Elementary as it was, there were some points of interest [BLAN]
17th March, No Comments
By John Watson
She’s back with her points of view and The Woman seems to think that Elementary is getting better . . .
Episode 11 – Dirty Laundry
This episode was somewhat plot lost but not in a way that it didn’t twist totally into the unknown or unseen but because the clues leading up to it were unsubstantial. This has been a theme with many previous episodes but this one threw me more than the others have done.
When the body is found in a washing machine I did think about a sort of mafia style killing. As I have mentioned before I have watched too many TV programmes over the years and then when we met the family my suspects were getting stronger and then confused. The victim’s husband, Oliver was played by Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives, Mad Men) so I had him down as the culprit. Then we met their daughter Carly, played by Melissa Farman (Lost) and I flitted between the two as being the culprit. Throw in another suspect Geoffrey, played by Jake Weber (Medium) and I was lost as to who this would turn out to be. As I mentioned the clues seemed vague and this seemed to just fall together rather than be put together in any coherent form.
The episode is held together by Holmes, Watson and Gregson even though they are mostly sidelined for this plot. With things gearing up to episode 12 and the “M” episode, there is also how Watson will end up staying with Holmes. The next episode will hold some answers to how the rest of this season will play out.
With this review I thought I’d take a moment to look to the beginning part of every Elementary episode, the opening credits. I’m a terrible fast-forward person and I’ll admit I tend to whizz through credits in the same light but I have never done so through the Elementary opening credits.
The reason I love it? Basil The Great Mouse Detective of course!
Episode 12 – M (WARNING: FULL OF SPOILERS)
The episode that has had me intrigued since I knew the title – M. My mind had obviously gone straight to Moriarty with a slight possibility of Mycroft, or maybe just a coincidence?
First thing about this episode sees us come across Vinnie Jones, yes the very same Vinnie Jones from Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch and Mean Machine. He looks to be the villain of the episode and also an Arsenal fan, that becomes very prominent throughout. He also likes to hang people via a tripod device, drain their blood and dump the bodies later. Quite a nice chap!
With Gregson, Watson and Holmes at the location of the victim, Holmes is quick to deduce about the missing tripod and this time his deductions have a method. But this time it’s also because he knows the killer, from London. With Holmes knowing so much he is on hand to lead the case and feeds the past history of M. One of M’s previous victims had been Irene Adler, which still left Holmes cold by the lack at the time of his ability to capture M. His drug addiction had taken hold and he was way lower than he had previously been before. He sees this as his big opportunity to get M but Gregson is worried about him and thinks he could be the next victim. Holmes is not at all worried by this and refuses all of Gregson’s requests for protection.
When the body turns up it’s a chance for Holmes and Watson to share one of their incredibly poignant moments.
“I’m going to miss this. Maybe not this so much, but this. I think what you do is amazing”
M breaks into the house and leaves a message for Holmes. You know those newspaper letter clipping messages made with glue, one of those. Of course Holmes has security cameras placed around the place so now has a photo of M. He then can give this photo to Teddy & Co, a group of kids on the street that will do jobs for Holmes for money. Teddy finds and talks to M and comes to get his reward, only Holmes is not there so he has to tell this all to Watson – who is not amused! She is obviously less amused as she knew nothing of the cameras and confronts Holmes when he returns.
Watson rushes to Gregson for help when Holmes goes after M with the intention of torturing and murdering him. In the end it is Watson who uncovers where Holmes has taken M. As a side note there is a very funny moment involving M, Holmes and a baton. Now Holmes has M it is clear he really is out to torture him but could he really? Throughout the episode until now Jones has played M as the usual heavy thug that we know. Now is where you can understand why he was picked, sure there is the fact he has the British accent but he has a great psychotic smile. Yes, try putting that on your CV! With the two opposing each other it allows both to shine, I’m more inclined to lean to this being Jonny Lee Miller’s best moment in Elementary so far. The emotion that he goes through in his conversation with M talking about Irene is evident.
The revelation comes that M is not Moriarty but a hired help under the name of Sebastian Moran is unexpected to Holmes but maybe not us. Had Elementary not been given the full season order then this could have actually been the last episode of this series. We’ve now still got to come across Moriarty and as Moran had said:
“Moriarty said you were obsessed with puzzles but he’s the greatest puzzle you’ll ever come across”.
With Holmes still reeling and coming to terms with the fact that Moran is not Moriarty and that Moran is now telling a remade story of events to Gregson under a police interview, Holmes is reflective.
Then these words again but this time from Holmes to Watson:
“I’m going to miss this. Maybe not this so much, but this. I think what you do is amazing”
With Watson’s decision to stay not being agreed by Holmes Snr she lies to Holmes that everything is fine for her to stay. I thought it would come down to it being her decision to stay. I even said that in my review of Episode 10. As the episode ends and another thing that Elementary is good for, the music. Gil Scott-Heron’s Me and the Devil plays. This was the perfect song to end this episode.
