Sherlock Holmes. Brilliant consulting detective. Master of deduction. I grew up reading the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. I was always amazed at the unequaled genius of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Am i the only one who has tried to play “Sherlock Holmes”? Has anybody else ever tried to analyze a person to see if they could figure out their life story just by how they looked? I admit, i still do that these days when i am bored. If the professor is delivering an especially mundane lecture i evaluate their shoes, outfit, any jewelry they might have on, their hair…unfortunately i usually come to the conclusion that they are a middle aged professor who woke up this morning and went to work…Sherlock would not be impressed.
When i first heard that there was a t.v. show about him i was somewhat wary. After all, t.v. shows and movies rarely live up to what we have in mind for our favorite books. We are bound to be disappointed by how a certain character is portrayed, what they look like, or how the plot itself differs from the original.
Therefore i resisted the temptation to watch the BBC show “Sherlock”. I was content with the books and did not want to see them tarnished in any way. However, i am an avid Pinterest user. Within a few weeks of hearing about “Sherlock”, i began to see pictures pop up showing a man wearing a trench coat who had cheekbones that could cut glass. At first glance i was not overly impressed. But something continued to draw me in…i don’t know what it was…all i know is that i could not get enough of this man. The pictures, the quotes from the show, all played a part in driving me to the need to watch “Sherlock” for the very first time.
After that i was hooked. This show exceeded my expectations dramatically. Sherlock is as brilliant, calculating, and eccentric as i have always imagined him to be. Watson is his loyal sidekick; sometimes frustrated by his lack of common courtesy but nevertheless willing to go along with his seemingly crazy schemes. While some women are drawn to Watson (because he really is precious), most of the hysteria on the internet is focused on Sherlock, himself, which leads me to ask the simple question: why?
Benedict Cumberbatch is the man behind the funny hat. Sherlock Holmes. Not a bloody psychopath but a high functioning sociopath (with your number). He is drug addict and is constantly in need of a new case in order to overcome the boredom that quickly sets in. Why are women of all ages obsessing over this man? I believe the answer is quite obvious. Irene Adler herself gives it to us in “A Scandal in Belgravia”…she says, “Brainy is the new sexy.” Truer words have never been spoken.
We fell in love with Sherlock Holmes (and Benedict Cumberbatch by default) because of his brilliant mind (and marvelous cheekbones). His intensity when thinking through a case. The scowl he wears almost constantly as a reminder that his brain is never at rest. He knows more than we could ever hope to know. He could tell you your life story simply by examining a button that falls off your coat. This is a man who does not stop to think about necessary social graces. He is far too busy with more important things in life.
But there is another side that we see of Sherlock. It is the side that he tries so desperately to hide. The sensitive side. The side that shows itself most often around John Watson. If Watson is his loyal sidekick, Sherlock is Watson’s devoted companion. Sherlock would do anything for John and it is obvious throughout the series. He throws himself into the fire to pull John out; he puts his own life in danger just to save him. If you watch closely, you can at times see Sherlock’s vulnerability creep into his eyes. It rarely lasts long enough to be physically dealt with before he closes it off.
This is the man that women of all ages are in love with. A stunningly brilliant man who would do anything for his one true friend. A man who knows how to do almost everything, yet is unable to cope with his own emotions. A man whom you can’t help falling for. You want to be with him to watch as his mind goes to work deducing. You want to be the one that he finally is able to share his feelings with. You want to care for him and be the one to remind him that he needs to eat…or sleep…even when he is working on a case. There are so many things that you think he should do…yet you know that if he changed he would not be the same man you fell in love with. And you wouldn’t change him for the world.
As you can probably tell, i have fallen completely and utterly under the spell of this man with the funny name. Mr. Benedict Cumberbatch, i applaud you. Thank you for making the Sherlock Holmes of my imagination come to life. You, sir, are brilliant.
The Golden Age is Before Us 