I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere

Meta, Meta, Meta — An Abominable Bride Review

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"'Data! data! data!' he cried impatiently. I can't make bricks without clay." [COPP] </h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KS8d6_qp7E0U7SUt-Mo67PKDamo4TbHG2FrxBF0m2dUnA_pO0gIiOjg-davRzEjpIpN6bAhN6oTbdGjnUE3JQlVWlY_lXUwmWprk2SZdBn0bd7GIkqhgF3Tg95C1u_gLGbTS8wA2wLtz/s1600/ABOM+-+promo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KS8d6_qp7E0U7SUt-Mo67PKDamo4TbHG2FrxBF0m2dUnA_pO0gIiOjg-davRzEjpIpN6bAhN6oTbdGjnUE3JQlVWlY_lXUwmWprk2SZdBn0bd7GIkqhgF3Tg95C1u_gLGbTS8wA2wLtz/s640/ABOM+-+promo.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Perhaps that quote should be updated to read: "I can't make bricks without self-referentiality!"<br />
<br />
On Friday, the BBC’s / MASTERPIECE's <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B004132HZS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="1e039301753b84f9ca2d5c52c905f204" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-1-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B004132HZS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=1e039301753b84f9ca2d5c52c905f204&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3742266" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3742266" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=1e039301753b84f9ca2d5c52c905f204&_cb=1451976613995" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />
</i>brought to our screens something that it had never done before: Sherlock
Holmes set in the Victorian period. <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B013JBJ7EG" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="884b33b85179792c9e83da3e0996b7f3" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Abominable Bride" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Abominable-Bride-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B013JBJ7EG/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=884b33b85179792c9e83da3e0996b7f3&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_2975311" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Abominable Bride</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2975311" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=884b33b85179792c9e83da3e0996b7f3&_cb=1451976606799" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, which eschews <i>Sherlock</i>’s usual modern day setting to
create a period, produced, as far as I can tell, a spectrum of responses as
widely varied as Holmes's mood. On the one hand, it garnered praise for its
atmospheric depiction of fin-de-siecle London, its phenomenal acting and
cinematography, and its intriguing meta-commentary; on the other, it drew
criticism for its complex (or, as some claimed, convoluted) plot, its “self-indulgent”
self-referentiality, and its seeming historical inaccuracies. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On this spectrum of responses, I fall much closer to the
former than the latter. In fact, I think <i>The Abominable Bride</i> is one of the
best episodes <i>Sherlock </i>has ever
produced, and yes, I have observations, facts, and deductions to prove it. In
fact, it seems to me that much of the disappointment surrounding the episode
has to do with the fact that it is not a faithful-enough recreation of the Canon
now that the show is <i>finally </i>set in a
Canonically accurate period. To which I say: that was never the promise, the
premise, or the idea. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>The Abominable Bride</i> might be might be set among the fog
and gas lamps of London, but it never makes a claim to being Victorian. It is
not about the armchair detective with a curved pipe, but the man behind the
myth; it may be set in 1895, but it makes no claim to being a rendition of Doyle’s
– or, if one prefers, Watson’s – writings. Instead, it is a look at the penning
of those writings, and the assumptions that we have gathered around both the
text and its time period. <i>The Abominable Bride</i> does not claim to be Canonical, but rather a look behind the scenes at the creation of the Canon.<br />