Nods to the Canon were huge in this episode; the bees, Irene, Baker Street Irregulars (Teddy & Co) and of course Moriarty. By far the best episode so far and that’s not because the others haven’t been good enough, this one was just far more superior. Jonny Lee Miller is fast becoming my favourite Sherlock Holmes and I know that will not be a view shared by most. I think I like the more vulnerable, emotional and underlying rage within the Holmes that Miller portrays.
I have also seen that Elementary will get a two hour season finale. Moriarty finale?
Oh I hope so.
Posted in Elementary, Jonny Lee Miller, Television
More elementary problems [STUD]
23rd December, 4 Comments
By John Watson
The Woman is back with some more reviews though she is somewhat perturbed by references to “Irene” in some of these episodes . . .
Episode 4 – The Rat Race
A simple missing person case soon evolves into a murder case and Sherlock is about to be tested more than we have seen in previous episodes. He is faced with a case with drugs, his addiction is laid bare and Watson is worried of any sudden relapse. The opening scene sees a worried and confused Watson with Gregson as Sherlock is missing, then she tells him about Sherlock’s past drug addiction as she is so worried about her client. Then we skip back in time to the case and it all becomes clear.
There are moments of pure Sherlock joy with the acronym ‘IMLTHO’ confusing both Watson and us, of course it means ‘In My Less Than Humble Opinion’ – who will admit to using that in texts from now on? I may have done it. Twice.
This episode brings more of the dynamic between Sherlock and Watson and also Sherlock and Gregson. With Sherlock’s insistence that Watson get back in the dating game, he helps by looking up her date online. He’s not been married because of course he still is married! Watson is also annoyed by his interference, a big brother move. Deep down he’s showing he cares and she knows that, however much it annoys her. The final scene of the episode we see a different Sherlock, a broken and fragile man telling Gregson about his drug past. Again he is laid bare, emotional and then the real twist.
Gregson knew. How could he not?
Another great episode, the case again somewhat flaky but the character development is spot on. More please.
Episode 5 – Lesser Evils
With Watson having giving up her surgical career it was time we got to see if she missed it and yes she most certainly does. The case causes her to meet up with an old friend from her surgeon days.
The case involved the pair finding serial killer ‘The Angel’ who targeted terminally ill patients in the hospital. FYI producers, if you’re going to put David Constabile (The Wire, Damages, Breaking Bad) in an episode and expect me not to shout “it was him, he did it” then you’re an idiot. You never cast a major star as the culprit so within minutes of them entering I had the crime all tied up and Sherlock needed to catch up. They also let the camera follow the janitor around and focus on him, it was all just way too obvious.
The other side story with Watson helping her friend with a case showed that she can still do medical cases but she is tied to her past. But she seemed more resolute by the end, maybe Sherlock and Watson can be good for each other.
An ok episode, I enjoyed the Watson side story but the main plot was weak. Good to see David Constabile though, although a bit obvious…
Episode 6 – Flight Risk
Possibly the best episode of Elementary yet, with an enticing plane crash investigation that of course is not what it seems. The case sadly then falls away again but luckily there is a very good side story emerging – Watson has arranged to meet Holmes Snr.
Sherlock is adamant that he won’t go as his Dad will not meet them, Watson is absolutely sure that he will after conversing with him throughout her stay with Sherlock. Watson goes to dinner and meets Holmes Snr but a few questions in and it is clear this is not him. Sherlock hired an actor to pose as his father as he knew he would cancel and he didn’t want to disappoint Watson.
After Watson has discovered that Allister is not Holmes Snr she soon discovers that he is an old friend of Sherlock’s and has many stories from his drug fuelled days. We also get to hear a woman’s name mentioned.
“Irene”
*credits roll*
I have to wait a week? OH COME ON!
Episode 7 – One Way To Get Off
After the wait for this episode after the revelation at the end of the previous episode, it’s clear we are not going to get a quick explanation. Sherlock is now ignoring Watson and she desperate for answers heads to his rehab place and despite no luck from the doctor she finds more luck from the groundsman whom Sherlock shared an interest with -bees.
He also gives her some letters that Sherlock had left from Irene. Watson then obviously chooses to give them to Sherlock who then stuffs them in the blender. Watson is forced to give up asking about Irene. I’m so disappointed!
Whilst all this is going on there is also a case and this time the writers got this spot on. Finally! Gregson looks back into an old case after a serial killer seems to be repeating. He looks back into the old case and is worried that maybe he caught the wrong man and when he finds out that his partner at the time had planted evidence to frame their suspect, Gregson is forced to admit that he was wrong. Sherlock’s relationship with Gregson has been steadily growing and this time we see how much Sherlock respects Gregson. Sherlock finds out that the right person was arrested at the time and there is a new serial killer, Wade’s son. He had wanted to get to understand his father and the only way he could see that was a possibility, was to become him.
With the case all sorted it causes Sherlock to reflect. He mentions Irene
“I did not take her passing well”
She can’t be dead, can she?
