Sherlock: The Game Is On

                                              Sherlock: The Game Is On
                                                               
                                                              By Adam Green


Hi everyone, welcome to my newest blog post. In this piece, I'm going to be taking a look at the BBC crime drama Sherlock. The show aired from 2010-2017 on the BBC, comprising of twelve regular season episode and one special. The shows main stars are Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes & Martin Freeman as Dr John Watson. The show catapulted Benedict Cumberbatch in to the limelight, and rightly so as his performance is nothing short of magnificent. I wanted to delve deeper into the themes of the show.

This version pulls Sherlock into the modern era, living in London and helping out the local police force with "unsolvable crimes". What I like about this adaptation is that it manages to bring the "classic" elements of the story and merge them so beautifully with modern day London.  The Sherlock story is one that is drenched in History going all the way back to the original tales from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This show pays homage to those original tales, but also manages to grasp the attention of the younger audience with some modern comedy and themes.

Benedict Cumberbatch is an incredibly accomplished actor, however this is the role that really announced him to the world and put him on the map. His portrayal of Sherlock is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, which in my opinion he executed perfectly. Sherlock, at one point in the show, describes himself as a "high functioning sociopath", and I would say this is pretty spot on. The way his mind works is on another planet compared to us "mere mortals". However, he also struggles to fully appreciate the intricate emotions that a more normal human would experience.

Of course, I also have to heap praise on Martin Freeman. He is an incredibly versatile performer (see Tim from the office and Bilbo Baggins in the hobbit). Dr John Watson is the ying to Sherlocks' maniacal yang, he balances him out and provides a more "human" insight. The relationship between the two grows so well over the course of the show, to a point where they are considered family to one another. John is consistently annoyed by Sherlock, but also in awe of his brilliant mind. I think the way Freeman and Cumberbatch bounce off one another is the key to the success of the show.

One of the things I love about the show is that the episodes have an almost movie like feel to each one, with each episode being around 90 minutes long. Yes, there are recurring themes throughout the show, however you can watch each episode individually and be happy with the way it concludes. Each episode is fantastically gripping and you never think "seen this before", which is testament to the excellent writing and production of the show.

Of course, there is also an amazing supporting cast, with a particular shoutout to the performance of Andrew Scott as Jim Moriarty. Moriarty is the ultimate enemy for Sherlock, a mental match for his above average intelligence. They go toe to toe across the course of the show (Spoiler: even after the death of Moriarty!). There is almost an appreciation of one another throughout their duels, an acknowledgement of how far they can push each other. Sherlock at some points almost treats it as a game between two children, again showing his inability to process the danger/emotion of situations as his friends do. Mrs Hudson, Molly Hooper, Detective Lestrade, Mycroft Holmes & Mary Watson round out the cast, we could go on all day, but everyone plays their part in this story in their own way.

Unfortunately, it looks like we may have to wait a while for more episodes, if they ever do continue. Season 4 of the show wrapped up in 2017 and there has been no rush to start filming more. Both Freeman & Cumberbatch now have busy schedules in the world of film, especially after the success of Dr. Strange for Benedict Cumberbatch. There have been some whispers that a return to Baker Street may be on the cards, but we will have to wait and see.