Sherlock, Women, and Elementary. Again.

[neadods]

I have simply GOT to stop reading anything that quotes the producer of Elementary. This time the "it's so funny to make him live with a woman; women creep Holmes out" quote was enhanced with "Irene Adler is the only woman he got close to in the original books."

Say.

Fucking.

WHAT????!?!!!


Here's a fun game -- find these quotes in canon, all said by Holmes to or about women or by women about Holmes:

"But at any time, day or night, a telegraph would bring me down to your help."//"I confess that it is not the situation which I should like to see a sister of mine apply for."

"I ventured to give them some paternal advice..."

"I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner."

"You must not fear... We shall soon set matters right."//"I have heard of you from Mrs. Farintosh, whom you helped in the hour of her sore need."

"Since it is morally justifiable I have only to consider the question of personal risk. Surely a gentleman should not lay much stress upon this when a lady is in most desperate need of help?"

"I am going far to screen you."

"Your wife is a very good, a very loving, and a very ill-used woman."

Comments

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Holmes' closest female associate is actually Mrs. Hudson, as far as we know. He wasn't close to Adler; he just respected her because she outmaneuvered him. Watson says Holmes dislikes and distrusts women--says that outright--but that he's also "a chivalrous opponent". Whatever Holmes's dislike of women was, it doesn't appear to have had that much conviction. He's shown to admire a number of women he runs across in his adventures, and he certainly goes to the wall for his female clients.

Anyway, it would be interesting to explore Holmes' issues with women in a TV show. I am, however, extremely leery of the way they're going about it.

[alizarin-nyc.livejournal.com]

Your comment is excellent. Thank you for shedding further light on the matter - and it's what I had hoped someone with more experience in the canon would say.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Holmes' closest female associate is actually Mrs. Hudson

And it's a WAY more appropriate parallel, considering that Mrs. Hudson, like Joan Watson, is providing a service.

...now I've got this AU idea where an injured army soldier rents out her house because she can't do surgery anymore... and TBH? Better idea than what they've done with Watson, IMO!

[evil_plotbunny]

The producer of Sherlock or the producer of Elementary? Completely confused here, since you say Sherlock but the only tag is Elementary.

[zinelady.livejournal.com]

I wondered that too. I was thinking what was Moffat talking about now? but finally assumed she meant Elementary.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

It's Elementary, I've fixed it. Making a distrubing number of typos these days.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Elementary, whoops. Fixed now!

[alizarin-nyc.livejournal.com]

Okay, I know the first one, but can't recall the title. I think it's the one where the woman comes to Sherlock about the position as governess or piano teacher she wants to take but there are strange caveats to it, or strange things have taken place... OY that describes a number of them! Nevermind.

What I find in my new discovery of both canon and the Granada films is that Sherlock is very gentlemanly and will go out of his way to ensure the safety of his female clients -- and there are many, which means females feel safe going to him -- but he does not leer at them in the same way that Watson does. To me that just means that Sherlock doesn't view every attractive woman that asks for his help as a potential sexual partner. NOT that he doesn't LIKE them.

BBC Sherlock seems to actively find them distasteful, but he finds most people distasteful regardless of gender and doesn't have the political correctness that would set this right.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Is that one Copper Beeches? I think it is. And the last one is from the Sussex Vampire story. I'm pretty sure the third one is from "The Man with the Twisted Lip".

I think, in ACD canon, Holmes's distaste for women stems from his desire to be the perfect thinking machine. He sees women as being creatures of instinct and sentiment, which would be supported by his culture. Those who prove him wrong are exceptions. He puts pure reason on such a pedestal that he's confounded by anyone who would rely upon something so intangible as a "woman's instinct", even though he acknowledges its reality. Women confuse him, and he doesn't like things he can't quantify.

[penguineggs.livejournal.com]

I believe that - to the extent Holmes does in fact express any distaste for women, which is a lot less frequently than Watson implies - part of it is down to circumstances. Given that when Holmes and Watson meet the Married Women's Property Act was yet to become law (therefore all a woman's property on marriage automatically became that of her husband unless it had been carefully protected by settlements drawn up at the instigation of her - almost invariably male - guardians by her definitely male lawyers (not until the Sex Discrimination (Removal of Disabilities) Act 1922 were women entitled to qualify as lawyers in England and Wales) women had to be pretty devious to operate anything half-way resembling a normal life.

[neadods.livejournal.com]

Part of it's circumstances, but part is also, IMO, that Watson is still shoving women into either the "angel of the household" or "loyal servant" model, and cannot wrap his head around the idea that Holmes sees them as *people* and not cliches. Watson's good man on the whole, but he is very, *very* much a man of his time.

[glamazonwarrior.livejournal.com]

In addition to all the good points made, I think that a lot of people interpret "no obvious love interest" as "has issues with opposite gender" instead of "perhaps has other priorities".

[neadods.livejournal.com]

THIS!