Sherlock - BBC

mah latest Sherlock piece

David H wrote:

Maybe it can't compare to Sherlock, but Lucy Liu is not nothing.

Oh, she's a hottie, is that one. but she deserves a strong character.

I really like Lucy Liu. She's gorgeous. I want her freckles.. and her hair.

She was in MY show!

Yes. Your show. Didn't notice her, though. You were great.

I watched the pilot episode of Elementary tonight with my mom, who I introduced to Sherlock back in January shortly after I started watching that show. I wanted to be fair to Elementary but I did keep comparing it to Sherlock in my mind. However, given that it was CBS' failed attempt to remake Sherlock that provided the genesis for Elementary, I don't feel too bad about it. In any event, the shows are on totally different levels.

I think the most immediately obvious difference for me was the production values. The BBC's Sherlock has the benefit of being a miniseries so each episode, which is basically a self-contained movie, has near-movie level production values. Elementary, on the other hand, feels like a typical network TV drama. Maybe I've been spoiled by cable shows like The Wire, Game of Thrones, and Dexter (those being the ones I've seen most recently) but Elementary really felt like a step down.

I didn't care for the pacing, it felt much too rushed and they tried to fit too much in. The writing, acting, and directing all left something to be desired. I thought Jonny Lee Miller did a decent enough job as Sherlock for the first episode, but I was not impressed by Lucy Liu's performance at all. The rest of the characters just felt incredibly bland and generic. The mystery itself wasn't particularly interesting either.

Spoiler:

In the end, I think the best way I can describe this show is aggressively mediocre.

I'll watch another one or two episodes to see where it goes since this was just the pilot, but I'm not too impressed. I'm sure it holds up well enough next to the rest of the slop on CBS, but by the standards of quality television in either the US or the UK ... I'm not feeling it.

EDIT: Also, I really disliked the choice to mix a selection of contemporary pop radio hits into the soundtrack. So out of place.

Norc wrote:I really like Lucy Liu. She's gorgeous. I want her freckles.. and her hair.

The effect of tiny freckles scattered across a girl's nose is under appreciated. makes me melt. I've never before known a girl who understood this: they keep covering them up with makeup.

I think the ladies in general take the concept of covering up far to far. Less is more, much less.

I have a friend with gorgeous freckles, but she hates them, and I can't get it into her head that she's beutiful.

Eldo, I really would like to see Elementary now! Did you read the review I posted a link to?

I read the excerpt you posted earlier but I only read the whole thing now. I'm not as positive about the show as they are -- I don't think it's all that well-made -- but like I said earlier it may be that I've been spoiled by cable TV. I don't think much of the US terrestrial networks to begin with, though.

I do think the Sherlockology review is pretty spot-on about all the changes. I'm not a Holmes purist and I've never read the books but I did find the new versions of the characters to be markedly less interesting. And the more I think about the mystery in the pilot episode the more I dislike it. Maybe the main episodes will have better plotting, but I'm not holding my breath.

(I'm not sure if they re-filmed the first episode after the pilot was given the green-light. Some shows, including Sherlock and Game of Thrones, have done that. If Elementary didn't it could explain some of the problems. Either way, I'll wait until seeing a bit more to pass final judgement.)

interesting I wanna see the ep, so I too can have an opinion about it. currently I hate it because they tried to copy Sherlock, but I may change that when I see it. i can on forehand see that elementary isn't very much true to the original, but since I am not familiar with ACD in that matter, I dunno how that affects it. I only know that ACD's characters are interesting and they are the one I like, so it's hard for me to imagen me liking it all that much if they don't have e.g Mrs Hudson.

No Mrs Hudson, no Lestrade, no Molly Cooper, and Sherlock and "Joan" are barely recognizable.

Frankly, I'm kind of glad that the supporting characters from Sherlock don't have to suffer through this. I actually kinda liked the American detective who took on Lestrade's role, but he's still pretty generic and the other police are incredibly boring.

aah.. so more like CSI, then?

btw, Molly Hooper

I couldn't say since I've never seen any of the various CSI permutations.

Eldorion wrote:I couldn't say since I've never seen any of the various CSI permutations.

You're missing out

Well, I have seen the "YEEEEAAH" meme, of course.

{{{I feel like I'm supposed to be worried by the subtext in that image. }}}

Loving that Sherlock vid Norc. Makes me want to go watch them all again.

there's a video on my blog of me playing the sherlock theme, if anyone's interested

Spoiler:

Brillaint Norc- I will take a look- but when is 'I am the Doctor' getting done?!

it's gonna take a while since it isn't just me.

me playing Sherlock theme
http://bluetomorrow.blogg.no/
(you need good internet)

Spoiler:

Your 'music faces' are brilliant! Now do the same for I am the Doctor!

do the same? like play or?