Sherlock [BBC Series]

So I took a bit of a break from Asian Entertainment to watch the much-talked about and loved BBC show Sherlock. A lot of people had told me to see the show, it seemed like something right up my ally and I remember as a kid I absolutely adored Hound of the Baskervilles but I had seen one episode (ironically while on vacation in Japan) and while it was interesting I didn't find it as impressing and amazing as everyone made it sound. When I told a few of my friends this (who love the show) they told me I had seen "the most boring episode"... truthfully I was a bit skeptical but finally I relented and decided to watch the show once and for all. Also I absolutely loved Martin Freeman in The Hobbit.

The verdict? It's OK. I don't understand everyone's fascination with the show, or Benedict Cumberpatch. In fact, truthfully, I'm honestly not that fond of Sherlock and if it weren't for Martin Freeman's spectacular jo as Watson I would've dropped the show almost instantaneously. I know Sherlock Holmes is supposed to be slightly arrogant, and cold but in the books he never actually came off as rude, maybe stand-offish but Watson is correct when he says that Sherlock in this series is an absolute dick most of the time. Also Sherlock Holmes' moral compass in the books is generally understood but in the BBC series they make it slightly more ambiguous which I don't like and will elaborate on in the next paragraph.



In the first episode, Sherlock calls himself a high-functioning sociopath. The instant he said that I raised my eyebrows because if the producers of the show did any research... there is no difference between a sociopath and a psychopath. And yes you can argue "but he's high-functioning" but "high functioning" doesn't mean that he is not still disinhibited, lacking proper judgement, antisocial (this does not mean 'introverted' by the way), lacks empathy, manipulative, has zero regards of others to gain his goals, brash, unrestrained etc. etc. In saying he's "high functioning" it really just means that ultimately he's better at hiding his tracks. A high-functioning socipath would really be Moriarity minus the need to show off. That's really the difference. "High functioning" would imply greater use of his prefrontal cortex which would make his judgement more logical, but that doesn't make him more moral, ethical, empathetic, or anything that would explain why he's not out there manipulating people for his own fun. Yet the show seems adamant in portraying him as a "sociopath" by making him "ambiguously" good and having people call him psychotic.

If Sherlock has anything he probably has Asperger's syndrome. He's obsessive (obsessed with solving murders), and lacks proper social skills but it is obvious that he has extremely good judgement, planning, does understand ethics and morals (even if he does waver on the line of amoral at times), and clearly not irrational as something who is psychopathic would be. The ironic thing was that I think even the directors commented about how Cumberpath played Sherlock like he had Asperger's so I don't know why Sherlock says he's a sociopath. Is he proud to call himself that? Because if he is that's... disturbing to say the least. Now I know it was established that there are things that Sherlock doesn't know but still, I feel like this is something he would considering it's related to people and if Sherlock is good at anything it is good at reading people.

Another thing that bugged me about this show is the constant "hints" from other people in the show at Watson and Sherlock's "relationship" and the fact that they might be gay. Now I have nothing wrong with the idea of them being gay - it is the way the show portrays this relationship though that bugs me. The first time I chuckled a bit, the classic "ah, mistaking the guy as being gay" but it's different when other people are insinuating a gay relationship simply because two men are living together under the same roof. Two men who obviously happen to be very close. I find it even more ridiculous when it is the reason Watson gets dumped. You could call it British humour, but I just think it's distasteful and tacky and completely irrelevant and unnecessary to the show. I used to think Sherlock fangirls were absolutely crazy but now I realized that the reason they are is because the producers/directors of this show are literally just throwing insinuations at them with a golden spoon. How could they not be so adamant and that Watson and Sherlock are fucking when they mention the possibility of it every single episode. If they are gay, great, just say it and get on it with. If they aren't, why must you constantly hint and poke at the possiblity of it?

In fact I was so ... un-taken with Sherlock that during the last episode (which in my opinion was way too over-dramatized) all I could think was "just jump of the damn building already".

With that being said I did watch all 6 episodes so I did enjoy the show. I like mystery, I love the deduction and the genius with which the mysteries are solved and I was intrigued at the modernization of the stories. It was well done overall. In the end though, it was OK. Will I watch the third season when it comes out? Probably, but I'm not exactly dying to see it though. Like this random spurt, I will probably watch it when I feel in the mood to watch something in English because it means I don't have to pay much attention to it.