Episode 8 – The Long Fuse
Here we have another episode which looked into the developing relationship between Sherlock and Watson. They are looking for a sponsor for Sherlock as Watson’s six week stay is coming to an end. Sherlock is his usual unhelpful self as he is unhappy with all the candidates until he finds a carjacking ex-con only because he’s sure she will dismiss him. She doesn’t and Sherlock is forced to admit that he is going to lose Watson
The case this episode is about a bomb that goes off several years after being planted. Sherlock must find out who planted it and he has to meet a flirty PR executive who he enjoys meeting with. Now if I told you that she was played by Lisa Edelstein who was of course Cuddy in House and much the same as Episode 5 it was obvious the main star was the guilty party. Otherwise this case was enticing and well thought out, the casting was the major problem.
Now with Sherlock accepting his new sponsor, Alfredo (Ato Essandoh from the movie Blood Diamond) and even suggesting they test car security systems as part of his job, it seems we might get a new regular cast member. At the moment there are only four main characters; Sherlock, Watson, Captain Gregson and Detective Bell so Alfredo would be a welcome addition.
With Watson’s time coming to an end my mind has already been wandering as to how the writers will keep her there. Is Sherlock going to have a relapse? Will she just end up staying on?
Episode 9 – You Do It To Yourself
We’re back to the case being the real side point of the story and Sherlock’s deducing skills are back to the ridiculous. I think if the series is going to progress more in the minds of Sherlock Holmes fans it needs to make the cases and the deducing skills needed much more realistic. That aside, this week we’re back focusing on Watson as her ex-boyfriend has been arrested and accused of a hit-and-run. He also a recovering addict seems to have fallen off the wagon before the accident and Watson confides in Sherlock but doesn’t tell him all the details.
Sherlock can of course find all the information that is needed and the case is indeed solved. Watson admits that she knew Liam (her ex) before he started using drugs and she gives a very good performance as she says how much she longs for someone she used to know. When Watson decides to go and wait for Liam at the rehab facility, even though she told him she wouldn’t, Sherlock arrives. She tells him that he doesn’t need to stay and he says “I have nowhere else to be. Not tonight”. The scene and the way they are sat on the bench shows their need for each other’s companionship and also how far their characters have developed through the episodes so far.
A very good episode but the cases have to get better but I can understand why this series is proving to be more successful than critics would have you believe.
Episode 10 – The Leviathan
Finally a case that has Sherlock confused and also quite energised to resolve the case that you can’t help but get swept away by it. ‘The Leviathan’ is the Fort Knox of bank vaults but somehow it has been robbed. The case itself is quite complicated and I would certainly confuse myself and you if I tried to explain it so you really have to watch it for yourself.
Both Sherlock and Watson have in recent episodes really developed as a team and when Watson’s family arrives in town it’s time for Sherlock to meet them. Of course he goes early to the arranged dinner to the surprise of Watson and at the end her mother realises that Watson is enjoying her time with Sherlock. Watson has always felt that her family were disappointed that she gave up her surgeon job and did not like her companion job but they just want her to be happy. Now that they have seen that she is with Sherlock they are also happier.
This really could be how Watson will stay with Sherlock, she is enjoying being with him.
Despite his rudeness and his quirks they have much common ground laid already with more being revealed each episode. They are still opposites in many ways and I do like how Watson is given more of a stand out part on her own, I feel I know her more than Sherlock. He still intrigues me and I still want to know more about Irene.
Definitely the best episode so far and hopefully many more to come after the Christmas break. I can also see that Episode 12 is titled “M.”
Could it be Moriarty?
I hope to have more for you in the New Year! Amazon are now listing the Season 1 DVD but no release date yet . . .
Posted in Elementary, Jonny Lee Miller, Media, Television
The same elementary class of deduction [LADY]
9th November, No Comments
By John Watson
More from “The Woman” . . .
Elementary Episode Two – While You Were Sleeping
I feel I should start each of these reviews by saying that Elementary is an adaptation of Watson’s chronicles and should not be directly compared to the Canon or the BBC TV series Sherlock. Comparisons do exist but I did enjoy the pilot and I also found the second episode to be enjoyable.
Sadly the plot of this episode is probably as weak as that of the pilot. Clues seem to be guessed rather than deduced but I am enjoying seeing the relationship between Holmes and Watson develop. This episode gave us Watson meeting up with an ex-boyfriend and of course Holmes meddled and found himself told off by Watson. He is finding out more about her, what pushes her buttons and she has found out that nothing can be kept from him!
Miller’s Holmes is still quirkier than other portrayals and this episode seemed more ‘House’ in style. The addiction meetings were a good reminder of Holmes’ past and we know he has kept this secret from Captain Gregson. There is still more to why he left London. Will we ever find out what happened? Will Moriarty make an appearance?
Right now Miller and Liu are keeping me returning to watch for more, other characters are extremely weak compared to these two. I’m not sure if that is the point but other programmes survive because of a good cast, take Monroe in ‘Grimm’ or Kalinda in ‘The Good Wife’. That’s why I hope Moriarty could make an appearance to spark up some more intrigue and develop the story more.
