Last night Channel 10 aired the first episode of Elementary, a CBS re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes. It was not an outstanding debut for an 'American' Holmes. The case itself was not that intriguing and I was thoroughly underwhelmed by
what was merely a good – not hyper or exceptional – level of
observational skills in Holmes. The patches on the wall denoting frames that
have been moved or changed, surely that is blindingly obvious and part of the dull first glimpse into Sherlock's skills. The episode is overall ok. There was obviously a lot of potential, so for a pilot
it was pretty good. As inducement to watch the series, I'm not sure it
would fly without the strength of the Sherlock Holmes canon.
However, I would encourage viewers to
stick with it. As murder mystery crime drama, it pays off. It is easy
to watch and entertaining, with the right amount of dark content and
the occasional nod to classic Holmes (the title of the show, for example, being a nod to the line "Elementary, my dear Watson"). As a reconstruction of one of the best known detectives in the world, it is rather liberal. What remains of Holmes is his name, his
nationality, parts of his personality and his profession. What
remains of Watson is the name and profession; doctor, or former-doctor, who spends time with Holmes as his 'companion'.
I know I shouldn't compare Elementary with Sherlock, but
it is impossible to avoid a comparison when there is a British and an
American re-invention Sherlock Holmes on our televisions at the same time. My conclusion is that they are both enjoyable and both have excellent
qualities. Personally, I would infinitely prefer to sit down to the BBC version. The
relationship dynamics are better, the cases, though bastardised, bear
an infinitely closer resemblance to the original stories. I know that
a re-invention takes liberties and that it is a great thing, to
re-invent Conan Doyle, Shakespeare, Austin and revitalise a great story. But there should always
be respect for the inestimable base material.
Johnny Lee Miller's Holmes is not as acerbic as Benedict Cumberbatch.. He is less socially awkward. He functions as a person, albeit at teenage-level one for home care. Not too much out of the ordinary there, many people never get around to the washing up. Lee Miller is a difficult but brilliant detective. Simple. Cumberbatch is more 'genius' and significantly darker. Perhaps he is an exaggeration of Holmes that Conan Doyle would not necessarily approve of, but he makes excellent mysteries and excellent television.
Johnny Lee Miller's Holmes is not as acerbic as Benedict Cumberbatch.. He is less socially awkward. He functions as a person, albeit at teenage-level one for home care. Not too much out of the ordinary there, many people never get around to the washing up. Lee Miller is a difficult but brilliant detective. Simple. Cumberbatch is more 'genius' and significantly darker. Perhaps he is an exaggeration of Holmes that Conan Doyle would not necessarily approve of, but he makes excellent mysteries and excellent television.
Fortunately for both shows, they got the central relationship of Holmes / Watson correct. If that fails, the series fails. As the first female Watson, Lucy Liu creates her own excellent character out of the mould of Watsons past. The Lee Miller /
Liu dynamic is that it is not as uneven as might be expected. She is
a very intelligent and sharp woman who not only manages to deal with,
perhaps even 'control' Holmes in a way no one else can, but who takes
as good as she gets in biting sarcasm and even occasionally,
observational powers.
An odd and unimportant part of Elementary that I enjoy is Lee Miller's tendency to wear waistcoats, even over t-shirts. He somehow manages to pull it off. More people should wear waistcoats.
Slightly more integral to the story, one of my favourite
elements in the Sherlock version is Moriarty. Andrew Scott's Moriarty is
disturbing, the evil genius version of Holmes and their 'games' are
edge-of-seat intriguing. So far in my watching of Elementary, the villains have been scary in a slightly disturbing, child-snatching,
break-in sort of way. But there is something about Andrew Scott's twitchy,
bored portrayal that makes you enjoy every minute he is on screen and so raise the quality of the show above the usual level of detective crime.
Sherlock: exceptional drama, makes time
on the couch a special occasion.
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