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Sherlock (TV Series, Series 1)
In modern-day London, a doctor suffering from PTSD meets a brilliant, exasperating, sociopathic consulting detective. They move in together and have homoerotic tension as they fight crime.
I can see how the misogyny and racism (mixed in with both Sherlock’s general misanthropy and the general series tone of both) starts to wear on people after a few seasons. Sherlock is an asshole, but generally an entertaining one. The thing is, other Holmeses have tended more toward “jerk with a heart of gold,” where this one needs Moriarty as the mega-sociopath so that Holmes looks good by comparison. This Holmes is, at best, “jerk with a heart of vaguely moral.”
My two issues with “A Study in Pink” specifically: The first is that Sherlock didn’t connect that the cabbie was the killer until way too late—well after I did. Which makes me think the writers were throwing a bone to the audience to let them feel smart. But more importantly, the solution to “Which pill was the safe one?” is easy for anyone who ever watched The Princess Bride: They’re both poison. The cabbie just took an antidote / is immune to the poison in question. In stagecraft that’s called a “force,” when it looks like you’re giving the audience a choice, when in reality all choices lead to the same outcome. That’s how you survive four coin flips: Use a two-headed coin.
“The Blind Banker” is…well, it’s rather racist. Also involving smart characters doing intensely stupid things (like John leaving the woman he’s supposed to be protecting alone so she can get killed, or Sherlock attempting to untie knots while being strangled so John can be heroic and kick a crossbow) just because the plot demands it.
“The Great Game” is curiously homophobic while sorta-kinda trying to pretend it isn’t? It also plays like a season finale, which feels very unearned when the season was only three episodes long—they act like we’ve seen lots of adventures since the series premiere, when really there’s been one.
Also, who ends a three-episode season on a cliffhanger? I mean, really! (Though I suppose, since I don’t intend to watch any more, I can just say that the series ended with, “And then they all exploded.”)
Overall: There’s some fun to be had here, and I can see why it’s popular, but as plenty of others have noted, it also has serious problems. That, and asshole Holmes gets old quickly. I feel okay stopping here: I’ve seen what the fuss is about, but now I’m done.
I can see how the misogyny and racism (mixed in with both Sherlock’s general misanthropy and the general series tone of both) starts to wear on people after a few seasons. Sherlock is an asshole, but generally an entertaining one. The thing is, other Holmeses have tended more toward “jerk with a heart of gold,” where this one needs Moriarty as the mega-sociopath so that Holmes looks good by comparison. This Holmes is, at best, “jerk with a heart of vaguely moral.”
My two issues with “A Study in Pink” specifically: The first is that Sherlock didn’t connect that the cabbie was the killer until way too late—well after I did. Which makes me think the writers were throwing a bone to the audience to let them feel smart. But more importantly, the solution to “Which pill was the safe one?” is easy for anyone who ever watched The Princess Bride: They’re both poison. The cabbie just took an antidote / is immune to the poison in question. In stagecraft that’s called a “force,” when it looks like you’re giving the audience a choice, when in reality all choices lead to the same outcome. That’s how you survive four coin flips: Use a two-headed coin.
“The Blind Banker” is…well, it’s rather racist. Also involving smart characters doing intensely stupid things (like John leaving the woman he’s supposed to be protecting alone so she can get killed, or Sherlock attempting to untie knots while being strangled so John can be heroic and kick a crossbow) just because the plot demands it.
“The Great Game” is curiously homophobic while sorta-kinda trying to pretend it isn’t? It also plays like a season finale, which feels very unearned when the season was only three episodes long—they act like we’ve seen lots of adventures since the series premiere, when really there’s been one.
Also, who ends a three-episode season on a cliffhanger? I mean, really! (Though I suppose, since I don’t intend to watch any more, I can just say that the series ended with, “And then they all exploded.”)
Overall: There’s some fun to be had here, and I can see why it’s popular, but as plenty of others have noted, it also has serious problems. That, and asshole Holmes gets old quickly. I feel okay stopping here: I’ve seen what the fuss is about, but now I’m done.