Aidan Quinn as Captain Toby Gregson

[aely]

Essentially, Gregson is the Lestrade figure of Elementary. Like BBC Sherlock with Lestrade, CBS have made sure that Gregson is not portrayed as a bumbling, inefficient idiot which pleases me.

 

Having said that I didn't have any major feels for the character up 'til now, and Aidan Quinn hasn't pinged on my radar since he played Daz in Desperately Seeking Susan in 1984 (similar to Rupert Graves not really pinging my radar since he was in Maurice).

 

I watched episode 4 this morning and all I can say is that I have decided I absolutely love Captain Gregson's character. He doesn't make me go wibble like RG's Lestrade, but he is a seriously good bloke. Without being too spoilery he basically tells his Sherlock in this episode that he isn't an idiot and is a detective (it's very relevant to something that I won't detail) and I adore the way AQ plays it.

 

So, for me this show is a keeper. I don't think it will ever eat my brain like BBC Sherlock but I am really enjoying it in the same sort of way that I really enjoy Castle.

[SherLOCKED221]

I agree that some shows just consume you, such as BBC Sherlock. While others are still enjoyable, they are not the same.

However, although I did not dislike Lestrade, he was not someone I went weak in the knees for Aely.

[Carol the Dabbler]

If I weren't so busy watching John Watson. I would definitely be paying close attention to Greg Lestrade!

 

So far, Toby Gregson has been just sort of "there" as far as I'm concerned, but that sounds like an interesting scene in episode 4 -- I'll be sure to watch for that tomorrow evening at Hubby's office. Do you happen to know whether Gregson is based on an ACD canon character at all?

[aely]

Going weak at the knees for Lestrade was not something that was anticipated, believe me. For a start, the actor is not my usual 'type' (Lara Pulver and Benedict Cumberbatch are both more my 'usual') so I was kind of surprised. Brains are funny things with the tricks they play.

 

Now Aidan Quinn does not hold the same attraction for me at all, but I still love the character of Gregson. I'd still love Lestrade if someone else played him, I'm sure (a lot of it is in the writing after all) but there wouldn't be that little extra frisson there. Definitely unexpected.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I'm not sure I have a "usual" type, at least not a physical type. Near as I've been able to articulate it so far, I favor performances that are both subtle and intense (e.g., Martin Freeman's Watson and Leonard Nimoy's Spock). But yeah, can't deny that frisson!

[aely]

Gregson is an original ACD character - wiki has this to say...

 

Inspector (Tobias) Gregson, a Scotland Yard inspector, was first introduced in A Study in Scarlet (1887), and he subsequently appears in "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter" (1893), "The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" (1908) and "The Adventure of the Red Circle" (1911). Holmes declares him to be "the smartest of the Scotland Yarders," but given Holmes' opinion of the Scotland Yard detectives, this is not sweeping praise. In one of the stories Watson specifically mentions the callous and cool way in which Gregson moved. His rival in crimefighting at Scotland Yard is Inspector G Lestrade.

[Carol the Dabbler]

Thanks, aely! Now I'm trying to recall what has been said about Gregson's backstory is in Elementary. He and Sherlock knew each other in London a while back, I remember that -- but why was Gregson over there? Is he an American who was temporarily working with Scotland Yard, or is he supposed to be originally British -- or what?

 

Congratulations on your license! Is that something new?

[aely]

He was there in the aftermath of 9/11 doing some anti-terrorist stuff. He and Sherlock's paths didn't cross much but he was impressed with what he saw.

 

That's what I remember anyway.

 

I have to be able to defibrillate as I work on a cardiac ward - I've been meaning to get it put on a tshirt for like forever so I thought I'd use it as a signature instead.

[Carol the Dabbler]

That fits with what little I vaguely remember.

 

I finally got to see episode 4 tonight. And I do mean finally! We couldn't get any of the videos (even the teasers) to play on the CBS web site, so we tried some video sites, but they wouldn't play it either. We ended up paying Amazon a couple of bucks, which isn't too bad a deal, actually. Fortunately, after all that hassle, it was a good episode!

 

I agree about the scene you mentioned, where Gregson basically makes it clear to Sherlock that he's not an idiot. I really like it when the writers have respect for all of the characters, not just the leads. In that same scene, I kept trying to decide whether Sherlock was being open and genuine, or was just putting on an act in order to downplay what Joan had already told Gregson, and I'm still not sure.

[chironsgirl]

I really like AQ as Gregson, he is a big factor in why I enjoy the show. In real life AQ is the father of a special needs child and I believe that fact makes him choose his roles carefully. He wants to be available to his family as much as possible. I like AQ's version of Gregson. He appreciates Sherlock's skills but also tries to kick Sherlock's butt for being disrespectful to the police.