WHYBW: Elementary (Season 1 Episode 1)

I discussed Elementary briefly on the upcoming episode of The Boob Toob (#7) but I didn’t want to use up too much air time so I thought I’d go a bit more in depth here on the blog where I can type away guilt free!

I also wrote about my first impressions on this show over a week ago so please check that out for a little introduction on the series.

But if you already know what this show is about then read on! Although if you're already sick of it then you might want to turn back and possibly read about what Bobgar thought about The Avengers movie (he finally saw it!) or possibly the latest installment of Boob Toob Supplemental (now with more Bruce Willis).

Warning: I mostly compare Elementary to the BBC Series Sherlock and a couple of other recent Sherlock Holmes interpretations.

Oh, and it’s Dan by the way. Although you've probably worked it out already since Bobgar wouldn’t be watching this show ;)

Elementary Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot

The episode starts out with a murder. They don’t show much though. Someone drops a drinking glass and it shatters, a woman being chased inside her home, her trying to reach for something, and that’s it. We then see Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) getting woken up by an alarm, going for a jog and then she meets Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) at his home soon after.

My first thought after seeing Sherlock interact with people was that the British accent surrounded by American accents felt a little weird. But this is Sherlock Holmes in New York so that is to be expected. It was still a little weird by the end of the episode but I think I’m getting used to it.

It isn’t long until we see Sherlock in action, using his smarts to figure things out. It seems to me that this Sherlock is definitely smart enough but not savant levels like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock (from the BBC series). It might seem that way because they take their time a little more when figuring stuff out about the crime scene. It feels more like we’re along for the ride. Compare that to BBC series where Sherlock would have figured out the whole thing instantly in his brain and then he’d explain it to everyone in reverse while insulting them (which I don’t hate, that’s also fun too). But maybe Elementary wants to focus more on the human side of things as opposed to Sherlock’s incredible intellect. I’m cool with it although it’s only been one episode. I might not feel the same way after a 24 episode season. I feel like Cumberbatch Sherlock could’ve solved this particular case in 8 seconds.

A lot of the people that I know have seen the recent BBC Sherlock series so if you’re one of those people, you’ll notice fairly quickly that this Sherlock isn’t a condescending prick like Cumberbatch Sherlock (or even Hugh Laurie’s Gregory House character in House M.D.). Jonny Lee Miller's Sherlock is even pretty polite. And he feels things! Like when they found the dead body after he mad some clever deductions, he says “sometimes I hate it when I’m right” and he looked like he meant it. More on this feelings thing a little later.

I thought it was interesting when Watson asked Sherlock how he figured out about her dad’s affair, he said “Google” followed by “not everything is deducible” which is a sign that he’s a bit humble (or at least, more so than a lot of the recent Sherlocks, even taking into account Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal in the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movies). Also, Sherlock screws up during the investigation and when Watson confronted him about it, he said it was all part of his plan. But he confessed to it later on and said that he hid his screw up from her out of shame. I don’t think any of the recent Sherlocks would ever do that. He also lets Watson know in various ways that he finds her useful and that he’s glad that she’s around. This guy is too nice!

Promotional posters for some of the recent Sherlocks. I tried to get a House poster with Dr. Wilson but there wasn't any where it was just the two of them. It was either Hugh Laurie on his own or the whole cast. Somewhat fitting since he's the jerkiest out of all the Sherlocks.

That said, he does become a little insensitive when he's determined to get an answer so he’s not perfect with his politeness. I mention in my first impressions that this Sherlock didn’t seem dangerous like Cumberbatch Sherlock but I think we got to see some of it here. It’s still not Cumberbatch levels but I think he’s got it in him. Maybe Sherlock from the BBC Series is just always at max whereas this Sherlock starts off a bit more normal but can go crazy depending on the situation. There’s at least one scene where he did something silly and dangerous because he was angry.

Oh by the way, this Sherlock did something worse than anything Cumberbatch Sherlock has ever done... HE MADE A CALL ON HIS PHONE AT THE THEATRE! And didn't even try to speak silently! Jerk! >:(

But back to nice guy Sherly...

