Why oh why can't people leave well enough alone? Now, I like Johnny Lee Miller well enough and he might, just might make a good modern day Sherlock Holmes. But Lucy Liu as Dr. Watson???
No, no, a thousand times no! Debuting tonight - ('Elementary' now isn't that a clever name?) it's just as well that I don't have cable and therefore won't be watching.
If you take a look, let me know what you think. If it's good, I'll eat my words.
But in the meantime, I remain, aghast, agape and agog.
I didn't like the Robert Downey Jr. incarnation of Holmes, either.
Quite leery of this also! I think I'll either watch or tape it. I'll let you know.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's on broadcast...so you, of course, should run out and get your digital antenna...I like Liu, and suspect there have been worse Watsons over the decades...
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the few who detests the recent incarnation of Sherlock out of Britain, the one with Benedick something or other. Hate it. And I doubt I'll bother with this new American rendering.
ReplyDeleteYvette, you are a purist, I must say.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to watch it, although I know it'll be a Hollywood TV version os a fine classic.
But it's not on cable; it's on CBS.
I love Johnny Lee Miller. He's so adorable!
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, Liu as Watson? I was a bit appalled. I'm curious to see if it's any good, but I don't have cable either, so I'll have to wait and hear.
Thanks, Belle. The whole thing sounds like a disaster in the making.
ReplyDeleteBut I could be wrong. NOT!
I'm thinking I might be able to watch the episode on CBS online within the next few days.
Oh Todd, you're a typical man. Swayed by good looks and a bod. HA!
ReplyDeleteNaomi I'm not crazy about that new rendition either. I find it very difficult to understand the dialogue it's all so quick and garbled.
ReplyDeleteBut I must say I was moved by the final episode of the season.
I still need cable to watch local channels, Kathy. Even that antenna thing that Todd talks about won't work here. I'm up in the hills of NJ.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a super strict purist, but yes, I guess I am a purist.
Picky, you may be able to watch the episode online later on this or next week.
ReplyDeleteI think Lisa Liu is married to the head of CBS. They gotta' find something for her to do. :)
Hello Yvette:
ReplyDeleteThis is ridiculous. And for what possible purpose? Yes, leave well alone!
I do know what you mean Ybvette and am apprehensive - but I love the British series SHERLOCK with Cumberbatch and freeman where the Doyle corpus re-imagined for modern times by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss by way of the Rathbone and Bruce versions (which were hardly canonical either).I think that show is truly sublime - have you seen it?
ReplyDeleteI must be a purist too as I just fail to see the point of the endless attempts at remaking/rewriting these classic characters. Once you've read the stories and seen Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke bring them to life, there's just nowhere left to go!
ReplyDeleteYvette, no worry, you can't take Watson (as we know him) away from Holmes! I didn't like RDJ as Holmes either but we're living in an age where films and television series are driven by market forces.
ReplyDeleteWell it seems to me this can't be any worse than mob dr. Which boggles the mind. Aren't we repurposing all the classics these days with Jane Austen, Abraham Lincoln , etc.? Why not another remake of holmes and Watson. And I quite like Lucy Lui and her reincarnation of dr. Watson. Let's hear it for multi cultural ism! Shayla
ReplyDeleteDid I watch this? Of course I did! I had to. The writer knows a thing or two about detective novels, that's for sure. The story had a great bit about rice used as a dessicant. Johnny Lee Miller is pretty darn good in the role. I never cared for Lucy Liu but she's nicly understated next to Miller's fast talking, reformed drug addict. But... (you knew it was coming) Why oh Why must EVERY movie screen and small screen incarnation of Holmes be this frenetic, fast talking OCD kind of persona? Ever since Jeremy Brett's clipped speech and 78 RPM movements every actor we see playing Holmes is like some ADHD kid in need of Ritalin. Rapid fire speech, jerky odd movement, bizarre behavior. Miller's Holmes is a combination of the OCD detective Monk and Brad Pitt's loon from Twelve Monkeys. Only rarely do we get any quiet moments between Liu and Miller and when they come they are so welcome, yet all too brief.
ReplyDeleteI'll give the show a chance. I liked the plot, and though I figured most of it out I did miss the bit with the rice which I thought a bit far-fetched but very cool all the same.
I DVRed it, and will let you know when I watch it. Personally, and maybe I should whisper this, I didn't like Jeremy Brett in the role, but I was very taken with the Downey/Law interpretation. And The PBS Cumberbatch/Freeman version I thought excellent in its use of texting, etc. And I am really looking forward to Elementary. Iike the idea of a woman Watson. We'll see. Maybe I'll hate it.
ReplyDeleteI find it fascinating- all the different variations.
We're in agreement, Jane and Lance. Ridiculous, indeed. At least for us 'purists'. :)
ReplyDeleteSergio I've tried watching it several times, but after a few scenes my mind simply starts to wander. I have a lot of trouble understanding what's being said and following all the techno mumbo jumbo. Although I will say this: I was moved by the Reichenbach episode. So I'll probably try and watch the episode when they bring Holmes 'back from the dead'. If they do.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Lucy. But I think it's the whole idea of Holmes having a built-in audience that makes tinkering with it so attractive.
ReplyDeleteAt least in the Cumberbatch version they don't make fun of the canon or the characters themselves. Far as I can tell.
Exactly, Prashant. They know that just the name Holmes has instant market appeal.
ReplyDeleteDear Unknown, thanks for leaving a comment but I wish you'd make yourself known to us.
ReplyDeleteMulti-culturalism is fine most of the time. But Holmes and Watson?
John, I haven't seen it, don't want to especially. But I might watch a few moments on line over at the CBS website if they make it available.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand that frenetic stuff, myself.
Nan, I'm surprised you didn't like the Jeremy Brett version. For most of us, it's THE Holmes to end all Holmes. Maybe because Brett looks so much like a 'real' Holmes back in the day.
ReplyDeleteBut then, as I like to say, it would be a very boring world if we all liked the same things.
Can't wait to see if you like the new one. Will you post about it? Hope so.
The show was okay, not great, but it seemed to have gotten a good audience rating.
ReplyDeleteFYI: Lucy Liu is not married to Les Moonves, CBS President. He is married to Julie Chen, who is the anchor of a daily talk show on that network.
Lucy Liu has a very long resume with TV adventure shows and movies. She was quite low-key as Dr. Watson, much more so than in the classic movie versions.
Thanks for the correction, Kathy. Silly of me not to have checked.
ReplyDeleteApologies to Lucy Liu.
I kinda liked it. I've never been a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, other than the books. It was a good story, I'll be curious to see what happens this week.
ReplyDeleteRyan I'm going to make a point to watch last week's episode on line somewhere. Just have to get over my dislike of watching movies on my computer. It's a stumbling block.
ReplyDeleteWell, I watched part of Elementary tonight, the second half. It wasn't bad. The actors are good. They're fine.
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER, IT IS NOT SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON. NOWHERE CLOSE.
It's a different show, modern, with high-tech devices and good actors, doing a contemporary TV series, like many others. Maybe the characters' brilliance is supposed to be special, as Holmes and Watson.
But there's nothing going on that reminds one of Conan Doyle's characters. If one did not know that Elementary was supposed to be based on them, one would never guess this is an alleged adaptation.
It's like comparing oranges to typewriters...no resemblance.