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sherlock60Hi, everyone! Time for discussion again, and this week we have The Adventure of the Illustrious Client.
- Watson and Holmes meet some heinous villains in these stories, but few are as utterly detestable as Baron Gruner! Wow. He's one piece of work. Like Charles Augustus Milverton, he commits horrible acts not for money or love, but simply because he enjoys them. And what he enjoys is... horrifying. His grotesque book is a particularly disturbing concept.
- Do you believe Baron Gruner's talk of "post-hypnotic suggestion" as an explanation of Violet's creepily cold, dismissive behavior? Or is that simply who she is, willing to wish away all those pesky murderous facts out of blind devotion?
- Did Holmes know about what Kitty had planned with the vitriol or was it really a surprise as he claims? If he knew, does he deserve some of the blame/punishment(/credit) for the assault?
- Holmes lets Watson in on his ruse (well, most of it anyway) early and trusts him with the knowledge. Pretty much the opposite of how he treats his friend in years prior during the events of The Dying Detective.
- Another discussion ending on a happy note: I loved Watson calling Holmes out for his use here of the first person plural in the case of "our assistance".
…"he has some real need for our assistance."
"Our?"
"Well, if you will be so good, Watson."
"I shall be honoured."
Awww!
- Watson and Holmes meet some heinous villains in these stories, but few are as utterly detestable as Baron Gruner! Wow. He's one piece of work. Like Charles Augustus Milverton, he commits horrible acts not for money or love, but simply because he enjoys them. And what he enjoys is... horrifying. His grotesque book is a particularly disturbing concept.
- Do you believe Baron Gruner's talk of "post-hypnotic suggestion" as an explanation of Violet's creepily cold, dismissive behavior? Or is that simply who she is, willing to wish away all those pesky murderous facts out of blind devotion?
- Did Holmes know about what Kitty had planned with the vitriol or was it really a surprise as he claims? If he knew, does he deserve some of the blame/punishment(/credit) for the assault?
- Holmes lets Watson in on his ruse (well, most of it anyway) early and trusts him with the knowledge. Pretty much the opposite of how he treats his friend in years prior during the events of The Dying Detective.
- Another discussion ending on a happy note: I loved Watson calling Holmes out for his use here of the first person plural in the case of "our assistance".
…"he has some real need for our assistance."
"Our?"
"Well, if you will be so good, Watson."
"I shall be honoured."
Awww!
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Date: 2011-12-11 09:39 am (UTC)as for kitty and the vitriol and holmes... well, not to do down the fabulous miss winter but - you mentioned the Milverton Case and to steal from Wilde a little, i must say that to lose one suspect in such a manner may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both seems like carelessness. I don't consider Holmes to be an especially careless man when working a case.
Client is quite possibly my single favourite Holmes story, it has everything - even sword-sticks! And you're right, some great Holmes and Watson moments.
Baron Gruner is a proto-Bond villain, IMO, not so big a leap to the similarly magnetic Count Blofeld.