Some Reviewin’ (1)
Thought I'd get back into exercising my critical faculties.
Sherlock is the BBC's new take on (you'll never guess) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, devised this time by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss. The twist this time is that it's a modern day version in a world where Doyle clearly never wrote the originals. Now since I watched the first episode I've been tempted to explore what the actual impact of that fact alone would be on this world - the history of detective fiction obviously would have taken a different path, there would be significant cultural differences (no previous adaptation nor any of the countless works influenced by the stories would exist, and a lot of people's careers would have been different), and potentially the science of forensic criminology itself would be in a different place - the impact of Doyle's work is actually pretty broad. But while it might be interesting to see some hints of that explored in the series, it would probably represent a fairly pointless shift in focus away from the actual drama.
So two of three stories in this new version in, what's it actually like? Well, the basic set up is essentially the same: iconoclastic loner with apparently uncanny powers of observation and deduction sets himself up as the world's only consulting detective, providing advice and occasional humiliation to the police. Needing to find someone to share the rent of his central London flat, he's introduced to an army doctor recently invalided home from the conflict in Afghanistan. Said Doctor/flatmate becomes his sidekick/foil and so The Odd Couple set-up is complete. They've stuck to most of the details - 221B Baker Street, Inspector LeStrade, Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs on fine form; "I'm your landlady dear, not your housekeeper"), and I'm pleased to note have retained Watson's character as more the man of action that Doyle presented than the bumbler that a lot of adaptations have gone for.
The series' style on the other hand is resolutely modern, with fast edits, graphics overlaid on the pictures to represent Holme's thought processes, and a few too many arch references to 'The Gays' to be entirely naturalistic (Mrs Hudson again: "It's all right dear, we get all sorts round here. Mrs Turner next door's got married ones!")
In terms of the stories themselves, things are a bit of a mixed bag so far. The first of the three in this first series, A Study In Pink, takes a lot of its cues, though not all its plot, from the first published Holmes story A Study In Scarlet. Series creator Steven Moffat has combined a number of the elements of the source into an original mystery which manages to hold its own against the weight of all the set-up that needs to be accomplished in its ninety minutes. In fact, the clever direction and editing of the opening scenes, showing three unconnected people all apparently committing suicide in the same way, do a really solid job in using the visual nature of the medium to create an intriguing scenario that doesn't make the viewer feel cheated when all the facts are revealed later on. For this to work at all it must have been scripted that way, so credit is due all round.
The unfolding of the plot happens at a fair old lick, and the whole thing is presented with a confidence that most British TV drama (and certainly that aimed at adults) is entirely lacking. It's helped by some truly sparkling dialogue, particularly between the two leads (played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman - the former pitch perfect, the latter remarkably un-annoying compared to his usual performances, at least in the first episode) that really shows Moffat at his best.
The setting up of Mycroft is handled very well, and the establishment of an ongoing mystery apparently driven by someone called Moriarty offers hints of a lot to look forward to.
Episode two, The Blind Banker, is written by Steve Thompson. On paper (or IMDB) Thompson's TV writing credits seem somewhat less extensive or impressive than those of the series creators, and frankly, this doesn't add much quality to his record. The plot takes some elements from that strand of original Holmes stories involving mysterious messages in an unknown cypher (think The Five Orange Pips or The Adventure of the Dancing Men), but wrap it in a terribly thin tale about smuggling that considering the conscious updating going on feels oddly Victorian with its Chinese Tongs and circuses. I could draw attention to any number of plot contrivances in this one that served to pull me wholly out of the drama, and indeed have in other online fora, but for me the worst sin of this story is in reducing the interesting characters of the pilot to something more like the caricatures that populate so many other Holmes adaptations. Worse, the relationship at the end of the pilot is that of two people who have gone through a life threatening and life changing experience together. The Blind Banker offers a pair who seem barely able to tolerate each other.
The huge disadvantage to having a series of only three stories is that one duffer like episode two weighs down the quality of the whole to a disproportionate degree. Next week's third episode is written by Gatiss, so I have my hopes for its redemption, but when it inevitably comes back there needs to be a greater consistency than these first two episodes have managed. And assuming they don't wrap up the Moriarty mystery in episode three, a longer series would at least present an opportunity to build it up better. I'll be interested to see what happens here in both the short term of next week and the longer term of the series' future.