Sherlock: A Study in Pink

[beccaelizabeth]

Hrm. There were lots of things I liked. Since I mostly listened with the sound off I do like the text messages and writing on the screen and stuff, it's my kind of data. Since I'd seen spoilers despite my best efforts I don't know how surprising surprise Mycroft was, but I didn't for a minute think it could be Moriarty, on account of extra textual factors (cast himself as smarter than Sherlock? Yeah.) I liked all the being clever with modern technology, and I liked the chase around London.

I didn't like that Sherlock didn't think taxi driver. Except I found it plausible within the story for the same reason I find it plausible the writer doesn't think it's bleedin obvious: They're men. I have thought often about the thing where we trust total strangers and sit next to them in little metal boxes while they go we know not where. Serial rapist taxi drivers show up in the news. Women are taught to think of themselves as vulnerable. To men, maybe not so much obvious. Except then I think that's kind of condescending to men, so, all I can say is I supplied the answer expecting the subtitles would in a minute, automatic, assumed that was the next word. It's really very obvious if you spend a lot of time taking taxis and you spend a lot of time worrying. Sherlock, supremely confident in his own abilities, is unlikely to spend much time worrying on his own behalf.

Thing I really didn't like, with a tired sort of sigh: psychosomatic disability. Again? Really? And not even as a complicated psychological whatsit that is itself a disability, just as a thing that he'd get over as soon as he forgot about it. I mean I also spent the first half wanting to tell him how to use a stick and how long it needs to be - clue, if you've got one shoulder inches below the other, your stick is too short - but having him just not need to use it at all is bloody annoying. Sometimes people have disabilities. Very seldom are they mistaken about it. And sometimes those disabled people can still kick arse. I like disabled Watson much better, he's ours, we keeps him.

Ending up with them both as danger addicts is... meh.

Sherlock and the whole drug bust / just an addict thread is interesting to a point.
'Three patch problem' is excellent updating.

There were lots of lines that made me LOL.

Sherlock is an arse. He's either really bad at people, which makes the figuring out murderers a bit tricky, or he's deliberately an arse, or somewhere in between where he's having to apply brain to figure out people at all but when he does he's quite good at it and when he doesn't he's all distracted and an arse. Or a bit of each depending.

I'm not sure I liked 'high functioning sociopath'. A google search for the phrase seems to only come up Sherlock now, can't find a psych definition. I don't like writers splashing psych speak around, there's too much rubbish around about everything psych.


The plot was interesting because it wasn't about figuring it out, it was about Sherlock wanting to figure it out, possibly even needing to more than he needs to live. It wasn't a story about detection, it was a story about the detective. The point was there wasn't a wide seperation between Sherlock and the serial killer, and it was not a subtly made point. Since Sherlock Holmes has been around as a character so long that he's sort of a cosy idea emphasising this dark side to him is an interesting choice. And we don't get closure on that part any more than he does, we don't get an analysis of the two pills or anything to tell us if he chose right. We don't know if he's as smart as he thinks he is, and neither does he.

But it was fair play with the clues. It wasn't just that Sherlock's description leads inevitably to 'taxi', we saw the victims were trying to catch a taxi or in a situation where that was logical. And I like the Rachel bit. And Lestrade doesn't seem much like an idiot, which is nice.


Other things... not many women, Bechdel test fail even though there were scenes with neither Holmes nor Watson so there was opportunity, not much ethnic variation in the familiar roles but some in the other characters, possibility of homosexuality acknowledged and only slightly the opportunity for laughs, and... I have to mention the disability bit again, because that was a bit frustrating.

I'll watch the others.

Comments

[beccaelizabeth]

I did like that they took what was originally a continuity problem, the exact location of Watson's injury, and played with it. I did not like that we get another it's all in the mind explanation for a physical disability, nor that the mind in question was fixed so quickly, and the fast dismissal of the pshrink's expertise or the possibility of PTSD was irritating.

[beccaelizabeth]

I double checked my understanding of how to use a stick and discovered that while all sources should agree that, if you stand in your normal position and relax your arms, the stick should go up to your wrist bone/crease, only 4/5 say you should hold it on the side opposite the weakness. But today was the first time I found that contrary advice. I always heard it goes opposite. Then you step out with the stick and the weak leg in unison. Television bad legs tend to let the leg hit first and collapse a bit. But, while I still say his stick was too short, I can understand why he wouldn't be holding it in his left hand if it's his left shoulder that was injured.

[shahar-amar.livejournal.com]

I admit I fell for Surprise!Mycroft, partly because I expected him to be chubbier and a bit less mysterious. In hindsight of course it makes perfect sense. Clever Moff is being clever. :o)

Totally agree with you on the taxi driver. When Holmes went on his big running chase after the car, I fully believed him to be after the driver, not the passenger. Sometimes women are muich more conscious of the everyday dangers of life, I think. Men tend to either not notice or believe they will get out of a situation with physical strength if neccessary. Us? Not so much.

I don't know about your limitations, but my arthritis isn't always the same. Some days it's barely noticable, others a real pain. Often my joints need a little warming up to function ok and sometimes when my mind is on exciting things, I might be able to do things I normally wouldn't. So I can believe Watson running without a noticable limp when all that adrenaline of the chase is pumping through him. What is missing, is the realistic aftermass - crashing shortly after and having to take it easy for a couple of days afterwards. Instead he just pushes on, climbing stairs and shooting serialskillers. Not very likely in my world.

As for lack of women, I'm hoping to meet Harriet Watson and maybe some other female characters next time. Hopefully they will have a bit more to do, than getting killed, making tea and being the butt of chauvinitic jokes.

[beccaelizabeth]

My physical limitations are mostly just being clumsy and tripping over things, except for times I've slipped bad enough, so I've hardly ever used a stick from needing one. Dad did, intermittently. There's lots that can be done, and even seem like a good idea at the time, and just need paid for later. Realistic aftermath would change the nature of storytelling in some genres, the realistic accumulation of limitation from injuries especially. Some versions of Batman has him with as much scar tissue as he ought to, but I've yet to see one dwelling even briefly on how old injuries start slowing him down. Same with most action characters. And it's annoying because they could make story mileage out of it - having to save up for the big efforts, being more impaired after them, and then having something else be necessary that leaves the math on how well he can keep up dodgy. Friends who are used to his abilities at his best accidentally leaving him in trouble when he's having a bad day. It would be like when Doctor Who stories need a companion to trip and fall, and they end up hurting their ankle, only instead of being annoying and implausible, it would be something they have to deal with all the time. Instead Sherlock went for an easily shrugged off version that just loses a whole thread of possibilities.

More women could be more better, yes, if they avoid the obvious pitfalls. the thing where Sherlock will be an arse to them because he is to everyone will give a few problems though.