After the bees in the pilot, the ending of this episode has Holmes with his trusty violin. This felt more forced than placed into the story however I did find myself smiling. The episode plodded along but the crimes aren’t too difficult to solve and you don’t find you get a real “solved it” moment. I like the way Holmes and Watson are developing but the show needs a sudden influx of oomph from somewhere.
Elementary Episode 3 – Child Predator
First off, finally we have a plot that twists and turns that the previous episodes had severely lacked. Producers tried to throw us off with the topless Miller at the start of the episode with the character himself admitting he had a shirt somewhere!
Holmes and Watson are engaging more as characters by each episode and this one gave us the more emotional side to Holmes. The story is far darker than the previous plots, psychopaths, child abuse and serial abduction. The park scene with kidnap victim Adam was one of the real moments of the episode, just him and Holmes. You feel that Holmes has met someone with many traits the same as him and this is what made this case more intriguing.
Holmes is more emotional in this episode but still remains high with his ego and intellectual snobbery also taking centre stage. I think having the female Watson also brings more emotion to a story like this and I think it helped bring the two closer than previously before. Watson isn’t in the background, she’s as important as Holmes is. They have developed a partnership and it’s continuing to keep me coming back each week to see more.
Also have we met Moriarty? Adam (not Worth, his surname is Kempler) is as smart, possibly smarter, as Holmes and these two could easily be pitted against each other again. If this was the case he would be a younger Moriarty and maybe this would be the brilliance of it. As I have mentioned before the show needs another of the main characters to help guide through this series and it’s between Moriarty and Mycroft for making an appearance I think.
This series has finally started to find its feet, roll on Episode Four!
Posted in Elementary, Jonny Lee Miller, Sherlock Holmes, Television
Interesting, though elementary [HOUN]
1st November, No Comments
By John Watson
As the limitations of my army pension and Mrs Hudson’s reluctance to have a satellite dish fitted to 221B prevents me from seeing the latest incarnation of Holmes and I on the small screen, I have asked someone of more independent means, whom we will refer to for the moment as “The Woman”, to review the “Elementary” series, starting with the pilot episode (which I have managed to see myself).
Finally ‘Elementary’ hit UK screens this week after months of suspense and already it has picked up mixed reviews in the US. The very popular and successful BBC series ‘Sherlock’ is always uttered in the same breath, the Robert Downey Jr films get muted noise. ‘Elementary’ was never going to be ‘Sherlock’ and whilst the wait for Season Three is agony, ‘Elementary’ takes us on a different interpretation of the great detective Sherlock Holmes.
There are three big changes to the Sherlock Holmes adaptations we have seen before.
The first major change is Joan Watson played by Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels, Kill Bill, Ally McBeal) who is hired by Holmes Senior to babysit Sherlock after his rehab. She makes the perfect accompaniment to Sherlock’s insulting and rude behaviour. Having a female Watson makes me think there will be a romantic will they-won’t they storyline building.
Have I been watching too much American TV?
I like the female aspect despite this being against everything written before, it’s a new angle that has had me intrigued and Lucy Liu was a superb casting.
The second change is no 221B. Sherlock is now in New York and there is no Mrs Hudson either. I guess Joan is enough “woman” for Sherlock.
The third change, the man himself – Sherlock Holmes. He’s a tattooed, unshaven, unkempt scruff but somehow made me think of Captain Jack Sparrow with his way of doing things. Jonny Lee Miller (Hackers, Trainspotting, Dexter) makes a good Sherlock and despite certain odd un-Sherlock behaviours he is very likeable. I found the baseball score guessing scene very silly as he had no basis for making that prediction. His physic powers are very strong in ‘Elementary’. He also brings new sex appeal to the character and is frequently seen shirtless, not that I was complaining!
After reading a few reviews before of this I wasn’t expecting much from the pilot, however I found it to be enjoyable and I didn’t let my eyes leave the screen for one minute. The programme was fast paced and missing a part of it would have been hard to keep up with, or so I had thought. The crime they need to solve is over complicated and doesn’t need to be. When it had finished I had thought it probably wouldn’t have mattered if I had missed parts of the middle section but anyway this was just the first episode.
Here are my other highlights of the first episode:
- Sherlock knowing Joan’s father had an affair because he had googled it
- He keeps bees
- Joan’s comments about there being no mirrors in his house “I think you know a lost cause when you see one”
- The episode ended with the Elvis Costello song “Watching The Detectives”
I’ve often noticed a TV programme’s popularity can be assessed in recent times via several modes of social networking. The most popular source is from micro blogging site Tumblr. Doctor Who, Merlin, Sherlock and even Downton Abbey are particularly popular amongst the Tumblr community. Elementary is probably not yet at the height of those mentioned yet but there is certainly enough evidence to believe that it’s more popular than people would have you believe.
