The Return of Saturday Sherlock!
Jul. 10th, 2011 12:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
neadodsI've just written and delivered what I think will be my last official review ever. I used to really love that, but I don't anymore, and when I have to sit down and *make* myself do something after several days of successful diversions, it's time to admit that it's not fun anymore and walk away.
I think the reason Saturday Sherlock has been missing - it's been on my list for three weeks now - is the lingering overtone of "having" to do it. But I have enjoyed reading the stories (I finished everything except my reread of Baskervilles last weekend), and it's worth having notes of my findings.
Today: The Resident Patient. Not sure there's much to say about this one; I don't have a lot of flags peppering it. There is Watson talking about Holmes "loving to lie in the very centre of five millions of people... responsive to every little rumour or suspicion of unsolved crime. Appreciation of nature found no place among his many gifts" which rather makes the knowledge that Holmes is going to run off to the country to keep bees almost as much of a "oh, go AWAY" to the fan as killing Holmes off was.
I'm also amused by the line "your hand stole toward your own old wound." Doyle has gotten pretty good about avoiding just where that is!
Plotwise, I find it more than a bit "meh." A man takes both a position and a case that seem too good to be true; the man finds that he's been a catspaw. It's practically Standard Holmes Plot #3 at this point. Holmes at least does some actual and necessary detecting, pointing out that the "suicide" was really a murder and why.
Things to Note:
It's the second story where Holmes and Watson take a walk just for the sake of walking, although this time Holmes talks (shows off to, really) Watson.
Watson as a real doctor - he recognizes "the author of a monograph upon obscure nervous lesions." (And then fails at realizing that Holmes is faking his fit.)
Grandiloquent Holmes: the whole speech about the shield of British law and the sword of justice is rather poetic.
Next up, The Greek Interpreter. Not a story that I'm wildly fond of, but one stuffed to the gills with Holmes' relationship with his brother and his (and Watson's) views on women.
I am amused that one of the baddies is named "Moffat," considering.
I think the reason Saturday Sherlock has been missing - it's been on my list for three weeks now - is the lingering overtone of "having" to do it. But I have enjoyed reading the stories (I finished everything except my reread of Baskervilles last weekend), and it's worth having notes of my findings.
Today: The Resident Patient. Not sure there's much to say about this one; I don't have a lot of flags peppering it. There is Watson talking about Holmes "loving to lie in the very centre of five millions of people... responsive to every little rumour or suspicion of unsolved crime. Appreciation of nature found no place among his many gifts" which rather makes the knowledge that Holmes is going to run off to the country to keep bees almost as much of a "oh, go AWAY" to the fan as killing Holmes off was.
I'm also amused by the line "your hand stole toward your own old wound." Doyle has gotten pretty good about avoiding just where that is!
Plotwise, I find it more than a bit "meh." A man takes both a position and a case that seem too good to be true; the man finds that he's been a catspaw. It's practically Standard Holmes Plot #3 at this point. Holmes at least does some actual and necessary detecting, pointing out that the "suicide" was really a murder and why.
Things to Note:
It's the second story where Holmes and Watson take a walk just for the sake of walking, although this time Holmes talks (shows off to, really) Watson.
Watson as a real doctor - he recognizes "the author of a monograph upon obscure nervous lesions." (And then fails at realizing that Holmes is faking his fit.)
Grandiloquent Holmes: the whole speech about the shield of British law and the sword of justice is rather poetic.
Next up, The Greek Interpreter. Not a story that I'm wildly fond of, but one stuffed to the gills with Holmes' relationship with his brother and his (and Watson's) views on women.
I am amused that one of the baddies is named "Moffat," considering.
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no subject
Date: 2011-07-11 09:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-11 10:37 pm (UTC)What I ended up doing was reading a single story a night when I got home from work, as sort of decompression time. It didn't take long out of my evening, and it made short work of the canon.
(I have post-it flags bristling from the pages to mark the stuff I want to comment on. Although it's half tempting to go through my really cheap Dover copies and just up and highlight them: red for retcon, yellow for Holmes not being a misogynist, etc.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-11 10:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-13 01:15 am (UTC)I love these.
Appreciation of nature found no place among his many gifts" which rather makes the knowledge that Holmes is going to run off to the country to keep bees almost as much of a "oh, go AWAY" to the fan as killing Holmes off was.
Never thought about it that way. Interesting observation.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-13 10:45 am (UTC)Either Watson made a wrong deduction - not impossible considering the infamous list of Study in Scarlet -- or (more likely IMO) Doyle's general attitude was "fuck it." He's obviously tired by the final set of stories.