From looking at the assignment, I didn’t think that I was going to like the show. I thought it was going to be just like the book, boring. Overall, I felt that Elementary was very enjoyable and kept the watcher engaged. I think that the show accurately captured the essence of who Sherlock Holmes was with a few added things that were not needed. I think that reading the Sherlock Holmes stories weren’t as interesting, but watching the show made everything come for circle, at least for me. I don’t see myself personally reading the Holmes stories, but the show is so intriguing that I would watch it on my own time. Watching is a lot easier to understand Sherlock then reading.
The actor playing Sherlock portrayed him so well that I think they hit all of the major points needed except one. Holmes was a drug addict who used well reasoning and deduction to solve crimes, and who can throw away things that he’s learned in a moment’s notice however, I felt that the Snarky comments that were in the stories from Holmes were none existent in the show. His addict past made him seem more human instead of a superhero crime fighting invincible badass. His addiction made him more relatable.
No adaptation of a story is supposed to be exactly the same, so I liked that Holmes’ sidekick best friend was a girl. This was made for modern day viewers so, you can’t expect everything to stay the same. However, Holmes only had a sidekick because she was forced to be around. Because the show wasn’t from her point of view on Holmes it made the story better.
Holmes is supposed to be on his own and be self-reliant, but instead it as though he is on the police force working side by side as a police detective. To me, he might as well be a police officer. What didn’t make sense to me was, why would the police force enlist a drug addict to work with them? Do the not do background checks? Holmes was way to easily accepted. In society, I think that drug addicts are the outcasts or pariahs. But one thing that doesn’t make sense about all the Holmes stories period is that drugs destroy brain chemicals that you can never get back. So why would a drug addict be so good at solving crimes?
I have to admit I also didn't really think I would like the show- and personally, I didn't, but that's just because I don't really like people like Holmes. I still appreciate it for what it was, though, and acknowledge it as a good show. And I have mad love for Ms. Watson, she was the best part of the show if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteI would actually kind of disagree with you on the fact that his drug addiction has made him more relatable, for one reason- aside from the meetings that Watson drags him to, I didn't really see any actual evidence of a drug addiction? Holmes seems to be functioning fairly normally (or, well, normally for HIM) but the need for him to attend these meetings suggests he only recently stopped using drugs. I felt like we needed to see more evidence of his addiction before it feels like a true aspect of his character; more evidence of him suffering from withdrawal and struggling with his recovery. Maybe that's more of a thing in other episodes, I dunno, but that's just how I felt in this one instance at least.
I really enjoyed reading your opinion regarding the changes Elementary chose to make when making their adaptation. From reading your blog post, I take it that you thought the show stretched how you viewed the original stories a little too far. I understand why you feel that way, but I have to say I didn't mind it too much myself. I still got the same take away feeling about Holmes' character I got from reading the stories. I imagine you will like the BBC Sherlock series more, because I find it to be less of an adaption. The BBC series did not stress Sherlock's drug use as much, but only briefly mentioned it. His "side kick", Watson was also portrayed more traditionally, because he was a male, who fought in the war and also wasn't "forced to be around", like you said. So, did you like the BBC series?
ReplyDeleteGreat post btw! Thanks for sharing!