Companions in Adventure

With nothing else to do one night in the winter of 2010, I turned on Masterpiece to watch an updated version of Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, and was immediately hooked.

I'd never had much interest in the Victorian detective before, but something about this 21st-century interpretation intrigued me. Part of it was that I knew the creators of this series had also worked on Doctor Who. In fact, Cumberbatch was considered for the part of the 11th Doctor.

Although I really knew little about the character of Holmes, either from the stories or the numerous screen adaptations, I was impressed with Cumberbatch's approach. It was also interesting that Dr. Watson was portrayed as a British Army physician who had served in Afghanistan, linking him directly to the Arthur Conan Doyle character.

Anyway, I watched the three episodes of the series on three successive nights (on the web), and then went searching for more. Within the next three months, I read all of Doyle's works featuring Holmes.

For me, it was easy to get comfortable at 221b Baker Street. What I enjoyed most was the camaraderie of Holmes and Watson. I probably imagined myself sitting in a well-used chair by the fire, smoking, reading, and always having someone with whom to discuss an idea. Someone who expected nothing from you but integrity and consistency.

Next, I may track down the previous BBC adventures featuring Jeremy Brett. I'm also somewhat intrigued now by the Robert Downey, Jr.-Jude Law movie, which I hadn't been previously. In addition, I now see the connection to the TV show House: House/Holmes; Wilson/Watson - they even live together sometimes! Although he never played Holmes (that I know of), Hugh Laurie had a long career on British TV before House. And that leads me back to another connection: Doctor Who. Like Holmes, the Doctor is always the smartest guy in the room, and he needs a companion in his adventures, even if he can never really show that companion how much he cares.

There are probably a lot of other examples out there - I'll keep looking!

I've written reviews of all the books, including a summation of my thoughts on Holmes, on my site at LibraryThing.