Time and again, the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has been recreated, and in particular, the tales of everyone’s darling genius- Sherlock Holmes. The man needs no introduction, his work is his identity.
221 B Baker Street, London: the go-to place for all the mysteries…Theft, threat, mass threat, murders- a lot has been inside that room and the fandom cherishes it all as adventures with the man himself and his best friend, Dr. John Watson. Together the workmates, roommates and best mates –come together to fight crime in the bustling city of London.
In the recent years, we have seen two Sherlocks- Robert Downey Junior’s Sherlock set in the vintage era of the 1800s, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock set in the digital era. I have to admit that having seen the movies first, it was hard to knock off RDJ’s Sherlock, his soft eyes, and softer voice. For the first few episodes of the BBC Television series Sherlock, In fact, the first season, the idea of retelling the legend in a modern ambiance didn’t settle well.
The different era of Sherlock
We had all been accustomed to seeing Sherlock Holmes in the London of the 19th century, a London that has bullock carts, chimneys, British vintage homes and Victorian vibes. Which is why RDJ’s Sherlock went smoothly in our hearts. The London of old times was a much-needed premise for Sherlock, it seemed. BBC decided to over-throw the hitherto.
Thus, Cumberbatch’s Sherlock was new. Cumberbatch’s Sherlock was tweeting, YouTubing and text messaging. The whole vintage essence was gone, and it felt like the makers had done a veil experiment. It felt like they took the “British” out of Sherlock.
We saw RDJ’s Sherlock making newspaper headlines, and then there was Benedict’s Sherlock as an internet sensation, all thanks to Dr. John Watson’s blog on their chronicles! However, what we forgot was the man in the shoes is Benedict Cumberbatch! This Sherlock was new, but this man’s performance was fresh for the conventional Sherlock. What was being concluded as a failed experiment soon got fandom anticipating for Sherlock’s next move. We were all on the edge of our mind palace’s chairs! But wait, there is more difference than this.