<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This, to me, is made obvious by the many wonderful and
giddily funny arguments between Watson and Sherlock about his real and
fictional selves – and the difference between them. “Emotion is the crack in
the lens, the grit in the instrument,” Holmes recites, alluding to the famous
opening lines of “A Scandal in Bohemia,” only to have Watson throw back at him:
“I wrote that! Don’t quote me at me!”<br />
<br />
In the beginning, Watson encounters a
newspaper vendor selling the latest issue of <i>The Strand </i>and inquires how well “The Blue Carbuncle” is doing. Allusions
are numerous to Sidney Paget’s illustrations, and the way they have created an
image of Sherlock Holmes in the public eye - much like Paget’s illustrations
have solidified the deerstalker-wearing detective in our cultural imagination (“You’re
the detective. Wear the damn hat,” Watson says). Sherlock Holmes, as we deduce, is a
clever literary construction of Watson, who loyally and patiently immortalizes
his friend. What we’re watching, therefore, is not the Canon, but the “reality”
behind it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Which is not an entirely inaccurate way to approach the
Canon: how many times has John Watson stumped readers with the chronology of
the adventures? How many hours have we spent unraveling the mysteries behind
his inaccurate records? How many times has Holmes accused Watson of “romanticizing”
the science of detection? The Canon is a certain version of Sherlock Holmes,
one largely tinged with a sense of historical nostalgia, creating an
atmospheric illusion. <i>The Abominable Bride</i> does not claim to be that
illusion. It may be atmospheric in its gorgeous depictions of historical
London, but as a narrative, it draws away the veil and shows how that illusion
is constructed. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Speaking of illusions, this episode is full of them. It
beings with a quick flashback over the key events of the past three seasons, after
which the date rolls back to 1895 with a tantalizing “Alternatively…” At first,
it seems like just another case, that of Emilia Ricoletti, who apparently commits
suicide by blowing her brains out, then returns from the dead to commit a
murder.<br />
<br />
About halfway through the episode, however, it becomes intriguingly
obvious that Emilia Ricoletti’s case bears a striking resemblance to that of
Moriarty, who, last we checked, was apparently back from the dead…And just as
the import of that resemblance surfaces, Sherlock wakes up on the plane on
which he’d left at the end of <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00E3UN44W" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="f12958e3ea8b38b2ca203c86198830ba" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="sherlock season 3" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-Original-UK-Version/dp/B00E3UN44W/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=f12958e3ea8b38b2ca203c86198830ba&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5928527" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Series 3</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5928527" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=f12958e3ea8b38b2ca203c86198830ba&_cb=1451976593988" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />, and it turns out that the entire
escapade into the Victorian period had been an elaborate trip into his mind
palace in order to solve the mystery of Moriarty. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The two cases thus intertwine, as the similarity of their <i>modus operandi </i>sheds light on the
cliffhanger season three left us with: could Moriarty be alive? Mycroft seems
to think so, but Sherlock leaves us with a pretty definite “No.” But <i>Sherlock </i>is also adept at misdirection,
so that “no” could very well be a cleverly disguised “yes.” Who knows? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what’s more interesting about the intertwining of
Victoriana with the modern day is that they’re both a reflection upon the myth
of Sherlock Holmes. Thus, the investigation of Emilia Ricoletti’s
murder-suicide slowly transforms into something more meaningful: a look at the
