Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
THREE 90 MINUTE TELEFILMS — Created by Mark Gatiss & Steven Moffat
1.1 - A STUDY IN PINK
Written by Steven Moffat
Directed by Paul McGuigan
1.2 - THE BLIND BANKER
Written by Stephen Thompson
Directed by Eruos Lyn
1.3 - THE GREAT GAME
Written by Mark Gatiss
Directed by Paul McGuigan
When I first heard that the BBC were bringing a version of Sherlock Holmes into the 21st century, I wondered how they would go about it…and how quickly it would fail.
Then I discovered it was being helmed by the great Doctor Who demi-god himself (Steven Moffat), and his partner in crime (Mark Gatiss). My pessimism suddenly transformed into hope…and I wasn’t disappointed in the results.
Sherlock does the impossible by taking the core Holmes & Watson relationship, transplanting it into the 21st century, then blanketing it in an environment as richly detailed as the 19th century original. All the care and attention-to-detail that permeates Victorian and Edwardian London in the original Conan Doyle stories is to be found in the London of upscale flats, glass skyscrapers, black cabs, Chinese take aways, web surfing and texting. It’s a living, breathing realm that is just as important as the stories themselves…and it’s never once neglected in each of these three telefilms.
As for the Holmes & Watson double act, we’re given enhancements and tweaks to their relationship that pay homage without becoming a bad photocopy of the originals. Holmes has become a slightly petulant child, needing (nee craving) the stimulus of a good case…but he also needs a partner…someone to keep him grounded, even when he doesn’t realize it. Meanwhile, Watson is presented as a man who tries to reconcile what he believes to be “normal” with the constant “abnormality” of the life Sherlock leads…a life he is constantly dragged into…and a life that becomes an addictive adrenaline rush. His brain keeps telling him to run away…but his heart screams “to hell with it” and plunges head long after Holmes. Throw in the running gag about being a gay couple AND the fact that their relationship occasionally mirrors a dozen long-married couples…the end result is something that is never, EVER boring to watch. Never have two people needed each other as much as the modern-day Holmes and Watson…but it involves a lot of baggage. Baggage that, when confronted, is akin to nails-on-a-blackboard…
…and it’s all sold by the magnificent performances of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. They embody their characters completely, and it’s simply impossible to tear your eyes off the screen, as they engage in bringing to life another manifestation of literature’s greatest double act.
Episode one (A Study in Pink) is fairly simple on plot, but it’s long on witty dialogue, and finding excuses to allow Cumberbatch and Freeman to establish their characters. It’s one long, exquisite set-up exercise, culminating in a fascinating mental chess match between Holmes and very last person you’d ever think of attempting to match wits with the Great Consulting Detective. Steven Moffat takes direction from A Scandal in Bohemia, then throws it at the modern day world like a baseball smashing through a window. On occasion, it’s almost relentless…but the end result will convert any doubters.
Episode two (The Blind Banker) is the weakest of the three, probably because it tries to do too much in a single telefilm. A loose adaptation of The Dancing Men, we get City-based banker scuzziness, historical artefacts, Chinese culture, family honour, and Watson’s hilarious love life to top it all off. It threatens to crumble under the weight of its aspirations…but it holds together long enough to remain consistently entertaining.
Episode three (The Great Game) is the crowning achievement of the batch. Moriarty is finally revealed…and he’s nothing like what we expect him to be: he’s the anti-Holmes in every way, and we’re left on a cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers. Full of sparkling wit, sharp observations about the Holmes/Watson relationship, and the conflict of passion vs. reason, it’s also the best writing Mark Gatiss has ever given the world of fiction (and that includes his comedy work and Doctor Who).
Although these British telefilm series only tend to run between three and six episodes a year, it’s comforting to know that, while American television continues to be a wasteland of quality productions, I can once again trust the British to provide my mind and heart with the literate stimulation it requires. It’s also nice to know that Steven Moffat’s free time away from producing Doctor Who is now non-existent…and we should ALL be grateful!
PS: If you can’t find these episodes through the magic of the internet, fear not. Both Showcase in Canada and PBS’ Masterpiece in the US will be broadcasting Sherlock in the autumn.
