Elementary 1.10
Dec. 15th, 2012 06:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakIn which we meet the Watsons.
At first, I was a bit afraid we'd go with the super-ambitious Chinese mother cliché (I mean, I loved reading Amy Tan's novels back in the day, but since then, it has become at the very least a trope), but not so, not so. (Also, good continuity to the earlier reference to Watson's mother wishing Joan spoke more Mandarin by letting Mrs. Watson do the ordering at the restaurant in Chinese.) I really liked that Mrs. Watson doesn't have a "my daughter should be a surgeon, not a sober companion!" problem but a "does this job make my daughter happy?" problem. It also tied very well to something central to this show. Most takes on Holmes & Watson can easily demonstrate why Watson is good for Holmes, but this show really tackled the "...but is Holmes good for Watson?" part of the equation, i.e. we need reasons why Joan, once her sober companion-ship for Sherlock is over, should choose to stick around. What could be in that for her and what she wants from life. Increasingly showing Holmes be supportive of her (as opposed to just showing her supportive of him) is one reason but I love the show for not making it the only, or even the most important one: her enjoying the detective work is getting established as the key.
In other news: I rolled my eyes a bit at the twin scene at the start because I've seen it in so many shows, but couldn't help but notice the twins know Joan is the sober companion - which makes them the first people Sherlock didn't give a bullshit reason for Joan's presence in his life to first. (Well, he isn't a smartass with the Watsons, either, but they already know.) The keeping the Van Gogh overnight before returning it amused me, and yes - how could one not... Was a bit disappointed that Watson's brother isn't an alcoholic as in ACD, but then thought that after the addict ex last week, that would be overdoing it. Oh, and that their mother is clearly the matriarch, the one they look up to and reference, without being an Überambitious Trope, is a good counterpoint to having given Holmes daddy issues (and a living if invisible father).
Lastly: bonus point for not only working in a classic Holmes quote (his most famous maxim, in fact) but re-using it later for a wry banter moment between Watson and Holmes when she quotes it back at him.
At first, I was a bit afraid we'd go with the super-ambitious Chinese mother cliché (I mean, I loved reading Amy Tan's novels back in the day, but since then, it has become at the very least a trope), but not so, not so. (Also, good continuity to the earlier reference to Watson's mother wishing Joan spoke more Mandarin by letting Mrs. Watson do the ordering at the restaurant in Chinese.) I really liked that Mrs. Watson doesn't have a "my daughter should be a surgeon, not a sober companion!" problem but a "does this job make my daughter happy?" problem. It also tied very well to something central to this show. Most takes on Holmes & Watson can easily demonstrate why Watson is good for Holmes, but this show really tackled the "...but is Holmes good for Watson?" part of the equation, i.e. we need reasons why Joan, once her sober companion-ship for Sherlock is over, should choose to stick around. What could be in that for her and what she wants from life. Increasingly showing Holmes be supportive of her (as opposed to just showing her supportive of him) is one reason but I love the show for not making it the only, or even the most important one: her enjoying the detective work is getting established as the key.
In other news: I rolled my eyes a bit at the twin scene at the start because I've seen it in so many shows, but couldn't help but notice the twins know Joan is the sober companion - which makes them the first people Sherlock didn't give a bullshit reason for Joan's presence in his life to first. (Well, he isn't a smartass with the Watsons, either, but they already know.) The keeping the Van Gogh overnight before returning it amused me, and yes - how could one not... Was a bit disappointed that Watson's brother isn't an alcoholic as in ACD, but then thought that after the addict ex last week, that would be overdoing it. Oh, and that their mother is clearly the matriarch, the one they look up to and reference, without being an Überambitious Trope, is a good counterpoint to having given Holmes daddy issues (and a living if invisible father).
Lastly: bonus point for not only working in a classic Holmes quote (his most famous maxim, in fact) but re-using it later for a wry banter moment between Watson and Holmes when she quotes it back at him.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-15 06:33 am (UTC)And yeah, I'm glad they didn't go with the over achieving mum thing. I hope we see more of Mrs. Watson.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-15 11:12 am (UTC)It really was, all the more so because of the contrast to early on when he played that silly prank with her ex; by now, they know each other well enough that it's clear to him this whole family business is a very touchy matter to her. Plus it reminded me of the scene with Joan's other ex, the addict, in the last episode where she recites the apology he's about to make by heart and then says she knows all that, but what she can't understand is why he puts himself in the position of having to apologize again and again. Which is also true of other Holmes variations, like, say, Gregory House. But this Holmes, by contrast, has evidently learned and adjusted his behaviour with Watson, just as she is now applying his deductive methods to her non-Holmes life as well.
Mrs. Watson: I hope so, too.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-15 07:09 am (UTC)Well, he told Alistair, but then he presumably had to in order for their little fake-father trick to work.
no subject
Date: 2012-12-15 11:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-15 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-12-16 06:12 am (UTC)Hello there, and welcome!