Dear Auntie Beeb,
I really want to thank you for asking the co-creators of Sherlock to make a 90 minutes episode instead of the 55 minutes one they’d delivered to you, and for giving them a better camera that forced them to shoot everything again (or whatever happened exactly).
Now, the initial episode 1 they gave you is the unaired pilot, and it’s like an experiment that allowed them to change and improve the plot.
Ordering the changes was pure genius (or sheer luck).
Love,
Dru
I clearly remember my surprise when I watched the pilot for the first time. The Sherlock team was given a great opportunity to treat their first episode as a major rehearsal and to change the things they thought didn’t work.
The very beginning’s a tad abrupt, and without the dream sequence in the actual episode 1 that told the viewers that we were dealing with a soldier having a nightmare, the people unaware that Dr John Watson (Martin Freeman) was just back from Afghanistan would have spent a few seconds wondering why that man with an empty blog (which doesn’t look like a blog at all in this version, but perhaps that’s because he’s just glaring at the page) has a gun in his drawer. Since a few people online have been complaining about spoilers whilst the novels and books have been published over a century ago, I can imagine the odd reactions about an armed Watson!
I don’t know what happened between the pilot and episode 1, but the original opening credits were so incredibly dark and dull that it would have been a bad thing for the series (or was it a temporary thing until Auntie Beeb said she was happy?) – and all in all (yes, after seeing episode 1 first) the music is so different in the pilot that the whole atmosphere is different. I’ll say it aloud type it for all to see, I confess that I’d have liked the series, but maybe not as much.
Having a bearded Anderson (Jonathan Aris) made him look like a twisted homage to the doctors working for Scotland Yard in the original stories, but it didn’t work, and it’s quite a good thing that they didn’t keep the beard.
As well, having Detective Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves) calling Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) to the rescue is very close to the originals (after all, in The Six Napoleons, he’s the one who says: ‘We’re not jealous of you at Scotland Yard. No, sir, we are very proud of you, and if you come down to-morrow, there’s not a man, from the oldest inspector to the youngest constable, who wouldn’t be glad to shake you by the hand.’). From the start, and in spite of Anderson, Lestrade knows when to call Sherlock. The end of the scene on the first crime scene we get to see had a rather nice shot that showed us how cold it was. Details, details, you’ll say (and you’ll be right), but I’m here to cling to details.
And speaking of details, the next scene takes us back to John, after making sure that we know we’re in London, and the news stand next to the tube gives us a clue about the case as we’ve got just enough time to read “4th suicide murder victim” (had I seen that episode first, I bet the concept of "suicide + murder" would have puzzled me since we don’t get an explanation immediately).
Mike Stamford (David Nellist) and John’s lunch at the Criterion is a beautiful scene - and in the novel, Watson was at the Criterion Bar when he met his old friend.
The two fellows start talking flats, which makes Mike think of Sherlock, and bypasses any mention of John’s family.
In A Study in Scarlet, the strange habits of Sherlock Holmes at Barts are clearly described, and it’s perfectly logical to meet Sherlock in the mortuary, about to use a riding crop on a poor, late employee of the hospital who donated his body, and who probably never suspected that he’d help Sherlock work on the alibi of a suspect. What’s a bit more unusual, and was quite a nice surprise, is the charming young woman working there. Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) establishes straight away that she’s got a massive crush on Sherlock and will do anything for him (we don’t know it yet, but this character will keep becoming more and more important as the plots unfold).
Sherlock practically orders a coffee from Molly (his superior mind doesn’t even register the fact that she’s asking him out on a date, which shows that he’s got to work on his manners a bit - and that he's not perfect when it comes to deductions) before heading to a classroom where he uses a computer to check his e-mails. This is an interesting way to mention a few canon characters.
First we have the older brother; Mycroft's e-mail address looks so… simple, it’s Mycroft@dsux.org and one can be disappointed with such a plain combination. We can imagine that Mycroft wishes to be discreet, but the lack of “.gov.uk” (or even “.go.uk”, or something, to avoid legal issues) is slightly odd. However, we get a near quote from The Sign of Four in the message, which is rather nice. The second e-mail is to a Gregson, who was the Inspector in the original A Study in Scarlet, and then Sherlock deletes a message from Lestrade (will the poor DI have to beg to get some help?) and starts composing a new e-mail for a Jones, yet another Inspector mentioned in The Sign of Four.
