You can read Watson's blog here. The show-specific plot stuff is all hidden under the entries' cuts, so you can go to the older posts to read up on the stuff for this first episode. Pretty fun to read.

Love Martin Freeman. He's absolutely note-perfect as Watson.

Favorite line: "Not a psychopath, a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research, Anderson!"

I'm having a non-spoiler renaissance! I saw an ad for last week's Criminal Minds, after having seen the episode, and I was so glad I hadn't seen it before hand! I was totally faked out, as I'm sure the writer intended, when the kid got in the car with the priest, after the team was saying, "It's someone the mother can trust..." But the ad was all PSYCHO KILLER CHILD!!! Which seems unfair for the drama of the show.

Just had to say, everything Kathy A said (except for the sister thing). Absolutely brill. I expected to like it - Loved It!

And one of Watson's blog posts includes a link to SH's website: [link]

Also, also, Was I the only one who kept hearing the voice of Wallace Shawn going, "...so I can clearly not take the pill in front of you..."?

I like the blog as the modern equivalent to Watson selling the stories to magazines. And the remark "Nothing ever happens to me." What fun those initial writers meetings must have been: "OK, so how do we incorporate Watson writing the case notes?" and all that.

I did have a problem telling Lestrade and Watson apart in some scenes, 'cause to me they look very much alike.

If Watson's therapist reads his blog, his visits to her could be interesting--unless he stops going, since he seems to have gotten over the limp nicely. He's such an adrenaline junkie.

My only real issue with the reinterpretation and this might just be my take on it, was I found it difficult for Watson, as Freeman is portraying him-- a war vet, a bit world-weary, and definitely a bit of a cynic-- to so quickly defend/believe that Holmes couldn't be an addict of any sort. After all, being a doctor and having been in combat situations, I'm sure he's seen some incredibly high-functioning addicts.

It made him come off as a bit of naif, when to me, he's anything but.

However, he overcame the disbelief quickly enough to be able to save Sherlock from himself with respect to taking the pill.

And no, Epic-- you weren't the only one who went to The Princess Bride place...

One of the little things that made me happy was Lestrade's portrayal. Yes, he's a bit thick, but he's still a good detective, and he has an interesting relationship with Sherlock (the fact that he calls him "Sher" really adds to that for me).

Lestrade is not a bit thick! He's just not Sherlock. And who is?

t /RupertGraves defensiveness

You're right. I'm just thinking of the "usual" Lestrade portrayals in previous adaptations, which this definitely isn't.