Episode 2.2 ,"The Hounds Of Baskerville"

[Undead Medic]

A thread for the discussion of series 2 episode 2 "The Hounds Of Baskerville."

 

Please rate the episode using the poll, and discuss the episode below.

 

A Hound from Hell. A terrified young man. Sherlock's most famous case. But is a monster really stalking Dartmoor? Something terrible has happened to Henry Knight. Sherlock and John investigate the truth about the monstrous creature which apparently killed their client's father. But what seems like fantasy in Baker Street is a very different prospect in the ultra-secret army base that looms over Dartmoor...

[Angstosaur]

OK - this was my least favourite episode. Why? Two main reasons ... first of all Russell Tovey, despite the tongue-in-cheek casting of 'George the werewolf' from 'Being Human' in the hounds story, he was lame in my opinion ... and detracted from the story telling, making it less scary and more cringeworthy than it should have been ...

 

and secondly ... Sherlock looking down a microscope to look for poison in the sugar! really? crystals of poison could have looked just like sugar crystals ... he would have needed a chemical analysis to detect any drugs etc in the sugar ... and as for the swirling images and chemical symbols ... there was even H₂O circled, which most of us would recognise to be water, after all we're into 'Sherlock' because it doesn't insult our intelligence and this ... this did for me ... and I grumbled when I saw it ...

 

but it was nice to see them out in the Countrycide ...ooops I mean countryside

[Banshee]

but it was nice to see them out in the Countrycide ...ooops I mean countryside

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw the references! Shelock standing up in the rocks with coat flowing behind him reminded me too much of Jack not to notice. Plus all the "scary countryside" situation... I was just hoping someone would mention camping

[subtle science]

I did like the nods to the original novel (including the dramatic shots of Holmes' standing on the outcroppings), but this episode isn't a favorite of mine. (It's still better than 95% of anything else on TV.) I like it better than "The Blind Banker"--that one was, among a few other things, just not too interesting to me.

I disliked the whole opening of this episode--I found it extremely overdone: the direction, the writing, and Cumberbatch were all really off.

The episode simply didn't gel, in my view--there were excellent bits and pieces, but there were also bits and pieces that didn't work at all; the end result was uneven and seemed more of a case of what might have been, rather than what was achieved.

Tovey was adequate....Somehow, though, I never managed to find much sympathy for or interest in the character--who did come across as a rerun of Tovey's Being Human character, and I found that character to be grating.

That was a lot of whinging. Seriously--there WERE things I really, really did love about the episode. I probably could just rewatch Cumberbatch doing the shaking hand with the drink thing over and over again.....

[Lirael]

It was my favorite episode because:

-didn't end like Reichenbach

 

-character development: i love/crave it. And this episode was full of for Sherlock. He confronted his feelings of fear and the confusion of not being able to fully trust in what his eyes told him and as such not be fully rational. It was wonderful seeing how he didn't push all his feelings away either; during his talk with John, he said he didn't have friends because he wanted to master his emotions (and avoid being overcome by them again) by destroying any source of them (John friends) but does he stick to this "mind over heart" mentality to protect himself? Nope, next day he chose his relationship with John over being rational (when he told John he was his only friend), even though he had no evidence to suggest this might be a good idea at all.

 

...and this is me talking about the episode without my slashgoggles on...

[aely]

I like the ep, but it's not my favourite by any stretch of the imagination.

 

I also feel quite cross with Sherlock about certain things, the 'lab test' on John being one though still in character. I also wish there'd been a bit more resolution as I can't imagine John being AOK with having been manipulated like that and then on top of it having to deal with someone being blown up by a land mine - that would *not* have been a good thing for him I'm sure.

[Erika]

I liked this episode. It's not my favourite out of the three, but that's because it's surrounded by two very strong episodes. It's still worlds better then The Blind Banker. Though I find myself pausing this episode quite a bit too. There are some great scenes (my favourite being Sherlock not knowing Lestrade's first name is Greg ), but some of the stuff with Henry Knight I didn't like so much.

 

I like these "out of their norm" episodes!! Like Angstosaur and Banshee mentioned, it was a total flashback to my favourite Torchwood episode, Countrycide. I mean heck they even had a landrover to ride around in. The scenes at the inn were awesome. I loved seeing Sherlock so not Sherlock. We got to see him as a human being for once, not just the brainaic. Sherlock breaking down nearly made me cry too. Darn Benedict, you're fantastic at everything.

