New Sherlock Holmes on PBS

Jade Jaguar · October 26th 10, 04:09

PBS has just started showing a 3 ep series of a new, 21st century Sherlock Holmes, made in the UK. It has Dr. Who connections, with Steven Moffat doing it. The first installment was quite well done. I'll admit I was skeptical about an update, but IMO, it works well. It is on PBS Masterpiece Mystery, and will probably be rerun this week, with the second ep on Sunday. Check it out!

Sherlock is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who looks like he could be a good Dr. Who himself. His Watson is an army Dr., recently returned from Afghanistan, and suffering from PTSD. We also meet Mycroft in the first ep, and get hints of Moriarty.

hypatia · October 26th 10, 04:30

That sounds very interesting, thanks for passing that along, JJ!

You make it sound as if we should soon see a Dr. Who ep with Sherlock Holmes in it.

Sherlock Holmes might be difficult to update, are they keeping the egotistical, drug-addicted genius Holmes that we know and love? I know I still like and watch the Jeremey Brett (?) versions (series 1 and 2 when he came back from the dead, well not dead yet...). He dropped the impatience Holmes had with women, the distrust and objectification and all that. They must have wanted Holmes to be a bit more likeable.

But I'd love to see someone play it more as it was written. I wonder which way they'll take it.

Thanks so much for posting this, JJ.

Chilli · October 26th 10, 16:42

They did a great job at updating it, IMO, while staying quite true to the characterizations and the feel of the original material. I especially approve of how they did Watson - in so many adaptations, he's reduced to a bumbling fool whose primarily purpose is to make Sherlock look awesome in comparison. This Watson feels a lot more like the charming womanizing bad-ass gentleman who narrates Conan Doyle's stories. With the same adaptations turning Sherlock from a semi-sociopatic misanthropic asexual narcomaniac into a well-adjusted gentleman - I like that they haven't done this here either. It preserves the dynamics found in the original materials which is lost in so many adaptations.

All three episodes had their definite weak points (don't want to spoil anything till they've all been aired), but I absolutely loved the series nevertheless. Looking forward to next year's series.

Jade Jaguar · October 27th 10, 09:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypatia

T

Sherlock Holmes might be difficult to update, are they keeping the egotistical, drug-addicted genius Holmes that we know and love?

Definitely, if anything, amplified. I'm a Brett fan too. This one is different, but quite good.

darth_librarian · October 27th 10, 15:24

This aired a few months back here, its really good, well worth catching. The final story is wonderfully done.

Markas · October 28th 10, 01:06

I saw the first episode as well. I liked it considerably more than I thought I would. I am a Jeremy Brett fan and have always loved his idiosyncratic way of portraying Holmes. Cumberbatch was excellent, being both modern and having that quirky way of being. I also like the relationship between Holmes and Watson and it works quite well in the 21st century.

I'm looking forward to the next installments.

Republibot 3.0 · November 3rd 10, 16:17

Yeah, I totally dug it. Very good show, if a bit Dr. Who-ish and David Tennanty.

Jade Jaguar · November 9th 10, 03:43

I've seen the third ep now, and liked them all. This Holmes is the most maniacal yet. But, the part about 'Sherlock doesn't know the Earth orbits the Sun' seemed ridiculous to me.

Chilli · November 9th 10, 04:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jade Jaguar

I've seen the third ep now, and liked them all. This Holmes is the most maniacal yet. But, the part about 'Sherlock doesn't know the Earth orbits the Sun' seemed ridiculous to me.

Well, it IS canon. From a Study in Scarlet:

Quote:

His ignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge. Of contemporary literature, philosophy and politics he appeared to know next to nothing. Upon my quoting Thomas Carlyle, he inquired in the naivest way who he might be and what he had done. My surprise reached a climax, however, when I found incidentally that he was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System. That any civilized human being in this nineteenth century should not be aware that the earth travelled round the sun appeared to be to me such an extraordinary fact that I could hardly realize it.
"You appear to be astonished," he said, smiling at my expression of surprise. "Now that I do know it I shall do my best to forget it."
"To forget it!"
"You see," he explained, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order. It is a mistake to think that that little room has elastic walls and can distend to any extent. Depend upon it there comes a time when for every addition of knowledge you forget something that you knew before. It is of the highest importance, therefore, not to have useless facts elbowing out the useful ones."
"But the Solar System!" I protested.
"What the deuce is it to me?" he interrupted impatiently; "you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a pennyworth of difference to me or to my work."

So if it's ridiculous, it's Conan Doyle that gets the blame here. Personally, I would like to think that it's ridiculous, but I don't think it is - my sister recently had to explain to a 14-year old coaching student of hers that the Earth goes around the sun. Given, this girl is a complete idiot .. but so is Sherlock, in many ways.

Jade Jaguar · November 10th 10, 02:52

Chilli, thanks for clearing up my ignorance on the point. My surprise comes from several points - in the films, Sherlock always seems to know everything about everything. He seems to know all the government functionaries, and what they are up to, i.e. In the last ep, he solved the forgery crime by knowing detailed info about a comet (IIRC.) So, how does he have that level of astronomical knowledge, but not know that the Earth orbits the Sun? My question is rhetorical, I don't expect you to explain it.