Discussion Post: The Musgrave Ritual
Aug. 26th, 2012 12:19 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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sherlock60It's discussion time! What did you think of The Musgrave Ritual, canon or the Granada version? As always, I've written up a few of my random thoughts and questions, which are behind the cut. Please add your own in the comments!
- The Musgrave Ritual is filled to the brim with Holmes and Watson goodness, giving us a delightful, detailed view into their rooms and their lives at Baker Street. The Persian slipper! The knife in the mantlepiece! The V.R. shot into the wall! Chemicals and experiments everywhere! Holmes really has a way of living in his home. Good thing he has such an accommodating companion in Watson, even if the doctor is a bit put-out from time to time.
- "You may remember... the affair of the Gloria Scott." We certainly do, Mister Holmes! This new chronological order for reading is working out nicely, I think. Looking forward to meeting Watson again for the first time next week in A Study in Scarlet!
- I love Reginald Musgrave a bit, stalking down his own hallway in his robe with a battleaxe in his hands. Holmes says he "dressed like a young man of fashion—he was always a bit of a dandy." My first thought went to The Kinks. ♫ And when he does his little rounds / 'Round the boutiques of London Town / Eagerly pursuing all the latest fads and trends / 'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion ♫
- Is Rachel guilty or not? I'm inclined to say no, because to me that best explains her complete shrieking hysteria the next day. She was keeping a hideous secret -- she betrayed her station, went with Brunton to steal the hidden treasure, and then watched him get hopelessly trapped in that tomb. She couldn't open it herself, and she couldn't ask for help lest her employer find out they were trying to rob him. Yes, that would drive someone quite mad, I'm sure. That's the theory I'm going with; you likely will have your own.
- Where is Rachel now? Did she really escape and leave England? Or is she as yet unfound in the water, as the Granada version suggests?
Two important things to know about the Granada episodes:
1. There are two Watsons we'll see over time. For the show, David Burke came first, but we're meeting Edward Hardwicke here first, watching in book chronological order. They are both excellent actors and their Watsons are perfect in their Watson-ness both. They are accurate and apt, but somewhat different, highlighting different pieces innate to the character.
2. Jeremy Brett sickened gradually over the course of the years filming these episodes, passing away not long after. Because we'll be watching them out of order, we'll be all over the place on his health. I think this may be better, honestly, because watching him decline steadily episode by episode can be quite sad.
- The Musgrave Ritual is filled to the brim with Holmes and Watson goodness, giving us a delightful, detailed view into their rooms and their lives at Baker Street. The Persian slipper! The knife in the mantlepiece! The V.R. shot into the wall! Chemicals and experiments everywhere! Holmes really has a way of living in his home. Good thing he has such an accommodating companion in Watson, even if the doctor is a bit put-out from time to time.
- "You may remember... the affair of the Gloria Scott." We certainly do, Mister Holmes! This new chronological order for reading is working out nicely, I think. Looking forward to meeting Watson again for the first time next week in A Study in Scarlet!
- I love Reginald Musgrave a bit, stalking down his own hallway in his robe with a battleaxe in his hands. Holmes says he "dressed like a young man of fashion—he was always a bit of a dandy." My first thought went to The Kinks. ♫ And when he does his little rounds / 'Round the boutiques of London Town / Eagerly pursuing all the latest fads and trends / 'Cause he's a dedicated follower of fashion ♫
- Is Rachel guilty or not? I'm inclined to say no, because to me that best explains her complete shrieking hysteria the next day. She was keeping a hideous secret -- she betrayed her station, went with Brunton to steal the hidden treasure, and then watched him get hopelessly trapped in that tomb. She couldn't open it herself, and she couldn't ask for help lest her employer find out they were trying to rob him. Yes, that would drive someone quite mad, I'm sure. That's the theory I'm going with; you likely will have your own.
- Where is Rachel now? Did she really escape and leave England? Or is she as yet unfound in the water, as the Granada version suggests?
Two important things to know about the Granada episodes:
1. There are two Watsons we'll see over time. For the show, David Burke came first, but we're meeting Edward Hardwicke here first, watching in book chronological order. They are both excellent actors and their Watsons are perfect in their Watson-ness both. They are accurate and apt, but somewhat different, highlighting different pieces innate to the character.
2. Jeremy Brett sickened gradually over the course of the years filming these episodes, passing away not long after. Because we'll be watching them out of order, we'll be all over the place on his health. I think this may be better, honestly, because watching him decline steadily episode by episode can be quite sad.
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