 

And okay, there were the very obvious bits about being a couple at the inn. That was fun.

[Banshee]

And okay, there were the very obvious bits about being a couple at the inn. That was fun.

 

I had forgotten about that!

[Lirael]

Oho, if we're mentioning subtext...

 

During Sherlock's break down there's a heart-shaped decoration ^^

 

And I apparently theer's a hint that their room only had one bed, but I can't confirm that...

[Erika]

Oho, if we're mentioning subtext...

 

During Sherlock's break down there's a heart-shaped decoration ^^

 

And I apparently theer's a hint that their room only had one bed, but I can't confirm that...

 

Wow! I had to go back and look. There is definitely a heart there! I'm sure it could have been taken down, but nope it was left up. Veeery interesting!

 

And the innkeeper says that they had no double rooms. That would mean a single bed then I think?

[aely]

I'd taken no double rooms to mean that it was a twin bedded room though I suppose it could have been a single just as easily.

[Lirael]

I'd taken no double rooms to mean that it was a twin bedded room though I suppose it could have been a single just as easily.

 

That's what I thought too...but hey, single is so much better for my imagination

[Sherlocked]

I really like this episode!

I live on Dartmoor and almost cried when I saw this on the telly! CUMBERBATCH AND FREEMAN WERE SO CLOSE AND I MISSED THEM! Obviously, my Cumber-senses were not on form that day

 

I thought that it was a brilliant updating of the original, and if you watch it at night (like 11pm onwards), the bit where Henry is channel hopping and the wolves are on the screen and the lighting and bangs....well that is pretty scary!

[m0r1arty]

6/10 from me.

 

Whilst it was a superb set of nods to various Holmesian trivialities and not a bad go at modernising the original tale it felt weak and slightly overstated in its own worth. Missing out the incestuous/married element from the original and being slightly needless in its attempt to have Holmes chase down facts from an MOD computer which pertain to the case...well....meh!

 

I'd watch it again, it's certainly enjoyable enough - just a bit too schoolboy for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't exactly what a schoolboy would enjoy (Which was the age when I first read Sherlock Holmes).

 

-m0r

[M011y H00per]

Just for reference no double rooms mean they are both going to have a single room each. The landlord is worried that, if they were a couple, they would not like the idea of two separate rooms. As it is, as John would say, "It's fine! It's all fine!".

 

As for the rest of the episode, I too found Henry's character difficult to identify with/care about. I'm not certain if that was the way he was played or the way he was "drawn". I loved some of the photography in the episode, particularly the scenes on the moor. The part when Henry is, as it turns out, hallucinating at home with the security lights going on and off was nicely jumpy. Also the scene in the lab where John thinks he is being persued by the monster was really good, although it reminded me a bit of Jurassic Park. Quite a bit of the rest of the episode lacked pace, sufficient eeriness and enough tension.

 

I thought the link between ACD canon could have been stronger without adversely affecting the storyline. The decision to use the modern fear of genetic engineering etc. rather than the Victorian/Edwardian fear of ghosts was a good one.

 

Overall, I quite enjoyed this episode as it revealed more about Sherlock's character, not all of it very nice actually; testing a possible drug on your friend without his consent is a pretty immoral thing to do isn't it! Certainly John's reaction after being terrified in the lab is more controlled that Sherlock's but then, John has been in the situation of being terrified a lot before . Clearly Sherlock hasn't and Sherlock likes to be in control, of his emotions, everything really.

[Dylan]

I enjoyed some parts of the episode, like the idea of a glow-in-the-dark bunny, but overall I was very disappointed. I love the original ACD novel with it's dark gothic atmosphere and had high hopes for that episode. But the story line was thin and the idea of the psychedelic fog clearly more science fiction than science.Why was Lestrade there at all? Just to revealhis first name? For the story line he was not needed at all (unless something will be used for the third season). The acting, especially of Cumberbatch was a bit over the top at times. I really disliked the opening scene. Why did Sherlock abandon the nicotine patches anyway? I thought, that was such a clever idea of the first season. Also, Sherlock's show of anxiety, which was great as an idea, was not very well acted IMO, too over the top as well. I was completely convinced, that Sherlock was faking it for some purpose, until the story revealed, that his fear was meant to be real.

I agree, it was still better than most tv shows, but in my range of favourite Sherlock episodes it's barely in front of 'Blind Banker'.

[Muzey]

I did find myself in high liking of Baskervile Episode. Though I have not read the books.. I did find the scientific understandings in this episode so .... yeah <.<; However, one of the reasons i loved this episode was the 'Mind Palace' Concept. Unforunately, the concept was not well displayed in the episode. It felt more like word association then an actual mind palace. I do have one myslef that I am slowly building and it did help me during exams so no complaint there..

 

This episode is a tie with Reichenbach Fall. All 3 Episodes are awesome in season 2. Still have a place for this episode in my heart :3

[Kosaka]

While the acting was good, and I loved the scene after Sherlock sees the Hound. Hound of the Baskervilles was already one of my least favorite ACD stories as it is, and the story just isn't as good as the other episodes.

[Carol the Dabbler]

We watched this episode on PBS last Sunday, and even though I had already seen it on DVD just as many times as any of the other episodes (with the probable exception of "The Reichenbach Fall"), I noticed only one (very minor) specific cut, as compared to the five I noticed in "A Scandal in Belgravia." (And there clearly were cuts, because PBS again took up about eight minutes with their own material.) Apparently this episode just never engaged my attention the way the others have.

 

Speaking of the PBS additions, I must correct what I said on the "Scandal" thread. These eight minutes actually did include several pieces that looked and sounded like ads. (Though I doubt that PBS would call them that.) I'm pretty sure that the ads on "Scandal" merely failed to register, since I was still too busy fuming over all those cuts!

 

In the opening scene, Sherlock rejects Mrs. Hudson's offer of a cup of tea by saying, "I need something stronger -- perhaps seven percent stronger." I'm still debating with myself as to whether that was a believable thing for him to say. Unlike the other sly references to real-world Holmes stories, that one jerked me right out of my alternative-universe trance!

 

While Sherlock is interviewing Henry, John is drinking from a mug with letters on it. All I've been able to make out is something like

 

WEST LO.....

POWER

Can anyone tell me what the rest of that is likely to be?

 

When Sherlock texts John after their spat in the pub, John replies in ALL CAPS -- "shouting" because he's still sore. Nice touch.

 

I agree with Dylan (post #16) that Greg's scene is fairly gratuitous. But I agree with Erika (post #7) that it was a lot of fun. And it has some interesting interactions between Greg and Sherlock and John. Can we just chalk it up to character development?

 

I am puzzled by a couple of details at the end of the John-as-a-lab-rat scene. First, even though he's been utterly terrified, he quite readily walks out of the cage he's been hiding in, the second that Sherlock shows up and the lights come on. (If that had been me, I would have stayed put until Sherlock checked in all the corners for that darn hound!) And second, his behavior simultaneously switches from "terrified" to "slightly-belligerent drunk." I do not recall the latter as being one of the effects of the drug. Can anyone offer an explanation? Please?

 

My biggest quibble with this episode is the very concept of a CIA sweatshirt. The CIA is such a secretive organization that you can get into serious trouble for saying that someone might be a former agent. If there actually were a CIA facility in rural Indiana, no one would ever know, because it would undoubtedly be disguised as a hog farm or something. The denizens would sure as heck not go around advertising themselves with custom sweatshirts! (At least I get a good laugh every time that scene comes on.)

 

By the way, as soon as Henry asked Dr. Mortimer what the words "liberty" and "in" might mean, my husband and I both shouted, "Liberty, Indiana!" Technically, the abbreviation is "IN" rather than "In" as on the sweatshirt, but that would have spoiled the mystery. Besides, a lot of people do write it that way.

 

Finally, in all fairness, I must mention one PBS modification that I actually liked! Here and there in the closing credits of this episode, a seemingly-random letter is displayed in bright red. There are five of them. Any guesses what they are?

[CSIBakerStreet]

I hate myself everytime I think of this case. Now that I have John, I was thinking of when I saw him in the graveyard. And...if any of you tell him I said this, I'll bring James Moriarty back from the grave. I cried. Two perfect streamlines of tears down each side of my face. I just want to shoot myself. Honestly, I do. I should have stayed dead. I shouldn't have made it looked like I died, I should have just died. When I think of how I treated him, it's unbearable. He deserves so much better. My only friend and A. I told him he wasn't my friend B. I used him as an experiment. Nobody does that to their friend. Except a bloody egotistic maniac.

