Sherlock Holmes for the Twenty-First Century
The British broadcasting corporation released Sherlock in 2010 hoping that the series would be beneficial for the corporation. Sherlock was a large risk for the BBC because the writers (Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat) were unsure of how the audience would react to the programme being modernised. Fortunately for the BBC, Sherlock was a hit, the programme raked in millions of viewers and over seventeen awards and a BAFTA.
Acting in the series was phenomenal; Sherlock Holmes was played by actor Benedict Cumberbatch who is now in major pictures such as the Hobbit and Spielberg’s newest film War Horse. Cumberbatch portrays Holmes as a quiet, impatient, cocky and arrogant individual. Holmes is still the king of deduction, his brain rarely fails him but the series is rather realistic as it doesn’t illustrate Holmes as a flawless genius. Holmes gets small details wrong in his calculations, such as when he guesses that Watson’s brother had an alcohol problem when in fact it was his sister. Holmes is also seen as an arrogant character, rather far from human emotion, his feelings are calm and cynical and he doesn’t seem to regard other people as important.
Martin Freeman takes up the role of the ex-army medic John Watson. Watson is a calm and reserved character who has been injured in Afghanistan so he must walk with a cane. Holmes is Watson’s salvation, his mental savoir, writers cleverly make Watson’s injury seem real when it is clearly all in Watson’s head, Holmes helps Watson forget his injury by helping him in his investigations.
The series is perfectly written but it is not without its flaws, although the series main flaw is slightly opinionated. Now, Andrew Scott plays the eccentric mad evil genius Jim Morriarty. Many viewers believe that the appearance of Morriarty so early in the TV series was a mistake because Morriarty is supposed to be Holmes’s biggest nemesis and his equal. Readers of the Sherlock Holmes books will know that in The Final Problem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Morriarty die fighting each other. The two are the definitive meaning of the word nemesis. Bringing in Morriarty so early could signify the end very soon; will Sherlock pass series 3 or even 4? Morriarty briefly appears in the first episode of series 2 but only for a small insignificant shot.
I myself love the character of Morriarty and I’ll admit, I really do like the way that Andrew Scott plays him. The Sherlock Morriarty is a very new and a very polished approached to the antagonist that we have never seen before. Morriarty isn’t the stereotypical villain, nor is Sherlock Holmes the stereotypical protagonist; therefore I am more than pleased that Gatiss and Moffat have commissioned Cumberbatch and Scott to play them.
Lastly, I believe that the Sherlock Holmes series will go rather far. I myself saw the film Sherlock Holmes (2009) starring Robert Downey J.R. and Jude Law and quite frankly, I craved more. It is no surprise that the TV series of Sherlock and the new film Sherlock Holmes: A game of shadows have been released relatively close to one another. Long live Holmes in literature and on screen.