‘Elementary’ has been extended to a 22 episode run and despite many critics writing this off and many fans also doing the same I still believe there is space for both ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Elementary’ and they should be reviewed separately. I would however, like to be able to look at both Sherlock and Watson in ‘Elementary’ and know they were those characters, right now you could name them anything and I’d believe you.
But my last point and one for you to think over – did Miller’s Sherlock remind anyone else of Matt Smith’s Doctor Who? Enjoy your second watch of the pilot to see if you agree.
I hope to persuade “The Woman” to review other episodes throughout the season.
Posted in Elementary, Jonny Lee Miller, Sherlock Holmes, Television
Sherlock Holmes and The Festival of Britain
13th July, 2 Comments
By John Watson
A recent article on the Baker Street Blog caused me to look through my commonplace book in which I kept my correspondence and cuttings from The Times concerning whether there should be an exhibition dedicated to Holmes, in the public library in St. Marylebone the district of London that includes Baker Street as part of the Festival of Britain in 1951.
It all began when News in Brief in The Times of Friday October 27th 1950 stated that the councillors of St. Marylebone opposed the suggestion by the borough library committee that a Sherlock Holmes exhibition should be staged in the public library as a contribution to the Festival. The leader of the council said that the borough had “many things to show off about without Sherlock Holmes” [1] (click on any of the cuttings to see slightly enlarged versions).
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Posted in Arthur Conan Doyle, Mrs Hudson
Murder By Decree
3rd July, No Comments
By John Watson
“The best Sherlock Holmes movie ever made” said Rex Reed of the New York Daily Times. I might want to argue with that as Basil Rathbone in The Hound of the Baskervilles takes a lot of beating. But this is certainly one of the best.
Christopher Plummer plays a slightly warmer Holmes but I think he overdoes the theatrical garb of deerstalker, Inverness cape and Meerschaum a bit. James Mason is one of the best screen versions of me being more intelligent than most, although towards the end of the film there is a humorous moment involving me chasing a pea across my dinner plate! The friendship between us comes across well.
The scenery is superb with excellent views of London. Few people realise the stark contrast between the grandeur of the area north of the river and the squalor to the south of the river and the East End in particular.
Holmes’ involvement in the Ripper murders in 1888 has never been made public and so fictional accounts number almost as many as the theories about who Jack the Ripper actually was. The title of this film is an indication of who, it is suggested, is the culprit. Holmes deductive powers are not much in evidence in the film (except for the mystery of the grape stalk) and the real clue to his identity comes from Mary Kelly, the last of his victims, not long before she is gruesomely murdered. The puzzle as to why the five victims were so mutilated is explained in the film along with the prior cause of all five murders. These were not the only murders around this time (and place) and the reason why these five in particular were murdered, and maybe why Elizabeth Stride’s murder may not have been by the same person can be explained by the story in this film. The book on which the film is based, The Ripper File, by Elwyn Jones and John Lloyd is itself based on their six, 50 minute documentaries on the subject.
The film, which about two hours long, is fairly evenly paced and builds to a dramatic climax about fifteen minutes before the end. The last part of the film is a classic denouement with Holmes giving an excellent speech and no quarter despite the standing of those present.
This new version, on DVD, is a great improvement on earlier releases in terms of quality. There are no “extras” though on the DVD.
Posted in Christopher Plummer, Films, James Mason
England’s Secret Weapon
29th April, 1 Comment
By John Watson
“It is midnight. Clouds scud across the face of the Houses of Parliament as Big Ben begins its familiar chime . . . ”
So begins the Introduction to Amanda J Field’s book, England’s Secret Weapon, about the wartime films in which Basil Rathbone played Holmes.
This book provides a fresh insight into the performances that, for many, made Rathbone “The Definitive Holmes“.
Field is a member of the Sherlock Holmes Society of London and a volunteer at the Portsmouth Museum where she is helping to catalogue Richard Lancelyn Green’s immense collection of memorabilia. Field is a film historian and the book is principally concerned with where the fourteen films fit within the times they were made and the films genres they represent.
But before that she provides a wonderful introduction to Holmes on the screen.
Holmes had been portrayed in various media (books, radio, films, etc.) for over forty years with at least twenty-two other actors taking on the role, each one adding something of their own to my original description, a deerstalker hat (drawn by Sidney Paget in an illustration in The Boscombe Valley Mystery), a calabash pipe (added by William Gillette), etc. But it was Basil Rathbone’s portrayal that for many became, and has remained, the standard against which all others are assessed. At the same time as these films were produced, Rathbone and Bruce continued to play us on the radio, with the result that Rathbone was more often referred to as Holmes by the general public than by his own name. I have referred to these radio broadcasts in my series about Holmes on the radio and in reviews of these broadcasts as issued in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volumes I, II and III.
Field’s analysis provides some interesting insights.
