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Elementary
Following up on yesterday's Victorian detectives theme, I decided to share my thoughts on the new Sherlock Holmes TV reboot, Elementary. (At this rate, I'm going to need a detective icon!)
My first impressions of the pilot episode were that I enjoyed it, but it didn't seem as well put together as BBC's Sherlock, and they seemed to be trying a little too hard to show how quirky and eccentric Sherlock is. OTOH, I was willing to cut it some slack and hang in there because Lucy Liu plays Watson. And there were definitely things to like about the episode: as with the BBC version, this Sherlock can sometimes be arrogant and a jerk, although I get the impression that it's more because he's too intently focused on solving the case to bother with social niceties than because he's actually contemptuous of other people. Watson does put up with a certain amount of crap from him because in this version, she's a sobriety counselor employed by his father to make sure he stays clean after a stint in rehab for drug addiction in London. However, when Sherlock crosses the line, Watson calls him on it, and he actually--and sincerely--apologizes.
As part of her job, Watson is supposed to stick by Sherlock practically 24-7, which means she has to accompany him on his investigations. (He passes her off as his valet to the police.) I really liked the way she found that, somewhat to her surprise, she kind of enjoyed helping Sherlock with his detective work. There's a backstory about Watson's past that's slowly being revealed over the course of the series: she used to be a surgeon but apparently lost her license after a patient died during an operation.
There were accusations of possible sexism (and grumbling about divergence from book canon) from some fans because Watson's military background has been erased in this version and because this Watson is a disgraced surgeon. (Why can't a woman be in the military? Why does female!Watson have to be disgraced?) I can't say whether or not there might have been some unconscious sexism on the writers' part, but this version of Watson does work for me personally. Given that this Watson was a surgeon, there had to be a reason why she'd give up her job to work with Sherlock, and the "disgraced surgeon" thing seems to be more complicated than it first appeared; I assume we'll learn more in future episodes. Though I do think that it could have been really interesting to have Watson be, say, a former Army medic. (But I think they'd have to come up with a better reason for them to move in together than "Watson needs a roommate.")
And having continued watching the series, it's overcome my initial reservations and I'm loving it more with each episode. The show seems to be settling down and getting past the "let us show you how quirky Sherlock is," and is developing a nice chemistry between Sherlock and Watson--not so much shippy vibes (and Watson is too ethical to get involved with a client, anyway), but a growing sense of respect and friendship that I really like. The supporting cast of Aidan Quinn as Captain Gregson and John Michael Hill (formerly of Detroit 1-8-7) as Detective Bell are also great. Gregson is the one who brought Sherlock in as a consultant, and tolerates Sherlock's eccentricities to a certain extent, while Bell is rather skeptical at first, but gradually seems to be realizing that Sherlock can be useful (while still thinking that he's a little nuts.)
I've seen the first season of the BBC Sherlock and enjoyed it, but that Sherlock is such a jerk most of the time that he starts to grate on me after awhile. What I really love about Johnny Lee Miller's Sherlock is that he shows a vulnerability and humility that I don't see in BBC Sherlock (although Benedict Cumberbatch is great in the role). He's still the brilliant and sometimes arrogant genius who can be careless of people's feelings, but as in the first episode, when he goes too far, Watson (and occasionally Gregson) will confront him, and he'll admit that he was wrong and apologize. Which isn't to say that he's a perfect angel or that he always has the same definition of "wrong" as Watson and Gregson do--he has no qualms about interrupting Watson during an opera concert that she's attending, for example. But for significant things that affect the trust and respect he shares with Watson and Gregson, yes, he will apologize, which is something I have a hard time picturing Cumberbatch's Sherlock doing. As a spoilery example, I really loved the scene towards the end of Rat Race (episode 4), whereSherlock nervously confesses to Gregson that Watson is his counselor, not his valet, and says that he should have told Gregson the truth about having gone through rehab. To which Gregson replies that he already knew, and while he wasn't happy that Sherlock was hiding the information, he was willing to wait until Sherlock felt ready to tell him. And Sherlock is shaken and completely humbled, I think partly because Gregson had figured out his secret, and partly because of the faith that Gregson had put into him. And all of this made me love Aidan Quinn's character even more!
