Many believe, especially in the uber-geek world, that no show or movie based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved character Sherlock Holmes can hold a candle to the BBC’s Sherlock, helmed by Mark Gatiss and Doctor Who’s Steven Moffat. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, Sherlock is a clever, captivating and, at times, shocking show. But, for all its genius, it’s also a rather short show. With only three episodes per season and only two seasons having aired so far, Sherlock doesn’t come close to the number of mysteries solved by its American counterpart, CBS’s Elementary.
Although counterpart might not be the best word to describe the two shows. While they both focus on a modern day Holmes, it’s really there that their similarities end. Elementary follows the usual case-of-the-week format as the other popular crime shows out there. But it stands apart, both from the crime shows and Sherlock, with its strong female characters.
First you have Dr. Joan Watson – a change from the standard male sidekick, John Watson. It was a switch that many speculated was purely for attention and doubted could be pulled off.
A sidekick is often a device used to bring the audience up to speed; their ignorance reflects our own. The lead’s ability to teach his friend is the writer’s way of making sure we are all keeping up on the clues that have been laid out for us. A sidekick is often someone more tangible than the great hero, and provides the audience eyes into the soul of the main character. But once we see the hero the way the sidekick does, once we know the method of the show, the sidekick becomes collateral damage – often only staying relevant by getting themselves into countless trouble the hero must (obviously) save them from.
In Elementary, elements of the sidekick are dispersed amongst several characters, and the hero role is shared. Sure, Sherlock Holmes will always be the hero, but in Elementary, so is Watson. Played by Lucy Liu, who somehow makes every character she portrays equally strong and graceful, Elementary’s Watson isn’t awestruck or even a bit bumbling. She is a woman coming into her own. After several attempts to apply her talents, first as a surgeon, then as a sober companion, Watson has found a place where she truly shines.
She is the student to Holmes’s teacher, but she is not naïve nor untested. Her skills not only aid but, at times, surpass Holmes’s brilliant mind. She balances him out, yes. Takes care of him, absolutely. But she is never less than him. They are Holmes and Watson, a unit that is weakened should one be removed.
Joan Watson’s strength and presence on screen is matched by Holmes’ other femme fatale, Irene Adler. In other incarnations, Adler has been little more than a tease. In Elementary, she is Holmes’s heart’s desire and his mind’s worst enemy. It’s hard to write about Irene without giving too much away. So, treading carefully here, I will say that I love what they did with Irene’s character; how she and Holmes are different sides of the same coin. No one could have been better at pulling this off than Game of Thrones’ Natalie Dormer. It was a perfectly cast and perfectly written character. I can only hope we see her next season, as there seems more to discover about this woman than even Sherlock Holmes himself could uncover. I have no doubt though, that Holmes and Watson will unravel Adler’s mystery. And with more than three episodes a season, Elementary will have the time to explore this “case of identity.”
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