sherlock60 | Granada Discussion Post: The Boscombe Valley Mystery

Let's talk telly in the discussion post for Granada's adaptation of The Boscombe Valley Mystery. If you haven't seen this episode yet, you can find it at YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video, and DVD. Follow me behind the jump for some of my random thoughts and impressions. Please add your own in the comments!

Canon discussion is available in the canon discussion post.

- Doctor Watson is a character who has been to a large degree disrespected in adaptations over the years, made into a fool, bumbling comic relief, or just an attendant, standing useless and wordless at Holmes' side. For the most part, Granada tends to avoid that trap with their Watson, treating him much more fairly in relation to the canon text. Some of that slips a little in this episode.
Changing some of the dialogue around in adaptation has the side effect of altering the meaning of conversations, and Watson gets the brunt of that here. His own doubt about McCarthy turning his back is given to Holmes, who then chides the doctor for missing something so obvious. Later, Watson is forced to voice Lestrade's warning to Alice that Holmes might be quick in his assumptions. The Watson in this episode is less trusting of Holmes than canon, and less competent overall. His Holmes less trusting of him too, never expressing the desire for Watson's advice about what to do with Turner. Canon Holmes at least wanted his friend's ethical advice, even if he never had time to receive it.

- All of the extreme closeups in these episodes do no one any favors, Jeremy Brett least of all. I know watching Holmes in the act of thinking is vital in a visual Sherlock Holmes adaptation, but you can't manage that in a medium shot? And I see the difficulty in trying to convey excitement and tension in static conversations, but there has to be a better way. The extended extreme closeup staring match between Turner and Holmes at the end made me laugh out loud.

- No Lestrade in this episode. In his place, we get the unknown Inspector Summerby, who gets all of Lestrade's open annoyance with Holmes instead. Too bad. I love Granada's Lestrade.

- Such a sweet little meet cute at the fishing stream for H&W. "What on earth are you doing here?" "Looking for you!" The look on poor flustered Watson's face when Holmes casually mentions their train leaves in 35 minutes is priceless.