T.V shows, these days, as I see it, are beginning to get too monotonous, with the same love stories and problems of complexed people, who have nothing better to do other than think about their lovers, because they seem to have been relieved of all responsibilities that may concern them with the actual world and its problems. Either its this or, its going to be silly vampire or zombie shows. I’m not exactly the type of
person who you would find following shows on T.V religiously, but I can surely appreciate a good one. Even the comedy these days seems to have lost the touch it used to have. But criticizing contemporary T.V shows is not the aim of this post.
I’m sure many of you are already aware of the British T.V series, ‘Sherlock’, that have been airing since 2010, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the renowned detective and Martin Freeman as his faithful companion, Dr.Watson. It is usually the case that one watches the motion picture only after being inspired by the book. But in my case, it was quite the opposite. A cousin of mine introduced me to this drama, and from there I decided venture reading the 1600 page novel, although I must admit, I have not yet finished the book. It is pleasing to see that the official E-Book, of the Sherlock Holmes detective series is available on the internet, completely free of charge.
The drama is actually a depiction of the 19th century Sherlock Holmes, moulded spectacularly into a 21st century ‘consulting detective’ who solves crimes with his partner Dr.Watson. He refers to himself as a consulting detective as he prefers not to be associated with the local police force, which he does not think very highly of. The Scotland Yard, when perplexed by a crime to the extent that no solution seems to be present, seeks his help which he provides only when he finds the case ‘interesting’ enough.
Benedict Cumberbatch is the the sort of figure one might have on mind when thinking of Sherlock. A tall and lean body with hawk like facial features comprising of a sharp nose and bright, curios eyes, which cease to neglect any detail in the surroundings. He lives at 221 Baker Street in a modest flat with Dr.Watson, who blogs about Sherlock’s experiences as a detective in solving intricate cases, when all other sources fail to be of any use. Martin Freeman, too, is the sort of person one would have in mind when thinking of Dr.Watson. Or maybe watching the drama makes the mind think that these figures accurately depict the character, whatever the case may be, it is without doubt that all leading actors have remarkable talent in acting.
The way in which the whole story line has been transformed from a 19th century to a 21st century scenario, is phenomenal. Although the basic theme of every episode is in harmony with the one that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself created, several aspects have been altered to compensate for the change in the era in which the actual story was based. This has been done in a manner that has made no compromise on the quality of the story, and the viewer ceases to lose interest. For example, in the book Dr.Watson writes memoirs of his experiences with Sherlock in his complex crime cases, while in the drama he blogs about it. Instead of letters, there are text messages. In the book, Sherlock is depicted as a drug addict, as he finds his mind under excessive pressure when nothing to challenge
it is at hand, thus he drugs himself to escape the suffering, however in the T.V series, he makes use of nicotine patches, for the same purpose (however they may have been other reasons for making this change as well 😉 )
The drama comes in seasons which comprise of three episodes, each about 90 minutes long, in which one case is solved. Up till now there have been two seasons and the third one is expected to be released next year. I will not go on to spoil the drama for my readers but I will strongly recommend watching this series. Do watch it and let me know if you share my enthusiasm!
A Realist's World 