Elementary: Let’s start off with showing y’all this trailer/preview shall we?

Yep, today we’re talking about another one of my favorite Sherlock Holmes adaptations titled Elementary.

Now before we get too far, before people come and attack me for saying wait hold on didn’t u in the Sherlock Holmes movie reviews say u don’t like Sherlock Holmes placed in the modern day? Well yes, that is true. However In my personal opinion, Elementary does a better job at doing that than the show Sherlock.

These changes in the show I can get behind, such as (and minor spoilers).

Sherlock is a recovering drug addict. Granted that’s almost every adaptation of Sherlock, but still.

This Sherlock is a douchbag, yes, but he’s smart about it. He’s not a douchbag to his best friends, he’s a douchbag in different circumstances. Unlike the Eggs Benedict Cumber Snaps Sherlock version where he’s just a douchbag 24/7, to his best friends nonetheless.

This Sherlock in Elementary goes through major character development, try naming 1 character development Eggs Benedict Cumber Snaps Sherlock goes through. Because by the end of the series, he stays exactly the same way as he was, I almost wonder why Watson hangs out with him in that show.

Now do I have anything against Martin Freeman’s Watson in that show? Nope. I actually liked that Watson.

John Watson is a female and now being called Joan Watson, she’s an ex-surgeon but her career ended because she got into a relationship at work.

Why is she working for Sherlock? Well, it’s because Sherlock’s father hired her to watch an eye on him so he doesn’t do drugs again.

Irene Adler is  Jane Moriarty instead of James Moriarty, in this show. Yes, so Sherlock basically dated and banged Moriarty (yes that sounds weird but there’s something to the way they take that angle of the show).

This Moriarty is absolutely better than the Sherlock shows Moriarty because in that show he has no motivation. He just runs off the logic of um I’m insane can’t u tell, like nothing about that Moriartys plans makes sense.

At one point he is trying to kill Sherlock, then another moment he’s wanting to become Sherlock’s greatest enemy, but then another moment he’s just trying to make Sherlock look insane by convincing everyone that Moriarty isn’t real and is just a facade.

But then another moment he wants to create a death pact with Sherlock where he offs himself and then expects Sherlock to do so afterward, seriously try making any sense of what I just said. Because if that came off confusing, trust me it’s a whole lot more confusing in that show.

If the answer is it’s because he’s crazy, then that’s a lazy answer because even crazy people have their own morals. Idk what this guy is, it’s like he’s the personification of ADHD mixed with cocaine, if they had legs and arms.

Unfortunately, her Irene Adler side is mediocre, but here’s the thing they combined both characters together.

I like this shows an interpretation of Detective Lestrade, he’s close friends with Sherlock and will call Sherlock out on his bullshite.

But yeah those changes I like, also this show is a crime/detective/drama, I’m more of a fan of detective shows. I like how in this show Sherlock comes up to conclusions using deduction and his smartness.

Where in the Sherlock show, Eggs Benedict Cumber Snaps Sherlock come up to conclusions because of magic? Or the script gods say he needs to come up to his deduction.

Also, I love the casting, u got

Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes

Lucy Liu as Joan Watson

Sean Pertwee as Inspector Lestrade

Rhys Ifans as Mycroft Holmes

Natalie Dormer as Jane Moriarty/Irene Adler

But yeah I find myself rewatching this show often so I’ll give this show a solid 9/10, now I’m gonna give slight spoilers to specific episodes mainly 2 episodes. Then I’ll add a bit more about Moriarty, heck I’ll also talk about Mycroft because I didn’t talk about him (spoiler alert he’s not my favorite part of the show).

So there are 2 specific parts to 2 random episodes I wanna discuss, especially since I’d like to compare this Sherlock’s genius intellect compared to Eggs Benedict Cumber Snaps Sherlock. To even show u what I mean, I’d like to talk about this one episode where Sherlock uses his deduction to determine a room they are in has a secret room.

In this one episode, they get called over because of a murder, but they don’t see a body anywhere. As they are about to give up, Sherlock notices there’s a bit (a tiny bit) of an incline near the bedside, to show this he takes a marble from a bowl and puts it on the floor, it starts rolling over towards the wall.

He then goes to the bedside table and pushes a button which causes the wall to open where they find a dead body. Now let’s compare that to how Sherlock in Eggs Benedict Cumber Snaps Sherlock does any deduction thinking. In one episode they see a dead body near a river.

And for some reason, Sherlock deducts that the person was assassinated by a specific Assassin, talking about assuming something with no real evidence. But somehow he turns out to be correct because the script says so, both he and Watson then locate the killer and chase him down, again how does he find him? The answer is the script.

Because he found the killer’s location completely offscreen, do u see what I mean by the show doesn’t really show too well how Sherlock figures out things?

In that show, he just figures out things because of script.

Anyways let’s now let’s compare the famous episode titled The Hounds of Baskerville. Spoiler alert I’m not too keen on the Sherlock shows interpretation of it, ok I will give that episode some credit the atmosphere is creepy in the episode.

But my issue boils down to this world’s greatest genius instantly thinking a Hell hound is real, furthermore turns out the Hell hound is a killer wearing night vision goggles and a gas mask. Right how the heck u mistaken a middle-aged man wearing a gas mask as a Hell hound is beyond me.

While in Elementary, the show does a unique take on the story. Where it turns out the Hell hound is a robotic dog that the serial killer uses to creep her victim’s out. Yes this killer this time is a female instead of a male.

Me personally I like this change that the Hell hound is a robot dog, that’s a good way to modernize that story. I mean if ur a killer who has access to that tech, of course ur gonna use it.

Now let’s talk about this one specific scene in a episode, in a episode both Sherlock and Watson and called over to a woman who tells them her husband just left her and hasn’t taken back any of her calls.

She doesn’t understand why he would since he loved her, while she says this Sherlock notices some mold on the wall. How thr woman didn’t notice that is beyond me, he says let’s take this conversation outside so we can look at ur gorgeous garden.

He tells them I’ll meet u outside I have to go use the restroom, he then starts knocking on the wall then takes a painting off the wall. He comes outside to pull Watson aside quickly and he says well one thing is for certain her husband didn’t leave her, he was murdered and buried in the walls.

I could tell because of seeing mold on the walls. Watson says u sure? Which Sherlock says I’m fairly certain. Then we cut to the wall he was investigating where we see this hole in the wall with her dead husband’s rotting corpse in the wall. That imagery fucked me up btw.

I mean the whole idea of murder is creepy but uh living in a house with ur dead spouse in ur walls without u knowing is a different level of nightmare fuel.

Why did I talk about small specific scenes from episodes? It’s because I’m giving y’all an idea of how clever Sherlock is and how he uses deduction in this show.

Now let’s finally talk about Moriarty, or Irene Adler I guess. So in this show he was married to Irene Adler. She loved art, they both were happy together. Unfortunately one day he comes home and finds her dead on the floor covered in blood.

This broke him so much that he turned to drugs and even more drugs, this is what made him spiral down into becoming a drug addict.

Near the end of season 1, he accidentally discovers she’s still alive, she’s been in some random house. Oh and now she has Amnesia, but there’s more. Shortly after and before this Sherlock got a call from a guy saying he’s Moriarty. This guy is trying to taunt and ruin Sherlock.

But it turns out that Irene Adler was a facade and her name is really Jane Moriarty, what a twist. I actually didn’t see this one coming and I got to give praise to the showrunners for sticking to this plot twist.

Also what this does to Sherlock fucks him up. He ends up doing drugs again just once but that’s enough to get him put into a hospital, in a way Moriarty did win she did the ultimate mind fuck to Sherlock. And let’s face it that’s what Moriarty gas always tried to do. Always either try ruining Sherlock because they are enemies, or prove that they are better then one another because both are intelligent beings.

But this was also a trap that Sherlock created for Moriarty, he knew if he’d do drugs again. He’d be found and be hospitalized, but then Moriarty would come visit him. Which he banked on because he then had the cops come and arrest her because he fully knew she’d show up.

Again Sherlock always getting the upper hand over Moriarty, u got to love it.

Oh and there’s Mycroft, ehhh I didn’t care for him because he has this story in season 2 when he comes into the show, that it turns out he’s hiding a truth from his brother. He’s working for a government agency, I could care less let’s move on.

So overall which show interpretation do I prefer? Hmm let’s see,

Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock BBC): a Holier Than Now Smarter Than U who has to make the ultimate Sacrifice, and prove to everyone why he was always the most special person in the world.

Sherlock Holmes (Elementary): a Holier than now jerk ass who has to take some humble pie and let himself be the sacrificial queen so that his enemy can be put in checkmate. Hmmmm.

Dr. Watson (Sherlock BBC): war veteran who’s disliked for complacency forces him to be cow-owned by some arrogant prick.

Dr. Watson (Elementary): or a traumatized surgeon who finds a new life in taking down serial killers. Hmmmm.

Moriarty (Sherlock BBC): loud mouth arrogant (possibly AdHD) supervillain kills himself because he’s bored.

Moriarty (Elementary): or a quiet and intelligent criminal mastermind who’s only outdone by her own arrogance in a complete in-character moment.

Yeah no which one do u think I’m gonna be sticking with? Yeah if I’ve not made it clear I’m just personally not a fan of Sherlock BBC. I mean it’s fine if any of y’all like that show, but this is just one man’s preference.

Anyways I hope y’all enjoyed this film, and here’s a tease for the next November review.

Till next time.