TV Review: Sherlock - "The Reichenbach Fall"

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman with Loo Brealey as Molly Hooper

Sherlock has become very famous thanks to his recent high profile cases. Moriarty has some truly nefarious plans in store for Sherlock. To achieve his ends, Moriarty deliberately gets arrested and Sherlock is called in as the main witness.  Moriarty gets acquitted thanks to some behind the screen shenanigans. Right after his acquittal, Moriarty pays Sherlock a visit at 221B and promises that he owes Sherlock a fall.

Mycroft had given a lot of information about Sherlock to Moriarty (when he was jailed) in order to gain some information in return. Using the said information, Moriarty has a reporter put the entire life story of Sherlock in print. The catch is that the story paints Sherlock as the man who perpetrated the crimes.

Sherlock works on an abduction case and figures out the location where the abducted kids are being kept. One of the abducted children seems to be highly alarmed by the presence of Sherlock. Sgt Donovan, never a big fan of Sherlock, raises the question: does Sherlock set up the cases that he alone solves time and again without any official help. In the very first episode A Study in Pink, Donovan had warned John to stay away from Sherlock. Credit is due to Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss for providing such a well thought-out character and story arc for the series.

Sherlock and Moriarty have a face-off

Meanwhile, a reluctant Lestrade has been ordered by his superior to have Sherlock arrested. But Sherlock has no intentions of being incarcerated. Soon Sherlock and John find themselves on the run from the official force, after resisting arrest. Sherlock arranges a meeting with Moriarty atop St Bart's Hospital. Moriarty has already hired sharpshooters to off Lestrade, John and Mrs Hudson unless Sherlock takes the fall which in this case is a literal leap to his death.

Sherlock takes the fall or so John and the rest of the world thinks. We have to wait for the next season for the answer(s).

The newcomer with a significant screen presence is Katherine Parkinson as Kitty Riley, the reporter. Cumberbatch and Freeman continue their solid work. Gatiss and Graves have considerable presence in this episode and as always are a pleasure to watch.

Loo Brealey makes a comeback as Molly Hooper and continues her work as the counterpart of Twilight's Bella Swan with Sherlock as her Edward. The pining on her behalf, the so close yet distant Sherlock. The parallel to the Twilight series is not insignificant, if you ask me!

Katherine Parkinson with Benedict Cumberbatch

Andrew Scott gives yet another over-the-top performance as Moriarty. The script writers have done an amazing job with the way Moriarty plans to discredit Sherlock, but it is the way Moriarty is portrayed that is a big letdown.

For canonically accurate portrayals of Moriarty, I would recommend SherlockHolmes: A Game of Shadows and The Mortal Fight. Both Jared Harris and Viktor Yevgrafov gave amazing performances that stayed loyal to their canonical roots.

My favorite parts in the episode:

1. The cameo by the great Douglas Wilmer as an elderly gent in the Diogenes Club. For the uninitiated, Wilmer played Sherlock Holmes in the classic 1964-65 BBC series with Nigel Stock as Dr Watson.

2. Moriarty’s story about Sir Boast-A-Lot - captured perfectly the excessively show-offish nature of this version of Sherlock Holmes.

Douglas Wilmer in "The Reichenbach Fall"

The stuff that did not really work for me:

1. Despite Sherlock and John being fugitives, they are able to visit the St Bart's hospital and 221 B Baker Street conveniently, without taking any precautions (to the best of my knowledge) whatsoever to avoid getting arrested. This seems quite improbable, considering that Scotland Yard must (logically) be keeping an eye on these 2 places to apprehend the fugitives.

2. Moriarty referring to the original story The Final Problem a gazillion times. Yes we get it; the episode is based on that particular story. 

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TV Review: Sherlock - "A Scandal in Belgravia"

Benedict Cumberbatch and Lara Pulver as Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler

This episode is a modern update of A Scandal in Bohemia.  While the series itself is contemporary take on the classic stories, the character of Irene Adler has been given the extreme makeover. 

Irene Adler has morphed from an adventuress into a dominatrix who is bisexual as well. She is the one to rescue Sherlock and Watson from their precarious situation at the end of the first season. 

Soon, Sherlock and Watson take on a royal blackmail case which involves Irene. The episode rambles on with Sherlock and Irene playing a game of cat and mouse, taking turns to outwit each other. The climactic scene features Sherlock deciphering the key to unlock Irene’s smartphone. Moriarty makes a brief appearance.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson

The character of Irene Adler is not the only one to get a modern update. The great Mycroft Holmes himself is not immune to the dictates of a “modern” adaptation. Mycroft is still employed by the British Government; it is his relationship with his younger brother that bears the brunt. Mycroft and Sherlock have a very antagonistic relationship in this series.

