought you were gonna be in Dorset for Christmas (...) And John. I hear you’re off to your sister’s, is that right? (...) Sherlock was complaining ... saying.

 

 

One gets the impression that Molly was expecting Sherlock to be alone at Baker St. Poor Molly, she probably thought she was coming over to keep poor lonely Sherlock company and god knows what might happen in the wake of that, and instead she found him irritated by a whole crowd of people including John's newest girl-friend in his lair, and moping about a supposedly dead sex worker. Poor Molly.

 

Also interesting that Sherlock was at some point complaining to Molly about being on his own. That doesn't sound like Sherlock... or does it. You know, I don't think Sherlock really likes to be all alone. He likes company as a rule, he's just picky about whom. John home for Christmas? Great. Less tedious, hardly any danger of sentiment, and if things get really dull, he could always pick a fight with him and wreck some furniture or blow up the kitchen. Lots of people at once for Christmas, some of them strangers, all taking nonsense at the same time? God, no. Sounds like me, come to think of it! :P

[sittything]

I don't know why, but it just struck me. If you string together Molly's dialog in the Christmas scene, like this:

 

MOLLY: Thank you. I wasn’t expecting to see you. I thought you were gonna be in Dorset for Christmas (...) And John. I hear you’re off to your sister’s, is that right? (...) Sherlock was complaining ... saying.

 

 

One gets the impression that Molly was expecting Sherlock to be alone at Baker St. Poor Molly, she probably thought she was coming over to keep poor lonely Sherlock company and god knows what might happen in the wake of that, and instead she found him irritated by a whole crowd of people including John's newest girl-friend in his lair, and moping about a supposedly dead sex worker. Poor Molly.

 

Also interesting that Sherlock was at some point complaining to Molly about being on his own. That doesn't sound like Sherlock... or does it. You know, I don't think Sherlock really likes to be all alone. He likes company as a rule, he's just picky about whom. John home for Christmas? Great. Less tedious, hardly any danger of sentiment, and if things get really dull, he could always pick a fight with him and wreck some furniture or blow up the kitchen. Lots of people at once for Christmas, some of them strangers, all taking nonsense at the same time? God, no. Sounds like me, come to think of it! :P

 

Although, she did have that whole bag full of gifts, which I assumed were for everyone there (Lestrade, John, Mrs. Hudson) including the extra nicely wrapped gift for Sherlock.

[Boton]

It's a nebulous idea, but I would kind of like to see Molly evolve into a female John.  Not a crime-solving partnership per se -- they've tried that -- but someone who is helpful in that arena (the morgue experience is handy) and who understands Sherlock at a basic level that few do.  After all, John said, "I always hear 'punch me in the face' when you're talking, but it's usually subtext."  Molly actually acted on it.

 

I shy away from anything that could be considered "Sherlolly" shipping because I truly think the two characters would be incredibly bad for one another, no matter how much Molly likes the idea.  But I'd love to see a great platonic friendship develop there.