BBC Sherlock - "A Study in Pink" - Revisited

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and John Watson

I have been revisiting the entire series and decided to post my thoughts about some of the finer points I liked about this episode. For an overview of the plot, click here.

Very few adaptations have filmed the first meeting of Holmes and Watson. The few exceptions are the Russian adaptation (Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin) and the 1954 series (Ronald Howard and Howard Marion-Crawford).

This is one of the highlights in the entire Canon. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss earn brownie points for filming this pivotal moment.

The plot is based on A Study in Scarlet and has some modern updates and significant changes to the killer’s motivation.

Martin Freeman as John Watson

We meet John Watson as a depressed individual, still tortured by his war memories. John leads a very lonely existence and has taken course to blogging, as suggested by his therapist. He is just missing that one very important part to maintain a blog: interesting content.

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Cue to Watson meeting the aforementioned interesting subject: Sherlock Holmes. I think this is a brilliant stroke from the writers, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. In tune with the modern tone, Sherlock maintains his own blog appropriately titled “The Science of Deduction”.

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This episode is an excellent example of the all the strong points of this series:

• Excellent writing replete with a bunch of Canonical references
• Visual representation of Sherlock’s deductions
• Superb acting, music, and cinematography.

Sherlock’s statement about the killer: “Appreciation. Applause. At long last, the spotlight. That’s the frailty of genius, John. It needs an audience.” applies equally well to himself. This ingenious way of referring to this trademark Sherlockian trait is just a knockout piece of writing by Moffat.

The taxi chase is another nice touch and is a nod to Holmes’ exact knowledge of London.

Mark Gatiss and Martin Freeman as Mycroft Holmes and John Watson

Another of my favorite sections in this episode is the way Mycroft Holmes has been written and performed. Mycroft is one of my favorite characters in the Canon and Mark Gatiss’ version is my all-time favorite. Holmes likens Mycroft to being the British Government in The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans and this episode proves why this is the case.

Like the rest of the series, this episode had a lot of nods to Arthur Conan Doyle’s text. I have listed all the references to the other Canonical stories here.

There are some subtle nods to A Study in Scarlet as well:

1. “If brother has green ladder, arrest brother” – A subtle reference to the way Stangerson is murdered and to one of the suspects, Arthur Charpentier.
2. Watson here texts the murderer from his cell phone – In the original story, Holmes places an ad for the ring with Watson’s name and 221 B as the address.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

As respectful as Gatiss and Moffat are to the Canon, they are not afraid of shaking things up:

1. Anderson suggests the victim is German as RACHE (the word scribbled on the floor by the victim) is the German word for revenge. Sherlock is prompt to reject this theory. In the Canon, it is Lestrade who suggests looking for Rachel and Holmes suggests the aforementioned alternate theory.
2. They also refer to one of the most famous inconsistencies in the Canon: the shifting nature of Watson’s war injury.
3. In addition to being an expert in observation and deduction, Sherlock is a technical wizard as well. He is able to text everyone at the press briefing and Lestrade has no clue as to how Holmes is doing this.

This healthy mixture of reverence and the confidence to take a different approach has worked wonders. What we have here is a top-notch adaptation that stands head and shoulders above most of the adaptations out there.

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Canonical References in A Study in Pink

Canonical References in Sherlock - "A Study in Pink"

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

A big incentive to watch the non-Canonical takes on the Sherlock Holmes legend is to catch the nods to the original stories. This is one of the many advantages of reading the Canon as few things bring more joy than discovering the hidden references to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s genius.

Most non-canonical adaptations of Sherlock Holmes pack in a sizeable number of nods. This is true of the Basil Rathone movies and the Guy Ritchie directed movies.

The critically and commercially acclaimed BBC series, Sherlock takes this to a whole new level. Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat and Steve Thompson have packed in a ton of these and each episode is a veritable goldmine.

The first episode of the first season: “A Study in Pink” is a modern update of A Study in Scarlet and contained a number of clever references to that novel. I will be listing those references in a separate post. Here, I have listed the references to other Canonical stories and novels:

John Watson with his walking stick

1. Watson is seen with a limping leg initially and towards the end of the episode, Holmes makes a mention to Watson about the injury to his left hand - Reference to Watson’s injury being inconsistent in the Canon
2. Sherlock's blog is titled “The Science of Deduction” – exactly named as the chapters from A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four
3. Sherlock knifing his mails on the mantelpiece – Reference to this line: “..his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very centre of his wooden mantelpiece,…” from The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual
4. Mrs Hudson: “That’s not decent” in response to Sherlock’s happiness about his latest case – Reference to the line spoken by Watson: “I can hardly think that you would find many decent citizens to agree with you” from The Adventure of the Norwood Builder
5. Sherlock: “The game, Mrs Hudson is on!” – Reference to the famous line: “The game is afoot” from The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
6. Sherlock explaining his profession to Watson: “..means when the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me” – Reference to the line: “When Gregson or Lestrade or Athelney Jones are out of their depths—which, by the way, is their normal state—the matter is laid before me.” from The Sign of Four
7. Sherlock making deductions from Watson’s phone – Sherlock Holmes makes a similar deduction about Watson’s watch in The Sign of Four


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8. Sherlock's deductions about Anderson and Donovan based on the former’s deodorant – Sherlock Holmes makes a deduction based on Beryl Stapleton’s perfume in The Hound of the Baskervilles.
9. Lestrade’s reaction to Sherlock’s deductions: “Oh for God’s sake, if you are just making this up…” – Reference to the lines spoken by Watson: “You cannot expect me to believe that you have read all this from his old watch!” and “… and, to speak plainly, has a touch of charlatanism in it.” from The Sign of Four
10. Donovan's comment about Sherlock: “He is not paid or anything. He likes it.” – Sherlock Holmes often takes cases without consideration for any kind of compensation in the Canon.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

11. John hitting on Anthea during the ride to meet Mycroft – Dr Watson has always been a Ladies Man. He himself states in The Sign of the Four: “In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents, …”
12. Mycroft to Watson: “When one is avoiding the attention of Sherlock Holmes, one learns to be discreet..” – Reference to the line spoken by Sherlock: “One has to be discreet when one talks of high matters of state.” from The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
13. Mycroft's comment about Sherlock: “He does love to be dramatic.” – Reference to Sherlock Holmes’ statement: “..but Watson here will tell you that I never can resist a touch of the dramatic.” from The Adventure of the Naval Treaty
14. Sherlock's text to Watson: “..Come at once if inconvenient. If convenient, come anyway. SH” – Reference to the famous message: “Come at once if convenient - if inconvenient come all the same.” from The Adventure of The Creeping Man
15. Mycroft’s surveillance on Dr Watson on the streets and having access to his medical records – Reference to the line: “He is the British Government” from The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
16. Mycroft’s deductions about Watson experiencing tremors on his left hand, that Sherlock (seemingly) missed – Sherlock mentions that Mycroft has superior powers of observation and deduction in The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter
17. Sherlock enjoying his nicotine patch on the sofa – Reference to this line: “Finally he thrust the sharp point home, pressed down the tiny piston, and sank back into the velvet-lined arm-chair with a long sigh of satisfaction.” from The Sign of Four
18. Sherlock: “Breathing’s boring” – References to the lines: “But I abhor the dull routine of existence” and “..existence is commonplace..” from The Sign of Four
19. Sherlock: “It’s a three patch problem” – Reference to the line: “It is quite a three pipe problem,…” from The Adventure of the Red-Headed League
20. Sherlock describes Mycroft as “The most dangerous man you have ever met” to Watson. - Holmes refers to Colonel Sebastian Moran as “The second most dangerous man in London” from The Adventure of the Empty House
21. 22 Northumberland St. – Reference to the Northumberland hotel in The Hound of the Baskervilles
22. Sherlock: “I think better when I talk aloud.” – Sherlock Holmes often thinks aloud in many cases, including The Sign of Four, The Valley of Fear and The Boscombe Valley Mystery
23. One of Angelo’s employees is named Billy – Reference to Sherlock’s page Billy, who appears in The Valley of Fear, The Problem of Thor Bridge and The Mazarin Stone.
24. Sherlock and Watson keeping an eye on the cab - Reference to them following the hansom in The Hound of the Baskervilles
25. Watson: “I got the cab number.”– Reference to The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sherlock and John chasing the taxi

25. Sherlock exhibits his detailed knowledge of London during the taxi chase
26. Sherlock to Watson about their surveillance at the restaurant: “It was a long shot anyway” – Reference to this line: “A long shot, Watson; a very long shot!” in The Silver Blaze
27. Sherlock to Watson: “I haven’t the faintest…” – Sherlock makes similar statements in The Adventure of the Veiled Lodger and The Valley of Fear
28. During Lestrade’s “drugs bust” at 221 B, Sergeant Donovan discovers some human eyes in the microwave oven. - Reference to this line stated by Dr Watson in The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual: “Our chambers were always full of chemicals and of criminal relics, which had a way of wandering into unlikely positions, and of turning up in the butter-dish, or in even less desirable places.”
29. Sherlock claims to be conducting some experiment with the aforementioned human eyes – Reference to this line from The Adventure of the Dying Detective: “His incredible untidiness, his addiction to music at strange hours, his occasional revolver practice within doors, his weird and often malodorous scientific experiments, and the atmosphere of violence and danger which hung around him made him the very worst tenant in London.”
30. Sherlock: “In her dying moments…Scratched the name of Rachel on the floor with her fingernails. That must have hurt” – Reference to the victims scratching a message in The Adventure of the Retired Colorman.
31. Sherlock to Watson (while trying to figure out why the victim scratched the name on the floor): “Oh, use your imagination.” Watson: “I don’t have to” – Reference to this line spoken by Sherlock Holmes from The Valley of Fear: “It is, I admit, mere imagination; but how often is imagination the mother of truth?”
32. Sherlock’s reaction to Lestrade’s suggestion that he probably lost the phone at 221 B Baker Street - “Me.. I did not notice it?” – Reference to Watson’s statement in The Reigate Puzzle: “I was pained at the mistake, for I knew how keenly Holmes would feel any slip of the kind. It was his specialty to be accurate as to fact,….”
33. Jeff (the cabby) to Sherlock: “I was warned about you. I have been on your web site too” – Reference to the line written by Irene Adler to Sherlock Holmes from A Scandal in Bohemia: “I had been warned against you months ago.. And your address had been given to me.”
34. Jeff (the cabby) to Sherlock: “You know every street in London” – Reference to Sherlock having extensive knowledge of London
35. Jeff (the cabby) to Sherlock: “You are just a man. And there is so much more than that. An organization.” – Reference to Professor Moriarty's line in The Final Problem:  “You stand in the way not merely of an individual but of a mighty organization, the full extent of which you, with all your cleverness, have been unable to realize.” 
36. Mycroft to Sherlock: “So another case cracked. How public spirited. But that’s never your motivation, is it?” – Reference to this exchange from The Adventure of the Red-Headed League - Holmes: “My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of existence. These little problems help me to do so.”. Watson: “And you are a benefactor of the race.” Holmes: “Well, perhaps, after all, it is of some little use,..” 
37. Sherlock about Mycroft: “He is the British Government” – Sherlock makes the same statement in The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans
38. Sherlock to Mycroft: “I never guess” – Reference to the line: “I never guess. It is a shocking habit,—destructive to the logical faculty.” from The Sign of Four
39. One of the victims is a young man named James Phillimore – Reference to this line: “Among these unfinished tales is that of Mr. James Phillimore, who, stepping back into his own house to get his umbrella, was never more seen in this world.” from The Problem of Thor Bridge (Credit to Loveable Freak for pointing this out)
40. Another victim named Beth Davenport – A character by the name J. Davenport responds to Mycroft Holmes’ advertisement in The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter

I welcome the readers to add any other nods that I might have missed.