One of the main features I’ve noticed about the Holmes & Watson relationship (at least on tv, not sure about the books) is that Holmes can be a bit of a jerk to Watson even though Watson is the closest thing he has to a friend. He’s insulting and he can be hurtful although Watson is usually strong enough to take it. And Watson knows that that’s just how Holmes is and that he doesn’t mean to hurt people.

In Elementary, Holmes is more weird, slightly annoying and possibly even somewhat childlike rather than condescending, demeaning and hurtful. The on screen chemistry between Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu is pretty enjoyable. They’re not chummy chummy or anything but they’re nice to watch. I didn’t end up feeling sorry for this Watson like I did in BBC Sherlock, House M.D. and the Sherlock Holmes movies.

All the recent Watsons care about their respective Sherlocks and the trend is repeated with Dr. Joan Watson (I'm calling her Lady Watson from now on) so that’s good to see. There’s also a bit of drama in it, a nice amount of humanity, when we find out the reason why Watson chose to become a sober companion. Not sure if it’ll be like that in future episodes but I was glad to see it here.

When they reached the solution to the mystery, it wasn’t some grand revelation. It seemed more of a down to Earth solving of a crime. Closer to a real life crime as opposed to mastermind genius Moriarty level crime. Not necessarily better or worse than BBC Sherlock but I was cool with it.

Oh yeah, Watson ended up getting involved in the investigation little by little even though it didn’t seem like she intended to at first. She even had some crucial contributions to the case.

Hey Lady Watson... how YOU doin'?

A few other random things:

• They do a good job of giving out bits of information and back story abut the characters without shoving it in your face too much.
• Sherlock figures stuff out about people, like “you just ate a bagel” or “you’re having an affair” but they don’t go into too much detail explaining how he figures things out.
• It’s shot well enough, everything looks nice. Not BBC Sherlock level though, that was something else in terms of the visuals. And I really miss the text and graphics on screen.
• The musical score isn’t as memorable as BBC Sherlock but it’s good enough. Not too attention grabbing and overpowering but it fits the tone of the show.
• The end song for the episode is Watching the Detectives by Elvis Costello. Nice touch.
• Sherlock doesn't have a Lestrade but Aidan Quinn as Captain Tobias Gregson fills that role. I wonder if there’s a Lestrade back in Scotland Yard in this universe. If so, I wonder if he misses Sherly.

What I find memorable about tone of the BBC Sherlock series is that not only is the character of Sherlock smarter than everyone else, it’s that the show almost feels like it’s demonstrating to all the other shows that it’s smarter than them (although not in a dickish condescending way like Benedict Cumberbatch masterfully does in the show). I missed that attitude while watching Elementary. The tone of Elementary is a little more ‘safe’ and a bit more 'American' (which is understandable when you take into account the target audience) but not generic American show. There are some similarities to American procedurals but I think at least at this point, it has a unique enough voice.

Keep in mind that I’m not hating on it or anything, just contrasting. It’d be like having two friends, one is loud and proud and knows that he’s awesome (and that’s fine because he is awesome) whereas the other is somewhat quiet but he’s still a cool dude. Both can work.

Jonny Lee Miller’s Sherlock doesn’t seem too Sherlocky (haha, I made up a word) based on this first episode. Benedict Cumberbatch and Robery Downey Jr. were very Sherlocky. Heck, even Hugh Laurie as Gregory House was more Sherlocky. (Also, Robert Sean Leonard as Dr. Wilson was more Watsony than Lucy Liu.) So I can understand criticisms that people may have about how this new guy doesn’t seem like Sherlock. At times as I was watching it, I forgot that I was watching Sherlock and I thought it was just some weirdo. But that’s cool, he can just be a different guy with the same name. Just a What If story.

Overall, I’m not really super comfortable in recommending this to people (especially to BBC Sherlock fans). Nevertheless, I found myself liking it quite a bit and I’m on board for future episodes.

Wow, that ended up being crazy long. I've written 'Sherlock' so many times, I think I'm losing it. After writing all that and going over all the comparisons, I now have a strong urge to rewatch BBC Sherlock.

Don't worry, you're still by number one. (Artwork by alicexz on deviantART)