role of women in both the Victorian era and the Canon, and therefore the
premises upon which our illusions of Victoriana rest.<br />
<br />
Suddenly, as Holmes and
Watson discover that the murders under investigation were attempts by women to
escape from abusive husbands, all the other seemingly one-off, irreverent
interactions with women earlier in the episode fall into place as a poignant
sort of commentary. Mrs. Hudson does nothing but make tea, the giddy maid who
makes Watson breakfast is late because she was reading the latest story, and it’s
funny until you realize how true it is that their existence is reduced to a “function”
of the plot. In the meantime, Mary gets to stay at home and do nothing while
Watson and Holmes have adventures, and Molly Hooper is forced to dress as a man
in order to pursue a career, a striking contrast to the no-nonsense lives we’ve
gotten used to seeing these women lead. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has always been the story of Holmes and Watson, but their
story could not be told without the women who surround them. And as Holmes and
Watson discover the underground hideaway of the suffragettes (though one does
wonder how exactly they’re supposed to win the vote for women by standing
around underground and chanting), Holmes makes an impassioned speech about
the invisible half of society, hiding in plain sight, one that must be made
visible. In reality, that means giving them the vote and the power of speech – and
questioning our romanticizing of 1895, that era of fog and gas lamps and no
votes for women. In fiction, that means recognizing, and including, the richly
developed female characters that have always been part of the Holmes and Watson
story.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the same time, in the midst of that impassioned speech, Moriarty
returns, disguised as the Bride. The last time Moriarty appeared in the flesh, he
was on a mission to destroy the very idea of Sherlock Holmes with a dastardly
plot to make everyone believe that Sherlock was a fake. When he returns this time,
therefore, he is once again a challenge to the myth of Sherlock Holmes that
we’ve fallen in love with, and another reminder of the nature of that myth. Thus,
the episode ends with a confrontation between Holmes and Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls that looks like it’s taken directly from a Paget
illustration. It’s a moment that made me catch my breath – this might be
Sherlock’s mind palace, but Moriarty is the “virus in the code,” the crack in
the lens, the one ultimate threat to Sherlock as a person and as a myth. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And yet, just at the moment when it appears that Holmes is about to fall into those perilous waters at Moriarty’s hand, good old Watson
uncanonically appears. But this isn’t the Canon, or “The Final Problem,” it’s <i>Sherlock. </i>If this episode has been about
the creation of the myth of Sherlock Holmes by Watson, then in this ultimate
moment – the one where Moriarty is about to destroy Holmes – it is fitting that
Watson is the one that appears to rescue his friend. Just as Watson
immortalized Holmes for posterity through his writings, including “The Final
Problem,” where he once again rescues his name from vile rumors, here he
appears to metaphorically save Holmes from his arch nemesis: not a professor of
mathematics, but madness and obscurity. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so, when Watson and Holmes work side by side to throw
Moriarty off that cliff, they are also working side by side to save the myth of
Sherlock Holmes. “I always return from the fall,” Sherlock says before jumping
off that fateful cliff – because Watson is always there to pen another from the
innumerable cases in his tin dispatch box, but also because series like <i>Sherlock </i>will always retell that myth. Holmes
and Watson work side by side to construct a legend, and they do it so aptly
that we must continually retell and ponder it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Two men who never lived and so can never die, indeed. How very near they seem.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
--<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>

