By Cookie 'n' Screen
It has been three whole years since the BBC acclaimed series Sherlock came bounding to our screens. No matter what year you got into the Sherlock Holmes adaptation by Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat, there is no doubt that you were gripped. By the finale of season two, we were all left on the ultimate cliff hanger, only to be fed snippets of a new series to keep us salivating longer. Well, we can wait no more, as December the 15th will see the Season Three premiere open at the BFI with only a handful of fans able to see it. No fear, soon after we will finally know just what went down on the rooftop of St Bartholomew’s.
Until then, let’s recap our favourite moments starting with Martin Freeman's BAFTA Winning Dr John Watson.
It has been three whole years since the BBC acclaimed series Sherlock came bounding to our screens. No matter what year you got into the Sherlock Holmes adaptation by Mark Gatiss and Stephen Moffat, there is no doubt that you were gripped. By the finale of season two, we were all left on the ultimate cliff hanger, only to be fed snippets of a new series to keep us salivating longer. Well, we can wait no more, as December the 15th will see the Season Three premiere open at the BFI with only a handful of fans able to see it. No fear, soon after we will finally know just what went down on the rooftop of St Bartholomew’s.
Until then, let’s recap our favourite moments starting with Martin Freeman's BAFTA Winning Dr John Watson.
Not How She Treats Royalty
Martin Freeman has this great ability throughout the whole of Sherlock to be able to hilarious in this humanistic way. Often the source of most witty remarks and quips back to the consulting detective, Freeman has encapsulated a pretty funny and pragmatic man. An example of the comedy this Original BBC Drama entails and perhaps one of my favourite lines in the whole six episodes. Here is the aftermath of their first meeting with Irene Adler. For those out of the loop, Adler has some incriminating photos of a Royal and wants to use it for protection. And let’s just say, she definitely gets the upper hand. Choosing indignantly not to pursue her, Sherlock and Watson explain the situation to Mycroft, who is rather pissed off at the whole situation that he entrusted his brother with. The conversation goes like this.
Martin Freeman has this great ability throughout the whole of Sherlock to be able to hilarious in this humanistic way. Often the source of most witty remarks and quips back to the consulting detective, Freeman has encapsulated a pretty funny and pragmatic man. An example of the comedy this Original BBC Drama entails and perhaps one of my favourite lines in the whole six episodes. Here is the aftermath of their first meeting with Irene Adler. For those out of the loop, Adler has some incriminating photos of a Royal and wants to use it for protection. And let’s just say, she definitely gets the upper hand. Choosing indignantly not to pursue her, Sherlock and Watson explain the situation to Mycroft, who is rather pissed off at the whole situation that he entrusted his brother with. The conversation goes like this.
Sherlock: You must treat her like royalty.
Watson: Although, not the way she treats royalty.
It is a titter moment, true, but it is clever and the only person who laughs is Sherlock, which is kind of a small testament to how close these two have become.
Watson: Although, not the way she treats royalty.
It is a titter moment, true, but it is clever and the only person who laughs is Sherlock, which is kind of a small testament to how close these two have become.
Drugged Watson
So close in fact that Sherlock sees no problem in drugging the poor guy. This is a very modern adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous Holmes story: The Hounds of Baskerville. Set predominantly in Dorset, Hounds of Baskerville follows Sherlock as he tries to unearth the strange goings on involving a near mythical beast. The dog has been stalking Henry Knight (the fantastic Russell Tovey) and Sherlock, who has no time to deal with imaginary hounds with glowing eyes, is determined to solve this mystery. Problem is, he needs to test out his theory and in the research labs nearby, Sherlock uses John as his guinea pig. It is rather terrifying and fun to watch Watson scurry around a research lab. The dog may not be, but Watsons fear is very very real.
By The Poolside
At the end of season one, a figure comes into the path of the pair; a man named Moriarty who has a hand in all the crimes. When Moriarty targets Sherlock for a game of wits, it is Watson who ends up in the firing line. The climactic scene sees Sherlock arranging a clandestine meeting with his foe in a pool (it’s important, and not random.) Unfortunately, Moriarty is one step ahead and has Watson at ransom, in a vest full of explosives. However, Watson is forever the solider and forever loyal. In the midst of the stand-off, he grapples Moriarty in a sacrificial move. In the moment of certain death and fear, Watson chooses to be braver than anyone on the series.
At the end of season one, a figure comes into the path of the pair; a man named Moriarty who has a hand in all the crimes. When Moriarty targets Sherlock for a game of wits, it is Watson who ends up in the firing line. The climactic scene sees Sherlock arranging a clandestine meeting with his foe in a pool (it’s important, and not random.) Unfortunately, Moriarty is one step ahead and has Watson at ransom, in a vest full of explosives. However, Watson is forever the solider and forever loyal. In the midst of the stand-off, he grapples Moriarty in a sacrificial move. In the moment of certain death and fear, Watson chooses to be braver than anyone on the series.
He’s Moriarty
There is something about Watson’s convictions here that is remarkable. In the last episode, The Reichenbach Fall, Moriarty has played a devilish hand and has not only proved he can escape prisons but he can undermine everything Sherlock Holmes is. On the run from the police, after Sherlock finds himself suspect in a kidnapping case, they find themselves at investigative reporter Kitty Riley’s house as she has unearthed some “truths” about Sherlock. In this pretty grim fairy tale, Moriarty has fabricated a lie that he is some actor and Sherlock was lying about his intelligence and the crimes he solved. Watson, in a fit of rage, cannot take it and shouts at the man who strapped a bomb to him, persistent that all he knows is not a lie.