[Carol the Dabbler]

I am still trying to make sense out of the John-as-a-lab-rat scene. Right now, I'm specifically trying to figure out why John "saw" the Hound. Was he actually drugged? And if so, how?

 

If, on the other hand, he was not actually drugged, the first question remains -- why did he "see" the Hound?

 

Or, come to think of it, was he just saying that he saw it -- and if so, why?

 

Any ideas?

[Brainy]

Well he sees some shadows and I guess the rest is just his interpretation. So he thinks he saw it (because of the shadows/sounds etc.) and believes it. Probably also because Sherlock previously admitted that he'd seen it as well.

 

As you said, he was NOT drugged (Sherlock thought the drug was in the sugar but in fact it wasn't). So John can't have actually seen anything. That's why I guess he just interpreted the bits and pieces he really 'saw'/heard and put them together. And here's the hound.

 

*edit*

Just think of yourself as a kid or when you're alone at home. Sometimes people are afraid of darkness. Maybe they read a creepy book.. then they go to bed, everything's dark.. you hear a door creaking or something that sounds like footsteps. Even though you know that you're alone in the house.. I mean, it's not too far away from what John experienced in the lab, is it? I guess every one of us knows such situations. And normally we aren't drugged, are we?

[aely]

See, I've always thought he potentially could have been drugged - you see him in the offices and then they specifically have him looking at what appear to be some very leaky pipes. Maybe it was just steam or something else innocuous that was escaping, but maybe it wasn't? That gas had to come from somewhere, right? More importantly, it happens not long before Sherlock does the lab rat thing...

[Carol the Dabbler]

Well he sees some shadows and I guess the rest is just his interpretation....

 

As you said, he was NOT drugged (Sherlock thought the drug was in the sugar but in fact it wasn't) ....

I'm sure that the overall creepiness was a contributing factor -- but John is a veteran of the Afghan War -- surely not someone who jumps at every shadow. Seems to me there must have been one or more other factors. But what?

 

Actually, I'm willing to believe that he was drugged -- but you're right, there was certainly no hard evidence for that.

 

 

See, I've always thought he potentially could have been drugged - you see him in the offices and then they specifically have him looking at what appear to be some very leaky pipes. Maybe it was just steam or something else innocuous that was escaping, but maybe it wasn't? ....

That's also what Sherlock claimed (in the scene outside the inn at the very end), but it sounded to me like he was grasping at straws there, thinking, "Well, it wasn't the sugar -- so it HAD to be something else!" But if it really was the leaky pipes, how come everyone who works in the lab wasn't violently paranoid due to their long-term exposure?

 

 

Of course, the lab-rat scene is said to have been a last-minute invention, written virtually as it was being filmed, so there could easily be some holes in the logic.

 

But another explanation just occurred to me. Perhaps John has been feeling a bit guilty for being so hard on Sherlock in the fireplace scene, where he pretty much made fun of him for having seen the Hound -- and so decides to "see" the Hound himself, so Sherlock can be all "told you so" (i.e., back to his usual self). I admit this seems like a bit of a stretch, but it could be one of the reasons for John's smug little smile in the end scene. It also resolves my earlier quibbles:

 

... even though he's been utterly terrified, he quite readily walks out of the cage he's been hiding in, the second that Sherlock shows up and the lights come on. (If that had been me, I would have stayed put until Sherlock checked in all the corners for that darn hound!) And second, his behavior simultaneously switches from "terrified" to "slightly-belligerent drunk." ....

The answer to those puzzlements would then be, John was faking it (and as an actor, he's a very good doctor).

 

Let the hole-poking commence!

[besleybean]

This is number 3 on my list of episodes and my 2nd favourite of Mark's.

The classic scare story.

Clever to see Sherlock face fear and a progression in his relationship with John.

More importantly of course, it is the lead into the Reichenbach Fall.

Oh and we gain our 1st glimpse of the Diogenes club.

I love Russell Tovey and think he is great in this.

I also recommend listening to the commentary for this, it is hilarious.

Plus the opening of this episode is spectacular.