The Holmes brothers

In the Canon, Sherlock and Mycroft share a mutually respectful relationship towards each other. They do not gush around each other, but they do have a lot of respect and goodwill for each other. The Granada series, the Russian series and SherlockHolmes: A Game of Shadows captured the essence of this relationship nicely.

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The Granada series in particular knocks this one out of the park and I recommend the episode “The Greek Interpreter”. The scene in the Diogenes Club, where Watson meets Mycroft for the first time is pitch-perfect and Charles Gray is just amazing as Mycroft in this episode as well as in the series.

The episode has references to some of the original stories: The Greek Interpreter (The Geek Interpreter), The Speckled Band (The Speckled Blonde) and The Adventure of the Illustrious Client. 

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TV Review: Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes – "The Master Blackmailer" (1980)

Holmes and Watson do a Green Hornet and Kato impression

This episode is based on The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton.

Holmes and Watson are returning to London after solving a case. The case in question is suggested as Silver Blaze.  Silver Blaze is my all-time personal favorite short story in the Canon and a reference to this story marks one of the many high points of this episode.

Holmes has received a communication from Mycroft Holmes with reference to a case. What follows is the inevitable visit to the Diogenes Club and the first appearance of Mycroft in this series. Fans will no doubt instantly recognize these scenes as belonging to the short story The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter. The script writers have deftly handled the transition between the two stories.

Mycroft Holmes makes his first appearance

At Mycroft’s request, Sherlock takes up the case of Lady Eva Brackwell, who is being blackmailed by Charles Augustus Milverton. Milverton has got hold of some of the letters written by Lady Eva long time ago and is threatening to spoil her upcoming engagement, by sending them to her fiancé. Sherlock arranges a meeting with Milverton at 221 B Baker Street.

The villainous Milverton is immune to Holmes’s reasoning and is hell-bent on extracting money from his prey. Holmes and Watson decide to break into Milverton’s house in order to retrieve the letters and save the lady’s honor. This entails Holmes adopting a disguise to know the layout of Milverton’s house to facilitate the break-in.

While the rest of the episode follows the canonical story closely, the reference to Professor Moriarty at the end is another masterstroke on the part of the director. In the canon, Moriarty makes his appearance only in The Valley of Fear and The Final Problem.

Boris Ryzhukhin as Charles Augustus Milverton

Vasily Livanov is one of my favorite actors to play Holmes and Vitaly Solomin is the definitive Watson. Both of them continue their stellar work in this episode as well.

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The supporting cast of this episode as top-notch as usual. Boris Klyuev is a classy Mycroft. Though a tad on the leaner side, he makes a convincing Mycroft, the superior version of Sherlock in powers of observation and deduction. Boris Ryzhukhin makes his Augustus Milverton a truly despicable character, who will stop at nothing to attain his ends.

Professor Moriarty makes his actual appearance in the next episode “The Mortal Fight”. He does communicate with Holmes by the end of this episode, indicating his displeasure at Holmes’s meddling in his affairs.

Professor Moriarty expresses his intentions to Holmes

The Russian series is not the only one to make the decision to refer to Moriarty in an earlier episode before The Final Problem. The Granada series too had Moriarty orchestrating the scam behind The Red-Headed League, before the episode of The Final Problem. 

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Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

There are few actors who have as fervent a fan following as Jeremy Brett and Sir Basil Rathbone is one of those privileged few.

Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce were cast as the legendary duo in 14 films in the 1940s. Most of these movies were updated to reflect the times in which they were made rather than the Victorian times in which the novels were originally written. The makers wanted to make Sherlock a heroic figure during those tumultuous times faced by the Great Britain. Some of the movies, such as “Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror” and “Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon” were in fact based on real-life events.

Rathbone was actively involved in World War II and had even donned disguises as part of his duties. These experiences no doubt made Rathbone the perfect choice to play Sherlock Holmes. His tall and gaunt appearance and aquiline features give the impression that he just leapt right out of Sidney Paget’s drawings. Rathbone’s deep voice and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes are only the icing on the cake.

One of the often overlooked Holmesian habits in the adaptations is his addiction to drugs. The needle is mentioned very briefly at the end of the adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles. The series makers obviously did not like the reception to this (seemingly unsavory) trait of Holmes and there is no mention of this in the next 13 movies in the series. 

