With all due reverence to the incomparable Benedict Cumberbatch (whom, I swear, could probably play Wilma Flintstone in a new live-action Flintstones film, and still pull it off), even with "Sherlock" being on my list of top-favorite television series, there is no Holmes quite as revolutionary (or real) to me as the one played by Jonny Lee Miller in "Elementary". Far beyond Sherlock's phenomenal powers of deduction and his egocentric, antisocial, not-necessarily-intentional (though it usually is) ostracizing of anyone who comes across him, the Emmy-worthy Miller plays Holmes with such intensity and humanity, as a drug addict still struggling with staying clean every day, who also grows every day as a human being thanks to his ever-strengthening relationship with Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu), who's become his sounding board and best friend. And this is probably, over all other incarnations of Sherlock Holmes, where "Elementary" stands alone; the relationship between Holmes and Watson has morphed into something equally as absorbing as any mystery or storyline the series has ever produced, while (thankfully) never, ever implying/hinting at any romantic or sexual chemistry between the two (unlike many television series, which often botch things by having the two leads "get together"). I've been there since day one, and with the series evolving from Watson playing sober companion (Holmes insisting her services are neither required or desired) to the two of them forming an equal friendship/working relationship in which they also equally rely on each other, "Elementary" remains one of the best, most smartly-written series on television - its take on the Holmes/Watson canon, even three seasons in, still as complex, engaging, and wholly real as any best-friendship should be.
I'm still at day one (okay, a little further on now - episode five, Season 1) so skipped the final third of your review "just in case". I see Benedict Cummerbatch's Sherlock and Martin Freeman's Watson as completely different - as different as Jeremy Brett's Sherlock, and so I can whole-heartedly enjoy each different treatment and vision of the characters. "Elementary" hit the ground running, and I was hooked from the pilot onwards and that's a hard thing to pull off. Love what you've written here and I'm thrilled that it is going to continue to impress!
ReplyDeleteI think your review of Jonny Lee Miller's performance as Sherlock Holmes is right on point. His facial expressions, body language & gestures are so real. He becomes every character he has ever played. He certainly is Emmy-worthy and the academy should be ashamed for ignoring this man. I too was hooked from the Pilot on, and never miss an episode. I also feel that hooking Holmes & Watson into a romantic relationship would be a death knell for the show.
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