It took me longer, I think, than most fans to fall in the love with the
Sherlock series. I liked it, but didn't love it as much as others I knew. Now I think part of my problem was that I watching episodes in pieces instead of all at once (each episode is an hour and a half). Today, I love it, and here's my review.
Who is it For?
I feel like Sherlock Holmes, or renditions of him, have been around for so long that either you like Sherlock Holmes, or you don't. The BBC series differs than the original in that it takes place in modern London, so instead of Watson writing down his adventures with Sherlock on paper, he has a blog, instead of letters, they get messages. If you love crime shows, mystery shows, or the characters and their relationships in previous remakes, you'll probably like this Sherlock.
Review
What I love most about Sherlock, is the character dynamics. I know, the story revolves around solving cases, which is fun and exciting, and keeps interest, but so many of the characters are so unique (and portrayed so well) that often I find the relationships and characterizations more interesting than the cases. Watching the character arc of Sherlock is what sold my heart on the show.
Sherlock starts off with having no friends and dismal social skills. He cares about solving crimes more than he does about people. As the series progresses, he gains friends he's willing to lose his pride for, to die for, and learns to be more sociable and kinder. All of this is because of his relationship with John Watson. The show illustrates the power and influence a positive, real relationship can have on an individual.
John Watson has his own arc. He goes from thinking Sherlock is a heartless, jerk, antihero, to gaining a deeper understanding of him, considering him a best friend, and a hero, in spite of his flaws.
I'm a sucker for that. I'm a sucker for relationships where character's gain a deep understanding of one another and become better people because of it, especially when the relationship has flaws and imperfections.
