The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
Aquaintance
I love that they frame the early stages of Watson's acquaintance with Holmes as a horror movie. They even use real movie monsters as Holmes's associates. I don't know who we're supposed to pretend they are. His good acquaintances, as he says? Criminals he's caught, or trying to catch? Himself in disguise? Doctored photos of random people? I feel like I'm being messed with like he's messing with Watson. I'll assume Holmes is telling the truth, since throughout the episode Watson sees monsters where they aren't and not where they are. When we get to the actual horror movie part of the episode, he thinks Helen is overreacting. Holmes is the one who advocates for objectivity, keeping an open mind, investigating stories instead of accepting/rejecting them based on popular biases.
Also, it took me forever to realise that Mrs. Hudson was in on the joke. The first half of the episode she acts so shy about Holmes's business, then for the rest of the series, without explanation, she's totally unperturbed, if sometimes annoyed. Finally it dawned on me that she's also messing with Watson.
Bloody Inscription
I'm trying to think if we see a watch in this episode that doesn't belong to a dead person, or previously belonged to a dead person. If we do it probably belongs to one of the people trying to catch the murderer. Sort of a momento mori, or something similar.
It's fun watching the heroes constantly get beat by their own tactics. The lady disguise fools Holmes, the cabbie disguise fools everyone else; Holmes, Watson and the police are running around with guns before Hope has even stabbed anyone. Meanwhile Hope just stays out of the way and poisons people. Watson takes a bang on the head and a kick in the nuts but he has a gun both times. Maybe the more sympathetic the killer, the more hapless the detectives.
I don't usually watch the whole series, just the first three and The Hound of the Baskervilles, but I feel like confessions from the killer are rare, and Hope gets a nice long confession. More than revenge he needed his story to be heard, and it's nice that the episode gives him that. And it's fitting that this is the same episode that Watson decides to be Holmes's chronicler as rectification for the undue credit given to the police.
The King of Blackmail
I love the Looney Toons series of mishaps that is Holmes and Watson's attempt at breaking and entering, and then Lady Huxley just walks in, shoots him, and leaves. It was a team effort, but had they known each other earlier things might have gone a lot smoother.
Also, this episode reminded me of the real justification for Holmes knowing Wolfman and Frankenstein('s monster):
I like the fangs, but why does he have them?
The Hound of the Baskervilles
I have to be wide awake to watch this one. It feels so slow. That's not a bad thing though. You're stifled by the landscape like Henry is. It's cold, dreary, and stagnant. There's nothing to do but drink. With a giant, rabid/demonic dog and a serial killer on the loose, they could easily have added a few jumpscares. But they kept it still and moody. Henry seems more depressed than scared, like resurrecting the family legend caused life to stop. I like that Lestrade is the one to put it to rest because he and Henry have a similar temperament. And Mrs. Barrymore being the one to coax a smile out of him at the end feels right. They're the ones that breathe energy into the episode.
I love mysteries where the murderer basically just tells you he's the murderer.
Mrs. Hudson is my favourite. She must have been somebody's annoying kid sidekick once upon a time.
