Congratulations to Jules Clemmer, who won yesterday’s drawing! I’ll be emailing Jules to arrange delivery of her choice of book.
Are you familiar with the British TV show Sherlock? This version of the iconic detective’s adventures has taken Sherlock Holmes and updated him to a young, 21st century sociopath who thrives on being famous and brilliant. Sherlock is played by the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness), with his partner John Watson played by the wonderful Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug). It should also be noted that Cumberbatch voices Smaug the dragon in the Hobbit movies. In addition, he narrates audio books, including a Sherlock Holmes novel!
I could write a book on how compelling this TV show is. Each season consists of three 90-minute episodes, each one based on a famous Sherlock Holmes case. Seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix and DVD. Season 3 started on Sunday night in the U.S. after a 2-year hiatus. Why two years? Because Cumberbatch and Freeman were out of the country filming the above mentioned movies during that time.
The writing is amazing, and the dialogue truly impressive. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock is infuriating and brilliant and sexy all at the same time. (Though that might just be me. I can’t resist intelligent men, especially when they come with cheekbones that could cut glass!) And Freeman’s John Watson is more than a sidekick. He’s a solid character in his own right, an army doctor who recently came home from war in the Middle East, wounded and weary after seeing too much. Somehow these two black sheep forge a deep, meaningful partnership solving cases.
So far my favorite episode was A Scandal in Belgravia, which featured Irene Adler, played by Lara Pulver. This was the first time we ever saw Sherlock distracted by a woman, and Irene definitely challenged him, both intellectually and physically. I totally bought her as the one woman in the world who could capture and hold the elusive Sherlock’s interest.
Season two ended on a cliffhanger that had the fans speculating different scenarios on what had really happened. As a result, people were glued to their TV sets here in the U.S. for the big reveal in the first episode of season 3, The Empty Hearse. I have to say, my favorite scene in that episode was when Mycroft and Sherlock were exchanging quips while playing a board game. It sounds so simple, but the writer nerd in me stood up and sang “Amen!” at the deft brilliance of that scene, both in the writing and the acting. It should be noted that the actor who plays Mycroft Holmes, Mark Gatiss, is one of the co-creators of the show.
Have you seen Sherlock? Are you caught up? What did you think of Sunday night’s episode? (If you haven’t seen it, I hear the PBS website allows you to stream it.) Those who comment today will be put in a drawing to win a paperback title from my backlist!