The actor playing Dr Watson always gets second billing and is very vital to the success of the series. Vitaly Solomin was as much a highlight of the Russian adaptation as Vasily Livanov himself. In the same vein, David Burke and Edward Hardwicke greatly enhance the appeal of the Granada series. As for Rathbone, he is saddled with the gentleman below:

Nigel Bruce as some old bumbling fool called John Watson

Nigel Bruce (bless his soul) makes the most comical Watson I have ever seen and this is not a compliment at all.. Sir Doyle created Watson as a competent doctor and an able ally/friend of the Bohemian detective. Dr Watson is the everyman that readers can relate to and he is our guide to the enigma that is Sherlock Holmes.

Making Dr Watson a bumbling fool is in my humble opinion, a big disservice to the genius of Arthur Conan Doyle. But to be fair to Bruce, he does share excellent on-screen chemistry with Basil Rathbone and this results in some truly memorable moments, mostly at the expense of Bruce's Watson!

Thankfully, Mary Gordon is the canonical Mrs Hudson: caring, affectionate and grudgingly tolerant of her Bohemian tenant.

Mary Gordon as Mrs Hudson

Scotland Yard detective Lestrade is portrayed by Dennis Hoey who is even taller than Rathbone. It is an amusing sight to watch a Lestrade taller than Holmes, as Lestrade is defined as being a man of small build in the canon.

Dennis Hoey as Lestrade with Holmes

Of the 14 movies, the only one based on the Canon is the adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles. This is one of the best adaptations of arguably the most famous Sherlock Holmes novel. Incidentally, this was the first movie to star Rathbone and Bruce as the famous residents of 221B Baker Street. Basil is in top form as Holmes here and it is sheer pleasure to watch him leave his imprint on the role.

The supporting cast is good and does justice to their respective roles. There are some deviations from the Canon, such as Beryl Stapleton being the step-sister of John Stapleton (she is his wife in the novel) and Dr Mortimer is quite aged (he is described as being quite young in the canon). There is a séance sequence, where Mrs Mortimer acts as the medium. This scene is a nice touch and adds to the atmosphere.

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Most of the remaining movies are based on one or more of the canonical stories. “The Pearl of Death” is based on The Adventure of the Six Napoleons. “Sherlock Holmes faces death” is based on The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual. “Sherlock Holmes and the House of Fear” is based on The Five Orange Pips.

Another significant fact is that there are a lot of recurring actors who portray various supporting roles in many of these 14 movies. I will not go into too many details, but suffice to say that it is quite disconcerting to watch no less than 3 different actors portray Professor Moriarty and interestingly he dies in each of these 3 incarnations!

Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes

The series is still a recommended watch for the sole purpose of enjoying Basil Rathbone’s superb portrayal of the world's premier fictional detective. 

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Sherlock (BBC Series) - Cast and Crew

Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Gatiss in BBC's 'Sherlock'

This is my second post about the BBC series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson respectively.

Please click here to read the first post.

Mark Gatiss, in addition to being the co-creator of the series, also plays Mycroft Holmes and he brings the requisite command and wisdom that Mycroft has always been associated with. In a significant deviation from the Canon, the Holmes brothers seem to have considerable hostility towards each other.

Una Stubbs as Mrs Hudson

Una Stubbs makes a bland Mrs. Hudson. Her characterization seems to be little bit inconsistent as she is reluctant to be a housekeeper initially (in “A Study in Pink”) but does so in “The Blind Banker”. Though not miscast, she does not exactly bring to mind the humble and caring Mrs Hudson, I came across while reading the books.

Rupert Graves’s Lestrade retains most of the characteristic traits of the character. He constantly needs Sherlock’s help to solve cases and is humble enough to admit it. Graves hits all these notes correctly to deliver a likeable Lestrade.

Rupert Graves as Inspector Lestrade

But not everyone in the Scotland Yard is a fan of Sherlock. Anderson (Jonathan Aris) and Sally Donovan (Vinette Robinson) are openly contemptuous of Sherlock. There is no love lost on both sides as Sherlock takes every opportunity to insult Anderson and even deduces an affair between Anderson (who is married) and Donovan. Aris and Robinson play their parts nicely and make sure that these two characters are the most loathed recurring characters in the series.

Vinette Robinson and Jonathan Aris as Sally Donovan and Anderson

Andrew Scott's version of Jim Moriarty is miles different from the Canonical version. I was initially not very keen on Andrew's portrayal but am slowly getting used to it.

Andrew Scott after winning the 2012 BAFTA award

For canonically accurate portrayals of Moriarty, I would recommend Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and The Mortal Fight. Both Jared Harris and Viktor Yevgrafov gave amazing performances that stayed loyal to their canonical roots.

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Lara Pulver portrays the highly modernized version of Irene Adler. Readers familiar with the original story A Scandal in Bohemia will recognize the changes made to the character as well as the story itself.

