Yes It's A Lot Of Fun, But...

[poliphilo]

Forget about Sherlock's death dive that wasn't, what I want to know is how the bad guys managed to build Watson into a bonfire in a London Square without anybody noticing and- again- how Sherlock managed to persuade a couple of strangers to cede him their motor scooter and- again- why the North Koreans would have any interest in blowing up the Palace of Westminster. I could go on. Every bloody thing that happens in this bloody show is implausible.

The laws of time and space- and common sense and political reality- are bent this way and that as narrative requires. This isn't proper drama; in real drama the world pushes back against the protagonist- gives him some resistance-  but here the opposition is so much wet cardboard- to be punched through with the twitch of a superpower or eluded with a jump cut.  There's no real emotion either- just a tacky vein of bromantic sentimentality. Sherlock is an affectless calculating machine except that he wuvs John. Oh God, everything in this universe is so easy.

Conan Doyle was a realist. His Sherlock operates out of the muddy, foggy world of late Victorian London- dealing mostly with small time crime- fraud, thievery, blackmail, domestic murder. His world constrains him. If he needs to get somewhere in a hurry he hails a cab or catches a train. The fate of nations is rarely in the balance. There are no hair's breadth escapes, no ticking bombs. Guns are rarely fired. With the exception of Moriarty- who has an active role in a single story- there are no super villains.  Moffat and Gattis are credited with bringing Holmes into the 21st century but that's not at all what they've done; what they've done is translate him to fairyland.

Comments

[rosamicula.livejournal.com]

I couldn't agree more - linked to this from FB - hope you don't mind.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My pleasure :)

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

I found it a bit... twee. Am I using that word right? It was cute, rather than dramatic, in a 'wow, the writer is patting himself on the back, isn't he precious' sort of way.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Twee describes it very well. I'm losing patience...

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

You got to see the first episode of Season 3? I thought we folks here in the States had no way to do that?

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

It is floating about on the internet, so Spouse found it for me and downloaded it. :)

[redatt.livejournal.com]

Yes, all this. It's a fun ride while it lasts, but it's 'clever' rather than intelligent.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"'Clever' rather than intelligent"- Yes, an excellent distinction.

[happydog.livejournal.com]

Moffat and Gattis have made Sherlock Holmes into Doctor Who stuck on earth without a box to travel in. The only thing he lacks is a sonic screwdriver. Watson is just another Companion. Moffat's inability to write anything that is not preposterous is something that he can get away with in Doctor Who, because Doctor Who is essentially preposterous. In Sherlock, which is supposed to be set in this world, it doesn't work.

Maybe I am being too hard on him, maybe he's trying for an Avengers sort of thing (Patrick McNee Avengers, not the comic book, for the uninitiated). But if so even that isn't working.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes... that does bother me, about Watson. He is ex-military and a skilled surgeon and... how often do we get to see these traits? I had hopes that first episode because of his perfect shot, which Sherlock admired. But that seems to have been the limit of Watson's competence. Sadly, during this last episode, I actually exclaimed aloud, "Oh! Watson is the princess that Sherlock always has to save!"

(Wherein my husband gave me a Look, which I interpreted after 20 years of companionship as 'And we are watching this why?') -_-

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't remember Conan Doyle's Watson ever having to be rescued. He's tough, reliable, intelligent (by any standards except Holmes's)- and a fine shot with his trusty service revolver.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

The Avengers was out and out fantasy. Sherlock isn't quite- and so falls between two stools. Maybe I viewed the first two seasons through rose-tinted spectacles, but this latest episode seems to be several degrees sillier than anything that went before.

[happydog.livejournal.com]

It was, and I have come up with a possible reason why it was sillier.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You're going to post about it, yes?

[happydog.livejournal.com]

Done!

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

I only watched my first episode of Sherlock last night and was quite disappointed, especially after everyone else around me was raving about it. I found the need to do all of that typing of "thought" to show us how fast Sherlock's widdle brain was working quite juvenile and certainly the photography where he is at the top of the stairs - no, he's in the middle - no, he's elsewhere extremely tiring. I was told by a co-worker this morning that the supposed thought process was the best part and I just didn't get it, how brilliant it all was.

I really don't feel I need to have everything spelled out for me in previous little scenes, you know?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ailz finds the trick photography annoying too.

I liked the first two seasons. Either I was mistaken about them or the show has suddenly became a whole lot stupider.

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

I only got round to watching it on catch-up today and my feelings are quite mixed. I agree it was clever but not intelligent. It veered towards fantasy too much for my liking in a show that should be based on reality. In the end it was full of holes. Enjoyable, yes up to a point, but infuriating at the same time. I only hope the new series improves but with Gatiss and Moffat at the helm I have misgivings. I hope i am wrong.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think Gatiss is a feeble writer. Leave him to his own devices and he produces stuff like the pretty useless M R James ghost story that went out over Christmas. Moffat has done some great work in the past but needs a guiding hand. His work for Dr Who in the Davies era was very much better than anything he's done since.

[setsuled.livejournal.com]

My expectations are always low with teleplays by Gattis but this still disappointed me. You're right on all counts.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Gattis has been seriously over-promoted. His name on a teleplay is a guarantee of mediocrity.

[butterscotch711.livejournal.com]

It strikes me that apart from all the technology - which isn't always used very realistically - there isn't much particularly 21st century about this Sherlock. I especially thought this during the episode with the Chinese acrobats, which almost seemed to be about Chinese acrobats who might pop up in Victorian London.

I haven't watched 'Elementary' yet, the current US updated Sherlock, but the lack of 21st century-ness in the Gattis/Moffat one and the fact that in Elementary Dr Watson is played by Lucy Liu has made me plan to watch it.

(I do enjoy Sherlock a lot but I also haven't read Conan Doyle and I'm not really comparing it to anything except maybe recent Doctor Who, which it is quite similar to.)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If you haven't read Conan Doyle you're missing a treat.

Sherlock and Dr Who seem to be on a collision course. I think Moffat has taken on too much- running both shows.

[raakone.livejournal.com]

Didn't know there was "ANOTHER" Modern day Sherlock Holmes. You may want to check out "Elementary", where Sherlock, while from the UK, lives in the US as a consulting detective to the New York Police Department, and Dr. JOAN Watson is his flatmate and companion in helping him recover from addiction. Here, he is "annoying but likeable", and not completely flawless. Moffat was in no way involved with this one.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If you add in the Downey/Law movies that's three versions of Holmes running concurrently.

For me the definitive on-screen Holmes is Jeremy Brett.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

I think you may be right about Moffatt being overextended as a double show-runner, and on the big anniversary year as well. I saw all the flaws that you and your other commenters mentioned.

And I didn't care. I was just so happy to see my old friends again and catch up with them. I also thought the wacko how-i-did-it theories played out as actual scenes was a hoot, especially the Holmes/Moriarty slash one. And I was so proud of Roy for watching it without squirming -- much.