Interesting - "The Mystery of 221b Baker St."

221b Baker St.

"No Lack of Void" - S2, Ep20 - "Elementary" - a review

Much of what I have to say about this episode I could just cut and paste from last weeks review.

As with most to this seasons fare, the mystery is hardly what the show is about. It's weaknesses are the same, as are it's strength's .

Plot; While visiting the police station, Watson is asked to check on an ill prisoner.

The prisoner is found dead. A victim of anthrax poisoning.

The hunt begins, now joined by Sherlock, for the maker of the anthrax and to find his/her intention for it.

Seemed like the plot could develop into a very good story; anti-government anarchist ready to attack government officials would have been a more exciting story line, but intended murder of bovine hardly made the plot interesting (although, was a good twist on where everyone though it was going), nor did the brother killing brother provided anything new.

The solutions were more leg work than observation or deduction, and, again, much of it done by Watson.
For me, the fact that most of the science used in the deductions in Elementary are from Watson's knowledge as a doctor, and not Holmes own research or knowledge base is a little bit of a let down (although, at least in this episode, it was a pretty good mix). Maybe it is a way to keep Lucy Liu happy in the roll, I don't know. But I liked last week better for that reason.

The strong points in this episode were Miller's acting as the grieving friend.
As reviewer Genevieve Valentine  puts it; "the initial condescending distance, the forced pragmatism, the belief he can set things right by finding out the What Really Happened of it all, the spiral into acting out, and eventually the acceptance of responsibility and the first steps toward healing. It’s his addiction in a nutshell, mapped over grief."  Source

The scene where Liu's 'Watson', ( while listening to Holmes suggest ways to find the missing anthrax maker ), opens the mailbox and comes up with the solution was priceless and brought a chuckle.

I do have one math question though; It was suggested that the anthrax producer was 5'11' tall. I am about the same height. It was also stated by Holmes, unless I didn't hear correctly, and I listened several times, that the average stride of someone that tall was 1.8 meters.
My stride length is between 24 - 29 inches, less than a meter. If my stride were 1.8 meters it would be 5.9 feet. He would have to have been all legs.
I don't think my running stride is that long.
Did I hear wrong?

Although the acting was great by Miller in this one, the repetitive nature of the plot and lack of Holmesian traits makes me want to give this one only 

Just in from the BBC . . . . well, it's almost Friday

Seven degrees of Sherlock Holmes - #47 - Leonardo DiCaprio

As much great work that he has done, it didn't prove too hard to make a connection for him.

Leonardo DiCaprio (1974)

starred in a little film called "Titanic" in 1997 

which also featured the great character actor Jonathon Hyde (1948)

who played Culverton Smith to Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes in "The Dying Detective", 1994

Jonathon Hyde also participated in the 2004 film, "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking".

So, there you have it, there you are.

Both of these gems are available in kindle addition. . .

Just thought you may like to know.

Something to chew on - "The Many Mouths of Aaron Colville" - Elementary S2, E19 (43) - A Review

"The Many Mouths of Aaron Colville' opens with Holmes bent over a the body of a mortician found dead in the mortuary. He has bite marks on his shoulder.

As they are investigating  another detective comes in wondering if it is another victim of a murderer with the same M.O. as a long dead murderer.
Holmes goes on to prove that it is not another victim of the same murderer, but this reminds Watson of another case she was involved with while still a doctor, the long dead murderer.

This leads her to wonder if the doctor she had been working with let the murderer die without doing all he could to save him, and that the man may have been innocent after all.
Watson learns that the new victims have bite marks matching the teeth of the now dead murderer from ten years earlier.

Did they convict the wrong man?

If the earlier man accused of murder is dead, who is doing the new murders with the same teeth?

The Canonical Watson described at least one case as being grotesque, and this episode would definitely fall into that category.

For once we see an episode that does have a lot of good observation and deduction work going on, especially in the opening scene. The story follows many lines of inquiry before coming to a satisfactory conclusion at the end.

While being one of the better 'Elementary' procedural episodes, the show continues to fall into the same pitfalls it has over the last several weeks.

1 - Most of the episodes now fall into the "murder for money and trying to make it look like someone else is doing it" category. The plots just seem to be shipped into different scenarios. They need to come up with some other plot-lines.

