The Illustrious Client S3E11 and The One That Got Away S3E12 - Kitty Foyle(d) it.

One of the problems 'Elementary' is always going to face is having a character named Sherlock Holmes that bares very little resemblance to the image most people have of the Victorian detective.
Where 'Sherlock' at times seems to have plucked the Victorian Holmes out of 1895 London and dropped him, complete with wardrobe, habits and mannerisms, into 21st century London (which they are doing well), 'Elementary' as brought forth a Holmes more a creature of these present times, absent of most of traits we have come to expect from our image of Sherlock Holmes. Maybe in some eyes, this has been a failing of this show. It has, however, been a bold attempt to examine Holmes as a creature of the times he is now in.
When discussing the Canon at many Sherlockian events, arguments have often been bolstered up with some phrase along the lines of; "Well, they did things differently back then." or "People looked at things differently in Victorian times.", "We have to examine things in the context of their time."
'Sherlock' has found a way of balancing its seemingly Victorian-like Holmes in a way that has worked for it without actually giving us a modern Holmes. (I think it is the strong Watson they have in the show.)
Much of the time, this tampering, in 'Elementary', with the image has not served the show very well, being an almost parody of our much loved detective. Yes there have been episodic exceptions, but for the most part, Playing the Game with 'Elementary' has been an exercise in trying to dig up Sherlockian references (no matter how tenuous) in a show that lacks them.

The last few weeks, for me, the episodes have not fallen into that habit. Several episodes this season seem to suggest that 'Elementary' if not actually having found it's stride is very close to doing so.

I watched these latest two episodes, 'The Illustrious Client' and 'The One That Got Away', almost back to back, instead of spreading them over two weeks. That is why I am reviewing them as one.

At the end of S3E10 we find Holmes attending the crime scene of a murdered and branded young woman. The markings on the young woman are identical to those left on Kitty by her abductor.
'The Illustrious Client' found Holmes and gang pursuing an individual, de Merville, they suspected of the crime, erroneously for time thinking they had found the perpetrator of the crimes against Kitty. We find, near the end of this first episode, that although a loathsome individual in his own right, de Merville is not the man who violated Kitty. Holmes and Joan are reluctant to believe this in the beginning, The plot thickens with Kitty hearing the voice of Joan's new boss and recognizing it as the voice of the man who kidnapped and violated her.
'The One that Got Away' then picks up from here with first Joan not believing that to be possible, then, once convinced, joining Holmes and Kitty in trying to get Gruner off the streets.
Not wanting to rehash the whole story here, they do eventually do that and Gruner is put away.

But like with most episodes of 'Elementary' the plot or case is usually not what the story is all about.
Just think how much time we spend examining in the Canon things other than the case.

In these two episodes, and for that matter the one before (#10), we find a Holmes I believe is as close to a Canonical Holmes as we are going to get from 'Elementary'. He is no longer, as Brad so aptly suggested, the man child that so frequently invaded many of the early episodes. He is now more focused, introspective and stable. He now, at least for the time being (I hope it won't be short lived) the key figure in the investigations. There are no longer three 'Holmes' jockeying for position as lead detective. His skills are more refined and at the forefront. His observation, still not the only ones made, direct the investigation.

Watson's new role or position has still not yet formed, but has taken a more traditional back seat to Holmes as side-kick and helper more than equal partner. I also found it satisfying that Watson had a couple of deductive or detective missteps in her observations, once again proving she is not Holmes' deductive equal.

But lets face it, these last few episodes have really been all about Kitty. We have finally come to realize how and why Kitty has become involved with Holmes and how each have been important to the other in a certain amount of rebirth.

The episode showed much more 'depth of character' in all involved than has been displayed in many of the episodes.

While playing freely with the Canonical story ILLU, it did however remain true in many ways.

Kitty of course was a victim of the Canonical Gruner, as was she of this Gruner.

She survived his attacks in both cases and in the end extracted a little revenge in both.

Scaring was the method of disfigurement in both the original and the adaptation, although different on Kitty and Gruner in 'Elementary'.

In the end a book, used by Gruner to record his crimes, was used as evidence against him in both cases.

In the Canon, Violet was a victim of a manipulative suitor, in 'Elementary' Violet was the victim of a manipulative brother. Both required some convincing as to the horrors of their men-folk.

