It's Elementary My Dear Watson

I wasn't sure how I would feel about this show but I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this episode and would love to actually watch the rest of the show. I really enjoyed that they kept Holmes' character very close to how he was in the stories. In the beginning of the episode he pretty much quoted the part about not taking in knowledge that is unnecessary, the episode also included his ability to play violin. His character still pretty much acts like an ass, but its only because people don't follow how his mind works and think they know more than him when they really don't.

It was also very interesting to see Watson played by a woman. I really enjoyed it and think that it is a good adaptation. Although, Watson's character was not the same as in the stories. Instead of being a sidekick, Watson is his "companion" because Holmes is in rehab from his addiction. The show is also building up to create more of a backstory for Watson. In the stories, Watson does not have all that much of a backstory.

In a way, Holmes being a recovering addict puts him in a bad light. It almost takes away from his brilliance because the idea of his addiction and need to be in rehab makes him seem incapable and untrustworthy. He seems to jump to conclusions and does not take as much time to think through his plans. Especially when he runs up and begins accusing the sister and actually ends up being wrong about it at first. I guess it was done this way to keep anticipation. If Holmes just solved it right away and then created a plan to catch the villain like in the stories, the viewers may get bored. Instead they create scenarios where Holmes’ first guess is incorrect and then once he finds more evidence, then he solves the crime and catches the villain.

Another issue that I have with the show is that in class we discussed how the original audience loved the stories because Holmes was a nobody who was self-taught and created his reputation on his own. In the episode of Elementary that we watched, he works for/assist the police. I know Holmes did this in a few of his stories but the way the show was filmed I felt like it portrayed him as being more involved with the police department, since they called him to help with the case. It is like every other crime solving television show. They could have made it a more unique show if they stuck to the original stories a little closer.