{"id":253,"date":"2011-04-06T13:16:03","date_gmt":"2011-04-06T20:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=253"},"modified":"2011-04-06T13:17:18","modified_gmt":"2011-04-06T20:17:18","slug":"mark-watches-sherlock-s01e01-a-study-in-pink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2011\/04\/mark-watches-sherlock-s01e01-a-study-in-pink\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Sherlock’: S01E01 – A Study In Pink"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first episode of Sherlock<\/em>, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re introduced to the re-imagined world of Sherlock Holmes, as the characters from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s original story are thrust into the modern world. And yet, so much of what has made Sherlock Holmes eternal still remains after such a drastic change. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Sherlock<\/em>.<\/p>\n

THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S RIGHT. IN YOUR FACES. Why can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t I have a surprise or two up my sleeve?<\/p>\n

My friend Jessica got me to watch this show and I thought that it would be nice to throw in a brief detour into another series before I head straight into Avatar: The Last Airbender<\/em>.<\/p>\n

While I had zero idea of any sort of detail or characterization or plot-twist in this show, I did read a great deal of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s books and stories growing up. I might even say that my obsession with SHIT GETTING REAL or BEING UNPREPARED is based largely on my experience reading Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories. Actually having that background made for a far more entertaining experience as well, as Steven Moffat weaves so many references to Holmes cannon that those unfamiliar with the original material would never pick up.<\/p>\n

But that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not to say that any cursory examination of Doyle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s original work is needed, nor is the show an acquired taste in period dramas. And perhaps that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s truly what this new version does so brilliantly: It is decidedly modern<\/em>, even painfully so at times, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not a moment that it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seem to work.<\/p>\n

Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, we are not worthy. :: bows ::<\/p>\n

I love that this first episode, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Study In Pink,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d opens with Dr. John Watson. In many ways, what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll see over the course of the next 90 minutes is entirely through Watson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes, and I find it to be an interesting choice for Moffat to take. It feels as if we are living through his perspective as we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re introduced to the frantic world of Sherlock Holmes. The parallels to the original canon start here, in these first scenes, as Watson is shown to be injured due to battle. In Sherlock<\/em>, though, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because of the war in Afghanistan. We see him awake from terrifying dreams. We see him visit his therapist, who tells him to start a blog. (See? Painfully modern.)<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Nothing happens to me.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As if spoken purely to goad his own future, that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153nothing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d becomes largely irrelevant for Watson quite quickly. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re briefly introduced to what will be the large plot point for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Study In Pink,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d which is hard to understand at this point. A man who is clearly cheating on his wife nervously takes a pill and is later found to have committed suicide. This repeats, two more times, all under the same strange circumstances. When there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a public announcement regarding the three suicides, Inspector Lestrade (HA!) insists that aside from the bizarre locations these people died in and the poison, there are no other connections between the cases.<\/p>\n

WRONG!<\/p>\n

The text goes \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcround the room in a stylistic choice that is used throughout this first episode. We see it on everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s <\/em>phone, and as Lestrade continues to bullshit his way through the press conference, everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s phones gets the same message.<\/p>\n

WRONG!<\/p>\n

WRONG!<\/p>\n

And then Lestrade gets a message of his own.<\/p>\n

You know where to find me. SH<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sherlock Holmes. But we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t meet him just yet. And while Benedict Cumberbatch can steal virtually any scene he is in, I find myself repeatedly drawn to Martin Freeman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s portrayal of Dr. John Watson. Maybe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m biased because Freeman did such a fine job in the original The Office<\/em> series, but he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not at all the same character here. Before we ever meet Holmes, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Study of Pink\u00e2\u20ac\u009d focuses on the cynical, uncertain Watson, who is afraid that living on an Army pension isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t going to keep him in London. After running into a friend from school who notices that Watson isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t on top of his own game, chance steps in to force Watson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s path to cross with the infamous Sherlock Holmes.<\/p>\n

And I say that not as one who is aware of what sort of weight this character has in popular culture, but in reference solely to the universe that Moffat and Gatiss have built here. Sherlock is infamous<\/em> in the London law enforcement world, and when Standford takes Watson to meet someone else who needs a flatmate to save money, we are given one hell of an introduction to this new version of the iconic character.<\/p>\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s start with something I need to say before we continue further: I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a man on earth who looks like Benedict Cumberbatch. Not a single one. Like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t figure out his face. I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS, BUT I FEEL VERY DEEPLY IN MY HEART THAT IT IS A TRUE STATEMENT. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perhaps the most perfect actor to play Sherlock Holmes, too, able to highlight his brilliance, his sociopathy, and his ability to be simultaneously charming and revolting at the exact same moment.<\/p>\n

