One person on B.org who normally dislikes her doesn't. All was saying that not playing into the racist stereotype she normally plays may have something to do with it. "Here" is "Elementary". On this show she is not doing something she does in many of her roles, and I think all of her most famous ones. I used the plural in case the opinion I was responding to was not unique.

All of her most famous ones? Is there something I'm missing about Charlie's Angels, either the profile or the character? Which are the dragon lady stereotype characters you're thinking of? The last thing I saw her in before Southland which was a complex role was a when-will-I-marry Lifetime romcom. My favourite thing she was in she played an assassin, but there was no Orientalism in it. So this must mean she was Asian Bitch Goddess in Kill Bill (she was an Asian antagonist in that, but I don't think that's the same thing--educate me if I'm wrong) and...Dirty Sexy Money? Ally McBeal? That's what your analysis is based on?

I liked Elementary well enough, but where Sherlock (BBC) succeeded for me was the instant spark between Sherlock and Watson. You need that for it to be believable that Watson won't just say "Fuck off, you are rude and unbearable." I didn't quite get that in Elementary.

I'll give you Southland and Kill Bill, but Charlies Angels was totally Dragon Lady - Dragon Lady on the side of good. "Aye Barrcuda".

She was a bitch in Charlie's Angels? I really saw a different version of both of those than you did--they were all uber cool (in an I'd do margaritas with them way) with a humorous flaw (she couldn't cook, if memory serves). Not a frosty distant mean and domineering woman with an Oriental (purposely chosen) fetishising twist. Her ethnicity seemed entirely irrelevant, and she was 1/3 of the movie's competence porn, that's all.

I decided not to watch Elementary on Thursday because my onscreen guide told me it would be on again tonight, but now it's not airing after all, I think Vegas is in that slot. So I go to the CBS website which was a big graphic telling me I can watch the pilot epsde there, only when I click on that all I get is a short behind the scenes clip. Aggravating!

Ah, free on iTunes.

And now that I've watched it - I really liked it. No caveats. Nothing that bothered y'all bothered me. But I am not particularly attached to Holmes canon (and really couldn't stand L&O:CI)

fighting words!

I thought Elementary was interesting. Was it mentioned upthread that dream casting for the father would be Hugh Laurie?

I think I'm in until the show gets canceled or the father shows up. That's my main curiosity right now: who will play the father?