Sherlock - Review

“A nice murder. That’ll cheer you up” – A review of Sherlock. 

A good detective story is hard to beat, and Sherlock Holmes is legendary for good reason. Created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock first appeared in print in a short story in 1887, and the writer went on to create four novels and a staggering fifty-six short stories in total starring the detective. Since then, there have been countless adaptations, including films, TV series and video games, and in 2010, the BBC released their contribution, and I must say I loved it.

Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Sherlock starred Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock himself, and Martin Freeman as Dr. John Watson. This was no historical drama but a modern reimagining; Sherlock and John would communicate via text messages, use social media and GPS, yet the show still kept the essence of the story, with a focus on Sherlock’s intelligence and incredible powers of deduction, and John’s war experience being updated to reflect contemporary times. Baker Street still houses the iconic duo, but now instead of a house the pair share a flat, 221B, reflecting the experiences of real, modern day London life.

I cannot think of any other actors who could have played the roles in this specific adaption better. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock was a genius, high functioning sociopath with equal parts brilliance and arrogance. He was a hero that wasn’t always likeable, yet you couldn’t actually bring yourself to dislike him. Freeman’s Watson, on the other hand, was humble, sometimes irritable and loyal, providing a heartfelt humanism which balanced the duo perfectly. The relationship between the pair (which has long been added to via the medium of Tumblr fanfiction) gives the show its heart and soul, as you know that whilst the two men show their care in distinctly different ways, they do share a mutual trust and respect for one another, which soon becomes a close friendship.

Of course, there is more to the show than just Holmes and Watson, and there are several other characters who are worth noting. Mrs Hudson, their landlady, is lovable and caring, Molly Hooper suffers with unrequited love towards Sherlock, and Detective Inspector Lestrade is the one member of the police force that Sherlock seems to have any respect for.

Naturally though, you can’t have Sherlock without villains. My personal favourite is perhaps unsurprisingly Jim Moriarty, who Andrew Scott portrayed with a magnetic, unpredictably chilling charisma which made him such a compelling villain to watch. His obsession with Sherlock, and his ability to outwit the detective and force him to “play games”, as well as his links to other antagonists such as the iconic Irene Adler makes him one of the best characters in the show.

Something I love about Sherlock is that it does not shy away from current issues. Sensationalism, government surveillance and the effects of technology on wider society are all themes the show explores. Whilst it heavily relies on logic, it also has genuine emotional stakes, making it such an entertaining watch.

Unfortunately, I cannot avoid the criticisms of the show. Whilst I did genuinely enjoy each series, I do feel that the quality dropped a little each season, and eventually Sherlock became more about style than substance. Of course, I enjoy the idea of the stakes getting higher with each case, and plot twists are often fun, but eventually Sherlock started to step over the line between plausible and implausible, which is a shame.

I also enjoy a complex narrative, but especially in the third and fourth seasons, it did start to feel like shock value was being put ahead of good storytelling - complex is good, but convoluted isn’t. I would also point out that when the series began character development was excellent, but it stalled in later seasons, and I felt that supporting characters in particular became plot devices rather than characters in their own rights.

With that said, I loved this show. It was emotional, intelligent and a wonderful adaption of the classic detective stories. The journey may be uneven, but you can’t accuse Sherlock of lacking in ambition, and even at its weakest it was still deeply entertaining. If you enjoy a good detective story, incredible on-screen chemistry between lead characters or shocking plot twists, I would compel you to watch Sherlock and deduce for yourself whether the game is something you would like to play, too.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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