2 - While having better balanced characters, it is still having trouble coming up with a good portrayal of a "Sherlock Holmes" type character. There was actually one point in this episode, although enjoying the episode, that I had to remind myself I was suppose to be watching a Sherlock Holmes like character.
Again, while watching the show and enjoying the episode, I didn't feel I was watching a modern interpretation of Sherlock Holmes.
That may end up being, for Sherlockians who enjoy the show, one of the biggest problems over the next season. "Sherlock" at least has London. And they have made great use of a great coat, and they have at least found a way to introduce the hat. Cumberbatch has been able to capture some mannerisms that one can interpret as Holmesian.
Miller may have problems finding something like that to mark him as a "Sherlock Holmes" without seeming to copy Cumberbatch.
With that said, it is good they are not trying to use the same gimmicks.

(A very good Sherlockian scene, Holmes and Watson by the fireplace.
I love this picture!)

I was interesting to see 'Watson' put in the position of having to do something un-ethical (taking stolen medical records) to try and prove someone else was doing something un-ethical (letting a stabbing victim die).

It was also a good nod at Watson still being the moral compass of the two.


I think it was also an unintentional nod to the Canonical Watson sometimes turning a blind eye to some of Holmes' methods.

It has also become interesting watching Millers Holmes react to uncomfortable social situations.
I am liking season two and a half's Holmes better than the first season and a half.

While still not finding a comfortable representation of 'Holmes', the show has become very fun to watch and much better than it has been.

For that reason, and hopes for the future I give it;

And as James points out. . .

The Sherlockian connection with Paul's album "Band on the Run".

Seven Degrees of Sherlock Holmes - #46 - Sir Paul McCartney

Well, I didn't expect this one to go so quickly, after all, he hasn't been in a lot of movies

Sir Paul McCartney - (1942)

was in the Beatles driven movie HELP! - 1965

in which Leo McKern (1920-2202) took part

he also took part in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother" 1975

in which, once again, Douglas Wilmer (1920) played Sherlock Holmes

So, there you have it, there you are.

Hope some of you get to make it.

