Sherlock - a Study in Pink | TV Review
Submitted by Alex Guest on 07/26/2010 - 14:24
Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman)
Sherlock - A Study in Pink gets underway with a dream of infantry warfare and I'm wondering what on earth is going. Is the BBC showing an ad for the Army? That can't be possible. No. It's John Watson, a former army doctor, who's suffering from comabt-induced psychological stress. Over on the BBC TV blog, Martin Gatiss explains that in the very first of the original stories, A Study in Scarlet, Watson is an injured army surgeon returned from the war in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile another man, wearing a smart suit, pops a pill - a capsule containing white and pink crystals - in an empty office building and dies. Then an 18-year old boy dies the same way in a sports centre. The third suicide in similar circumstances is that of a government Minister.
We meet SH in a forensic lab, whipping a corpse with a riding crop. And so, we are introduced to SH's unusual practices. Although we'd already met him virtually. When DI Lestrade is giving a press briefing, journalists receive his interjections via text message - a well-executed piece of CGI showing the messages received simultaneously throughout the room.
We see SH's famous powers of deduction at work when a mutual friend of JW and SH introduces them to each other regarding a flatshare. Within moments, SH has JW worked out.
So they move in together at 221B and when a fourth suicide comes along with a note, DI Lestrade seeks SH's help. He in turn offers JW the opportunity to see more harrowing corpses, an offer which he happily accepts.
The pace of the show is fast, from Watson waking up to a nightmare, joining Sherlock as his partner in crime investigation, and shooting the killer, all in one episode. We've also had a house move, four suicides and the introduction of Sherlock's mysterious brother and, he says, arch-enemy. Is he Moriarty, the serial killer's sponsor? The BBC can sometimes stretch similar stories out of three or more days.
While Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman do a fine job as the pairing of Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson, Phil Davis' brief appearance as Jeff, the cabbie turned serial killer, is very convincing - he reminds me of a cabbie who almost drove me to suicide a couple of weeks ago. It's a pity we won't be seeing Davis again in this brief series.
It is brief - a run of just three episodes - and disappointingly so. Steven Moffat's script and Paul McGuigan's directing are both a delight. Their enjoyment in pulling the programme together is palpable.
I'm looking forward to next week's episode, The Blind Banker, on Sunday, 1 August, at the earlier time of 8.30pm.
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Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman)
Sherlock - A Study in Pink gets underway with a dream of infantry warfare and I'm wondering what on earth is going. Is the BBC showing an ad for the Army? That can't be possible. No. It's John Watson, a former army doctor, who's suffering from comabt-induced psychological stress. Over on the BBC TV blog, Martin Gatiss explains that in the very first of the original stories, A Study in Scarlet, Watson is an injured army surgeon returned from the war in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile another man, wearing a smart suit, pops a pill - a capsule containing white and pink crystals - in an empty office building and dies. Then an 18-year old boy dies the same way in a sports centre. The third suicide in similar circumstances is that of a government Minister.
We meet SH in a forensic lab, whipping a corpse with a riding crop. And so, we are introduced to SH's unusual practices. Although we'd already met him virtually. When DI Lestrade is giving a press briefing, journalists receive his interjections via text message - a well-executed piece of CGI showing the messages received simultaneously throughout the room.
We see SH's famous powers of deduction at work when a mutual friend of JW and SH introduces them to each other regarding a flatshare. Within moments, SH has JW worked out.
So they move in together at 221B and when a fourth suicide comes along with a note, DI Lestrade seeks SH's help. He in turn offers JW the opportunity to see more harrowing corpses, an offer which he happily accepts.
The pace of the show is fast, from Watson waking up to a nightmare, joining Sherlock as his partner in crime investigation, and shooting the killer, all in one episode. We've also had a house move, four suicides and the introduction of Sherlock's mysterious brother and, he says, arch-enemy. Is he Moriarty, the serial killer's sponsor? The BBC can sometimes stretch similar stories out of three or more days.
While Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman do a fine job as the pairing of Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson, Phil Davis' brief appearance as Jeff, the cabbie turned serial killer, is very convincing - he reminds me of a cabbie who almost drove me to suicide a couple of weeks ago. It's a pity we won't be seeing Davis again in this brief series.
It is brief - a run of just three episodes - and disappointingly so. Steven Moffat's script and Paul McGuigan's directing are both a delight. Their enjoyment in pulling the programme together is palpable.
I'm looking forward to next week's episode, The Blind Banker, on Sunday, 1 August, at the earlier time of 8.30pm.
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