Elementary 1.01 - "Pilot"

[tielan]

Honestly, couldn't they call it something else?

I like the characters and the potential in them. The story's a bit weak in places, but otherwise enjoyable.

I was always going to watch this, but the fact that my YT recip requested this as one of the possible fandoms pretty much adds to the impetus to view. Which definitely helps me actually sit down and watch things like this.

I'm listening to it second time through in order to get a feel for the voices. And a few issues are coming up - mostly as pertains to the early clues which lead the cops astray at first.

1. The second broken glass: she asked the delivery guy in for a cup of water? Or was this a habit? Never said, left hanging.

2. The bootprint on the door: the killer (the guy who killed her) luckily kicked the door on his way out and left a bootprint?

3. The saferoom was a fortuitious place to leave the body?

So the earliest parts of the series have a few holes in them as far as the logic goes. BUT the dynamic between Holmes and Watson looks good: her disbelief and reluctant drawing into his world, his frustration and the way he comes to accept her presence - even if he's denying it.

I'd have watched this for Lucy Liu in any case - she does a wonderful job of the careful and controlled Jane Holmes - once again, it's the stoic, competent woman, eeeeee! - but Jonny Lee Miller is a very nice bonus!

Conclusion: watchable for the dynamic between Holmes and Watson, and the acting by JLM and LL.

Comments

[copracat]

The dynamic between Watson and Holmes only gets better. It's clear the writers and the actors really, really care about building real, explicable and resilient friendship between them.

The plots... not so much. Okay, I think they improve slightly.

If you choose this fandom for YT and need a sounding board or whatever, I'd be happy to gasbag about the show.

[tielan]

I will probably take you up on that. :)

[hickumu]

The dynamic between Holmes and Watson - and, in later episodes, the dynamic between the two of them, Gregson, and Detective Bell - is really the main draw of the show. I'm four episodes in so far. I think the cases do improve, overall, but they improve slowly, and it's mostly a vehicle to get the characters around and about the place.

That said, the fourth episode did take me genuinely by surprise, so I'd love to hear your take on it when you get there.

I hope you continue to enjoy it!

[tielan]

I may have to switch off my "disbelief radar", although granted, I didn't notice the issues with the case the first time through; it was only on repeat watching that I realised the clues were intended to point somewhere but they didn't really originate from anywhere.

But, yes, I'm very much liking the dynamic. And Aiden Quinn as Gregson, too! Bonus!

[hickumu]

Well, hey, that's something! I didn't really notice until you mentioned it. I think it just reinforces that the cases are meant to move the characters, the characters aren't meant to move the cases. I do think it gets better about that, though. Or maybe I just haven't repeat watched enough.

Another thing I like about this show is that it does get Joan interacting with people who aren't Sherlock. She develops a good thing with Gregson and Bell.

[tielan]

Just from comments, it looks like the main character dynamic is Joan. The main story impetus is Sherlock, but Joan seems to be the one who tempers him - otherwise it looks like he'd burn out.

[hickumu]

Precisely. She tempers him in a lot of ways, without it veering into complete and utter codependance, and you see early on that he tends to run himself ragged without supervision. He stays up for nights at a time trying to solve one case.

[beatrice_otter]

I don't watch for the cases, I watch for the characters! The cases are slightly better than normal detective shows, but the acting an characters are superb.