Sherlock vs. Elementary

[Sesqua]

Wenn es gewünscht ist schreibe ich es auf Deutsch um sonst würd ich es in Englisch lassen.

Achtung: Sherlock and Elementary spoilers.

Ein Artikel von Noor Alnaqeeb für NerdHQ

Yes. No idea. Rumor has it that Sherlock will be released in January 2013. In November, the date was changed to February 2013. It was then changed again to September 2013. And now, to our horror and dismay, it might be released in 2014. Elementary, on the other hand, is on their midseason break and will return in a mere sixteen days. Waiting for Sherlock seems to be the bane of my existence. Let’s recap as to where both series left us.

Elementary:

The only new developments seemed to be that Sherlock had finally been connected to Watson’s family; meeting with her disappointed mother and successful brother. Although we had never met Watson’s family in the BBC version, I wonder if it has added any depth to the characters despite highlighting the obvious fact that Watson loves the obscure. Sherlock dubbed Watson as “unconventional”. Which is something we’ve all already grasped after her decision to stick around an English maniac with a thrill for solving outlandish crimes.

A glimmer of Sherlock’s celebrity had been hinted at in Elementary’s “The Leviathan,” but the hint was so subtle that it might as well have been a figment of my imagination. Remember “A Scandal in Belgravia” when Sherlock’s face and deerstalker because infamous with one picture plastered all over the tabloids? Welcome to Sherlock Holmes’ trademark. The hat… yes. But also, giving a normal citizen with an obscure tale the ability to locate Sherlock and ask for his help. Of course, Watson’s blog did more help than harm in that respect. This Elementary episode the case came to him, and not through the NYPD looking for a consultant.

Another similarity to Sherlock that was so subtle, it probably was a figment of my imagination, was both Sherlocks’ abilities to understand languages or symbols people otherwise would never recognize. This episode Miller deciphered a computer language that I have tried to spell but to no avail. The language looks something like this “£&(!”n&(n!” Where in Sherlock’s “The Blind Banker,” Holmes deciphered an ancient Chinese number system. Both translations led to the inevitable solution of both cases.

One difference that became evident in Elementary this week was Watson reducing Sherlock’s Sherlockness to the mere obsessions of an addict. Although, John Watson became aware of Sherlock’s drug history in the BBC’s “A Study in Pink,” he never used it to validate or belittle Sherlock’s infatuation with solving a mystery. I would love to see Elementary treat Sherlock as a detective first and an addict second, but they seem to do the opposite. In “The Leviathan,” Sherlock spent seventeen hours trying to crack a vault open. Watson reduced it to the acts of an addict. I think it is simply the traditional actions of Sherlock. If it takes seventeen hours, so be it. Unfortunately, this week’s midseason finale left us with an interesting case, but no character or major arc developments. Now let us compare that to where Sherlock left us after three episodes of gut-wrenching action.

Sherlock:

To be fair, I’ll use season one’s finale “The Great Game” in comparison to “The Leviathan.” But to be honest, the way season one ended, any comparison with anything Sherlock would be ill advised. If you have seen this episode, you will know exactly what I’m talking about. I’m talking about guns, grenades and a consulting criminal; Moriarty’s grand entrance. I won’t give too much away in case you’re reading this and haven’t seen it. But let me just say there were websites devoted to awaiting the arrival of the next season, with comments underneath that went something like this:

Fan 1: And if we’ve watched, read and listened to everything Sherlock-related, what then?

Fan 2: Solve crimes.

Sherlock has created some diehard fans. I’ve already ranted on enough as to how amazing I think it is. But the wait is quite literally unbearable. It has been 863 days since the season one finale and 338 days since the season two finale. Now you see why Sherlock fans are diehard. If they weren’t, they would’ve long forgotten Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch and wouldn’t wait in eager anticipation for the next season.

Moriarty: I will burn you. I will burn the heart out of you.

Sherlock: I have been reliably informed that I don’t have one.

Congratulations, you have already burnt the hearts out of us. So please, before the world actually does come to an end, set an airdate.

 

[Sesqua]

Elementary Leviantan Review. (Midseason)
by Justin Jasso für NerdHQ

Auch hier gilt wieder wenn gewünscht übersetz ich es sonst würd ich das so lassen.
Spoiler Alert!

“The Leviathan” opens with a group of men breaking into a bank vault and stealing what appears to be expensive jewelry. Obviously, this episode is going to be about Holmes solving the case of who robbed the bank. When we see Holmes, he’s at home with two scantily clad women who happen to be leaving. The door rings, and a man, who was referred to see Holmes from a friend in London, is at the door. He was the developer of The Leviathan bank vault that was breached at a diamond exchange the previous night. The contents: $40 million worth of diamonds.

Holmes visits the vault, sitting in front of it for seventeen hours without being able to figure out how the robbers were able to access it. Out of frustration, he takes an axe and destroys the code panel. The next day, Holmes goes through a list of robbers who broke into a Leviathan vault in 2009 and wonders if the secret may have been sold to someone. Watson, in the meantime, goes out to an awkward lunch with her mom. I’m surprised she doesn’t have more psychological issues with such an overbearing mother.

After Holmes speaks to one of the original vault breakers, he finds out the codes were sold to a man called Le Chevalier, whose true identity is Peter Kent. Holmes and Watson go to visit the home to see it’s decorated in original art pieces worth tens of millions of dollars. The only problem is Peter Kent had a stroke two years prior and hasn’t moved or spoken since. The duo takes some of the loot from Peter Kent’s home and returns it to Gregson, but Holmes holds on to one painting (worth $50 million dollars!) to give him inspiration as he tries to solve the case.

That night, Holmes goes over the court transcripts from the 2009 trial and wakes Watson early in the morning to go look at one of the exhibits from the case. It’s a coffee order but there’s actually a code at the bottom very few people can break. Once deciphered, it shows an algorithm to predict the code sequencing on the Leviathan vault. Soon, Holmes puts together that the robbers were a part of the jury from the original trial and starts hunting them down to question them, only to discover that they are all being killed.

Holmes has Gregson call in all the jury members to get a DNA sample. However, after blood is found at one of the crime scenes indicate a female military member stationed overseas, things don’t add up. Watson notices that one of the jury suspects had a previous bone marrow transplant. It just so happens his marrow was infused by this solider, who was a donor. They confront him, offering a bargain if he gives up their ring leader. However, it’s hinted that someone bigger was behind the whole thing. Holmes is sent two bottle of expensive champagne for his efforts (perfect gift to send a recovering addict) and Holmes returns the $50 million dollar painting, although it did look nice on his wall.

As a whole, the episode was very strong but it didn’t necessarily feel like a mid-season finale in any sense. Some cliffhanger was expected and we didn’t really get that. I guess one could argue that the “real” criminal behind the burglary was not apprehended and is on the loose. Will this person play a role in future episodes? Could this unknown mastermind be Moriarty in the making? Time will tell, and until then, it’s time to enjoy the holidays!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars