You should be watching Sherlock (Review)

Normally, I don't really fucks with TV, but British TV of a certain caliber counts as movies. Especially in the case of the BBC's Sherlock. Actually, given the quality of recent cinematic adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective, it's safe to say that British TV is better than movies.



Presented in three installments, each nearly an hour and a half long, the first season (or series if ya tryna be British about it) is basically a filmic trilogy, and as the header photo shows, this is a modernization of the character. Dr. Watson is an Afghanistan veteran with a psychosomatic limp, and Sherlock Holmes describes himself as a "functioning sociopath."

Despite the obvious deviations from the source material inherent to any modernization, Sherlock stands as perhaps the most faithful adaptation of Conan Doyle's original hero, capturing all his idiosyncrasies and fanaticisms. Whereas Victorian Holmes was a cokehead, 2010 Holmes slaps multiple nicotine patches to his arms to aid his deduction process; a change that may seem taming, but cigarettes in 2010 and snuff at the dawn of the 20th Century are fairly comparable vices.

Also a fascinating function of the modern setting is the ability to address more directly Holmes' apparent homosexuality. One of the best scenes in the first episode is when, while on a stakeout, Watson questions Holmes' sexuality, and Holmes, usually a bastion of composure and arrogance, becomes deeply uncomfortable, leaving the question unanswered.

Behind all this is a quartet of British TV superstars, with Doctor Who scribes Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (who also wrote the first draft of the excellent The Adventures of Tintin) serving as creators and The Office's Martin Freeman and the gloriously named Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) playing Watson and Holmes, respectively.

If nothing else, the series should be recognized for its actualization of Sherlock Holmes's capacity for blowjob jokes.



The first season of Sherlock is available to watch, instantly, on Netflix.