Benedict Cumberbatch looks like he’s twenty-two (or less) in the classroom scene, and the black jeans and burgundy shirt give him a younger look, too. Praise wardrobe for having found the coat straightaway!
David Nellist’s little smile during the “I’m going to summarize your life – not necessarily in a way that you’re going to like” scene is brilliant. He’s really conveying the idea of “here goes Sherlock again; he’ll never change, but we, his fans, love him that way”, as well as “Join the club, John!”.
When John and Sherlock meet in front of 221b, we discover that the shop next door is “Mrs Hudson’s Snax ‘n’ Sarnies”? Really? I think we’ll all agree that with Sherlock in the picture, she’s got enough to do with 221b, and who came up with that spelling? It’s a good thing that the Hudson’s store belongs only in the pilot. We get a quick view of the “To Let” sign is upside down on the balcony; it should have been a clue for John that Sherlock had already told Mrs Hudson (Una Stubbs) that they’d take the flat.
There’s something utterly disturbing about Mrs Hudson’s dress, and it’s a bit of a shock when she opens the door wearing that relic from the 1960s. It’s all the more surprising since the flat was decorated in a much more traditional way; the living room looks properly Edwardian, and I’ll admit that I like it better than the one they have now. Was it changed because it looked too classic, too canon-Holmes from the late 19th century? That’s quite possible.
Let’s notice the traditional mirror above the mantelpiece that gives more space to the room, and must drive cameramen nuts (though it seems to be a British art to film with mirrors without having the crew caught in any odd angle. I haven’t seen many mirrors in most non-British series or films).
Sherlock is already messy, which is consistent with the descriptions in the books (and we get Sherlock using a knife to pin his letters onto the mantelpiece).
Beginning a long line of “if you’re together, it’s not a problem, boys”, we have Mrs Hudson stating that if Sherlock and John want to share the same room, she doesn’t mind – at all. I know that some people find it annoying, but I love it; it makes me laugh, and Martin Freeman has such a “Uh? What just happened here?” look – simply brilliant! As well, not all ladies of Mrs Hudson’s age would approve of such a relationship, and I think it’s quite important to have such level of tolerance and normality about the situation because it gives a positive image.
When things become too strange and there’s yet another murder, Lestrade goes directly to Sherlock's new place, and he pleads his case. Sherlock’s excitement at being invited to work on the serial killings tells us that investigating is his life (and is probably more important in his mind than the air he breathes); Una Stubbs’s smile after the jump of joy is simply adorable.
The fact that Sherlock has a burglar-kit that he takes to go to a crime scene is another clue that he’s ready to do anything to solve a case.
Sherlock's in such a hurry to leave that he abandons John in their future flat, and John finds himself with their landlady, who comments on his leg. Martin Freeman’s voice breaking slightly on the last word of “Damn my leg!” adds pain and frustration to that line. It worked very well.
Once our dear boys go to the crime scene, we get very nice views of London, but I think the cabbie might have taken the scenic route to go to Brixton. I see the way Martin Freeman pauses before he says ‘amateurs’ as something that shows how much John’s supposed to care (or it could be good education, but he’s made up his mind to move in with that odd man, and the prospect of having found a way to stay in town doesn’t explain everything).
When we see real crime scenes today, they’re clearly spaces where contaminations are out of the question. Therefore, having Sherlock, John and Lestrade put on suits to go to the crime scene is more authentic, but it wasn’t really working for Sherlock because (I’ll say write this just once) this is television and Sherlock needs to be above the Force and us, mere mortals.
Sherlock in the twenty-first century relies on modern technology, and showing his mobile to explain why the lady in pink came from Cardiff doesn’t work too well; we don’t get enough time to properly focus on what’s being presented and it steals precious seconds for not much (and the same is true when we have to look at Sherlock's texts on John’s mobile; it’s clearly not working).
