Because heaven knows memory had nothing to do with it, a stroke of pure luck found me surfing the television guide last night, a shade or two before nine o’clock. My gaze caught on PBS’s Masterpiece and that was the catalyst; I recalled that the BBC’s most recent incarnation of Sherlock was set to premiere. That was that; the rest of my evening was happily set. And when Sherlock and Watson were walking away, side by side, from the resolution of the case, I turned to my husband and said: That was awesome. To which, with the smallest smile, he replied: It was alright.
Dratted man.
Really, though, it was more than alright, and just how much I enjoyed it came as a surprise. Conceptually, I loved it. Plunk Holmes and Watson down in contemporary London, set Watson up with a blog, Holmes with a web site, and give them both cell phones for amusing texts and a quick check of the weather. Add in a dose of Mycroft and Sherlock having mummie issues, an exasperated, going to be great fun Lestrade, and a neat visual aide for Holmes’ lightning fast deductions, and you’ve got something good.
Plus, another surprise, I quite liked Benedict Cumberbatch as modern-day Holmes. Sherlock loves a good challenge, a chance to pit his intellect against another, but you could literally see it spark on Cumberbatch’s face; it was in his eyes, the draw of his mouth. His enthusiasm, for lack of a more apt word, was catching. But even more, I liked Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson. Freeman expertly balanced all of the good doctor’s traits. And what’s better? Cumberbatch and Freeman had chemistry; it was subtle, which made sense since the characters had only just been introduced. But the potential! And the one thing I require of any Holmes retelling is chemistry between the pair; without it, I will studiously ignore the show/film/book/etc.
My one complaint, and it’s minor, was that Cumberbatch spit out his deductions so quickly, I couldn’t always follow. The superior rush of words fit his take on the character, I thought, which made it easier to bear.
So. I know what I’ll be doing the next two Sundays at nine o’clock.
As a Brit, I’ve seen all three episodes, and I love the series. I do think that the first ep was the best, unsurprisingly since it was written by Stephen Moffat.
I’m eager for s2… shame it’ll only be 3 eps again, due to Moffat running Doctor Who (not that I’d change things – I adore his Who). At least they’re double-length episodes again!
I see that you’re a fellow RA fan. Interestingly, Martin Freeman has just been cast as Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” along with our RA as Thorin Oakenshield, leader of the company of dwarves. At 6’2″, it’ll take some serious special effects to make him a dwarf, but what a coup for the divine RA!!
Lanta – Any idea when those are going to air? Hopefully it won’t be much after that they show them here. That cliffhanger!
Pam – I saw that! Fantastic on both counts. I’m so excited that RA is starting to gain momentum here in the states; hopefully between The Hobbit and Captain America he’ll have firm footing stateside and show up more and more frequently.
Chelle – sometime next Autumn.
This whole three episode series was fantastic, and I’m thrilled to have just read that Freeman will be taking a Tolkien break this summer to shoot series two! I did not expect to like it near as much as I did, but I was completely taken by it. And am now even more excited to see Freeman take on Bilbo in the two Hobbit films.