Confronting Mycroft
Carrying on from this, (can you tell which episode is my favourite?) when Sherlock announces he is going to solve the final problem alone, Watson takes it upon himself to hunt down the source of Moriarty’s information; Sherlock’s own brother Mycroft. Watson, being perhaps the best person on this show, is dismayed at Mycroft’s choice to hand over valuable notes to Sherlocks nemesis’ (who then goes and uses against him.) With the right level of sarcasm and disgust, Watson damns Mycroft. It is an interesting power play as Watson is often belittled by the Holmes’ brothers. To see him now have the upper hand, the righteous hand is great, spitting some insults too.
Carrying on from this, (can you tell which episode is my favourite?) when Sherlock announces he is going to solve the final problem alone, Watson takes it upon himself to hunt down the source of Moriarty’s information; Sherlock’s own brother Mycroft. Watson, being perhaps the best person on this show, is dismayed at Mycroft’s choice to hand over valuable notes to Sherlocks nemesis’ (who then goes and uses against him.) With the right level of sarcasm and disgust, Watson damns Mycroft. It is an interesting power play as Watson is often belittled by the Holmes’ brothers. To see him now have the upper hand, the righteous hand is great, spitting some insults too.
You Machine
Similarly, if confronting Mycroft wasn’t enough, Watson is also famous for calling out Sherlock for his complete lack of humanity (although, secretly we know that’s not quite true.) It is coming to the climax of the games that Sherlock and Moriarty have been playing. As a ruse, Watson receives a phone call saying Mrs Hudson has been shot. Mrs Hudson being their landlady and someone both men really care about. Watson in shock attempts to rally Sherlock to go to the hospital to see her, only for Sherlock to refuse. Immediately stunned, Watson release a tirade about how Sherlock is pushing them away and being selfish in doing so. Calling him a machine and storming off, little does Watson know that it was a ploy but he is reacting as a better man.
The Crutch
Interestingly enough, Gatiss and Moffat are huge Sherlock Holmes fan. This isn’t more apparent than the attention to detail that the pair pop into their show. Especially with Watson’s injury. Perhaps the most stellar first episode of any series, A Study in Pink is the introductory one. Although some may argue this, the feel is more focused on Watson and his journey to meet Sherlock. In fact, I think Sherlock is the flash while Watson is this realistic character with his life changed by meeting this man. But what is more, Watson has a bad leg, a limp that is affected by a war wound. Trying to get by in this drastic turn of events, he struggles along with a crutch. But when meeting Sherlock, he finds that his life is changed in more ways than one, and getting caught up in Holmes’ world means that he iconically loses his crutch and abandons it in a café. It’s a beautiful moment.
I Had Bad Days
One of the best comedy moments within the show happens early on in A Scandle In Belgravia and is one of the most memorable moments. Sherlock needs a disguise entering the den of Adler, a clever and meticulous woman. Choosing to play victim, Sherlock asks John to punch him so he has evidence of a scuffle. Slightly confused, John asks why which ends up in a pretty damn funny scuffle between the pair which includes the lines;
“I always hear ‘punch me’ but it is usually subtext,”
and one of the funniest exchanges between the pair which goes;
“You’ve got to remember Sherlock, I was in a war, I killed people.
“You were a Doctor,”
“I had bad days!”
You can’t get better than that.
“I always hear ‘punch me’ but it is usually subtext,”
and one of the funniest exchanges between the pair which goes;
“You’ve got to remember Sherlock, I was in a war, I killed people.
“You were a Doctor,”
“I had bad days!”
You can’t get better than that.
Nerves Of Steel
This scene is particularly interesting. In A Study in Pink, Sherlock comes face to face with the murderer who happens to be a taxi driver. Having an intellectual stand off where our cabbie reveals how he killed people and made it look like suicide, Sherlock gets too invested in his own ego and ends up nearly taking a pill that would lead to certain death. Watson is racing to get to Sherlock in time, having figured out that Sherlock was driven off by the killer. Without hesitation, Watson shoots and kills the cabbie without being seen. And although he doesn’t figure out straight away, when Sherlock discovers Watson was the mystery shooter, he keeps shtum.
It works so well because while you are engrossed in Sherlock and his crazy deductions, this is the moment when everyone knew Watson was just as great. He wasn’t there to serve as a crutch to Sherlock and he had his own standing in this universe. In their different way
It works so well because while you are engrossed in Sherlock and his crazy deductions, this is the moment when everyone knew Watson was just as great. He wasn’t there to serve as a crutch to Sherlock and he had his own standing in this universe. In their different way
Graveside Watson
Of course this moment in the series would have to be top and frankly, it deserves to be top on a lot of Sherlock lists. Sherlock is believed to be dead and Watson goes to visit his grave, uttering a speech that is very powerful. Putting the final touches to the stellar acting list, Martin Freeman delivers one of the most heart wrenching monologues. Not only this, but he layers the moment. It is not all out grief. It is angry, it is quiet and it is stunning. While there are phrases of admiration for Sherlock and sentences that would make a weeping man cry, it is the sadness that cracks through when he is trying to hold it together. It’s the tears that he doesn’t want people to see and the sorrow he doesn’t want to face himself. This moment will always be poignant and wonderful.
Of course this moment in the series would have to be top and frankly, it deserves to be top on a lot of Sherlock lists. Sherlock is believed to be dead and Watson goes to visit his grave, uttering a speech that is very powerful. Putting the final touches to the stellar acting list, Martin Freeman delivers one of the most heart wrenching monologues. Not only this, but he layers the moment. It is not all out grief. It is angry, it is quiet and it is stunning. While there are phrases of admiration for Sherlock and sentences that would make a weeping man cry, it is the sadness that cracks through when he is trying to hold it together. It’s the tears that he doesn’t want people to see and the sorrow he doesn’t want to face himself. This moment will always be poignant and wonderful.
The World Premiere of Series 3 airs on the 15th December. Don't miss it.
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