TV Show Review: Sherlock

The following article contains spoilers about the TV series in question. Please proceed with caution.

Before I get into this review, I feel it is essential to mention that I didn’t know anything about this show when I sat down to watch it. I had just heard that a new series based on Sherlock Holmes and John Watson had started and being the fan of Arthur Conan Doyle’s characters that I am, I decided to check it out. For example,

I did not know the series was set in Present Day. I was absolutely unaware that the makers had switched the traditional Victorian era for a modern-day London environment. So you can just imagine my surprise when Watson switched on a laptop at the start of the 1st episode. More on this later.

I did not know each episode was to be 90 minutes long. Here I was, watching the 1st episode and thinking it would be the average 40 minute show. So obviously, I was quite taken aback when the show went on beyond that point and only later did I realize that BBC/Hartsworth had created each episode to be 1 and a half hour long.

I did not know there were only 3 episodes. Yes, this may seem really absurd but due to a fear of spoilers, I have a policy of not reading anything about a TV show I am watching (and am behind on) till I finish watching the show or catch up to the broadcast schedule. As a result, when the 3rd episode ended on that cliff-hanger, I thought I was only in for a week of suspense. But alas, a cursory look at the series’ Wikipedia page informed me that only 3 episodes had been commissioned initially and I would have to wait a substantial amount of time for Season 2 to arrive.

Now that I have cleared the circumstances in which I watched Sherlock, BBC’s new series on the brilliant detective and his partner, I’ll get on to what I actually thought of the series. Short version? I loved it, with a few mild trepidations. Long version? Coming right up.

This reworking of the classic tale finds John Watson, an Afghanistan war veteran trying (miserably) to adjust to civilian life. He is also having difficulty living in London solely on his army pension. He needs someone to share a flat with. Enter Sherlock Holmes, an eccentric genius who is the world’s only “Consulting Detective” (he has to be; he invented the position) and helps the police when they are out of their depth (which, according to Holmes, is always). Watson gets caught up in the madcap life of Holmes and soon, the duo are solving mysterious crimes and facing off against bizarre adversaries.

Playing such iconic characters always brings with it an added level of responsibility and expectations, so it pleases me to say the makers hit the right notes with their casting choices. Martin Freeman is Dr. John Watson and he portrays him at just the right level and with just the right tone. He has a sense of weariness which makes it obvious that this guy’s seen some bad things in life. He also acts as a great foil to Holmes and seems suitably amazed at his sublime deductions or outraged at his infuriating mannerisms. I didn’t take to Benedict Cumberbatch’s interpretation of Sherlock Holmes on first glance but he grew on me over time and by the end of the series, it was hard for me to decide who I liked more, Holmes or Watson. Cumberbatch has this… look which makes you believe that yes, this guy is a genius and yes, he really did infer all this from that and yes, he really doesn’t know the Earth revolves around the sun (watch the series; you’ll understand). Among the supporting cast, Vinette Robinson as Sgt Sally Donovan and Zoe Telford as Sarah stood out for me, but only by a slim margin since almost everyone does a good job. Andrew Scott plays Sherlock’s nemesis Moriarty and although he takes a few risks in his performance, I feel they pay off. I can certainly see him to be quite a menace in forthcoming episodes.

It does take some to get used to the series’ remixed outlook. For example, seeing John Watson talk about blogging and Sherlock Holmes saying he prefers texting to calling is quite befuddling. But once I overcame my initial astonishment, I found myself liking this reinvention. In the books, Holmes was always shown using whatever he could to solve the problem at hand, so it makes sense for him to be tech-savvy and use GPS, texting et al.

The series gets the elements of characterization, locations, humour and especially the mysteries quite right. Holmes gets bored without a case to solve and actually gets excited whenever there’s a murder. One character suitably says, “He gets off on all this”. Present day London serves as a great backdrop for the series and landmarks & other places are used very well. The humour is dry and adds to the show without detracting from it. The mysteries are exciting and to the credit of the writers, none of the 3 episodes seem even remotely similar to each other, nor do the clues evoke a sense of déjà vu.

Among a few things that stand out are – In the 1st episode, A Study in Pink, there is a mind-bending scene in which Holmes looks a dead woman’s body and reaches some lofty conclusions by sheer observation. Onscreen visual cues are heavily used in this scene and they just add to the visceral thrill. In the 2nd episode, The Blind Banker, there is a case of “mistaken identity” that’s revealed in the climax that is so brilliant it caught me completely off-guard. The 3rd episode, The Great Game, is… umm, great throughout but the cat-n-mouse element that is prevalent in the story is enthralling.

I do have a few complaints though, and they go thusly. The “case” in the 1st episode, A Study in Pink is a bit too simplistic. I am normally a dunce in figuring out such matters but even I could predict what the gambit was and who the culprit could be (all this before Sherlock Holmes). The 2nd episode, The Blind Banker is extremely tense and thrilling but has a very generic climax. It really didn’t need the “damsel-in-distress” angle. The 3rd episode, The Great Game is my favourite episode of the series and the only dampener to it is a terrible fighting sequence set inside a planetarium. Believe me, that scene is such cacophony it nearly undoes the good work leading up to it.

All in all, Sherlock isn’t breaking any new ground in the modern television landscape. Yet, at the very least, it offers a refreshing take on a tried-and-tested genre and franchise. It is worth a watch and I, personally, can’t wait for the 2nd season to arrive. Recommended!

(3.5/4)

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Photo Credit: Hartswood Films