Sherlock: Holmes of the modern age

The Baker Street Boys of 221B fight cases and themselves while tackling the mysteries that baffles the world. Yeah, I am talking about Holmes and Watson, but not what Conan Doyle penned, but a much younger self of Sherlock and John in a more modern time. Based mostly on the themes of the originals, but modified with twists and novelties, as hinted by the titles of the episodes themselves, the adventures and mysteries are satisfyingly attractive. Added to these will be the surprises that will be in store in terms of the equally famed characters in the world of Holmes like Mrs Hudson, Irene Adler, Mary Watson, Mycroft and Moriarty, who keep in line with the original characters but changes in personalities to keep the suspense high and trigger some pivotal moments with their appearances.

Narratives too, rhyme and follow the originals in more than a few cases, but they metamorphose into deceptively misleading plots to keep the mysteries novelly enjoyable. Thus, the Dying Detective becomes the Lying Detective, the Empty House becomes the Empty Hearse, the Hound of the Baskervilles transforms to the Hounds of the Baskerville, the ingenious detective meets his match in The Woman, Irene Adler while trying to cover up the Scandal in Belgravia and not that in Bohemia and the series concludes with The Final Problem, reminiscent of the Final Problem of the original volume. But through all of these the adventures remain as gripping as ever. However, the 4 seasons, 13 episodes long deliberately modern makeover of the grandmaster of deductions, realized by Steven Moffat and Mark Gattis, has a refreshingly traditional touch in The Abominable Bride, in which Sherlock solves a Victorian age mystery for the sake of a problem at hand that visually projects the crime fighting duo in a comfortably classical setting. But whatever be the setting, the superior analytical abilities and the sharpest of observational powers of the deductionist makes him class apart from the ordinary. So does his seemingly eccentric whims that keeps most of the common folks at bay from this peculiarly brilliant consulting detectives of fictions, a self advertised designation for the specific clients to serve. However, the portraiture of the eccentricities of this GOAT (greatest of all times) of a fictional private investigator, like any of his modern remakes on screen, is a bit too exagerrated that takes away most of the charm of the character and projects a forced artificiality in the remodelled version. So does the portraiture of his analytical abilities that borders superhuman and may share similarities with a supercomputer. Surprisingly, the villains, too, at times, reflects the same, maybe a required criteria to match the challenge of the intelligence thus created. These might appeal to the audience, tuned to fast action and promptly reacting characters, but dilutes, in the process, the natural ingenuity of the central character. Actually, the major flaw is that there is never any explanation to the evolution of the Holmes methods to quickly analyse based on precise observations that Arthur Conan Doyle subtly explained in the introductory adventures of the pair, which also defines the precise role and character of Watson, complimenting the friend in terms of imagination and intelligence. The source of his superior abilities based on garnering of knowledge is elaborated in Elementary too, a superior modern series on the sleuth as far as I am concerned, which makes it unforgettable compared to this series, which is a joyride that twists too abruptly. Here, the highlight being more on the characteristic eccentricities that the rationale of the intelligence remained unexplained that might very well be exotic in appeal but incomplete to critical minds. However, the episodes of peculiar mysteries still remain as intellectually gripping as ever with a touch of emotion to give them the required balance against the coldly analytical mannerism of the private eye at large.

Benedict Cumberbatch dons the coat of the electronic age Holmes in style and Martin Freeman that of the smarter Watson with a blog to publish their adventures. Featuring their redefined personality traits, both the actors get inside the skin of the characters they portray. Thus, the apparently eccentric deductionist in Holmes is as natural as the composed violinist in Sherlock, thanks to his precise acting by which Cumberbatch blends the traits of the doleful composer and the critical investigator in a single mould without a hitch. The same will be said of Freeman who represents the dutiful doctor in Watson as accurately as the action loving apparently practical partner to his detective friend. However, the only question to the creators of the series will be, as to why they have allowed the otherwise excellent baritone of the titular character to predominate unreasonably while Holmes elaborates on a solution to a riddle that gets marred in the accelerando of speech and becomes merely a snappily appealing 'show off', a deliberate yet irritating characteristic of his partner according to Watson, keeping the helpless audience at the mercy of their respective auditory perceptions? Keeping this aside, the seasons will be very much recommended right from the crisp opening score by David Arnold and Michael Price that rhythmically resonates to the theme of the narratives right from the pilot.