Canon Discussion Post: A Scandal in Bohemia

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

It's canon discussion time, everybody! What did you all think of A Scandal in Bohemia? As always, I've written up a few of my own random thoughts and comments, which are behind the jump. Add your own in the comments!

Note: Granada discussion is available in the Granada discussion post. Thanks!



- For a man in "complete happiness" in his marriage, Dr. Watson is awfully quick to jump into an adventure with Holmes, who admittedly does everything he can to ensure that outcome. Watson is even willing and eager to risk crime and arrest with Holmes, and spends the night at Baker Street away from his wife. What did she think of this? Did he tell her in advance? I wonder what would have happened if they had been arrested.

- All emotions, and that one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise, but admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen; but, as a lover, he would have placed himself in a false position.
- It strikes me that Watson's "I take it" here may be the most important part of his statement about Holmes' view of women, and really, his entire emotional life. We as readers are only exposed to Watson's interpretation, or chosen explanation perhaps, of how Sherlock Holmes behaves and what he thinks. We only get to see a reflected projection of him in these stories: the controlled image of himself that he allows the people around him to see, filtered through his biographer's eyes. What truly happens in Holmes' mind and how he feels is hidden to us -- and likely to Watson too.

- “It is both, or none.” - Do you think he ever gave that ultimatum and someone balked at it? What would his reaction be to that? How about Watson? There is a fic in there somewhere...

- Holmes seems to refer to his landlady who brings in his tray as "Mrs. Turner". Any guesses on this? Is Mrs. Hudson away temporarily and this is her replacement of some kind? Is Holmes thinking of a servant from one of his boltholes? Baring-Gould even suggests maybe Mrs. Hudson was remarried briefly. No matter what the answer, it's a weird moment.

- I love that Irene Adler's surprise nuptials and her gift of a sovereign to him are what Holmes decides he wants to preserve in time forever on his watch chain: this strange, silly, totally unexpected and quite hilarious moment when he was the spontaneous witness to a wedding he was attempting to spy upon.

Comment away, and join us next week for The Man with the Twisted Lip!

Comments

[chiapetzukamori.livejournal.com]

I like the Bert Coules take on this story in his radio series and how he explains Mrs. Turner - Mrs. Hudson's cousin who comes to help out while Mrs. Hudson is ill. And when she leaves no one is too upset about it lol

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Baring-Gould mentions that theory of Coules as well. Let's go with it -- makes as much sense as anything else. :)

[chiapetzukamori.livejournal.com]

You know what's really sad? I never got the joke of Mrs. Hudson commenting on John's blog (http://www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk/) using (her neighbor) Marie Turner's screen name until this post.
I need to brush up on canon trivia, apparently!