Elementary

[rabidsamfan]

Stayed awake long enough to watch, and am now remembering why I prefer watching tv series on DVD without commercials. But I did watch it, and now I shall do the obvious thing and blog about it.



I think it has potential. The deductions were suitably arcane, and the script mostly played fair in that we generally saw the clues before they were explained to us. The cinematography had some great moments (think the marble and the blood) and the setting didn't distract me as much as it might have. I liked Lucy Liu as much as I've liked any other female Watson (an intelligent Watson is always a plus with me), and having Tobias Gregson at the police department was a nice change from laying bets on how they were going to pronounce "Lestrade" this time. Jonny Lee Miller has obviously gone for the "scruffy slob" version in a nod to RDJ's incarnation, and it took me fifteen minutes in to be able to catch most of his dialogue in those rapid fire deductions.

And I'm not quite sure I buy him as Sherlock Holmes.

Should be interesting watching the reactions on the 'net.

Comments

[rereader.livejournal.com]

I didn't see it, but my mom did. After which she told me the guy playing Holmes was a very poor actor. I said that he has the reputation of being quite a fine actor. Then, she said, it was a VERY poor script.

I don't think she liked it much... :D

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

After sleeping on it, I'm realizing that a lot of what I didn't take to was probably the scriptwriters trying to show that they weren't just copying Sherlock. Frustrating, that. But I'll give it a couple more weeks before I make up my mind.

I fell asleep

[love-bug-54.livejournal.com]

Isn't that awful? But the reason wasn't because I was bored but because I had only had three hours sleep the night before and finally crashed.

But what I remember seeing was ok. I agree, it has potential. I really don't like the emphasis on the drug addiction stuff and so far "Watson" comes off as a glorified baby sitter and a bit of a school marm. He comes off as a scruffy, dysfunctional savant.

Frankly, they could have used different names and it would have taken a while for me to see the similarities. Not a good sign.

So, although I didn't hate it I really didn't like it all that much, either. I'll give it a "meh," so far.

Re: I fell asleep

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I'm hoping the next episode, when they don't have to be waving the "we're different than Sherlock, really we are" flag, will be an improvement.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Yours is the first fangirl review I've read where I didn't have to stop reading at a How Awful It Is That Watson's Female paragraph. I'm always glad I can trust your evenhandedness.

[tafizgurl.livejournal.com]

It's not awful that Watson's female; it's awful that Watson has absolutely no fashion sense. Her clothes were dreadful!

All in all, however, I enjoyed it. mr. tafizgurl and I watched it together, and his opinion was that "if the writing stays this good, it'll make it."

Was it just us, or did Miller's body language scream "awkward!"?

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I don't anyone had great clothes. But you're right, hers were really kind of... er... unadmirable. And not in a fuzzy jumper kind of way.

[tafizgurl.livejournal.com]

More like "did you look in a mirror before you left home" kind of way.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

And Miller's body language probably meant to scream awkward. I've seen him as Frankenstein's Creature and he really pays attention to that kind of detail.

[tafizgurl.livejournal.com]

It reminded me of a movie from the 80's - "Starman" - where the actor playing the main character made it look as if he were uncomfortable in his own skin. (Of course, that character was an alien and wasn't in his own skin, but...)

After a second watching, I was pretty impressed by Miller. And I adore Gregson. He's just so laid back.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

A second viewing is helpful. And I think doing it with the folks at shwatchalongs made it more fun.

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I have several Holmes pastiches and films with a feminine Watson, or at least someone in the role of Watson who's female. It's not like it's a new idea I have to wrap my head around.

And I admit I'd have loved it if they'd had the guts to make Sherlock female instead!

[tafizgurl.livejournal.com]

At least they don't have to worry about homoerotic undertones!

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

I think I found out about Elementary when somebody remarked that based on everything else he'd seen her in, he thought Lucy Liu would be really good at playing Holmes but he was having a hard time wrapping his brain around her playing Watson.