And I continue to have Very Strong Feelings about non-military (or something explicitly parallel) Watson.
Which is another reason "Elementary" is entertaining, but really not Sherlock Holmes.
They could have called it something else, and I'd still watch it. But if they called it something else, they wouldn't have that hook.
to my mind, the BBC Moriarty does not feel like the book Moriarty. Book Moriarty is coldly brilliant and ruthless. He would unhesitatingly remove minions who failed him, but he would not waste energy on mind games and Joker-esque statements.
"'Well, well,' said he, at last. 'It seems a pity, but I have done what I could. I know every move of your game. You can do nothing before Monday. It has been a duel between you and me, Mr. Holmes. You hope to place me in the dock. I tell you that I will never stand in the dock. You hope to beat me. I tell you that you will never beat me. If you are clever enough to bring destruction upon me, rest assured that I shall do as much to you.'
"Because you will find me a dangerous companion now. This man's occupation is gone. He is lost if he returns to London. If I read his character right he will devote his whole energies to revenging himself upon me. He said as much in our short interview, and I fancy that he meant it. I should certainly recommend you to return to your practice."
There's very little actual text to base any Moriarty on, but I don't think that BBC's an entirely inaccurate reading of the text.
But then, I thought Andrew Scott was chilling in TRF.
Once Holmes destroyed his empire, yes, Moriarty went a bit nuts. But not until then.
The BBC's Moriarty just didn't seem like the mysterious head of a vast criminal ring.
The BBC's Moriarty just didn't seem like the mysterious head of a vast criminal ring.
No, but he did seem like the mysterious head of a Reddit subforum, so there's that.
ACD Moriarty was 90% Asspull, 8% Flebotinum, and 2% Retcon.
He's only slightly more fleshed-out in the canon than Adler. And that's the 2% Retcon doing that.
No, but he did seem like the mysterious head of a Reddit subforum, so there's that.
And there wasn't even coffee to go on my monitor... damn!
Although I hated BBC's nutcase Moriarty, I can see the BBC show as a twisted alternate-universe version of the canon. I can't see that in Elementary. It's just another show about a special detective with amazing insight. I thought I'd be able to watch it on its own merits, without comparing it to BBC, but I couldn't watch without comparing it to canon, because it IS still supposed to be Sherlock Holmes. When Holmes said, "Sometimes I hate it when I'm right," I had to go. There's no version of Holmes who would say that. I didn't like Liu's Watson either; I couldn't see any damn reason she'd stay and put up with him.
Fascination with his abilities. Something that gets her out of rut she really does not like.