Sherlock Holmes of the 21st Century

2.2Sherlock Holmes of the 21^st Century

The idea of genius hero appears in many other works that do not follow the original. In the last twenty years, the popularity of detective shows has risen and although they try to be unique, many bear resemblance with the Victorian detective. “Drawing from Sherlock Holmes stories, which prioritize the collection of trace evidence as well as deduction, … [detective and crime] shows present a reliable detective formula” (La Paz 84). The characters face difficult cases and just like Holmes they “manage to pull through, often at the last minute” (La Paz 84). In the original stories, Watson often states his admiration for Holmes’ skills – “you have brought detection as near as exact science as it ever will be brought in this world” (Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, 29). He excels in many scientific branches, uses all modern technologies available for him. Together with his deduction powers, wide knowledge and lack of emotions it makes him the great Sherlock Holmes (La Paz 85). Shows like CSI¹¹, Law & Order¹², Psych¹³ and others are all loosely based on this principle. They use advanced technologies; the characters are highly intelligent, at least one of them is also less emotional, and thus they can apply the results of technologies to forward the investigation. Holmes astonishes police and his clients with his brilliant expertise in every field. With today’s development of science and technologies, it is not possible for one human being to gain such an amount of knowledge. Therefore, many detective series, such as Bones¹⁴, show a group of investigators, in which each of them with their specialization helps to solve the case (La Paz 86).

Furthermore, the character of Sherlock Holmes as such inspired some well-known television eccentrics. For instance, Adrian Monk, lead in a television show Monk¹⁵, is an intelligent detective, who works as a police consultant after nervous breakdown following his wife’s death. Television show House, M.D.¹⁶ also offers Sherlock-like character – Dr. Gregory House, a pain-medication addict, whose unconventional genius methods save many seemingly unsolvable cases. The world is full of Sherlocks, even though they often carry different names.

2.2.1Sherlock

The first character one meets in the first episode is John Watson, who recently returned from military service in Afghanistan. Through Watson the viewer is introduced to other characters including Sherlock Holmes, the consulting detective for Scotland Yard. Just like in the original, Holmes amazes Watson with his deduction skills when he guesses almost everything about Watson just from his phone. He joins Sherlock in his investigations and soon they become essential tool for the British police as well as gain popularity that brings them many private paid cases. This is where the adaptation differs from the original stories, in which Holmes refuses to get payment for his work. However, 21^st century detective must find a way for an income, as “those who work without pay are considered freaks” (Bochman 162).

Both main characters share appearances and characteristics with the canonical idea of the famous duo. Sherlock is tall and slim; he wears a long dark coat that resembles the cape and later in the series he adopts the famous deerstalker. He is highly intelligent, considers himself married to his work, lacks empathy and social skills and plays the violin. Doyle’s Holmes is an occasional drug user; he proclaims it is “so transcendently stimulating and clarifying to the mind” (Doyle, The Sign of the Four, 109). BBC rendition deals with this topic differently making Holmes recovery addict and ex-smoker, who uses nicotine patches to stimulate his mind. He relies on technology that is essential for his deduction work. John Watson is shorter than his partner, in the first episode he limps, however, later it is revealed it was only a psychosomatic injury. At the beginning of the third season he wears a mustache, that has been a trademark of Watson. He starts a blog, where he publishes stories about their cases. The blog is available for fans at the official BBC web page, as well as, Sherlock’s The Science of Deduction blog.¹⁸ This way the creators follow the original Watson’s hobby in publishing their cases in The Strand Magazine.

Throughout the three seasons, Moffat and Gattis introduce most of the important characters of the original story. Mrs. Hudson, portrayed by Una Stubbs, takes care of their apartment at 221B Baker Street. Greg Lestrade, played by Rupert Graves, is a detective inspector at Scotland Yard who relies on Sherlock in difficult cases. Mycroft Holmes, portrayed by the show’s creator and co-producer Mark Gattis, is Sherlock’s older brother, who works for the British government and often tries to outsmart his brother. The third season also introduces the character of Mary Morstan, Watson’s wife-to-be, portrayed by Amanda Abbington. When it comes to villains, all Jim Moriarty, played by Andrew Scott, Irene Adler, portrayed by Lara Pulver, and Charles Augustus Magnussen, starring Lars Mikkelsen, make appearance in the show. The creators also brought to life new characters, non-existent in Doyle’s world, the most significant being Molly Hooper, played by Louise Brealey, a pathologist working in a morgue at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.

Sherlock has been well received both by public and critics. An average 11.82 million people watched the third season in January 2014, making it the broadcaster's most watched drama series in the UK since 2001¹⁹. In 2011 the series won BAFTA Award²⁰ for Best Drama Series and Martin Freeman won for Best Supporting Actor in Television. A year later, Andrew Scott won in the same category beating Freeman, who was nominated for second time.²¹ The show’s Primetime Emmy Awards nominations in 2012 were followed by many wins in 2014 and 2016 including Outstanding Supporting Actor for Freeman, Outstanding Lead Actor for Cumberbatch and Outstanding Television Movie.²²

2.2.2Elementary

Sherlock Holmes is a recovering drug addict, who moves to New York after his drug collapse in London and following rehab, looking for a new start. He resumes his work as a consulting detective for New York City Police Department. His father hires a sober companion, Joan Watson, to help Sherlock with his sobriety. She is a former surgeon, who gave up this job after failing to save a patient. She is fascinated by Holmes’ investigations and quickly picks up his deduction skills. After the companionship is over, Sherlock offers Watson paid position as his assistant and she accepts. Due to the large number of episodes, the series offers more cases and investigations than the BBC rendition, though rarely based on Doyle’s adventures.

