The plot: You know Sherlock Holmes? That brilliant British detective with an equally brilliant doctor/friend/crime-solver partner named Dr. Watson? Yes? Good. Imagine them solving crimes in 21st century Britain. Got it? This show is pretty much similar to that...except that the writers/producers/actors/ director/s are doing one helluva job out-imagining your brain.
PROS:
1. It's British. It's a perfect example of how good the British are with everything they do. I thought Richard Ayoade's Moss is the closest thing I could get to a British Sheldon. But no, Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock is the
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| Who could go wrong with a name like Cumberbatch? |
2. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman do not disappoint. Their on-screen chemistry is perfect. To use a Pinoy analogy, they are like the platonic John Lloyd and Bea of British TV.
2. Great cinematography. When I watched the Sherlock movie starring Robert Downey Jr., I thought Guy Ritchie was being clever and unique in using the style he did (the quick changing of screens, flashbacks, etc). Apparently, after watching Sherlock. I realized that style is...common in Sherlock-themed movies. Or so I think. Anyway, the bottom line is, it's never boring. I imagine, one can watch the show on mute and still be entertained by the way it is filmed.
3. It is very exciting, very interesting. What amazes me most about this show is the way the plot unravels. The story is rarely linear, based on the two episodes I've watched so far, and for someone who has spent most of her free time watching a show that relies heavily on flashbacks, Sherlock will suit well.
4. Familiarity. I've said it before and I'll say it again, seeing familiar things in unfamiliar territory is always comforting. Seeing a doctor with a limp, a geek/nerd/(insert other word for 'smart' here) mindfuck (sorry for the expression) the shit out of everyone else, and Arthur Philip Dent play an ex-army doctor comforted my scared self during the suspense-filled moments of the show.
5. Little things. I appreciate the music, the crisp editing, and even the on-screen text messages. Everything seems to be well-thought of and well-executed.
6. Again, like Suits, the first two episodes reveal enough for viewers to get interested and leave some things unresolved for viewers to look forward to, and get hooked because of. The Moriarty story line is enough for me to stay tuned. And yes, who wouldn't want to know more about Sherlock's brother Mycroft and...
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| The Girl Who's Always Texting |
CONS:
1. It's about an 1 hour and 30 minutes long! Watching it is like watching a movie and for someone whose attention span is getting shorter and shorter, watching Sherlock entails commitment--in simplest, most mundane manifestation. I'm used to watching 20- to 25- minute shows. Fortunately, British TV show seasons run for about 6 episodes only, and Sherlock runs on half of that, or three episodes per season. Sherlock is like a never-ending movie saga.
2. It's too mind-consuming. After watching an episode, I felt the same way I did after I watched Inception: as if my head's going to burst with too many thoughts. There's too much thinking required, and too much is going-on. Yes, I do not intend to be dumb-ed out by the shows that I watch but it feels nice to watch things for the sake of watching. Despite its three-episode season, I cannot imagine myself doing a season-marathon of Sherlock.
3. It can get very dark. Because of the "darkness" of life in general or the seriousness of the world I live in (well, it is supposed to be serious), I see TV serieses and movies as a way to unwind, laugh or have an opportunity to, as I've said, not think at all. Sherlock can get funny but it's still dark-funny. That freaky cab driver in the pilot episode, "A Study in Pink", really...uh, freaked me out. Lesson learned: Beware of cab drivers.
4. I'm not a conservative when it comes to movies or TV series but I've always found comfort in the thought that although Chuck and the gang are fighting crime, and bringing down one bad guy after another, they do it with the least violence/killing they could use. The answer: Tranq guns. Sherlock, however, is the complete opposite. Dr. Watson shoots an old guy right in the chest in the first episode. Hello, real world.
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| In the real world, people get shot and die. |
5. And since we're on violence... and manners... how could someone shout at an old lady?! Moreso the lovable Mrs Hudson? How?! Kids love and respect your grandparents... even if they turn out to be serial killers. Haha
6. If Sherlock is based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, which is also the basis for the Robert Downey movie, my question is: WHERE IS IRENE ADLER?! Or is that character particular to the movie adaptation only. Hmm. Where is the Sarah Walker to Sherlock's Chuck? Ok fine, maybe that's stretching it too much. Let me rephrase: Where is the Sarah to Dr. Watson's Chuck?
7. Benedict Cumberbatch is oddly too white. Are they still doing auditions for the nth Twilight movie? Yeah I know, nitpicking.
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| Edward's long lost kuya? Pwede. |
Sherlock looks promising. It was able to elicit enough reactions/opinions or intelligent comments from me in one episode compared to Bored to Death, Modern Family or Arrested Development combined. It came highly recommended and it did not disappoint, unlike the other shows that came before. If I have to rank it, it will certainly be on the top of my QNBS list. But I'm wary that it's too mind-consuming, too intellectually stimulating. I can now understand my blockmate when she said she thinks about Sherlock a lot. Maybe even more than law school. Cumberbatch overload, indeed.
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You may want to check other QNBS reviews:
QNBS: Suits
QNBS: Game of Thrones
QNBS: IT Crowd
QNBS: Rizzoli & Isles
QNBS: Community
QNBS: Outsourced
QNBS: Awkward
QNBS: New Girl
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