Return of BBC series is cause for celebration
Published on Tue, May 1, 2012 by Bob ConnallyRead More Arts & Entertainment
"Sherlock": Season 2
(Premieres on PBS Sunday, May 6, at 9 p.m.)
For over a century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant sleuth Sherlock Holmes has been portrayed by a countless number of actors on film and television. Like virtually every other adaptation, Guy Ritchie's two recent films starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes have been set firmly in the Victorian era.
What is unique about the BBC's "Sherlock" is that it plants Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy") and Watson (Martin Freeman) in the modern world. With three 90-minute episodes, the first season proved this updated take worked in a big way. It gave the characters and stories an added dimension and sense of energy.
Cleverly written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss ("Doctor Who"), Holmes isn't merely a slightly smug genius. He's virtually intolerant of those less intelligent than he--which is everyone he's ever met--and he makes no secret of it. Cumberbatch is astonishingly good in the role, delivering Holmes's thoughts from his acid tongue with lightning speed and sharpness.
While Holmes manages to anger or alienate everyone else with his deductions and showmanship, Watson finds them astounding if occasionally aggravating. Freeman could not be more perfectly cast in the role. Anyone who's seen his Tim on the original BBC version of "The Office" can vouch for his ability to give depth to the Everyman. Obviously Watson cannot match Holmes's intellect, but he's definitely smart--for an ordinary man--and he continually brings something intangible to the table that Holmes needs.
With the first season ending on a breathtaking cliffhanger, the stage is set for Holmes to do battle with his intellectual match, the psychotic Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Like its first season, "Sherlock's" second is comprised of three 90-minute episodes, each based upon one of Doyle's original stories. With "A Scandal in Belgravia" and "The Hounds of Baskerville," the second season proves to be decidedly stronger than the show's excellent first. Its writers and actors know their characters inside and out now and everyone's firing on all cylinders.
The friendship of Holmes and Watson is emphasized and explored with an intelligence rarely seen on film or television. It's "Withnail and I" through a Conan Doyle filter, and that's a decidedly wonderful thing.
It's the finale however, "The Reichenbach Fall," that truly places "Sherlock" in a class by itself. Based upon Conan Doyle's "The Final Problem," it pits Holmes head to head with Moriarty in the ultimate battle of wits. I can say without a shred of hyperbole that it is one of the smartest, most entertaining, and emotionally charged episodes of television I have ever seen. Cumberbatch and Freeman deliver performances that are extraordinary even by their standards. It is a very special 90 minutes of television.
"Sherlock's" second season comes to PBS on May 6, 13, and 20. If you've yet to see season one, it is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Netflix instant streaming.
(Premieres on PBS Sunday, May 6, at 9 p.m.)
For over a century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant sleuth Sherlock Holmes has been portrayed by a countless number of actors on film and television. Like virtually every other adaptation, Guy Ritchie's two recent films starring Robert Downey, Jr. as Holmes have been set firmly in the Victorian era.
What is unique about the BBC's "Sherlock" is that it plants Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy") and Watson (Martin Freeman) in the modern world. With three 90-minute episodes, the first season proved this updated take worked in a big way. It gave the characters and stories an added dimension and sense of energy.
Cleverly written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss ("Doctor Who"), Holmes isn't merely a slightly smug genius. He's virtually intolerant of those less intelligent than he--which is everyone he's ever met--and he makes no secret of it. Cumberbatch is astonishingly good in the role, delivering Holmes's thoughts from his acid tongue with lightning speed and sharpness.
While Holmes manages to anger or alienate everyone else with his deductions and showmanship, Watson finds them astounding if occasionally aggravating. Freeman could not be more perfectly cast in the role. Anyone who's seen his Tim on the original BBC version of "The Office" can vouch for his ability to give depth to the Everyman. Obviously Watson cannot match Holmes's intellect, but he's definitely smart--for an ordinary man--and he continually brings something intangible to the table that Holmes needs.
With the first season ending on a breathtaking cliffhanger, the stage is set for Holmes to do battle with his intellectual match, the psychotic Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Like its first season, "Sherlock's" second is comprised of three 90-minute episodes, each based upon one of Doyle's original stories. With "A Scandal in Belgravia" and "The Hounds of Baskerville," the second season proves to be decidedly stronger than the show's excellent first. Its writers and actors know their characters inside and out now and everyone's firing on all cylinders.
The friendship of Holmes and Watson is emphasized and explored with an intelligence rarely seen on film or television. It's "Withnail and I" through a Conan Doyle filter, and that's a decidedly wonderful thing.
It's the finale however, "The Reichenbach Fall," that truly places "Sherlock" in a class by itself. Based upon Conan Doyle's "The Final Problem," it pits Holmes head to head with Moriarty in the ultimate battle of wits. I can say without a shred of hyperbole that it is one of the smartest, most entertaining, and emotionally charged episodes of television I have ever seen. Cumberbatch and Freeman deliver performances that are extraordinary even by their standards. It is a very special 90 minutes of television.
"Sherlock's" second season comes to PBS on May 6, 13, and 20. If you've yet to see season one, it is currently available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Netflix instant streaming.
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