Meta, Meta, Meta — An Abominable Bride Review

"'Data! data! data!' he cried impatiently. I can't make bricks without clay." [COPP] Perhaps that quote should...

+ Read more »

by Anastasia Klimchynskaya

The Abominable Bride — We're Not in Baker Street Any More

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"the actor in some strange drama" [YELL]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihymRKTqcaX5XzDJekz7dDhrHOM0sjGgQCLxXLeap1KVP5irbiMYyL7fsab1t3sMw59aOzHS2KCkp9ttIB9_yZ_LEQjnmTewy3QqoSLWukvErUo-aMKOWyTu8GddmWRX9u4QBglwycggeD/s1600/sherlock-holmes-and-the-scarecrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sherlock Holmes Wizard of Oz" border="0" height="568" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihymRKTqcaX5XzDJekz7dDhrHOM0sjGgQCLxXLeap1KVP5irbiMYyL7fsab1t3sMw59aOzHS2KCkp9ttIB9_yZ_LEQjnmTewy3QqoSLWukvErUo-aMKOWyTu8GddmWRX9u4QBglwycggeD/s640/sherlock-holmes-and-the-scarecrow.jpg" title="Sherlock Holmes and the Scarecrow" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
We had been promised a period piece, with Holmes and Watson in the time and place of the Canon. When I saw the photos released from the effort, the program looked like a gift. But the scenes tying into the current times made it feel like the unwrapping of a long-awaited gift that turns out to be not quite the size, color or quality for which we had hoped. <br />
<br />
I certainly appreciate aspects of the series. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have been updated successfully to modern times, and the inclusion of so many details of the Canon are thoughtful. Their companionship and partnership have been well represented. Martin Freeman's portrayal of Dr. John Watson as a war veteran and man of action has been amazing. Benedict Cumberbatch has given a sophisticated and thoughtful portrayal of the internal Sherlock Holmes, and is able to exude the charm that we know from the Canon was able to put women at their ease. The other performers in the series have added a depth that was not always in present in the Canon. However, the stories have been odd and in some ways, unsatisfying. That said, I watch the programs religiously.  <br />
<br />
When the <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B013JBJ7EG" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="6bfe1b7082a4cc110941b14e4ecddf46" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock: The Abominable Bride" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Abominable-Bride-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B013JBJ7EG/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=6bfe1b7082a4cc110941b14e4ecddf46&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_473193" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock: The Abominable Bride</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_473193" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=6bfe1b7082a4cc110941b14e4ecddf46&_cb=1451965101112" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> was good, it was flawless. When it was not good, it was more than disappointing. <br />
<br />
The scenery and the ambiance were fabulous. The tailoring was exquisite. Seeing Holmes and Watson in their digs was a gift. The smallest details were loving created. The injection of their current humor and banter bore the characteristic enjoyable stamp of the series. When it was in context, those scenes did feel like the gift we long awaited. <br />
<br />
But, as the gift continued to be unwrapped, the story seemed so outre that it felt like a psychological drama reminiscent of the 1960's drama <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B002C68WOG" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="209857cd84c5b3a53284f48876748cd0" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Prisoner" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Prisoner-Complete-Series-Blu-ray/dp/B002C68WOG/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=209857cd84c5b3a53284f48876748cd0&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_6472087" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Prisoner</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_6472087" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=209857cd84c5b3a53284f48876748cd0&_cb=1451965163626" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> with an ending as bizarre as <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B000ERVJKO" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="826c84dede8b6895875e622641510302" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Wild Wild West" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Wild-West-Complete-Season/dp/B000ERVJKO/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=826c84dede8b6895875e622641510302&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_1591083" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Wild Wild West</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_1591083" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=826c84dede8b6895875e622641510302&_cb=1451965145233" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>. Perhaps the juxtaposition of some characters in the past was some kind of personal joke to the producers. For example, it seems unlikely that Mycroft would have eaten himself to death; that should strike him as inefficient. There also seemed to be a race to see how many episodes could be referenced. The addition of fantasy sequences from within the fantasy broke whatever was left of the illusion. <br />
<br />
Finally, since it was all a drug-induced dream, I wondered if, in fact, I should have been returned to <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00CNW9ZI6" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="c07e9e75040312e78310787731666245" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="wizard of oz dvd" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Wizard-Oz-Anniversary-Edition/dp/B00CNW9ZI6/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=c07e9e75040312e78310787731666245&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_874996" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Kansas</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_874996" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=c07e9e75040312e78310787731666245&_cb=1451965210860" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /> rather than England.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LDRzqNyi8hU?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
<i>Image credit: <a href="https://vovatia.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/the-case-of-the-ozian-detectives/">The Case of the Ozian Detectives</a></i></div>
<div>
<br />
--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>

The Abominable Bride — We're Not in Baker Street Any More

"the actor in some strange drama" [YELL] We had been promised a period piece, with Holmes and Watson in the time and place of...

+ Read more »

by M. M. M.

