Elementary, My Dear Watson!

WARNING! CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS FOR THE SHOW 'ELEMENTARY'

Hello readers! Firstly, apologies for the late post, been a busy few days which I'll talk more about next week in a more personal post- I've decided to alternate the personal posts & more general posts to add some variety to the blog, plus talking about what I've been up to every 2 weeks will give me a bit more to talk about.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, let's crack on with tonight's blog post:

Those of you that know me in real life will know that over the past few months I've been watching 'Elementary', the American modern-day Sherlock Holmes. I finished watching season 2 last week & I have to say that I am very impressed with this show & would definitely recommend it to all the 'Sherlock' fans out there!

Now I can guess what you're thinking- it's probably the same as what I thought when I first heard of the show:

• "But it looks like such a Sherlock rip-off!"
• "It's American & I bet they've ruined it!"
• "Why is Watson a woman? That's not right!"

Yes, the above 3 were some of my initial thoughts when I first ever heard of the show's existence. I first read about Elementary in the TV book when it first aired, & being a 'Sherlock' fan (& seeing as the BBC adaption was around first), the "rip off" thought instantly came to mind. I was then put off by the fact that Watson was now a woman- myself at the time stood by the tradition that it was meant to be John not Joan Watson & thought it was ridiculous that had been changed this way. Also, having seen some of America's adaptation of 'The Inbetweeners' & not enjoying it, I just got the idea that this American version wouldn't be that great.

That was my thoughts about 2 years ago. This year, I decided to give it a chance. After the end of 'Sherlock' series 3, I was left wanting more having been on a 'Sherlock' high since before Christmas. This was when I decided to give 'Elementary' a try, as I was craving more deductive skills & I knew 'Sherlock' wouldn't be back for another couple of years. I was interested to see how it had been done & to test if my previous preconceptions of the show stood true, & I'm thankful to say that I was wrong to judge so hastily! Allow me to elaborate:

For starters- it's not a 'Sherlock' rip-off.
Although the two follow the same characters & the same style scenarios, they are both completely different in the way that they are portrayed. In the BBC's 'Sherlock'- Sherlock is portrayed (& very excellently, I must add) as a rather arrogant yet striking & likeable genius, who comes across as cold & harsh to his peers. It is shown that he is a nicotine addict, but this is a minor detail which that merely plays homage to the original Sherlock's drug addiction. This trait has a stronger role in 'Elementary', where Sherlock is a recovering drug addict. Although still portrayed as an arrogant & inconsiderate genius, having this issue in place allows for a deeper back-story which allows the viewer to see a more human side to the character of Sherlock Holmes, a side which I feel isn't shown as much in the BBC's 'Sherlock'.

Meme showing the two Sherlocks- kind of goes with the point being made above.

Secondly- it's not completely American & it isn't awful.
Ok, that sounds bad, like I assume all American TV is terrible (which I don't- reflecting on this makes me realise it's probably just their comedy remakes). I will admit though, I was pleased when I discovered that our protagonist kept his British origin, it keeps some of the charm of the character that I feel could have been lost as an American. It also allows the show to link back to it's roots rather than to completely relocate & re-culture it. Still, American culture isn't that different to the British really, & the crime solving is pretty much the same as the BBC version.

Lastly- Joan Watson works.
Admittedly it takes a while for Lucy Lui's acting to improve (in my opinion anyway), but Joan Watson works splendidly with Sherlock. She is there as his sober companion, hired by his father to make sure Sherlock keeps his sobriety in check & later becomes his partner detective. She definitely develops as a character as the seasons go on as well as being a crucial element for the development of Sherlock's character, not to mention her compassion & medical knowledge compliment Sherlock's brash nature & deductive skills.

So which do I prefer, you might ask- 'Sherlock' or 'Elementary'? The answer is neither- I think both are brilliant for their own reasons.

The way I see it, 'Sherlock' is the original modern adaptation, & there's no denying that Benedict Cumberbatch is a superb Sherlock- with his fast deduction skills & striking appearance really engaging the viewer & making him fascinating to watch. Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock has a slightly more casual appearance & isn't as overly as brash as Cumberbatch, but is still a fantastic character & I think Miller's portrayal is equally as brilliant as Cumberbatch's.

As stated before, there are deeper storylines in 'Elementary'- ones that link to Sherlock's past & battle with drug addiction. It's these storylines, along with the Holmes & Watson relationship (not the romantic kind, I might add) that help keep you glued to 'Elementary' & an element that I will say they did better than BBC 'Sherlock'.

Still, I stick with my opinion that both are as great as each other, but I do recommend 'Elementary' to all my fellow Sherlockians out there! It'll fill the hole left by BBC 'Sherlock', plus the next season is due to air later this year, so once you've finished season 2 you won't have to wait too long for your fix! :)

I hope you've enjoyed tonight's post & I hope that, if you do decide to give 'Elementary' a watch, you'll enjoy it!

Thanks for reading! :D

Note:
All images sourced from Pinterest, links to where I found them can be found on my board here.