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Image Sources: Hartswood Films, BBC Wales, Masterpiece theater

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Canonical Nods in "The Empty Hearse"

Canonical Nods in "The Sign of Three"

TV Review: Elementary Episode # 12 - "M"

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes

It is the last week of Watson’s six week term with Holmes. Watson is reluctant to leave since she actually likes the investigative work done by Holmes.

As can be expected, a murder has happened that puzzles Captain Gregson (Aidan Quinn) and soon Holmes and Watson are at the crime scene. There is no body at the scene and no indication of a crime like footprints or fingerprints, except for a big pool of blood.

Holmes immediately discovers the handiwork of “M”, a serial killer he had tracked in London in the past. M kills victims in all age ranges, removes the blood from their bodies and dumps them in the sea.

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Sherlock could not catch M back in London due to his increasing drug addiction. Holmes believes M killed Irene Adler, who Sherlock was dating for a few months. Sherlock wants to be the judge, jury and executioner for M.

This is easily the one of the best episodes in the show. We get to see the dark side of Holmes. The ending is inspired and promises some interesting episodes in the future.

Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Holmes and Watson

The acting is solid. Miller and Lucy get to go deeper into their roles. Joan Watson makes some good deductions at various points in the episode. The part where Holmes mentions that people only need Haptics to converse with others was a nice touch. Other fun parts were Holmes’ opinion of a Vietnamese restaurant as a front for songbird smuggling and Holmes arranging security measures for his apartment. These were very Sherlockian in nature.

Vinnie Jones does his usual “menacing thug” routine. M being a fan of British soccer (Arsenal F.C.) was played out well.

Vinnie Jones as M

This episode had an amazing number of references to the original stories. There are some spoilers in the next section. I would recommend the readers who have not watched the episode yet to skip this section.

Canonical References:

1.    Holmes’ plans to convert Joan Watson’s room to an apiary – In His Last Bow, Sherlock Holmes has written a book: “Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with Some Observations upon the Segregation of the Queen.”

2.   Holmes’ lock collection on the wall and Holmes commenting on M’s excellent way of picking the locks – In The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton, Holmes displays his burgling kit, complete with keys, glass-cutter and a jimmy.

3.  Miller's Holmes maintains his own personal files on M - Sherlock Holmes maintained alphabetically sorted files, as stated by Dr Watson in A Scandal in Bohemia: “For many years he had adopted a system of docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult to name a subject or a person on which he could not at once furnish information.”

4.  We get not one but 3 Ms from the Canon – Sebastian Moran, Moriarty, and Mycroft Holmes who is revealed to be Joan’s employer. We see Watson preparing the final assessment of her client to be given to her employer, a certain M.Holmes.

5.   Watson’s employer does not extend her contract – Further credence to the fact that Mycroft is her employer as he would be having knowledge of Sherlock’s latest activities and probably wants to keep Joan out of danger. After all, according to Sherlock Holmes: Mycroft is the British Government.

6.  M’s message composed by pasting together printed words - Reference to Beryl Stapleton’s message to Sir Henry in The Hound of the Baskervilles: “As you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor.”

7.    Miller’s Holmes makes deductions based on the scent from M’s note – Sherlock Holmes made a deduction from Beryl Stapleton’s message to Sir Henry in The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Lucy Liu as Joan Watson

 8.   Miller’s Holmes states to Watson: “My enemies are legion” – Sherlock Holmes has had many enemies in the Canon.

9.   Miller's Holmes observes from M's expensive gloves and shoes: “M has money. That much is obvious” - Sherlock Holmes makes a similar deduction about his client in A Scandal in Bohemia: “There’s money in this case, Watson, if there is nothing else.”

10. Theodore aka Teddy is a young homeless man who performs errands for Holmes in return for money - Baker Street Irregulars!