The Abominable Bride — A Review of Two Minds

<h4 style="text-align: center;">
"the dual nature alternatively asserted itself" [REDH]</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkv3ItF_f7rQ9FlfuY7yFOs-BHkFy1zwvnywbu7E2TOzhtmnxQJlGvqmTjrfV79EqJCosaedW6yEp5WTf9F-6VD4DM7iE2R9g692sqfpx-A5Lm8TgGptCAeXxn2VvKkPAW5SYRJModwKL/s1600/ABOM+-+of+two+minds.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkv3ItF_f7rQ9FlfuY7yFOs-BHkFy1zwvnywbu7E2TOzhtmnxQJlGvqmTjrfV79EqJCosaedW6yEp5WTf9F-6VD4DM7iE2R9g692sqfpx-A5Lm8TgGptCAeXxn2VvKkPAW5SYRJModwKL/s640/ABOM+-+of+two+minds.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
The episode has aired but the dust has far from settled.  The <i>Sherlock</i> special titled <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B013JBJ7EG" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="0b022f481fb6be2c17fd794c27276d28" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Abominable Bride" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Abominable-Bride-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B013JBJ7EG/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=0b022f481fb6be2c17fd794c27276d28&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5699732" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Abominable Bride</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5699732" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=0b022f481fb6be2c17fd794c27276d28&_cb=1451972546885" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> left many fans of the show elated and just as many deflated. As an author of traditional Sherlock Holmes pastiches myself, I found myself torn in two after watching the episode, and it is the both versions of myself which I believe need to write this review. <br />
<br />
So, if you'll allow me to enter my own mind palace for a minute, I will write this review from two perspectives of my personality.  On one side of my palace is the <b><i>Sherlock</i> Fan</b>, the lover of the new series and an advocate for Benedict Cumberbatch representing this generation's Sherlock Holmes. on the other side is the stalwart <b>Holmes Purist</b>, the believer in upholding the Canon and the traditional Holmes.  I asked both versions of myself for their opinions on the episode.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Holmes Purist:</b> The keyword for <i>The Abominable Bride</i> was <u>abominable</u>. What fans were led to believe they were getting was a self contained Victorian episode of the show <i>Sherlock </i>taking place in 1895 yet connecting to the ending of <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00E3UN44W" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="e4a2149844b714c1571dd21203e87128" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="sherlock series 3" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-Original-UK-Version/dp/B00E3UN44W/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=e4a2149844b714c1571dd21203e87128&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5675084" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Series 3</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5675084" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=e4a2149844b714c1571dd21203e87128&_cb=1451972756426" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />. At first, I thought that they were going to pull this off.  They had the wonderful introduction with Holmes meeting Watson which was straight from <i>A Study in Scarlet</i>, the exceptional Victorian London set full of horse-drawn carriages and cobblestone streets, and the case of the bride which appeared to mirror the death of Moriarty at the end of <a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B004QOB8SO" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="e90f2e1175220d4ef4b8b93fb9c64618" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="sherlock series 2" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-2-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B004QOB8SO/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=e90f2e1175220d4ef4b8b93fb9c64618&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_2698499" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Series 2</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2698499" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=e90f2e1175220d4ef4b8b93fb9c64618&_cb=1451972779024" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />.  what a wonderful set up! I believed we would learn from the case of ABOM how Moriarty was able to fake his own death even though he blew a hole in the back of his head. But then Victorian Holmes references modern day Moriarty and it is all downhill from there.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Sherlock </i>Fan:</b> Nonsense! You can't judge the episode on your expectations for what it was supposed to be, only for what it is, and this was an excellent episode of the show <i>Sherlock</i> with the added bonus of the Victorian segments. The episode finally put Moriarty to rest. He is dead and there will be a new villain challenging Holmes in Series 4. It also had some of the wittiest dialogue yet for the show.  As you said HP, the opening scene of Holmes meeting Watson was perfectly executed and the air date of January 1st, 135 years after the duo met was spot on brilliant. The complaining of Mrs. Hudson that she's not in the Canon enough and Watson's maid that she's not even mentioned in the Canon was hilarious, as was the banter between Holmes and the corpulent Mycroft over the elder's life expectancy. The case itself was a well written Holmesian case with Holmes acting as Holmes and Watson acting as Watson.  What is there to complain about?<br />
<br />