So for what it's worth, I recommend Elementary to Sherlock fans! (And to mystery fans in general, and to Lucy Liu fans.) Even if the first episode doesn't quite click with you, I urge to hang in there and at least give the next couple of episodes a try. (You can currently stream full episodes on the CBS site if you need to catch up.)
My first impressions of the pilot episode were that I enjoyed it, but it didn't seem as well put together as BBC's Sherlock, and they seemed to be trying a little too hard to show how quirky and eccentric Sherlock is. OTOH, I was willing to cut it some slack and hang in there because Lucy Liu plays Watson. And there were definitely things to like about the episode: as with the BBC version, this Sherlock can sometimes be arrogant and a jerk, although I get the impression that it's more because he's too intently focused on solving the case to bother with social niceties than because he's actually contemptuous of other people. Watson does put up with a certain amount of crap from him because in this version, she's a sobriety counselor employed by his father to make sure he stays clean after a stint in rehab for drug addiction in London. However, when Sherlock crosses the line, Watson calls him on it, and he actually--and sincerely--apologizes.
As part of her job, Watson is supposed to stick by Sherlock practically 24-7, which means she has to accompany him on his investigations. (He passes her off as his valet to the police.) I really liked the way she found that, somewhat to her surprise, she kind of enjoyed helping Sherlock with his detective work. There's a backstory about Watson's past that's slowly being revealed over the course of the series: she used to be a surgeon but apparently lost her license after a patient died during an operation.
There were accusations of possible sexism (and grumbling about divergence from book canon) from some fans because Watson's military background has been erased in this version and because this Watson is a disgraced surgeon. (Why can't a woman be in the military? Why does female!Watson have to be disgraced?) I can't say whether or not there might have been some unconscious sexism on the writers' part, but this version of Watson does work for me personally. Given that this Watson was a surgeon, there had to be a reason why she'd give up her job to work with Sherlock, and the "disgraced surgeon" thing seems to be more complicated than it first appeared; I assume we'll learn more in future episodes. Though I do think that it could have been really interesting to have Watson be, say, a former Army medic. (But I think they'd have to come up with a better reason for them to move in together than "Watson needs a roommate.")
And having continued watching the series, it's overcome my initial reservations and I'm loving it more with each episode. The show seems to be settling down and getting past the "let us show you how quirky Sherlock is," and is developing a nice chemistry between Sherlock and Watson--not so much shippy vibes (and Watson is too ethical to get involved with a client, anyway), but a growing sense of respect and friendship that I really like. The supporting cast of Aidan Quinn as Captain Gregson and John Michael Hill (formerly of Detroit 1-8-7) as Detective Bell are also great. Gregson is the one who brought Sherlock in as a consultant, and tolerates Sherlock's eccentricities to a certain extent, while Bell is rather skeptical at first, but gradually seems to be realizing that Sherlock can be useful (while still thinking that he's a little nuts.)
I've seen the first season of the BBC Sherlock and enjoyed it, but that Sherlock is such a jerk most of the time that he starts to grate on me after awhile. What I really love about Johnny Lee Miller's Sherlock is that he shows a vulnerability and humility that I don't see in BBC Sherlock (although Benedict Cumberbatch is great in the role). He's still the brilliant and sometimes arrogant genius who can be careless of people's feelings, but as in the first episode, when he goes too far, Watson (and occasionally Gregson) will confront him, and he'll admit that he was wrong and apologize. Which isn't to say that he's a perfect angel or that he always has the same definition of "wrong" as Watson and Gregson do--he has no qualms about interrupting Watson during an opera concert that she's attending, for example. But for significant things that affect the trust and respect he shares with Watson and Gregson, yes, he will apologize, which is something I have a hard time picturing Cumberbatch's Sherlock doing. As a spoilery example, I really loved the scene towards the end of Rat Race (episode 4), where
So for what it's worth, I recommend Elementary to Sherlock fans! (And to mystery fans in general, and to Lucy Liu fans.) Even if the first episode doesn't quite click with you, I urge to hang in there and at least give the next couple of episodes a try. (You can currently stream full episodes on the CBS site if you need to catch up.)