Firstly that each film used 221B as a sort of “time capsule” to represent the certainty surrounding Holmes and everything he stands for and we would retreat into the relative safety of our lodgings when necessary before venturing forth again to do battle with the foe. In discussing this with an associate, he drew a parallel with the BBC Doctor Who series in which the Doctor can always retreat to the Tardis for safety. There is also scenes in each of the films where there is a contrast between what the characters are wearing to reflect their different beliefs. For example, in The Hound of the Baskervilles where Dr Mortimer is meeting Sir Henry as he disembarked, Mortimer is wearing Victorian costume and Sir Henry is wearing more contemporary clothes.
Secondly she questions the assumption that Twentieth Century Fox had lost interest in Holmes after making The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, both set in Victorian times. It may have been more to do with the money-making aspirations of Arthur’s sons Denis and Adrian (who have been described as “spendthrift playboys”) than any lost of interest.
Most interesting of all is the separation of the fourteen films into four key themes:
- The Victorian setting of the first two films – The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
- The war-themed films of 1942 and 1943 – Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror, Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon and Sherlock Holmes in Washington
- The gothic films – Sherlock Holmes Faces Death, The Scarlet Claw, and The House of Fear
- The appearance of the female villain – Spider Woman, The Pearl of Death, The Woman in Green and Dressed to Kill
These four groupings show an initial desire to bring Holmes to the screen in his normal historical settings and then to use his values as propaganda during the Second World War – cleverly keeping 221B within the Victorian setting to emphasise this. Then moving into horror as an escape from the war and finally recognising the changes in the role of women and their place in society following the war.
Her analysis shows there is much more to be read in these films than I had before realised, so I plan to view them again soon.
Posted in Basil Rathbone, Films, Radio, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Art of Deduction
18th March, 7 Comments
By John Watson
About the Book
Most of the books that I chose, or am asked to review, are pastiches or books by authors who have studied the many adventures Holmes and I had together. Recently there have been a few books looking at specific aspects of Holmes’ ability as the first consulting detective.
The most recent of these is entitled “The Art of Deduction” by Taz Rai and is a detailed analysis of Holmes methods against several well-known text books on logic and deduction.
It is a very well-researched book which quotes frequently and accurately from my stories to present the key skills that anyone wishing to emulate the Great Detective will need to master.
Background
Rai tells me that in writing the book he began to realise the possibilities if the average person could acquire even a modicum of the skill possessed by Holmes. In many of our adventures together the most complicated problem turns out in the end to have an absurdly simple solution. Rai suggests that we can all learn from Holmes and that with the application of a little logic, rationality and observation, we can solve problems in our own lives without resorting to help from others.
Rai wondered as he read my reminiscences if it was possible to deduce and learn to think the way Holmes does. This triggered the idea of writing The Art of Deduction. He read all my stories again plus several books on logic and philosophy. He also conducted a survey to see what Holmes fans wanted and the result is the four parts that comprise his book.
He suggests that although everyone has a vague notion of logic, by reading my stories about Holmes cases, you can begin to understand what its benefits are. He believes it is important to read and understand logic and how Holmes uses logic in his work. If Holmes is thought of as a superhero then his superpower is logic, Rai suggests. He also believes that because we can relate to Holmes as being human also it is possible for us to attain some measure of his amazing gift. Many exercise in the gym to build muscles, lose weight, etc. and he suggests that the same approach can be applied with logic and deduction in the mind. Holmes is an example of what one can acquire, but to get there is not necessarily understood.
The book is in four parts.
Part One – A Study in Sherlock
The many facets of the personality of Holmes are analysed including the rationality of his approach to a case eschewing emotion, superstition, irrationality, and fallacies. His use of evidence, the scientific method and the acquisition of useful knowledge is discussed. We then look at his methods of abstraction and distraction, his immersion in lengthy chemical experiments, and then his intense concentration. Finally his vices.
The section draws on A Study in Scarlet, The Sign of Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Abbey Grange, The Copper Beeches, The Norwood Builder, Silver Blaze, The Valley of Fear, The Boscombe Valley Mystery, The Mazarin Stone, The Man with the Twisted Lip and The Yellow Face.
Part Two – A Case in Logic
This looks at the science of logic and Rai suggests that if you read these pages you will be able to infer the possibility of a Niagara or an Atlantic from the knowledge of a single drop of water (as Holmes suggests in A Study in Scarlet). The heading of the one of the sections in Part One – Five Pillows and an Ounce of Shag – would be an appropriate setting for reading this section.
Again Rai draws heavily on the Canon to illustrate the application of logic including A Study in Scarlet, A Scandal in Bohemia, The Copper Beeches, The Yellow Face, The Sign of Four, Silver Blaze, The Norwood Builder, The Boscombe Valley Mystery and His Last Bow.
If you have ever wondered what the difference is between deduction and induction, what categorical propositions, categorical syllogisms, disjunctive syllogisms and the inductive force are then this section should make it all clear!
Part Three – The Observation Ritual
You see but you do not observe must be Holmes most common admonition, of me at least. This section deals with the need for acute and meticulous observation of detail. This is about turning the familiar saying about not being able to see the wood for the trees on its head and carefully observing the trees, branches and leaves before jumping to conclusions about the wood.