<b>HP:</b> Plenty! First off, Holmes and Watson were not Holmes and Watson. Watson would never talk with Holmes about his romantic aspirations while on a stake out. Second, the obese Mycroft was just a poor special effect which was so distracting as to make it hard to pay attention to the character's dialogue. Third, and most offensive, was the case. It was far too easy to solve. After Mycroft explained that their side had to lose this one, it was fairly obvious that since he was talking to men, he was referencing women, and not just any women, but the suffragists mentioned by Mary Watson earlier in the episode. After that, the story pretty much wrote itself and there were no more surprises in the Victorian parts of the episode.  Let's not even get into the rip off of <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B0047WJ12K" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="234aa4a24cb9903aa2c501e89eecdc42" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Inception" href="http://www.amazon.com/Inception-Leonardo-DiCaprio/dp/B0047WJ12K/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=234aa4a24cb9903aa2c501e89eecdc42&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3068900" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Inception</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3068900" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=234aa4a24cb9903aa2c501e89eecdc42&_cb=1451973042480" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> which was the concluding third in the present.<br />
<br />
<b>SF:</b> So what if the mystery was obvious? We don't read Holmes stories and watch <i>Sherlock</i> for the mystery, but rather for the characters. As I said earlier, Holmes and Watson were wonderful in this and the humor was perfect. Watson's 'potato' line in the Diogenes Club was classic. And I found the suffragists in this episode refreshing. One of the largest complaints about the show <i>Sherlock</i> is its sexism particularly in their depiction of Irene Adler in "<a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B008133DO8" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="f2fac2e60a03de40420de11d8e98fa77" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Scandal in Belgravia" href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Scandal-in-Belgravia/dp/B008133DO8/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=f2fac2e60a03de40420de11d8e98fa77&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_2065720" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Scandal in Belgravia</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_2065720" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=f2fac2e60a03de40420de11d8e98fa77&_cb=1451973111389" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />." I think this was their way of making up for that one and having the women win one.<br />
<br />
<b>HP:</b> I don't think making the suffragists into purple klansmen does anything to help with the sexism complaints. Come now, does this really make up for Irene Adler not only losing to Holmes because he feels her pulse (Can we get anymore sexist than that?), but also that he has to save her life?<br />
<br />
<b>SF:</b> Okay, I concede that you are correct about Adler, but that is a different story line. This one was an excellent addition to the show <i>Sherlock</i>. I enjoyed the conclusion, and I like how Watson kicks Moriarty over the falls and out of Holmes's mind.  I don't think this could have been any better.  I give the episode five stars.<br />
<br />
<b>HP:</b> This was a travesty, an affront to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and it does nothing to keep the spirit of Holmes alive. I give the episode one star only.<br />
<br />
<br />
I think both of my personalities have valid points.  To be fair, I added the two reviews together and divided by two giving my final opinion of three stars, not a glowing review, but enough to say at least a part of me enjoyed it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Derrick Belanger is the author of the #1 bestselling book in its category <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="1519511957" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Adventure-Peculiar-Provenance/dp/1519511957/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3292728" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Peculiar Provenance</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3292728" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=9e2003200f68f2fe44eb4bcdd1a73f6d&_cb=1451973203084" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" />,</i> which was in the top 200 bestselling books on Amazon. He also is the author of the MacDougall Twins with Sherlock Holmes books, the latest of which is <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B017862MVS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur" href="http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Dinosaur-MacDougall-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B017862MVS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_7842789" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Curse of the Deadly Dinosaur</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_7842789" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=5293cce6e7483fecbc2d08a80a6fd7fa&_cb=1451973247482" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, and he edited the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle horror anthology <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B00P4E8AVI" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural" href="http://www.amazon.com/Study-Terror-Revolutionary-Stories-Supernatural-ebook/dp/B00P4E8AVI/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_5010397" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Study in Terror: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Revolutionary Stories of Fear and the Supernatural</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_5010397" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=a71c0c4edf6b4a9c56848bf35d8b468a&_cb=1451973259426" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>. Mr. Belanger also is a frequent contributor to I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere. He resides in Colorado and continues compiling unpublished works by Dr. John H. Watson.<br />
<br />
--<br />
<br />