Lara Pulver as Irene Adler

Russell Tovey gave a great performance as Henry Knight, the BBC version of Sir Henry Baskerville. Tovey's performance was one of the highlights of the episode, that happens to be my favorite in the second season.

Russell Tovey as Henry Knight

Katherine Parkinson made her appearance in 'The Reichenbach Fall' as Kitty Riley, the reporter who unknowingly becomes a pawn in Moriarty's scheme to discredit Sherlock.

Katherine Parkinson with Benedict Cumberbatch

Last but not the least, the great Douglas Wilmer made a cameo appearance in 'The Reichenbach Fall' as an elderly gent in the Diogenes Club. He portrayed Holmes in the classic BBC series (1964-65). Wilmer is one of my all-time favorite actors to portray Sherlock and it was great to see him if only in a single scene.

Douglas Wilmer with Mark Gatiss

The background score by David Arnold and Michael Price is as critically acclaimed as the series itself. Rest of the crew delivers topnotch work as well. The series co-creators, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are proclaimed fans of the Sherlock canon and have incorporated a lot of references to the original works. These easter eggs are by themselves a celebration of Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle.

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TV Review: Sherlock

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in BBC 'Sherlock'

The BBC series Sherlock is a contemporary take on Arthur Conan Doyle's stories and novels set in the Victorian era. Benedict Cumberbatch has an amazing screen presence and makes a great Holmes for the 21st century. I find his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes to be quite faithful to the Canon.

Benedict has the right physicality to play the legendary detective. His rich baritone is the icing on the cake. This is one of the best casting choices in a long time and full credits to Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes 

Conan Doyle had created Dr Watson as a competent and loyal ally of Holmes. The BBC adaptation hits a home run on this count as Martin Freeman is a pitch-perfect Watson. Freeman embodies both humanity and humility, two qualities that Holmes more than often seems to be totally lacking in. He won the BAFTA TV award for Best Supporting Actor for his work and he truly deserved it.

Martin Freeman as Dr Watson

The character of Molly Hooper is not part of the Sherlock Holmes canon and has been created especially for this series. Loo Brealey is a nice addition to the stellar cast and makes Molly the adorable girl-next-door whom many of us have come across in our lives.

Loo Brealey as Molly Hooper with Benedict Cumberbatch in BBC 'Sherlock'

The series has had 2 seasons so far, with each season consisting of 3 90-minute long episodes.

The first episode “A Study in Pink” is based on A Study in Scarlet, the novel that introduced Sherlock Holmes. This is easily the best episode of the season. Click here to read the full review of the episode. Click here to check out the amazing number of Canonical references in this episode.

The second episode, “The Blind Banker” had Sherlock locking horns with an international gang bent on smuggling antiques. This episode is relatively less interesting compared to the first episode. Click here to read the full review of the episode.

The final episode, “The Great Game” introduced us to Jim Moriarty, the modern day version of Professor Moriarty. There are a lot of nods to the original stories and the final scenes between Moriarty and Sherlock were great. Click here and here to check out the amazing number of Canonical references in this episode.

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In keeping with the modern times, there are some conspicuous departures from the original stories:

•  Holmes and Watson maintain their own blogs.
•  Holmes texts Watson instead of sending telegraphs.
•  Holmes uses nicotine patches instead of needles.
• Three-pipe problem is now a three-patch problem.

These changes remind us that we are watching a revisionist, albeit an entertaining take on Holmes. Particularly appealing is the way Holmes’s patented system of making observations have been picturized. Using onscreen text and numbers literally to show Holmes’s train of thoughts and deductions, the series makers have successfully introduced Sherlock Holmes to a whole new generation. The series won the 2011 BAFTA TV award for Best Drama Series. Steven Moffat was awarded the 2012 BAFTA Television Special Award for his contribution to television.

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, co-creators of  'Sherlock'

The second season opened with “A Scandal in Belgravia”. We meet a very modernized version of Irene Adler as she tries to outwit Sherlock. Mycroft and Moriarty too have some significant roles in this episode. Click here to read the full review of the episode.

This was followed by “The Hounds of Baskerville”, the dramatization of arguably the most famous novel featuring Sherlock Holmes. Most of the supporting characters have been changed. The episode is my favorite in the second season and has Sherlock do some actual sleuthing to solve a mystery. Click here to read the full review of the episode. 

The season ended with “The Reichenbach Fall”, based on The Final Problem. The writers have done some of their best work here. Unfortunately, Andrew Scott goes so way over the top as Moriarty that he seems more like a caricature of a criminal mastermind rather than being one. Click here to read the full review of the episode. 

Click here to read all my posts about BBC Sherlock. 

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