In this section he draws on The Norwood Builder, The Blue Carbuncle, The Stockbroker’s Clerk, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Reigate Squire, The Sign of Four, The Golden Pince-Nez, The Dancing Men, The Resident Patient, The Valley of Fear, The Speckled Band, The Yellow Face, and of course, A Study in Scarlet, with the unforgettable “You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive”.
Part Four – The Sign of Holmesian Deduction
This section takes two of our cases – The Beryl Coronet and The Musgrave Ritual – and looks at how Holmes brings all his skills to bear on a particular problem.
As with most of our adventures, they follow a common pattern. The client arrives at states the nature of the case. Then there is the initial analysis of the problem from the facts known at that point. This indicates the need for further investigation before the denouement.
Epilogue – Real World Application
The final section gives us a real world example and takes us through the same stages as in Part Four.
In Summary
Even after many years working alongside Holmes on innumerable cases, I still struggle to apply his methods and get the results he can so easily obtain. Perhaps this is a question of innate ability coupled with intense practice. He has dedicated his whole life to it and perhaps that is what gives him the edge.
Nevertheless, this book is a very thorough analysis and maybe, just maybe, the application of the principles as Rai has laid them out may make it possible to emulate Holmes. I would be interested to hear from anyone who gives it a go and achieved some measure of success.
Finally, as you can see from the cases that are listed above (and I may have missed some), the book draws on many of our cases and it may be instructive to pick out those that Rai calls on more than others and read those ones alongside Rai’s book.
About the Author
Taz Rai is a young Business Graduate living in Australia who has given up his day job to focus on his love of writing and on someone he clearly admires. He first read about Holmes when growing up as a child and Holmes’ logical approach appealed to him. He says he doesn’t have a favourite story (his book is full of examples from all over the Canon) as he says each story showcased something new about the character of Holmes.
His favourite Holmes and Watson portrayals are, predictably in these modern times , Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Their portrayals, particularly Cumberbatch’s thinking or maybe I should say deducing machine, must serve to illustrate how difficult in practice, even with the aid of this book, it would be to emulate Holmes.
Where to obtain the book
Taz Rai’s book is available from his website at http://www.artofdeduction.com where you will also find a few articles by him including one about the parallels between Holmes and House MD (also mentioned in the book).
The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Volume III
21st December, No Comments
By John Watson
Volume III of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes brings us another mixture of stories from the Canon (The Man with the Twisted Lip and The Speckled Band) and pastiches including stories that I mentioned but never published (The Tankerville Club and The Camberwell Poisoners) and some completely new stories all from the prolific Anthony Boucher and Denis Green. The recordings are, as usual, complete with the war-time announcements, original narrations and radio commercials. The quality on some of them is not perfect (they are the same transcriptions that appeared on the original cassette versions) but this should not mar your enjoyment.
Again we have twelve broadcasts with Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as me (never quite as bumbling as he was in the films) except for one story where Eric Snowden took Bruce’s place as he was ill. The details on the packaging lack the actual broadcast dates but I will fill those in for you.
Disc 1 – Introduced by Ben Wright
The Murder in the Casbah (based on a reference in SCAN and broadcast December 3rd 1945)
The Tankerville Club (based on a reference in FIVE and broadcast April 22nd 1946)
Disk 2 – Introduced by Harry Bartell
The Strange Case of the Murderer in Wax (based on a reference in SECO and broadcast January 7th 1946)
The Man with the Twisted Lip (broadcast May 6th 1946)
Disc 3 – Introduced by BenWright
The Guileless Gypsy (based on a reference in REDC and broadcast February 11th 1946)
The Camberwell Poisoners (based on a reference in FIVE although the disc and the box carry the title incorrectly as ‘The Camberville Poisoners’, and broadcast February 18th 1946)
Disc 4 – Introduced by Harry Bartell
The Terrifying Cats (based on a reference in BLAC and broadcast February 25th 1946. In this episode my part is taken by Eric Snowden as Nigel Bruce was ill. Snowden was later to play me in a later series with Ben Wright as Holmes). These facts are not disclosed on the CD or the box!
The Submarine Caves (based on a reference in BRUV and broadcast March 4th 1946)
Disc 5 – Introduced by Peggy Webber
The Living Doll (based on a reference in COPP and broadcast March 11th 1946)
The Disappearing Scientists (based on a reference in REIG and broadcast April 8th 1946)
Disc 6 -
The Adventure of the Speckled Band (broadcast November 11th 1945)
The Purloined Ruby (based on a reference in SECO and broadcast May 7th 1945)
I am still listening to these recordings and some of the extras are quite fascinating, including an interview with a certain Irene Norton nee Adler! I will provide more details as they come to light.
Posted in Basil Rathbone, Radio, The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Watson’s Christmas List 2011
4th December, 1 Comment
By John Watson
As Holmes never seems to want of anything, this is my Christmas List instead of his!
Most of what you see here I already have but some of the items only become available just before Christmas so I don’t have them yet.