11. Theodore’s comment about being Holmes’ associate as the latter does not have any friends - Reference to Holmes’s exchange with Watson about having friends from The Five Orange Pips: “Except yourself I have none…”

12.  Miller’s Holmes quotes the following line (attributed to William Winwood Reade, British historian) from The Sign of the Four almost verbatim – “.. while the individual man is an insoluble puzzle, in the aggregate he becomes a mathematical certainty. You can, for example, never foretell what any one man will do, but you can say with precision what an average number will be up to. Individuals vary, but percentages remain constant.”

13.  Miller’s Holmes gets emotional towards the end of the episode – In the Canon, Holmes rarely showed his emotional side. The few exceptions include The Adventure of the Three Garridebs and The Adventure of the Six Napoleons.

14. Miller’s Holmes uses drugs even in the midst of a tough investigation – A direct departure from the Canon, where Holmes takes drugs only when he has no case.

Aidan Quinn as Captain Gregson

    The plot and the Canonical nods made this episode eminently watchable. Hopefully, the show will not fall back into its usual routine of mediocrity with the next episode and will continue to be as exciting as this one.

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Sir Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes

Douglas Wilmer as Sherlock Holmes

Close on the heels of the great detective’s birthday, here comes another reason for Sherlockians/Holmesians to rejoice: Douglas Wilmer celebrates his 93^rd birthday today.

Douglas Wilmer starred as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series (1964-68) for the first 13 episodes and was succeeded by the late, great Peter Cushing for the rest of the series. Nigel Stock portrayed Dr Watson for the entire series.

Wilmer also had a cameo role as a Diogenes Gent in “The Reichenbach Fall” - the final episode of the second season of the BBC series Sherlock.

Wilmer’s run as Sherlock Holmes in the 1964-68 BBC series consisted of the following episodes:

·        The Speckled Band

·        The Illustrious Client

·        The Devil's Foot

·        The Copper Beeches

·        The Red-Headed League

·        The Abbey Grange

·        The Six Napoleons

·        The Man with the Twisted Lip

·        The Beryl Coronet

·        The Bruce-Partington Plans

·        Charles Augustus Milverton

·        The Retired Colourman

·        The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax

All but the 2 episodes (The Abbey Grange and The Bruce-Partington Plans) are available on DVD.

Most of the episodes are very faithful takes on their source materials with some minor changes. A recurring change is that the episodes do not start with the client’s visit to 221 B Baker Street. Instead, we see the actual crime happening and then we have our customary visit by the client. This is a welcome change and is something unique to this adaptation.

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My favorite episodes are “The Devil’s Foot” and “The Beryl Coronet”. These are two of the least filmed stories in the Canon. The Granada version is the only other adaptation of The Devil’s Foot. There are references to the story in The Hounds of Baskerville (BBC’s Sherlock) and The Spider Woman (Sir Basil Rathbone).

As for “The Beryl Coronet”, I believe this is the only adaptation.

Wilmer brought the right amount of humor and eccentricity to the role. This version of Holmes is one of the most Canonically faithful ones ever portrayed on screen. Vasily Livanov presented the brighter aspects of Holmes’ personality and Benedict Cumberbatch is doing a great job at portraying the colder side of Holmes and his black moods. Wilmer’s version provides a fine balance between these two extremes.

Wilmer did a lot of research as part of preparing for the role and the hard work is quite evident in his portrayal. Wilmer’s natural sense of humor and intelligence shines through and his performance is a delight to watch.

Some of the script work for the episodes was not upto the mark. Wilmer himself rewrote the scripts to make them more in the Doylean mold.

Wilmer left the series after the rehearsal periods were reduced severely. It is gratifying to come across a dedicated craftsman like Wilmer who did not bow down to commercial reasons and stood by his artistic integrity.

Happy Birthday Douglas Wilmer and wishing you many more years of healthy life ahead!

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Sir Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock

Happy Birthday Sherlock Holmes!

According to Christopher Morley, today marks the 159^th birth anniversary of Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes is an immortal character in every sense of the word. He is the most portrayed fictional character ever and continues to be as popular today as he was in the late 19^th century.

Here’s wishing the very best of fame and popularity to the world’s greatest fictional detective.

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Vasily Livanov as Sherlock Holmes