Bye-bye, Sherlock!

[wiseheart]

Sooo, after having suffered through Series 3 (which I found boring, illogical and a complete character assassination) and the Christmas special (of which I only liked some of the Victorian stuff), as well as having been thoroughly informed about Series 4, I decided to wash my hands over "Sherlock".

I loved the first two series, although my absolute favourite was the unaired pilot. Yes, I'm weird that way, thank you very much. But for me, the show thoroughly jumped the shark after The Reichenbach Fall. What came after that, was partly cheap fanservice, partly self-besotted fake "artistry" and a total divergence from the ACD spirit.

I hated what they did with Mary (I actually liked her at the beginning of Series 3 before she would turn out a hired killer - she wasn't doll-facedly pretty and she had snark; I like women with snark), I hated the idiotic Holmes parents (no offence to BC, I'm sure he had great fun playing with his RL parents, but the characters were horrible), I hated Mycroft losing his superiority and his mystery, I found Wiggins a disgusting and completely expendable character, and Magnussen, well - he was disgusting. But at least a worthy adversary. If the great Sherlock Holmes couldn't beat him any other way than killing him onscreen in despair.

I particularly disliked in Series 3 (save for the fact that Sherlock apparently lost his sharp mind) that it already started to go into the direction of government conspiracy and spy stuff. For God's sake, that's BORING! Series like that are a dime a dozen in the States, and that was exactly what killed Torchwood for good, too!

I want a detective show to be about cases and detecting. I want a Sherlock Holmes adaptation - no matter what kind - to be about Holmes & Watson friendship. I want the good guys to be, you know, good, even if they aren't perfect and are full of human weaknesses. But basically good. Yeah, I know it isn't modern and all. But if a detective show doesn't deliver what's promised on the label, I'm no longer buying it. It's that simple.

I might give "Elementary" a try, after all. I mean, the guy playing Holmes makes me itch with irritation, and I really, really dislike Lucy Liu, regardless what role she plays, but at least that series is still about detecting and cases. And it isn't filmed in a forcedly artistic way that gives me a headache. Perhaps I'll take Mark Gatiss's advice and go and read a children's book instead watching their collective ego-trip.

In any case, I won't be ordering the Series 4 DVDs. I have better things to spend my hard-earned money on. Sooner or later, the new series will come to German or Hungarian TV, and I will watch, to see Freeman and Cumberbatch act, because they are great at what they are doing, but other than that, I'm done with "Sherlock". I won't even read any fanfic dealing with the events beyond Series 2. I have better things to do with my precious free time, too.

Comments

[artemis10002000]

I can't speak from experience as I've watched neither, but I heard from several people who gave up on Sherlock that they liked Elementary better. Hope that's how it goes for you, or that you'll find another similar show you like!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I did watch a few episodes of "Elementary", and it's a good average show. I just can't stand the two main characters, which makes it rather painful for me to watch.

[espresso-addict.livejournal.com]

I liked Sherlock less and less as it went on; I don't think I got beyond season 2. I do like Freeman a great deal as an actor.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I like Freeman, too. And like you, for me "Sherlock" ended with Season 2.

[red-day-dawning.livejournal.com]

It is so disappointing because Sherlock's first series was simply brilliant. And I loved the second, too.
I started Elementary, and enjoyed it, but didn't find it compelling. I watch so little TV, that something has to be brilliant to capture my attention. I do like both lead actors, though.
The only things grabbing my attention at the moment are the Netflix Marvel series, Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. All were very good. I'm looking forward to the new seasons. And I'm loving the scifi series, The Expanse.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

My main problem with "Elementary" is that I can't stand the main characters. And the lead actors, either. Which makes it kinda difficult to enjoy a show. *g*

[breannarose1.livejournal.com]

You won't miss much of anything.
That 4th series...w t h!!

Elementary isn't bad as the Watson character isn't played a stupid or a sounding board (at least, not often) for Sherlock.
The actors are good. Lucy Liu makes her Watson a watchable character. I remember Jonny Lee Miller when he played a blond American student in Hackers, a typical 1980's American movie (i kinda liked it) and barely recognized him in Aeon Flux (also not too intolerable).
Odd facts about him (per IMDB):
Doctor Who (TV Series)
Kinda Child
- Kinda: Part One (1982) ... Kinda Child (uncredited)
He made the most of this start, I'd say ^_^
However, the stories are getting ridiculous.

anyways, I've already redone the last Sherlock episode.
Basically either the Holmes Parents have, Watson has, or all of them have put all the pieces together and, since Mycroft had Eurus declared dead years ago, they overpower her somehow and she wakes up in the well with water pouring in.
It gives me the satisfaction of the 'normal' people succeeding where the geniuses fail. Also the look on the Holmes brothers' faces when they hear the pieces being put together by someone other than themselves is priceless :)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

That would be fun indeed. But I just decided that "Sherlock" ended for me with TRF (end of Series 2) and everything that came afterwards was just bad fanfic by the Moftiss. Indybaggins over on AO3, or one of her reviewers, I'm not sure anymore, said that for them the measure is how much an episode has to do with ACD and the original canon. For the first two series that was "very". For the 3rd and the 4th one it was "not at all", despite the insider jokes strewn into the dialogue. And so I'm done with it, clutching to the first two series and firmly in denial with the rest.

As for "Elementary", I just can't stand the two lead actors. I already hated Lucy Liu in "Ally McBeal" and I haven't warmed up to her ever since. As for the guy, well... I just don't like him. And it isn't so as if I'd been a big Cumberbatch and/or Freeman fan before. I never seen then in anything before "Sherlock", so I was completely unbiased. They just took me over like a conquered city in the unaired pilot already, which was the first thing I ever saw from the series.