Both Canonically and episodically the case against Gruner was going to be hard to make.

In both, the case against Kitty for mutilation was not going to be pursued with much effort allowing on one for a light sentence and in the other an escape.

Gruner is a wealthy man in both.

Also in both, Holmes tries to get Kitty out of the way once Gruner is on to her again. In both cases this effort proved futile.

Another Canonical reference, made in E11 was Holmes' use of several safe houses about town.

I am surprised these episodes were not used at the end of the season, a prelude to next season. This hopefully means there are more good things to come.

Several other reviewers, not Brad, have argued that 'Elementary' is bold in its take on a modern Holmes, and for the most part I have scoffed at these interpretations, finding Miller's Holmes to far out there for me to make that image work. Maybe it is my newly found lack of taking this show too Canonically seriously, or maybe the scrips are becoming better, but I can now find some validation in that argument.

I liked how the Holmes and Kitty story arc came full circle in the conclusions offered last night.
I liked the fact that they closed the question of the cocaine bag in a satisfying way.

I will miss Kitty.

In fairness, would we now want a modern Holmes story that tries to compete with 'Sherlock', a Victorian Holmes placed in our times. One show is doing that well, two probably could not.

Not comparing these two episodes in content with the last two episodes of season three of 'Sherlock', but comparing them to how I felt about the shows at the end, I find episodes 11 and 12 very satisfying.

For these reasons, all the above, I give it;

You gotta love the photo's here!

Well, here.

Here, here!

Cumberbatch controversy is ridiculous, says Selma star David Oyelowo

By Natalie JamiesonNewsbeat entertainment reporter

David Oyelowo has defended fellow British actor and friend, Benedict Cumberbatch, for using the term "coloured" during an interview.

Cumberbatch has apologised and said he was "devastated to have caused offence" after using the word on a US TV show to describe black actors.

"I think it's ridiculous," Selma star Oyelowo told Newsbeat.

"When you look at what he was actually saying it's clear that he's a huge supporter of black performers."

David Oyelowo was speaking at the UK premiere of Selma, in which he stars as 1960s civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cumberbatch mentioned David Oyelowo and Chiwetel Ejiofor as part of a wider discussion with US talk show host Tavis Smiley about diversity in the film industry.

"To attack him for a term, as opposed to what he was actually saying, I think is very disingenuous and is indicative of the age we live in where people are looking for sound bites as opposed to substance."

The actor also said he had spoken to Cumberbatch about the controversy that flared up online over the past few days.

"I reached out to him in support and said I think it's ridiculous," he said.

When asked if he felt Hollywood and the film industry had an issue with diversity, Oyelowo replied with a resounding "absolutely".

"You can see that in the fact every time a film of this size and stature comes up.

"We're talking about diversity again and that's because there isn't enough of it."

He cited his recent role in Interstellar as one that wasn't specified as a black character and noted "to get to the point whereby myself and Ryan Gosling are going up for the same role is going to be great".

"That's not to say that that doesn't happen, it just doesn't happen often."

Oyelowo suggested there needed to be more diversity among people with the power to finance and get films made.

"Excellence is the best weapon against prejudice. I intend to be part of the solution and not the problem.

"You've just got to keep on banging out good performances."

Benedict Cumberbatch has been nominated for the best actor Oscar for his role in The Imitation Game, and while David Oyelowo missed out on an acting nomination for Selma, the film is in the running for best picture at next month's ceremony.

So does David think the negative publicity Benedict has been getting will harm Cumberbatch's career?

"Absolutely not," said Oyelowo.

"I think it's just part of the silly news cycle that we all feed off and it will go away like chip paper as it does.

"He's a brilliant actor, he gives a brilliant performance in Imitation Game and, like I say, it's just a diversion from what we should be talking about, which is that astounding performance."

And I did not know this about Martin either!

 Her (Martins mom)brother was the actor Jeremy Brett, who became famous for playing Sherlock Holmes. He was an absolutely lovely man. Very exciting and glamorous, he'd always make me feel amazing and full of confidence; like I'd picked the right thing to do in life. He was a real force and we all loved him.

I think Martin is actually a cousin of Jeremy's.

Or Jeremy was his mother's cousin.

I am still trying to find out for sure.

Okay, this one from the Express says; "Daphne’s (Martin's mother) cousin was actor Jeremy Brett whose most famous role was Sherlock Holmes. “Jeremy made you feel fantastic,” he said. “He gave me such confidence. I miss him a lot. I’m very close to his son David and his family.”

Now I don't need to do a 'Seven degrees of Sherlock Holmes' for him for two reasons.

I totally missed this one! Did anyone catch it?

Martin Clunes to play Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Doc Martin star Martin Clunes leads the cast of ITV’s Arthur and George

By Katie Rosseinsky

5:50PM BST 13 May 2014

Doc Martin star Martin Clunes will take on the role of Sherlock Holmes’ creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in a new ITV drama, inspired by a real-life case tackled by the author.

Arthur and George is based on the novel by Booker Prize winning author Julian Barnes and deals with Conan Doyle’s efforts to clear the name of a wrongly accused Anglo-Indian solicitor. ITV director of television Peter Fincham described the forthcoming three part adaptation as “an extraordinary mystery with racial overtones”, making it “a very modern story” despite its Edwardian setting.

Published in 2005, Barnes’ novel follows the different yet intersecting lives of Conan Doyle and George Edalji, who served three years hard labour after being convicted of injuring a pony. As well as dealing with Conan Doyle’s attempt to solve the case and vindicate Edalji, the novel also traces Doyle’s relationships with his first wife and his lover.

Arthur and George goes into production in the autumn, and will be adapted by Ed Whitmore, whose previous writing credits include mystery dramas Silent Witness and Waking the Dead.

Along with Arthur and George and the second series of Broadchurch, ITV will also be making a new drama about the first use of DNA evidence in a criminal conviction. Code of a Killer will star Shameless’ David Threlfall as detective David Baker.

Source

Ah, to have every word you say examined.

Sherlock Actor May Actually Live in the 1800s, Referred to Black Actors as ‘Colored’

Benedict Cumberbatch apologized for his use of an archaic term.

I hold a special place in my heart for redhead actors, and Benedict Cumberbatch was one of them. The star of Sherlock and The Imitation Game has legions of fans who like to refer to themselves as Cumberbitches. But I wouldn’t go that far with my stanning, and I may have to bring it down a few notches after a recent Cumberbatch interview.

Cumberbatch caught a lot of flak after an appearance on PBS' Tavis Smiley. The British actor was discussing this year’s award-season hot topic of diversity and how different it is in the United Kingdom than in the U.S.

"As far as colored actors go, it gets really difficult in the U.K.," Cumberbatch said in reference to actors such as Idris Elba and David Oyewolo finding greater success in the U.S. than in their own country. Cumberbatch went on to say that the fact that these great actors aren't getting roles in the U.K. is something that really needs to change.

Many people weren't too happy that Cumberbatch used such an outdated and offensive term, which was probably the exact word his family used when they owned slaves. After receiving backlash,Cumberbatch did issue an apology for his ignorance:

I'm devastated to have caused offense by using this outmoded terminology. I make no excuse for my being an idiot and know the damage is done. I can only hope this incident will highlight the need for correct usage of terminology that is accurate and inoffensive. The most shaming aspect of this for me is that I was talking about racial inequality in the performing arts in the U.K. and the need for rapid improvements in our industry when I used the term.

While speaking with a British friend, I asked him how common was it for the word "colored" to be used by others in his country. And unfortunately, it is still all too common, especially by older people. While Cumberbatch may have apologized for his slip of the tongue, one has to realize that the U.K. is just about as post-racial as the U.S. There are words that people refuse to let go that have been ingrained for centuries. In the words of Whitney and Bobby, "We got something in common." 

source

Kinda going with the previous post. . . Nine of London's oldest restaurants

Nine of London's oldest restaurants

Link

This just in from Doyleockain - SHIN - Are we going to lose this Sherlockian Icon?

Simpson's-in-the-Strand restaurant could disappear after 187 years

Simpson's-in-the-Strand restaurant could disappear from London's established culinary circuit after it emerged that its new operator will not be required to keep the name.

One of London's oldest restaurants could disappear from the capital's social scene after its owner announced it is seeking a new tenant for Simpson's–in–the–Strand.

The search for a new operator to "reinvigorate" the favoured haunt of the great and good since the days of Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan–Doyle and George Bernard Shaw, is said to be in its early stages with no preferred bidder yet.

It is understood that the Savoy Hotel, which owns Simpson's lease, will not insist on the new operator keeping the current name.

The Savoy's agents are believed to be courting an upmarket franchise or a renowned chef to take over the famous restaurant, which is next to the Savoy buildings.

Brian Clivaz, a restaurateur, has previously been associated with Simpson's but is not thought to be in contention to run its new incarnation.

"I don't think it will be Wetherspoons or All Bar One," said a spokesman for Davis Coffer Lyons, the commercial property agent conducting a worldwide search for a new tenant. "But at the moment it's one of these rather hush–hush things."

The spokesman added: "It is true we've been appointed to find someone to operate the restaurant as a chef or to go in with their own operation and brand and go from there. At the moment we've been appointed to find a tenant to go in and operate it for the Savoy. We're in the very early stages of finding an operator or the next person."

The spokesman insisted: "There is also potentially the opportunity that they [the new operator] could keep the Simpson'sin–the–Strand name with it and possibly roll it out further. That may be an option.

^{Prince Charles leaves Simpson's In The Strand in 1993 (Rex)}

"It may not be the end of Simpson'sin–the–Strand or it may be — it all depends on which operation decides to go in."

Since opening in 1828, the restaurant, which was founded as the Grand Divan chess club and coffee house, has established itself as a dining institution. In 1848, the name "Simpson's" was added after a deal with caterer John Simpson.

Conan Doyle was a devotee and even references Simpson's in The Dying Detective and The Illustrious Client. Charles Dickens was also a regular diner. Howard Staunton, the 1840s English chess champion, frequented the premises. International chess elites flocked to Simpson's to witness Adolf Anderssen take on Lionel Kieseritsky in 1851.

^{Peter O'Toole at Oldie of the Year Awards at Simpsons in the Strand (Rex)}

While games of chess have become less of a feature of the staunchly traditional establishment, Simpson's popular carvery trolleys have remained.

Roast meats continue to be carved at patron's tables, just as they were in Victorian times.

Kiaran MacDonald, the Savoy's managing director, confirmed that a search for a new tenant to "reinvigorate" the restaurant is under way.

By Gregory Walton

6:00AM GMT 26 Jan 201
5

SHIN - Just in from the BBC!

William Gillette: Five ways he transformed how Sherlock Holmes looks and talks

By Tom de CastellaBBC News Magazine

Clip from William Gillette's 1916 film adaptation of Sherlock Holmes - previously thought lost

A 1916 silent movie featuring Sherlock Holmes - long presumed lost - is due to have its premiere in Paris. It stars a man who changed the way we see Conan Doyle's famous sleuth forever.

He was the first great Sherlock Holmes. But few will have heard of US actor William Gillette.

He is thought to be a distant relation of the family behind Gillette razors, wrote plays about the American civil war, patented a noise to imitate the sound of a galloping horse and built an enormous castle in Connecticut. But it is his Holmes that fascinates people today.

And until three months ago, it seemed that no-one would ever see it.

Gillette adapted Sherlock Holmes for the stage in 1899 and played Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective more than 1,000 times.

He made only one film, the 1916 silent movie version of Sherlock Holmes. For decades the movie was presumed lost, one of the great missing links of Sherlockiana. Then in October 2014 it was discovered at the Cinematheque Francaise, a film archive in Paris.

"At last we get to see for ourselves the actor who kept the first generation of Sherlockians spellbound," says Professor Russell Merritt, who has been researching the film's origins. "As far as Holmes is concerned, there's not an actor dead or alive who hasn't consciously or intuitively played off Gillette."

A publicity photo of Gillette as Holmes

Not only was Gillette the Benedict Cumberbatch of his day. He was the actor who decided - perhaps more than any other - how Holmes looks and talks, and whose relationship with Conan Doyle may have breathed new life into the Sherlock Holmes franchise.

Here are five ways Gillette created the Holmes we know today.

Curved pipe

Two props evoke Sherlock Holmes above all others.

The first is the deerstalker. Conan Doyle's stories never mentioned his distinctive headgear - it was given to Holmes by the illustrator Sidney Paget when the stories were published in the Strand Magazine in 1891.

The other crucial object is his pipe. It's not an ornament but a part of Holmes's deductive ritual. "It is quite a three pipe problem, and I beg that you won't speak to me for fifty minutes," he says to Watson in the Red-Headed League.

The books describe a "black clay pipe thrusting out like the bill of some strange bird". Paget gave Holmes a straight pipe.

Holmes illustrated with straight pipe in The Strand magazine

But William Gillette's 1899 play and 1916 movie, in which he played Holmes, made a crucial change. The shaft of the pipe was no longer straight but curved.

"The story goes that he's able to deliver his lines while still smoking. A more traditional pipe and his hand would have been in front of his mouth," says Alex Werner, curator of the Museum of London's ongoing exhibition, "Sherlock Holmes: The Man Who Never Lived and Will Never Die."

The curved pipe stuck in the popular imagination and became "iconic", Werner says.

Basil Rathbone adopted the William Gillette pipe

There have been occasional amendments though. In the 1988 film Without a Clue, Michael Caine puffs on a more ostentatiously curvy pipe. And in the recent BBC TV series, Benedict Cumberbatch has a nicotine patch instead.

'Elementary, my dear fellow'

The most Holmesian phrase - "Elementary my dear Watson" - is never uttered in the books. Gillette is perhaps the man who did most to bring it in, although he never used the exact phrase.

In the play he wrote the line: "Elementary my dear fellow." Others subsequently swapped "fellow" with "Watson".

PG Wodehouse is often credited with this swap in his spoof novel Psmith. But the Oxford English Dictionary queries this.

It seems that the term was already being used in newspapers before Wodehouse's 1915 novel. So some uncertainty remains as to who coined it.

Conan Doyle included the term "elementary" in Holmes's deductive vernacular. He also included "my dear Watson". But never in the same sentence.

It seems that Gillette almost put the two together. And others later finished the job. The line, "Elementary my dear Watson" probably became famous when the talkies came in - it was used in The Return of Sherlock Holmes in 1929, which starred Clive Brook.

The other great 'Sherlock Holmes' actors

• Basil Rathbone (1892-1967): English actor who played Holmes in 14 films between 1939 and 1946, still probably the most well-known screen incarnation of the role; Rathbone's films were the first to update Holmes and portray him pitting his wits against the Nazis
• Jeremy Brett (1933-95): Starred in four series of Granada TV's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, an attempt to adapt Conan Doyle's stories faithfully for television
• Benedict Cumberbatch (1976-): Star of BBC's Sherlock (pictured), which re-imagines Holmes and Dr Watson in 21st Century London

BBC Sherlock page

Suave dressing gown

Conan Doyle describes Holmes' dressing gown as variously blue, purple or mouse-coloured, according to Roger Johnson, editor of the Sherlock Holmes Journal. However, that's all the reader is told.

Johnson says Gillette's dressing gown moved Holmes slightly up-market: "Gillette had a really rather plush, splendid dressing gown and some of the subsequent actors adopted similar ones."

William Gillette portrayed with dressing gown (and curved pipe)

Before Gillette, Holmes inhabited, if not a seedy world, then a dangerous one. He employed a reformed crook as one of his assistants. The luxuriant dressing gown is part of a more louche, languid Holmes who may inject cocaine on stage but mixes with a more high society crowd.

Paget had drawn the dressing gown as "slightly ragged", says Werner. "When Gillette took on the role the dressing gown was very glamorous, he is quite the suave bachelor. It's the key costume," says Werner.

Years later, Conan Doyle gave Eille Norword, another actor to play Holmes, a vividly patterned dressing gown, perhaps inspired by Gillette's version.

Cumberbatch has made the dark grey, double-breasted Belstaff Milford part of his look. But he continues the tradition of lounging around in a dressing gown. His most commonly used robe is pure silk, navy-coloured with a satin stripe.

He shaped America's view of Holmes

Gillette was the first American stage actor to take on this most English of roles. His delivery mixed an upper crust English accent with North American twang.

"You can hear the same sort of thing when Katharine Hepburn tries to speak in an English way in The African Queen," says Johnson.

Gillette's 1916 silent film, though set in London, was shot in the US. He also brought an American influence to Holmes's appearance.

In a previous play, Secret Service, there was something of the matinee idol about him. His Holmes contrasted with the prominent nose and cheekbones of a Basil Rathbone, Douglas Wilmur or Benedict Cumberbatch.

Recording of William Gillette in his dramatic adaptation "Sherlock Holmes"

Compared to the Holmes of the time, his was "less gaunt and beaky, with more hair," says Johnson. "And more handsome."

At the start of the 20th Century, the American illustrator Frederic Dorr Steele drew Holmes for various US publications. His model was Gillette.

"That's what most Americans saw Holmes as. Whereas in Britain it was the illustrations of [Sidney] Paget in the Strand magazine," Johnson says.

And his reputation continued to grow. Calm and charismatic, is how silent film buffs describe him. Few have seen the 1916 film but even the photos show how naturally he took to the role, says Johnson. "He's marvellous. People say he is Sherlock Holmes."

Gillette was king of the silent movie age but when the talkies arrived, it was time for another kind of Holmes to emerge. For many fans today, it is Rathbone who became and remains the archetype.

He helped inspire Conan Doyle to 'reboot' Holmes

Conan Doyle killed off Holmes in print in 1893. A stage adaptation he wrote failed to get off the ground, which might explain his willingness to allow Gillette to write his own.

When the American asked whether the script could see Holmes married, Conan Doyle replied: "You may marry him, murder him, or do what you like to him."

He seemed to trust Gillette implicitly, says Werner. They'd hit it off as soon as they met. According to Charles Higham's biography, Gillette alighted from a train dressed as Holmes before approaching Conan Doyle's carriage and examining him through a magnifying glass.

A New York theatre programme advertising Gillette

"Unquestionably an author," he announced, to Conan Doyle's amusement.

But there was another factor beside friendship - money.

"I believe however that there is a fortune in the other - Sherlock Holmes," Conan Doyle writes in a letter dated 18 June 1899. "Gillette has made a great play out of it, and he is a great actor."

He believed it was destined to be a hit. Royalties would have been the primary motivation but there was also a sense that it might create a new interest in reading the books. "It has such an enormous initial advertisement," the letter continued. "I am not usually over sanguine but I do have great hopes for this. It is our trump card."

Conan Doyle began writing The Hound of the Baskervilles while the play was on. Did the drama subtly influence the way Conan Doyle wrote the later stories? Johnson thinks not: "Some people say the character in the later stories is not the same but I can't detect any change."

Whatever the aesthetic impact, Gillette's success - this "trump card" - would have reassured Conan Doyle that there was still a public appetite for Holmes.

As he wrote when he first read Gillette's stage adaptation: "It's good to see the old chap back."

source

All the latest!

Benedict Cumberbatch finally goes full Sherlock in new photo

By James Hibberd on Jan 22, 2015 at 2:36PM  @james_hibberd

Benedict Cumberbatch has played Sherlock Holmes for years, and occasionally donned that famous deerstalker cap. But has the actor ever looked so… Sherlock-ian? Here’s the actor filming the BBC/PBS fan favorite series at Gloucester Cathedral in Britain on Thursday in extremely Arthur Conan Doyle / Victorian-esque garb (full photo below).

Sherlock is likely to return sometime this year for a special one-off episode (which Cumberbatch and co-star Martin Freeman are currently filming) and then we’ll probably get season four in 2016 (though neither date has been confirmed). Now all he needs is a magnifying glass.

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And

Back to the day job! Benedict Cumberbatch takes a break from awards season to film Sherlock with Martin Freeman

SHIN - If you say so.

'Sherlock' Season 4 News: Benedict Cumberbatch Talks Holmes' Sex Appeal, 'He's A Rather Thrilling Person' [VIDEO]

Benedict Cumberbatch recently spoke about his character Sherlock Holmes on PBS's 'Sherlock' and his sexiness with fans.

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Benedict Cumberbatch recently spoke about his character Sherlock Holmes on PBS's Sherlock and his sexiness with fans.

'Sherlock' Star Benedict Cumberbatch Talks 'Surreal' Experience Of Fans Watching Him Film Series

Cumberbatch has certainly become an object of desire to many Internet commenters, particularly for his portrayal of Sherlock on the series of the same name. Discussing the sex appeal of Sherlock with NPR, Cumberbatch provided some logical reasons for it:

"Being really hyperobjective about it, I kind of ... do understand it because he's aloof, he's pretty cold and mean; but he's utterly brilliant, can be incredibly charming, incredibly capable and smart and funny but also flawed," he observed. "I think he's rather a thrilling person to spend time with."

'Sherlock' Star Martin Freeman Admits 'I Don't Love' Filming In Baker Street, Talks Excitement Of Fans

While Cumberbatch is quick to list reasons for Sherlock's sexiness, he is not as kind to himself about the same question.

"It's a projection of work, and that's why you're right to ask the question about whether Sherlock is sexy, because I sure as hell ain't," he said. "And I've been around for 10 or 15 years before this happened and I wasn't on any lists of the millionth most attractive. ... It's just very flattering and it makes me giggle, as [fans] know, because it is - it's sort of silly. ... I think it is a reflection of the work and hopefully how I come across when I'm talking about the work, rather than what I actually have got."

Plenty of Cumberbatch's fans would disagree that he isn't sexy, but he said he doesn't mind the recognition from fans at times. However, he also noted that there are certain times that he wishes he were "invisible" to the world.

The role of Sherlock Holmes has brought Cumberbatch the most fame so far, but his standout role in the new film The Imitation Game may have gotten him a whole new batch of fans. The popular actor was just nominated for an Oscar for Best Lead Actor for his portrayal of mathematical genius Alan Turing in the film.

Meanwhile, Sherlock returns for a holiday special in the fall while season 4 is slated to return in early 2016 on PBS.

Source

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If you want to contribute or make corrections. . . .

Sherlock Holmes on this very spot.

'Elementary' S3E10 - 'Seed Money' - The bad boys always get the girls - I'm surprised no one was sneezing.

This episode opens with Kitty at her support group delivering a wonderful line taken from the Canon, with only a slight rewrite of course; "Life is stranger than anything the mind can invent. . ."

From here Kitty is asked to help find the daughter of one of the other support group members. This for all intended purposes removes her from being involved with Holmes and Joan's case. The end results also gives the viewers a chance to see how far Kitty as come in her own healing.

Mean while, back at the Baker Street cave, Holmes is asked to help with the deaths of two elderly people found dead in their beds. Of course that is not the real crime, only an accidental death caused by the true crime which took place in the basement below.
The case, involving cloning, and mafia and marijuana was interesting and provided some good observations and deductions.
We glimpsed Holmes' knowledge of botany as well as his knowledge of past criminal cases and again his acute sense of smell.
Canonically we a had a good quote about the motives of women which fit in, again Canonically with Holmes' view of women.
The show, thank goodness, lacked, for the most part, the juvenile behaviors we have come to expect from Millers Holmes. Even the waking of Watson was much more subtle than usual.

Watson is exploring working more away from Holmes, which Canonically holds true. It is unfortunate that the writers could not have made use of Watson's doctoring skills in this new career, say working for a neighborhood clinic or something. We never in the Canon think of Watson as one of Holmes' deductive contemporaries, but instead we realize he had a life away from Holmes that probably took up much of his time. We always took that to be his medical career, his sports, his club and later and at times his wife. So, it is at least good to see Watson having a life of her own, it would have just been better if it had been a different career.

Watson's 'Marty' Morstan is once again absent from the episode. I guess the over-seas trip didn't do all that much for the relationship.

One thing this episode made me think about was; When Watson was indeed absent from portions of Holmes case time, was Billy or the Baker St. Irregulars playing the role of 'Kitty' from Elementary?
A lot of the leg work we see 'Kitty' doing in the show, was it done by the Irregulars?

Which brings us back to the most interesting part of the show, the preview into the next episode.
Kitty's past is coming back and how will it affect all three of our players? Is Kitty on her way out?
Did we really believe Kitty was gong to be the next Watson?

Although still lacking in Sherlockian clinches, it was a much better episode than last week and was an enjoyable one to watch.

So I can fairly give it I believe;

Probably three and a half would be more realistic but I didn't feel like cropping today.