SHERLOCK: A series that defines Sherlock Holmes of 21st century

    I recently got my hands on the DVD title of Sherlock, the TV series on BBC One from one of my friends. And I must say that there has never been any TV series that has impressed me to the extent Sherlock has, whether it is Spartacus, Prison Break or Supernatural. This modern take on the world’s most famous fictional character, the genius Sherlock Holmes and his adventures with compatriot Dr. John Watson is a compelling set of 3 episodes each spanning around 90 minutes. The series is two seasons old now and fans are already waiting eagerly for the third season including me. This is pretty much reminiscent to the good old days when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had to bring Sherlock Holmes back from heavens bowing to the requests of his fans.

 

    Sherlock Holmes is played to perfection by the British actor Benedict Cumberbatch who has previously proved his acting prowess in BBC drama Hawking as Stephen Hawking in 2004 and as William Pitt in the acclaimed historical movie Amazing Grace. However, he is entirely different in Sherlock and his portrayal of the legendary detective has become a cult in itself. Martin Freeman is adorable in his role as Dr. Watson and his innocence and genuine facial expressions make for a lot of light moments.

    Jim Moriarty is played by Andrew Scott. I was expecting Moriarty to be large and intimidating, but here you have a smaller Moriarty who more than makes up for the size with frequent bursts of ferocity and playfulness that play around the character interchangeably. As rightly said by Moriarty in one of the episodes, “I am so changeable!” - This Moriarty is an epitome of viciousness and unpredictability and gives Sherlock Holmes a run for his money.   

    The series is conceptualized by Steven Moffat (who is known for his writing in Steven Spielberg’s Tintin and the famous TV series Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss who also plays Mycroft Holmes (Sherlock’s annoying brother) in the series. I also loved the OSTs composed exclusively for the series by David Arnold and Michael Price. The series was received with great applause and critical acclaim. The first season went on to win the 2011 BAFTA. It’s got a rating of 9.1 on IMDB.

   It was not possible for me to follow the series on TV as BBC One is not aired in India and I don’t get the time to be regular with a series. So getting the entire series on DVD was a boon. After watching the entire two seasons within a week I feel sad now as I miss my daily dose of Sherlock that I enjoyed every night for that one week. It is that addictive! The third season is supposedly scheduled to be aired in 2013.