Like most BBC “Sherlock” fans, I was skeptical when I first heard about “Elementary.” The idea of “Elementary” as a modernized Sherlock Holmes completely threw me off, especially because there’s already a perfectly good show with the same premise: “Sherlock,” also released by BBC.
Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller star in "Elementary," a modern-day Sherlock Holmes drama. Photo courtesy CBS.
As a fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels and “Sherlock,” I kept my mind open to new adaptations. None of the elements you’d expect to see in a typical Sherlock Holmes adaptation, however, are in “Elementary”. Despite my initial uncertainty, the positive critic reviews pushed me to watch the “Elementary” premiere. I’m glad I did.
“Elementary” is different from “Sherlock” in many ways. For starters, Sherlock’s sidekick, John Watson, is now a woman named Joan (Lucy Liu). The show takes place in New York City, instead of London. While a Sherlock in America can be a revitalizing reinvention of the usual British setting, it also poses some complications. The iconic apartment 221B Baker Street no longer exists, for example, and the atmosphere is too American to match the tone of the British novels.
But the dynamic between the two main characters is the biggest difference between the shows. I expected Joan Watson to stand in awe of Holmes, much like John always does in “Sherlock.” Regardless of how terribly the Holmes of “Sherlock” treats Watson and the other characters, he’s always brilliant, and John Watson recognized that. Sherlock’s methods of deduction are beyond others’ ability, so his cold-hearted and self-righteous attitude are ignored. But in “Elementary,” Liu’s Joan Watson is often unimpressed. She never excuses Sherlock’s behavior; at times she doesn’t even acknowledge his intelligence.
What I originally failed to grasp is that “Sherlock” took a modern setting and applied it to the original stories, while “Elementary” completely modernizes the original characters. Ultimately, “Elementary” doesn’t have the same essence as “Sherlock” at all. For instance, Johnny Lee Miller’s “Elementary” Sherlock is kinder and more human. He is undoubtedly strange, but his personality isn’t as extreme. He’s more likeable that the Sherlock of old.
When the credits started to roll, I found myself wanting more. While neither the best TV adaptation nor the most loyal to the novels, “Elementary” provides a good fix for my Sherlock Holmes cravings — at least until “Sherlock” returns from its hiatus in 2014.
CM Punk
Thursday, October 25, 2012
There has never been a romantic relationship between John Watson and Sherlock Holmes outside of fan-fiction. In the books Watson was very capable on his own and respected Holmes but knew that Holmes was kind of crazy. Wait, so the BBC and other foreign TV networks can show a large amount of sexual content but American TV can’t have blood or it ruins the entire show? That makes oodles of sense.
JJBad
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
I totally disagree when it comes to Sherlock becoming more human in Elementary. Sherlock being antisocial and non-relatable is the whole point. Sherlock has no friends and when John comes into his life, he become a little bit more human. As with the new “John” it’s horrible that she degrades his and criticizes his coldness. Everyone else is extremely impressed by his deducing skills and the point is that John is supposed to be his companion who loves his every move. When I watched the 1st episode, I found that it was extremely insulting. First off, in American television, there can’t be a popular show with a romantic relationship between two men so they changed John to a woman. This degrades the relationship between John and Sherlock. Also the amount of blood and gore that Americans appeal too is way too much for a detective’s show and it loses the point. Instead of anticipating what the duo will solve next, Americans want to see even more blood and gore than is necessary. In conclusion, I was not impressed by Elementary at all and Sherlock, in my opinion, is the more fascinating and better created show.
JJGoode
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
I’ve always enjoyed the Holmes franchise, so I was a little skeptical of the new adaptation, too. I was able to catch the premiere on my Hopper a little while back, and I enjoyed it way more than I thought that I would. I’m also going to take advantage of the PrimeTime Anytime feature on my Hopper and not have to worry about setting any timers for the show. My life will be less hectic, and I can spend more time outdoors with some friends that work at DISH with me. Cheers to the new spin on Holmes; to Lucy liu being the coolest Watson, too.