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.
That's a really excellent point that I hadn't picked up on. But yeah, especially with the evidence of the 3 nicotene patches...Watson's seen that Holmes isn't afraid to chemically alter his perceptions or whatever.
It made him come off as a bit of naif, when to me, he's anything but.
Maybe it's an indicator of his fierce loyalty? Even though they've just met, he's "adopted" (for lack of a better word) Holmes. (Had he been "cured" of the limp yet at that point? That seemed to be a bit of a turning point for him).
He didn't strike me as thick at all, actually. Rather more level-headed and aware that Sherlock is not made of the same stuff as mere mortals. I think he also had his fair share of world-weariness, having to defend Sherlock constantly to his coworkers.
Barb is me.
The other thing I really enjoyed about Graves' portrayal of Lestrade is that he's absolutely not afraid to take Sherlock to task. He respects him, is perhaps a bit awed by his abilities, appreciates that he can see things in ways others can't, but isn't afraid of him and won't allow himself to be bulldozed by him. Sherlock has historically not been afraid to play dirty and I like that Lestrade doesn't have a problem playing just as dirty, but within the rules. (Which, actually, for Sherlock-- is REALLY playing dirty.)
It's kind of insidiously brilliant.
Also, can I just say I'm getting sick of the new vogue of using my RL lastname for characters that are so dislikable? (Sgt Sally Donovan is last night's example, for the curious). It's weird that it's suddenly everywhere, but almost exclusively on characters I really dislike (Zane & Claudia, I'm
glaring looking at you.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled on-topic conversation.
Maybe it's an indicator of his fierce loyalty? Even though they've just met, he's "adopted" (for lack of a better word) Holmes.
I do think that's it. As a military guy, Watson understands the power of loyalty. And at the point at which we meet him, he's so rudderless, searching for a purpose and Sherlock's providing him with that.
I loved Sherlock running down the characteristics of the person who took the shot, glancing over and seeing Watson, and stumbling over his words. The kind of thing ficcers yearn for.
Lestrade is an interesting character. Scotland Yard doesn't hire idiots, only idiots-as-compared-to-Holmes. So Lestrade has got some chops when it comes to the job. It's easy, though, to portray him as an adversarial chump because then Holmes can be portrayed as just smarter than usual, rather than as a superlative genius. When I first saw the movie, I sadly bought Lestrade as a member of that cabal, because he is an organization man and might be persuaded that it was the best way to protect the empire. Which made the turnaround all the sweeter.
Lestrade does go to Holmes for help, though, so there is respect.
It's going to be interesting to see how Watson fits into the crime scenes in this age of CSI and specialized forensics. In the Victorian age, a trained medical opinion wasn't quite so readily to hand, so Watson had a practical purpose other than "Sherlock Holmes trusts me at his back." Which is definitely nothing to sneer at in its own right.
I think this Watson will be the one who humanizes Holmes. He's the only one to draw out Sherlock's sense of humor (loved both of the laughing scenes at the end of the cab chase and the end of the show), and the way that BC plays Holmes, you can see that he needs a friend, not just a skull to bounce ideas off of.
The guy who introduces Holmes and Watson should get fleshed out. He's such a throwaway character, and he seems highly intrigued/amused by watching the two of them.
I despise the Basil Rathbone Holmes' movies because they portray Watson (and Lestrade) as bumbling idiots. Watson is the viewpoint character, our entry into Holmes' world. He represents the intelligent reader. Holmes' brilliance only sparkles in its contrast to an intelligent, capable foil. There's nothing great about being smarter than an idiot.
"The Three Garridebs" is a pretty meh story, but it does have Holmes going a bit psycho after a bad guy shoots Watson. And I can't remember if it's in canon or the apocrypha that we have the line "Never let them say you were merely my Boswell." (The canon and the--well, there's not better word for it--fanfic starts to run together. I wonder how big your name has to be for it to become pastiche instead of fanfic. Or if it's the size of the penis.)