The Abominable Bride — A Review of Two Minds

"the dual nature alternatively asserted itself" [REDH] The episode has aired but the dust has far from settled. The Sherlock...

+ Read more »

by Belanger Books

Fun in Challenging the Past — An Abominable Bride Review

<h4 style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">"The two friends chatted...recalling once again the days of the past" [LAST]</span></h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqo4VbDdRdKjzX3O6MPoKURCHG1X98_1vk3hOLjd2D8FQjtM71e6M-XHvYiUz1RdbIy86w_J2fsjRpzNWJ-9IO-qawtImSK4PFxmJT4quQ-1XYRD27cr66qfYgvxwtr1_XYCIP8p_nCvYk/s1600/ABOM+-+Holmes+and+Watson+inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqo4VbDdRdKjzX3O6MPoKURCHG1X98_1vk3hOLjd2D8FQjtM71e6M-XHvYiUz1RdbIy86w_J2fsjRpzNWJ-9IO-qawtImSK4PFxmJT4quQ-1XYRD27cr66qfYgvxwtr1_XYCIP8p_nCvYk/s640/ABOM+-+Holmes+and+Watson+inside.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />[<i><b>Editor's note:</b> This is the first in a series of reviews we're publishing about ABOM today. Please be forewarned: there may be spoilers in each. And this entry marks the first contribution of Rachel Gosch, who joins <a href="http://ihose.co/ihoseteam" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">our team</a>.</i>]<i> </i><br /><br />For readers of <i>The Strand Magazine</i> in the Victorian era, the ever-growing wave of unstoppable social, economic, and technological change made the prospect of returning to a world perpetually basking in the familiar trappings of 1895 a comforting release. In the many years since, it is ironic to note that modernization remains at the core of the BBC’s <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B004132HZS" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="652684aa8f2525a0c9d15ede805b17a6" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="Sherlock" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Season-1-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B004132HZS/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=652684aa8f2525a0c9d15ede805b17a6&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8662974" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sherlock</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8662974" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=652684aa8f2525a0c9d15ede805b17a6&_cb=1451968274736" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i>, now arguably the most popular interpretation of Holmes in the twenty-first century so far. <br /><br />One of the most consistently amusing aspects of the show is watching writers and series creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss alter the elements of the stories for modern times. By entering the new period, storytelling is both facilitated and challenged: Moriarty becomes an even more implacable threat with the assistance of anonymous texts and suicide bombs, but his nemesis has the Internet to back up his vast deductive skill. <br /><br />For three seasons, viewers have ensconced themselves in this new reality, which made the possibility of returning to the old world in the lead-up to January’s Victorian-set <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B018WIDIWI" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="2c48caa418107be39b2ae23f632ad59a" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Abominable Bride" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Abominable-Bride-Feature-Only/dp/B018WIDIWI/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=2c48caa418107be39b2ae23f632ad59a&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_8593054" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Abominable Bride</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_8593054" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=2c48caa418107be39b2ae23f632ad59a&_cb=1451971673091" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> seem more daunting than previously imagined. How would the writers react to the removal of today’s crime-solving technology? How would Sherlock and John sound calling each other Holmes and Watson? Could Sherlock adapt to the past as well as it had done to the future?<br /><br />In this critic’s opinion, the answer to that last question is a resounding yes.<br /><br /><br />Watching this special is to witness the cast, crew, and especially the writers making merry with their original source material; you get the sense they’ve been aching to do this for years. With its ghostly titular antagonist and creepy, fog-filled sets, the show indulges its Gothic roots, a display which is welcomed after the somewhat lackluster attempt at horror in “The Hounds of Baskerville.” References both subtle and obvious are sprinkled throughout, and time-bound elements of canon get their chance to shine. Terrifically delivered performances bolster the sense of authenticity, especially in the case of Benedict Cumberbatch; toning down his Sherlock’s acerbic tendencies, he instead captures the twinkling eyes and calculated ego of Conan Doyle’s Holmes.