Let me start off by recommending to you A Study In Sherlock.
This is the ideal gift for that person who has the whole Canon but wants something a bit different. This is a wonderful compendium of stories inspired by the Canon. The sort of book you want to curl up with in your favourite armchair in front of a blazing fire on a cold winter’s evening.
Here you will find sixteen stories plus a fascinating introduction by Laurie King (known to my readers as Mary Russell’s literary agent) and Leslie Klinger (author of the Sherlock Holmes Reference Library and the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes). Holmes crops up in some of the stories, as do I, but other characters employ Holmes methods, with varying success.
As the cover says this is a “perfect tribute” in a “collection of twisty, clever, and enthralling studies of a timeless icon”. I hope the book is a great success and if it is perhaps King and Klinger will consider making this an annual event producing a new collection at the end of each year.
You can find out more at their website.
In mentioning Mary Russell, Laurie King has published Mary’s latest memoir The Pirate King.
In England’s young silent-film industry, the megalomaniacal Randolph Fflytte is king. Nevertheless, at the request of Scotland Yard, Mary Russell is dispatched to investigate rumors of criminal activities that swirl around Fflytte’s popular movie studio. So Russell is traveling undercover to Portugal, along with the film crew that is gearing up to shoot a cinematic extravaganza, Pirate King. Based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, the project will either set the standard for moviemaking for a generation . . . or sink a boatload of careers.
Nothing seems amiss until the enormous company starts rehearsals in Lisbon, where the thirteen blond-haired, blue-eyed actresses whom Mary is bemusedly chaperoning meet the swarm of real buccaneers Fflytte has recruited to provide authenticity. But when the crew embarks for Morocco and the actual filming, Russell feels a building storm of trouble: a derelict boat, a film crew with secrets, ominous currents between the pirates, decks awash with budding romance—and now the pirates are ignoring Fflytte and answering only to their dangerous outlaw leader. Plus, there’s a spy on board. Where can Sherlock Holmes be? As movie make-believe becomes true terror, Russell and Holmes themselves may experience a final fadeout.
Two notable pastiches appeared late this year, the first that I wish to mention is Barefoot on Baker Street
Some may have concerns about Red, the heroine of the adventures, and her liaisons with the three main male characters which I won’t go into detail about here to avoid spoiling the plot. One of these liaisons is quite ridiculous and doesn’t really work but is, I think necessary for the plot.
But all that said it is still an excellent story from a new author. As part of the publicity for her book and as a build up to the Great Holmes Debate, Walters read and reviewed all 56 of the short stories and gave each one a score out of ten. These provide an excellent guide to the stories and I hope she will consider doing the same for my four long stories.
The other pastiche is The House of Silk
I have already written a more detailed review but if you can ignore these inaccuracies then it is still a good read.
Following on from the success of the BBC Sherlock, the creators, Steven Moffatt and Mark Gattis, have provided introductions to the novels and the collected editions of the short stories, published by BBC Books.
Moffatt introduces A Study In Scarlet
Mark Gatiss introduces The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
They both envy anyone reading my stories for the first time. Even if you have all the stories already, find your local bookshop (whilst it’s still in business) and read these introductions even if you don’t buy the books. I know that not really helping keeping the bookshop in business but you could buy something else whilst you were there and what about buying these editions for someone you know who enjoyed the BBC series but has never read my original stories on which the series was based?
If you don’t yet have this DVD of the marvellous BBC Sherlock
I have reviewed the first set of The Carleton Hobbs Sherlock Holmes Collection and earlier this year The Carleton Hobbs Sherlock Hobbs Further Collection was released. This new collection of dramas, starring Carleton Hobbs is from the BBC Radio Archive. In this these twelve classic stories, Carleton Hobbs established the ‘sound’ of Sherlock Holmes, with Norman Shelley as his superb Watson. Collected together on CD for the first time, with a specially commissioned introduction by Nicholas Utechin, former Editor of “The Sherlock Holmes Journal”. This collection includes: “The Copper Beeches”, “Thor Bridge”, “The Sussex Vampire”, “The Three Garridebs”, “The Three Gables”, “The Retired Colourman”, “The Boscombe Valley Mystery”, “The Crooked Man”, “The Cardboard Box”, “A Case of Identity”, “The Naval Treaty”, and “The Noble Bachelor”. I understand from one of my contacts that more have been “cleaned up” so more may be released next year.
I have just received a copy of Alistair Duncan’s latest book An Entirely New Country.
This new book covers the period in Arthur’s life when he returned to England after several years abroad. His new house, named Undershaw, represented a fresh start but it was also the beginning of a dramatic decade that saw him fall in love, stand for parliament, fight injustice and be awarded a knighthood. However, for his many admirers, the most important event of that decade was the return of Sherlock Holmes – whom he felt had cast a shadow over his life.
Finally, for now, the latest collection of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Another bumper year for Holmes fans and with a new film and a new series of Sherlock coming soon there must be more to come!