The character of Sherlock Holmes is as peculiar as his Victorian counterpart, though they differ greatly. Elementary’s Sherlock is tall, his body is covered in tattoos and he wears jackets and scarfs. He is a genius who excels in modern advanced technologies but fails at social skills. He is a passionate beekeeper. He stays rather sexually active to stimulate his mind as he explains in the first episode of the first season “I actually find sex repellent. … My brain and my body require to function at optimal level so I feed them as needed” (00:04:29-00:04:38). Apart from the obvious difference in gender, Elementary’s Joan Watson lacks military experience and does not practice medicine throughout the series. In season three she opens her own investigating company and helps the police department when Holmes leaves for London. The rendition adapts the publishing activities of Watson to the point that Joan writes about their cases, but never officially releases it.

When it comes to other Doyle’s characters, the show adopts most of them. Thomas Gregson, portrayed by Aidan Quinn, serves as a New York substitute for Gareth Lestrade, for whom Sherlock worked in London. Gregson is a captain of the New York City Police Department and he met Sherlock briefly in London before his collapse. Lestrade, played by Sean Pertwee, appears in the second season of the show in an episode set in London. Mycroft Holmes, starring Rhys Ifans, wants to reconcile with his brother while working for MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service. Later seasons also introduce Sherlock’s father Morland Holmes, played by John Noble. One of the recurring characters is Irene Adler, portrayed by Natalie Dormer, Sherlock’s seemingly dead girlfriend. The end of season one reveals she staged her death and kidnapping and is in fact Jamie Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes’ ultimate villain. Doherty brings another gender swap character to life in Elementary, defining Holmes by the women that surround him. There are new characters who are significant for Sherlock’s personal development, one of them being detective Marcus Bell, starring Jon Michael Hill, who is an assistant detective to Gregson.

The show has been well received by both public and critics, fifth season airing this fall serving as a prove. However, the ratings have decreased throughout the seasons. Almost 12 million viewers²³ watched the first season on average while the fourth season dropped 3 million with only 9 million views.²⁴ Critics praised actors’ performances as well as the fresh approach to the Victorian detective and an innovative writing.²⁵

2.2.3Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

In Sherlock Holmes, Watson is a practicing doctor with a mustache, who limps because of the injury he suffered in Afghan war. He is about to move out from an apartment at 221B Baker Street to live with his soon to be wife Mary Morstan. Holmes deals with the change in his peculiar way through various eccentric experiments and increased recreational use of cocaine. After a mysterious resurrection of a serial murderer, whom Holmes and Watson helped to catch, a secret society hires the consulting detective and his assistant to solve the case again as the villain Lord Henry Blackwood, portrayed by Mark Strong, threatens to kill the whole government. Irene Adler, played by Rachel McAdams, also affects the story as she is hired to steal from Blackwood. In the movie, Adler and Holmes already have a history together and their feelings for each other complicate the investigations. With the help of all participants, Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, starring Eddie Marsan, manages to save the members of Parliament. In the final fight between Holmes and Blackwood, the detective pushes him in to the Thames river while saving his love Adler, who confides she was hired by Moriarty.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows revolves around the ultimate nemesis Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris. Holmes and Watson travel around Europe to reveal his plan and prevent a world war that Moriarty threatens to start. The second movie brings back the character of Adler, who is killed by Moriarty as her feelings for Holmes stand in the way for his plans. Sherlock’s brother, Mycroft Holmes, portrayed by Stephen Fry, helps the detectives with his government influence. New characters appear in this rendition, as well. Simza, Gypsy fortune-teller played by Noomi Rapace, whose brother gangs up with Moriarty, travels with Holmes and Watson to Switzerland to stop an assassination of a government member at a peace summit. The movie climaxes with fight between Moriarty and Holmes that ends with the famous jump into the Reichenbach Falls, killing both. However, the last minute of the adaptation reveals Holmes survived the fall and implies a possible sequel.

The adaptations take most of the significant characters and features connected with the Holmes canon and add different twists to the character of Sherlock Holmes to make the movies more attractive for contemporary viewers. Both Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows were well-received by critics and public. The movies became first and second respectively in Ritchie’s box-office successes and together earned more than 100 million dollars in the opening weekend.²⁶ Critics praised the actors’ performances, especially by Downey Jr., although they criticized Ritchie for making Holmes the Hollywood action hero.²⁷ Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack was nominated for multiple awards, including Academy Awards.²⁸ Robert Downey Jr. won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of the consulting detective in Sherlock Holmes²⁹.