BBC Sherlock vs Elementary
After watching all six episodes of BBC Sherlock, I feel quite dizzy. When I picked it up, I didn't do it because I like Sherlock Holmes. I respect Doyle, I respect the fans, but I never got my head around the entire book series. I never was a fan. Yet I watched two, three episodes of Elementary. The idea of a woman as Watson was intriguing - to me, the series fails, though. The cases are good, don't get me wrong. It was the personal quirks that were missing. Oh, it's not like Holmes is "too normal" or anything like that. But the edges aren't cut so blunt the audience will virtually flinch whenever they see them. Whenever I saw Elementary's Holmes, I inevitably compared him to Monk. And it just seems not enough. Elementary is a typical american crime series, not a modernized version of Sherlock Holmes. If the main characters of Bones, Monk, Psych or any other series were to be put into their cases, you wouldn't mind, there'd be practically no difference. (I love american crime series - well some - so this is no criticism.)
No offense there, but Elementary put me off the idea of Sherlock Holmes once again. When I stumbled across BBC Sherlock, I really doubted I'd like it. After such a big failure... well.
But it was great. The short films focus on the characters, on their attitudes, their relationships, their quirks. The cases are depicted nicely, but it is not the center of the entire story. They serve to develop the characters. I now officially count myself as a fan of Sherlock.
This realisation made me think: why did I find Elementary to lacking?
I guess because the Holmes setting is not necessary. The episodes are about murders, about crimes. The characters do not get much development, they are in the background and support the case. In Elementary, the cases are what's most important. Elementary is Sherlock Holmes done as a crime series.
BBS Sherlock is about solving cases, but mostly about drama. It is less of a crime series, more of a mystery series with psychological aspects. The cases lead to new development, they are subplots, they support the character developments. To me, this is what makes the series appealing. I love drama, conflicts, round characters,...
I really ache for the next season. Maybe I'll pick up Doyle's books, just to get over the waiting period. Yet I don't think I'll ever see another Holmes, another Watson in them. To me, the directors and actors have done a truly magnifiscent job. And Cumberbatch's voice really made me think of Snape, that's a plus too XD Had to stop the video the first time he spoke and I really wondered if he was voiced by Rickman for a second. Especially when he's highly concentrating and stressing words, then he reminds me of Rickman most. In normal speech, you notice the differences, but then.... ~