Sherlock Holmes Exhibition

A little history about "The Game's Afloat" - from a review of TGA number 3

THE GAME’S AFLOAT III

No, this isn’t a misprint, the name of the conference really was The Game’s Afloat, and it was the third such conference to be held under that name. Even when one knows that The Game’s Afloat really is the conference’s name, one will probably wonder why a meeting held in the St. Louis’ luxurious Westport Plaza Hotel would be described as being "afloat." Well, you see, The Game’s Afloat I and II conferences were actually held aboard the riverboat "Goldenrod," hence, those conferences really were "afloat." The management of the ’98 conference decided to use the traditional conference name, even though the ’98 event was, actually, comfortably land bound! The sponsor of record of The Game’s Afloat III was St. Charles’ scion society, The Harpooners of the Sea Unicorn (Michael Bragg, The Blue Whale of the Harpooners) with the able cooperation of The Parallel Case of St. Louis, The Noble Bachelors of St. Louis, and The Occupants of the Empty House scions. The planning and active management of the conference was ably handled by the Steering Committee personed by Joe Eckrich, BSI; Kathy Kelleher; Ed Moorman; Gordon Speck, BSI; and Jessica Young. In very visible executive positions at the conference were Barbara Roscoe, Brad Keefauver, BSI; Dr. Mary Schroeder, Carrie Kinealy, and Helen Simpson. Art Schroeder, whose health would not allow his being present at the conference, was credited with keeping everyone in contact with reality by injecting humor into even the face of the most daunting turn of events. (see biographical sketches of Art and Mary Schroeder).
Although the formal conference proceedings were scheduled to begin on October 31 (Halloween Day), a goodly number of the attendees (coming from as far away as Boston and Colorado) arrived to enjoy the Friday evening reception. We joined the assemblage, in a nearby pub called McNultys (see below), in time for a nip at a "cobwebby bottle" and a great fish and chips dinner. There we all had the opportunity to chat with fellow Sherlockian friends, both old and new. Such informal conviviality and dining is characteristic of Sherlockian conferences and is always a great joy. Following the reception, the conference managers provided a most entertaining Sherlockian film festival. So, we all enjoyed a delightful evening even before the formal conference proceedings actually started.
At 11:45 on Saturday morning, the conference was called to order by Dr. Mary Schroeder who kept the conference moving as its most talented Mistress of Ceremony. Dr. Schroeder and Michael Bragg offered a formal greeting to the attendees and introduced the order of service for the conference.
First, our friend, Roy Pilot, BSI, presented a most illuminating discussion of the archaeological discovery of what has come to be known as "Piltdown Man" in England. These remains were initially presented as providing evidence for the existence, in England, of humanoids predating the oldest known human previously identified. Speculation was set forth that these remains near Piltdown might actually be those of "the missing link" between humans and lower primates. "Piltdown Man" was ultimately exposed as having been a hoax. Several investigators over the years have suggested that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, himself, participated in the hoax. Roy Pilot gave evidence casting serious doubt on our revered Sir Arthur’s involvement in this deception.
One of the true highlights of the conference happened when Rosemary Michaud (author of Sherlock Holmes and the Somerset Hunt, among others) came to the podium. In her presentation, The Medley of Fear, she reviewed some real-life aspects of existence in turn-of-the-century Pennsylvania and West Virginia coalfields – the environment which gave inspiration to Sir Arthur’s The Valley of Fear. Ms. Michaud’s emphasis centered on ethnic Irish and their lives in the coalfields. She commented on The Molly Maguires and The Scowrers and, to the delight of those assembled, she punctuated her presentation with personal renditions of Irish folksongs while accompanying herself on the guitar! Rosemary was a real "show stopper!"
There was something of a groan of disappointment from the audience when John Smithkey, III reported that his presentation on Jack the Ripper was not to be filled with blood and gore. He was quick, however, to remind his audience that all the gory details were contained in his book, Jack the Ripper: The Inquest of the Final Victim, Mary Kelly, which was on sale at the conference. Mr. Smithkey used a collection of photographic slides, most of which he had personally taken in London, to escort his audience to the locations of The Ripper’s grisly crimes. In his presentation, Mr. Smithkey gave a very revealing overview of the seamier side of Victorian England. As the name of his book would imply, Mr. Smithkey’s comments concentrated on The Ripper’s last victim, Mary Kelly – he even raised some interesting doubts as to whether the mutilated body was actually that of Mary Kelly at all! An interesting hypothesis, indeed!
Eminent Illinois Sherlockian, Brad Keefauver, BSI, brought to the attendees an interesting challenge in his presentation,Here Come the Brides. Which canonical woman, if any, would have made a suitable bride for Mr. Sherlock Holmes? He enlisted a few members of the audience to act as a sort of "review board." He provided each "happily married man" on his ad hoc "review board" with a police whistle. Mr. Keefauver then read the roster of all women who appeared in the Canon, along with their possible qualifications as Mr. Holmes’ bride. If, at any time, any member of the "review board" thought the woman being described could not qualify as a viable bride, he could exercise "veto power" simply by blowing his whistle! At the end of the presentation, the general audience was invited to vote for the female canonical characters who had survived the police whistle vetoes. The three women who received the most votes were Violet Smith (SOLI), Irene Adler (SCAN), and Maud Bellamy (LION). Can you guess which of these "lucky girls" was finally designated by the attendees at The Game’s Afloat III as the most suitable bride for Mr. Sherlock Holmes? Which, if any of these, would you pick?
At this point in the conference, Mr. Terence Faherty gave a marvelous presentation on the career of Mr. Basil Rathbone. At his request, exposition of his presentation has been excluded from this review. Should you ever hear of Mr. Faherty's giving his presentation in your neighborhood, we do recommend it to your attention - it is excellent and entertaining.
After some closing comments by Dr. Mary Schroeder, the assemblage adjourned to "The Library" for biscuits and sherry generously provided by Gordon Speck and Jessica Young. As those of us "in the know" were aware at the time, "The Library" was a back room area in McNulty’s pub! (There really are some books there, but we saw no one reading any.)
Here we see McNulty's decked out in "spiderwebs" for the Halloween weekend. Warm Sherlockian conviviality (enhanced by a more than adequate quantity of excellent sherry!) permeated the gathering which lasted until time to change for the formal reception and dinner in the Westport’s Skylight Room. An excellent dinner among congenial Sherlockian companions was capped off by a playing of a "radio play" written especially for the occasion by the remarkably talented Art Schroeder and starring Randy Getz, Mary Schroeder, and Gordon Speck (who once played Mrs. Hudson in another of Art’s amazing radio plays). Here is Randy Getz "tuning" the old cathedral-top radio through which the assembled diners heard Art Schroeder’s dramatic original play, The 71^st and ½ Annual Running of the Wessex Cup and/or Plate.






Carolyn Senter, of Classics Specialties, was just one of the vendors whose wares were on display at The Game’s Afloat III. Here we see Carolyn displaying Classic Specialties’ original "Holmes Is Where theHeart Is" sweatshirt for the shoppers visiting the vendors’ area. Other vendors present included Joe Eckrich, Bill and Lynda Conway (from Pittsburgh), and Scott Price (from Memphis).