When we finally meet Sherlock, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s beating a dead body with a riding crop, ignoring a woman who is obviously trying to hit on him. It establishes very early the idea that Sherlock Holmes has a limited amount of space in his brain. It seems like that space is larger than our brains, sure, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s because Sherlock operates in a manner where he prioritizes what goes into his mind. The woman hitting on him? Unimportant. Unnecessary, really. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trying to determine if an alibi is correct. What does romance matter?<\/p>\n

Almost as if Watson and Holmes solely act as foils to one another, their first interaction in that morgue is one rife with the later results of the plot and so many of the show\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s internal tropes and canon that will be spread out over the course of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Study in Pink.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s incredible perception is acted out in a stunning bout of quick dialogue and posturing on his part, though it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important to note that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not an act for Sherlock. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not trying to impress anyone. His presumption isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t based on any sort of self-centered douchey egoism. I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6well, Sherlock is<\/em> egotistical, but I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel as if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a malicious thing at all. He needs a flatmate. Watson needs one, too. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a logical progression from step one to step two for Sherlock. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that simple.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also the first time we watch Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s power of deduction. Power<\/em>. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a damn fine word to describe this\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6thing<\/em> that Sherlock does. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yes, he is always like that,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Davenport tells Watson. His lack of the social grace many people seem to follow is actually kind of appealing to me, to be honest. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unexpected. It keeps me on my toes as I watch Sherlock interact with the world around him. Part of me is fascinated by Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s unbelievable power of deduction. (That word again.) Part of me is also wildly entertained<\/em> by it. And part of me is just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.how does someone do that. Seriously, how does he do that.<\/em><\/p>\n

If I turned this review into something resembling anything I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d done in the past, in terms of analyzing the chronological narrative points of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Study in Pink,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I could probably write at least five thousand words. Steven Moffat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s script is ridiculously dense and complicated, many times in a way that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to follow. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever lose my interest, though, because the social and personal dynamic between Freeman and Cumberbatch is so unique and genuine. And while the story is seriously fantastic (it really is), the characters really do draw this story along.<\/p>\n

But about that story. What I enjoyed about Sherlock Holmes stories as a kid was that it became a task to figure out the ending, to determine Doyle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s endgame for each novel or story. While Moffat and Gatiss work from the original source material in a way, they certainly honor Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s obsession with deduction and Doyle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tendency for outlandish, complex, and ridiculously intense plots. The strange suicides honestly do seem unconnected and, much like I felt back during the beginning of my experience with the original books, I was completely confused. Of course, Sherlock was twenty steps ahead of me. How could there be serial suicides<\/em>? By nature of the act itself, it seems impossible. But Sherlock isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ready to accept an easy answer. And isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t that what this is really about? Not accepting the easiest answer. Sometimes, Occam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s razor isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always the best option.<\/p>\n

As Inspector Lestrade reluctantly consults Sherlock on the case, we watch as Sherlock continues to show up the law enforcement team because they are not him. I know I just simplified that, but I love this first crime scene with the lady in pink because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an even better look at how Sherlock operates. Within seconds, he deduces that this woman has been having an affair. For a long time. And that she was from out of town, based solely on the splashes of mud on one of her legs. And that she has a suitcase that is missing.<\/p>\n

God, I love it. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO ENTHRALLING TO WATCH SHERLOCK WORK.<\/p>\n

And maybe this is going to be something explored over the course of this series (or perhaps the next one), but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not long before Watson meets one of Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153enemies.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d After getting a call on a public phone and witnessing a demonstration of how he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s being watched, John gets into a black sedan and is taken to a warehouse, where he meets a seedy man who literally identifies himself as the enemy of Sherlock. Which\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an interesting technique and rather unorthodox. But this is Sherlock Holmes! Villains are over the top and absurd! I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get the sense that this man was the one behind the ritual suicides; perhaps this is part of a series-long arc? That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my guess.<\/p>\n

But back to the main story. I like that Moffat has continued the idea that Sherlock will not eat while he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s working a case, and I also imagine that Watson has to eventually find this unbearably uncomfortable. I mean\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like eating when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m the only one with food. I was taught it was rude! But if I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m eating with Sherlock, does that mean I can never eat? IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S A NEVERENDING FOOD LOOP OF SOCIAL ANXIETY. Anyway, this is a point I brought up because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s during the scene that I noticed this where the plot ramps up in terms of tension and pacing. What I enjoy about what Moffat and the entire crew has done with Sherlock<\/em> is that even just in this first 90-minute episode, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that the city of London is just as much of a character as any living person. When Sherlock realizes that the killer must have been in a taxi with each of the victims, the chase scene that follows is as much absurd comedy as it is a brilliant display of London and the way filmmakers can use a live set to build drama. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m reminded of movies that use cities as characters, such as Michael Mann\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Collateral<\/em>, which is one fantastic love letter to Los Angeles when you think about it, or Spike Lee\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Do The Right Thing<\/em> is so indicative of Brooklyn during that time period.<\/p>\n

