I have bronchitis
(again). It’s an annual thing really so nothing out of the ordinary, just the
usual coughing up my lungs alongside mucus, spit and digested food. It’s been a
wonderful blur of a weekend, most of which i spent in my bed shivering like a
dying rat, looking like nightmare and hobbling to and from the bathroom to
vomit. After putting off the visit to
doctor for the past 4 days, I finally went this morning and got myself some
Apo-Clarithromycin [side effects of this drug include THE EXACT SAME FUCKING
SYMPTOMS OF BRONCHITIS] . To keep my
mind active while my body slowly withers away I have been re-watching most of
BBC’s Sherlock, which is going to be the focus of this post.
I’m not
exactly sure why this show is perfect and brilliant, but I believe it’s a
combination of these three things:
1. How Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (the creators)
are hardcore fangirls of Conan Doyle’s original
masterpiece allowing them to
immerse entirely in their work for their own pleasure
2. Benedict
Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s chemistry
3. They understood the Doyle character formula
I’m watching the unlocking of
Sherlock on my S1&2 box-set, and it leaves me feeling both elated and
inspired. You can tell by the detail, the script, the eastereggs, the seamless
transfer of Victorian Sherlock to 21st Century Sherlock that the
entire cast and crew were fully invested in the project. Like I’m sure all
casts and crews need to be invested in their work, but something about Gattiss’s
Sherlock gives one the impression that this is not a show, but rather a love
letter to an old friend. It has the same energy and precision that Jackson’s
Lord of the Rings trilogy carried, which also was done by a group of die-hard
fans. The initial excitement which Gatiss and Moffat felt upon realizing they
could create a Sherlock Holmes story (seen in Unlocking Sherlock) of their own
pours through in their work, which is rich with the affection and accuracy only
true fans of Doyle’s stories could have. It is dreamy really, the setting, the
way in which modern London is dealt with and how beautifully it all meshes
together to ultimately allow 221 Baker Street to be the exact same as it always
was.
Cumberbatch and Freeman’s portrayal of Sherlock and Watson is
golden. Both bring a sort of darkly humorous approach to their characters while
still managing to elicit genuine feelings of pain and terror when the script requires
is. It is in the small glances between the two, the seconds captured in which
their body language speaks volumes and the wrinkles on their faces form into a
grin between comrades that you truly see that there was no better Sherlock and
Watson. Watching them play off each other’s characters on screen is literally
the most fun i’ve had watching a show in a loooong time. And I know maybe half
of this lies in the genius of the writers, but the other 50% is their natural
togetherness. And whether that may be
their ability to portray “bromance”, “friendship” or a strange line in-between
genuine love and attraction we may never know, but it is the questions the welcomed
tension between the two force the audience to ask that truly makes the show the best.
The original Sherlock Holmes has always been a childhood
favourite, and was the first solid influence that pushed me into an obsession
with detectives, crime, and mystery. I’m not sure how but Conan Doyle not only
created one of the most iconic characters in history, but he also wrote the
perfect formula for ‘intellectual male camaraderie’. A bit homoerotic but also
a connection built on mutual admiration and mental stimulation. He then turned
the formula inside out and using several of the same elements made one of the
best examples of an equal anti-hero, Moriarty. And from there, to Irene Adler,
Sherlock’s female other half. I could
say then that what Doyle does best is write characters in pairs that maintain a
fine balance. The pivotal relationships within the Sherlockian universe is
never skewed, all significant characters (Holmes, Watson, Adler, Moriarty,
Mycroft) mirror each other, complement each other and are humans of
intellectual bravado and dangerous spirit. It is THIS that BBC’s Sherlock has
captured so well.
It’s been a while
since i’ve truly signed up to be a part of a fandom, but I feel as though i
have no choice but to be one of the many batshit Sherlock fans who plaster
their city with “I Believe In Sherlock” posters. I’ve already become a loyal
Cumberbitch (yes), and have too frequently attempted imitating Irene Adler
while walking to class (failed miserably). I can’t help it though. I’ve never
felt so at home in a show as I do with this one, it is both clever and new, but
familiar and wonderful.
I will wait forever for Series 3, but
please, do come soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment