Elementary | Teen Ink

Elementary

January 29, 2015
By Grant Schlichting SILVER, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
Grant Schlichting SILVER, Cannon Falls, Minnesota
7 articles 0 photos 0 comments

“Hello?” inquires Joan Watson, as she cracks open an old wooden door to the Brownstone, Sherlock’s home. “Excuse me, I’m looking for a...” “SHHH!!!” Sherlock cuts Joan off from disturbing his watch of 8 televisions. “My name is Joan...” “SHHH!!!” “I’ve been hired by your father to be your sober companion, he told me he was going to email you about me.” As Sherlock turns from one of his tv’s towards her, he tells her,”Do you believe in love at first sight? Um, I know what you're thinking: the world is a cynical place, and I must be a cynical man, thinking a woman like you would fall for a line like that. Thing is it isn’t a line, so please hear me when I say this, I have never loved anyone as I do you right now in this very moment.” Right as he finishes, a man on one of the tv’s says the exact same thing Sherlock said. After the man finishes, Sherlock turns the tv’s off, drops the remote, and get up off the couch saying, ”Spot on. Please don’t get comfortable. We won’t be here long.”


The pilot of the first show, Elementary, switches to the main theme song and credits, as a marble is dropped along a Whoppie Goldberg like machine, going down rails, shooting a gun, breaking a sculpture, so on and so forth until it finally slows down its roll. The music get louder, faster, more dramatic, and then we see that the inside of the marble looks like a scene of New York, and the word Elementary pops up on the screen. Elementary is a fairly new detective show, and it deserves more credit than what it’s getting. It’s taking the great story of Sherlock Holmes, and turning it into a 21st century detective and shows what Sherlock would be like in our timeframe.


Although you won’t see this detective with a magnifying glass and a deerstalker, he does have a good set of coats to wear! Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) has no social skill whatsoever, makes connections that no other human would see, and uses drugs just like the original sherlock holmes; but this is where things gets different. At eight years old, Sherlocks Father (Who hasn’t been seen yet) sent him to a boarding school, where he was bullied due to his intelligence. Later on, he became a consultant for Scotland Yard, and worked homicide cases. Although the original Sherlock Holmes refrained from dealing with the affairs of love, This Sherlock can’t seem to get enough of it! I think it adds to the show, because all men fall for love, and when they fall, their perception and deduction is reduced, and much of the plot is affected later on due to his love for Irene Adler (Natalie Dormer). They also threw in a plot twist by having him be a recovering drug addict, and is helped recover  by his sober companion Joan Watson (Lucy Lu).


I really like how they had James Watson be Joan Watson, for it adds a creative edge to the tv show. Joan was a surgeon, who later quit her medicine job, and was hired by Sherlock’s father to  become a sober companion for him. After time drags on, Sherlock told Joan that her services were no longer needed, but she still stayed with Sherlock and consulted because she loves consulting  so much. Sherlock sort of took Joan in as his “protégé”, and teaches her the ropes on being a consultant.


Captain Gregson (Aidan Quinn) was in the original Sherlock Holmes books as a Scotland Yard inspector, first introduced in A Study in Scarlet. In this series, he is the lead detective of the New York Police Department, and has hired Sherlock and Joan as consultants. He’s a phenomenal detective, really does care for his force, and is very thankful for Watson and Sherlock. There is a little trouble at his home life though; he and his wife aren’t living together (though not divorced), and he has to take care of his daughters. Gregson went to London after 911 to see how the Scotland Yard police force was countering terrorism, and that is where he met Sherlock. Later, Sherlock traveled to New York and asked for a job as a consultant for the NYPD.


What's very interesting throughout the entire series, is that even though the main setting is in New York, he does occasionally travel back to London, either to meet his brother Mycroft (Rhys Ifans), or to continue a lead in his case. Sherlock left London to start fresh (After his rehab stint). This really adds to the plot, and it helps show how his addiction has affected his career. I really think that this has added to the fact on why the screenwriters decided to move him to New York, so they could have him start out right away with Joan in New York.


  The whole first season is about him trying to find Irene Adler’s killer. Irene was Sherlock’s love over in London, and a big reason he went into drugs was that she died. He has not been able to get closure, and his only lead is a single name; Moriarty. He has been trying to hunt him down ever since, but so far to no avail.


At the end of the Pilot, some indie music starts playing, and their finally wrapping up the beginning of the first episode. “You've decided to stay on as my companion, haven't you? He never would have agreed if you hadn't. I'm very pleased, Watson. For myself, of course, but for you. I happen to think there's some hope for you as an investigator.” The Pilot plot is resolved, and Joan decides to stay as his detective. Even though it may not be the closest show to an actually Sherlock Holmes film, it really puts him in a different light, and I would recommend it to any friend.


The author's comments:

On teen ink, elementary has gotten a bad rap, but I think it deserves more credit than what it's getting.


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