<br /><br />Yet <i><a amzn-ps-bm-asin="B013JBJ7EG" class="amzn_ps_bm_tl" data-amzn-link-id="62e2747e6de4ce8bbcd57102bf62e6cb" data-amzn-ps-bm-keyword="The Abominable Bride" href="http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Abominable-Bride-Benedict-Cumberbatch/dp/B013JBJ7EG/ref=as_li_bk_tl/?tag=thebakerstree-20&linkId=62e2747e6de4ce8bbcd57102bf62e6cb&linkCode=ktl" id="amznPsBmLink_3843492" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Abominable Bride</a><img alt="" border="0" height="0" id="amznPsBmPixel_3843492" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?source=bk&t=thebakerstree-20&bm-id=default&l=ktl&linkId=62e2747e6de4ce8bbcd57102bf62e6cb&_cb=1451971656164" style="border: none !important; height: 0px !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; width: 0px !important;" width="0" /></i> is anything but a straight Victorian adaptation. Moffat and Gatiss’ story starts out as a typical Sherlockian whodunnit, but soon becomes a complex psychological battle, the details of which I won’t spoil here. The plot’s organization is the most difficult part of the experience; I didn’t have trouble understanding it on my first viewing, but I can definitely see how other viewers might become confused by the episode’s structure. But the idea itself is a compelling twist on the cliche that could’ve served as the impetus for the narrative’s setting. <br /><br />The creators’ love and respect for the time period is evident, but the challenging of nineteenth-century stereotypes becomes the dominating motif of the episode, particularly in its characterization of our time-traveling cast. Mycroft’s girth is no longer an amusing character tidbit; it’s a genuine threat to his health. When Watson is asked to abandon his domestic breakfast table for Baker Street, he doesn’t just leave—he bolts. In the most welcome change from canon, the women and their personal struggles are a central focus. Amanda Abbington, Una Stubbs, and especially Louise Brealey all deliver series-best performances; as a female viewer, it was a joy to see Mary questioning John’s absences (about time, after 126 years!) and Molly strutting through her mortuary with a steely glint in her eyes. <br /><br />And it is this willingness towards subversion in the midst of glorification which elevates ABOM beyond a fun one-off and transforms it into a unique statement on the benefits of adaptation. The Canon is unquestionably a landmark work, bringing the literary world wonderful characters and exciting stories as well as serving as an inspiration for a whole genre of writing. Yet there wouldn’t be hundreds of books, movies, and TV shows about Holmes if readers hadn’t thought there was more to know about their hero than what they were told by Conan Doyle. Yes, there was The Great Detective—but who was Sherlock Holmes? Why did he choose to devote himself to catching criminals? Why did he choose Watson as a companion? Can anyone answer these questions? Should anyone answer these questions?<br /><br />One of the best scenes in the special has a setup familiar to readers of the stories. As nighttime falls upon an abandoned greenhouse on a country estate, Holmes and Watson lie in hiding, peering through the thick mist towards the quiet house and waiting for a mysterious specter to reveal itself. We expect that Holmes will be brimming with anticipation, ready to spring into action at the slightest disturbance. We expect that Watson is cautious yet determined, his trusty revolver in hand. We expect Holmes to whisper some small warning alongside a witticism. There’s suddenly a shadow, a movement, a scream. And the game is afoot.<br /><br />But as the detective and the doctor anticipate the arrival of the bride, we are treated to another version of this scenario. Watson strikes up an unusual conversation. He interrogates Holmes about his past with women, bringing up the lingering effect of the woman on his friend. Holmes become visibly irritated, even mortified. They devolve into argument; as they question the influence Watson has on Holmes, the necessity of emotion, the existence of ghosts, and so on, they roll their eyes and grit their teeth. The duo is clearly frustrated by each other’s responses.<br /><br />Of course, they’re eventually interrupted by the ghostly lady’s appearance; the spat is quickly left behind as they pursue her. But for one modern moment in the Victorian era, we finally hear one full, intimate conversation between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
--</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>