As fantastical as it might seem, too, to watch Sherlock act out the impulses and brilliant bouts of logical deduction on screen, I get the distinct sense that this version of the characters is still heavily grounded in reality.\u00c2\u00a0 When Watson and Sherlock realize their killer has probably escaped from them, they return home to Baker Street to discover a drug bust at Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s house. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nice to see that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not ignoring the drug use that was prevalent in the original stories, though it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all in a different context here. Sherlock uses nicotine patches instead of a pipe, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no drug use at all in this modern adaptation, though the drug bust seems like an obvious reference to Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s original use of heroin. (It was heroin, right? Or was it cocaine? I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been a long time since I read any Sherlock Holmes<\/em> material.)<\/p>\n

I will be interested to see how exactly Moffat, Gatiss, and any other writers deal with Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s epiphanies without making them seem repetitive and stale over the next couple episodes, but that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not to say that they feel that way at all here in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Study In Pink.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In rapid succession, Sherlock deducts that the last victim, that lady in pink, planted her mobile phone ON PURPOSE and was sharing her password<\/em> on the floor (the RACHE scrawled into the floor) in order to help track the murderer. At that point, I believed this was a murderer, too, despite that others weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t so sure. And when they turn on the GPS signal and it says that it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s coming from 221B Baker Street, my brain exploded. Sherlock had a cab waiting for him. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a cab passenger. The murderer was the cabbie himself.<\/em><\/p>\n

AND GOOD GOD, DO I LOVE WHERE THIS EPISODE GOES. Instead of having a simple \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A-HA!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d moment and resolving the case, Moffat truly understands what Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s personality is like: He isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just satisfied with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153solving\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a case. He needs to fully understand<\/em> it. So Sherlock gets into the cab with the man he knows to be the murderer because to him, justice is pointless if it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come with all the answers. (Is this a slight commentary on closure? I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be surprised.)<\/p>\n

I mean, I seriously would never have guessed the ending to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A Study in Pink\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in a million years. We all saw that the people who died took the pills themselves, so the question then becomes: What did this man say to them to make them take a pill of poison willingly?<\/p>\n

Two bottles. One pill is harmless, the other is a deadly poison. One gun. Two choices. Get shot on the spot, or play this man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dying game. Which pill is correct? Does the cabbie know which pill is actually the poisoned one or is he bluffing as well? And Sherlock doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fear asking the murderer about his motives or the consequences of such a disturbing game either, but he is intrigued. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s intrigued by the game. In fact, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t this game uniquely<\/em> designed for someone like Sherlock Holmes? It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an extreme act of deduction, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?<\/p>\n

Unexpected through all of this, though is Dr. John Watson. Following the GPS signal (and with the understated motivation of caring for Sherlock, which I will expand on when I am ready and NOW IS NOT THE TIME), it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Watson who might have saved Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a brilliant shot, really, that Watson takes that fatally wounds the cab driver. And Sherlock, always wanting to be the one who know everything, can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t resist asking: Did he pick the right pill? I was surprised, though, that he quickly reverted to a more important line of questioning, realizing his time with this man was running out. I hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t addressed it earlier in the review because, at that point in the episode, it seemed inconsequential to me. But Sherlock has a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fan\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that inherently caused all of this to happen, and right here, in this moment, Sherlock digs his foot into the wound, telling the man to give him a name.<\/p>\n

Moriarty.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

FUCK. YES. Oh god, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re already introducing Sherlock\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arch-enemy this early? MOST EXCITE.<\/p>\n

But Moffat ain\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t done. We meet that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153enemy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d of Sherlock again outside of the crime scene. After Sherlock properly deduces that it was John who shot the cabbie and then immediately acts in a manner to protect him, Watson and Sherlock see that man who told Watson to choose a side.<\/p>\n

MYCROFT HOLMES. OH SHIT, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. I have no idea how he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to play into this show in the future, but man, DID NOT EXPECT THAT. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good note to end the first episode on: Both Sherlock and Watson, in just a day or two of meeting each other, are already protecting one another. There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a beautiful thing to the way they interact, an almost loving sense of brotherhood, that is a testament to the talent of these actors and the writers. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only the first episode, and yet I feel these two have known each other for years. I like that.<\/p>\n

THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n