Sherlock

[Witchie]

I thought Sherlock was the executioner and single-handedly saved Irene.

[biondetta]

Yes, Sherlock was standing in for the executioner and saved her.

And yes, I kept joking that the hound was actually Henry/George. I like to think Tovey's casting for that role was an intentional slight nod to his role in Being Human.

I loved when Sherlock was asking the tour guide for evidence of the hound and using the guy's obvious interest in betting to get him interested. But best of all was when John followed through and got Sherlock to pay up on what had been a fake bet. John's obviously pretty canny.

[robneville]

What do you get when you watch Grosse Pointe Blank on saturday, Dan in Real Life on sunday
and the new Sherlock on monday?

You get this,

Take it Pete Townshend....


"When Baskerville holds the answers
But getting in the place is hard
You know you've got the solution
You just pull out your brother's card
Let Mycroft open the door...
Let Mycroft open the door...
Let Mycroft open the door...
To that lab"

[angelaudie]

Ahhh, thanks Witchie and biondetta!

And yes, I kept joking that the hound was actually Henry/George. I like to think Tovey's casting for that role was an intentional slight nod to his role in Being Human.

Hee! Nice to know I'm not the only one! Tovey is great at playing tortured souls.

Another dumb question. Sherlock is a recovering addict in this show correct? I know he showed off is nicotine patches but in Irene episode Mycroft and John talked about needing to keep Sherlock safe and I doubt John and Mrs. Hudson would furiously search the apartment for cigarettes. Was Sherlock accepting the cigarette a sign he was slipping and that's what concerned Mycroft and John?

I know the episodes are based on the Sherlock Holmes stories. Have the writers ever stated that perhaps they will try to come up with their own original mysteries (assuming the show runs that long)? I think they do a great job with adapting the stories but it would be interesting to see if they could come up with an interesting original mystery.

It's recently been brought to my attention that the actor who plays Mycroft also writes/produces the show. Learn something new everyday!

[kostgard]

Sherlock is a recovering addict in this show correct?

That seems to be what they are implying (though no one has said those exact words). In the first episode when Lastrade tossed the flat on the (fake) drug bust, John scoffed at the idea that Sherlock would have drugs around, then Sherlock shot John a "Shut up!!!!" look. And it did seem like they had a safety plan in place in case Sherlock relapsed (and Mrs. Hudson searched his room for...something).

[Malle Babbe]

That, and in "A Study in Pink", the cabbie is telling Sherlock that he's simply replaced his chemical addictions with the thrill of the chase as a consulting detective.

Doyle did have Sherlock doing cocaine from time to time; as a child of the 1980s that was a surprise due to a) me not knowing that folks did recreational drugs prior to the 1960s and b) the common portrayal of SH as cool and rational, and not like the 1980s stereotype of a coke user. It was as if I was finding out Mr. Spock was a speed freak.

The "seven percent stronger" line is supposed to be a reference to that; "The Seven Percent Solution" is a novel set in the Holmesverse in which the whole Reichenbach showdown was a feint to cover Holmes trying to get clean and sober with Sigmund Freud's help.

Re: Tovey's casting. I think it is equal parts a reference to his role in "Being Human" and the fact that there seems to be only three dozen actors in the UK...

[Deleted]

I think Tovey and Gatiss are both members in good standing of the London Gay Boys' Club, too. Gatiss' shows always seem to contain at least one out gay performer.

[Malle Babbe]

Yes indeed. I think Mark's partner Ian (who is weapons-grade adorable) is going to be in The Reichenbach Fall.

[angelaudie]

Thanks kostgard and Malle Belle! It's hard to picture this Sherlock as a drug addict since I would think it would affect his ability to deduct. Though I suppose certain drugs could make it easier to access his "memory palace".

[Malle Babbe]

Yeah, you could see this guy making heavy use of stimulants, maybe some hallucinogens (even though after the pub scene in Hounds, perhaps not). That, or he might have thought that the Chantix John had him on was making him wiggy.

That, and in ACD's time, cocaine was considered a useful anaesthetic and a means of dealing with morphine addiction. If you saw the first RDJ Holmes movie, there is a scene where Watson is steamed that he's dosed himself with medication used for eye surgery; that's coke. In the ACD stories, Holmes' use is mentioned to illustrate the fact that he's a bohemian sort, and injects it when he's really bored between cases.