When Sherlock leaves to go look for the pink suitcase, the shot of him on the roof looking for clues is absolutely stunning (it’s a pity they couldn’t keep it).
Once John has been lured back to Baker Street with the promise of danger, we’re treated to an update of Sherlock's addiction where cigarettes replace morphine and cocaine (or do they?). The three nicotine patches look rather small, but they allow the use of a transformed reference as a three-pipe problem to three-patch problem (it sounds good, and is a good reference to the original works, but is it really equal?).
Showing the pink case right after John mentioned what Sally Donovan (Zawe Ashton) told him about Sherlock brings some drama to the scene (and Martin Freeman looked positively spooked for a moment). Just before leaving to go to spy on 22 Northumberland Terrace (which isn’t in W1 as indicated on the fake street plaque), Sherlock proves again that he knows how to push John’s buttons.
Just like I quite liked the first look of the flat, I’ll admit that I like Angelo’s restaurant in the pilot (Sherlock using a mirror to keep an eye on the street was a good trick, all the more since he’s already worked out that the killer is a cabbie).
I’ll admit, too, that I quite like the first Angelo (Joseph Long); he’s got the Mediterranean attitude that goes with the name. There’s something funny and cute in the way he interacts with Sherlock and John, and the fact that he seems to be on the same wave length as Mrs Hudson is (well, it’s in the script – yes, I know. Ta!) almost karmic. Let it be known, if Sherlock's with someone, that someone has to be his date (probably because Sherlock works alone). Martin Freeman’s look at the candle screams “Oh, Lord! No! I want to punch someone, but I won’t because it’d be bad”.
Later in the scene, the way John goes from “you need to refuel, you clot” to “do you have a girlfriend?” is a logical “I’m doing my best to get to know my odd new flatmate” – it backfires superbly (which shows that it’s not just with Molly; Sherlock's incompetent when it comes to personal relationships).
Here and there in the script, we get references to canon stories, but others are new, and the headless nun reference, when Sherlock asks Angelo to toss him out of his restaurant, remains a mystery (it’s a very odd and intriguing name; the avid fan is left to speculate – cruel writers! Don’t we love them for being so inventive and funny?)
The major difference in this version is that the cabbie (Phil Davis) drugs Sherlock to take him to Baker Street in order to kill him. The mention of drug use is canon, and in the books, Sherlock uses drugs when he’s bored (the implications today, and the culture, are very different).
Angelo’s completely fooled, but John isn’t (he’s already Sherlock's assistant, and like Sherlock reads him, John has flashes of understanding when Sherlock's concerned) and he literally runs to Sherlock's rescue (cane forgotten, our brave soldier is back to a new battlefield).
Whilst the possibility of a triple bluff is interesting, the white pills are a bit boring (I’ve got vitamins that look like that – not very threatening), but Sherlock making deductions with his cheek glued to the table, that works beautifully.
The cabbie makes a bit of a mistake when he taunts Sherlock; it’s silly to dare Sherlock by saying that even he is stupid – that gets the consulting detective’s brain back online and ready to fight back.
Sherlock may not be a betting man, but he can’t resist a dare and that’s a weakness because he’s ready to ignore the police outside and to swallow the pill just to prove that he’s right (right then, the music really adds to the tension).
The cabbie’s killing looks like a nod to The Empty House.
When Sherlock realizes that John’s the one who saved him, he stops helping Lestrade, and he rushes to John’s side. Sherlock's reaction about the gun’s logical, but he should have mentioned the potential powder on John’s clothes, too. The gun at the bottom of the Thames is a good thing, but can’t the bullet still be traced back to John’s gun? Well… that’s yet another mere detail (and one that doesn’t concern us, since John will get to keep his gun in the series). The duo’s already working perfectly as John intervenes and stops Lestrade from questioning Sherlock. He pretends to be acting as Sherlock's doctor in order to escape and leave Lestrade (perhaps John’s really hungry now, or he just wants to celebrate). I want to believe that Lestrade’s no fool as he watches them go.
Sherlock and John bond even more as they team to tease poor Mrs Hudson. It hasn’t been a day, and there’s already a dead body on the boys’ living room carpet – that definitely sets the tone, and Lestrade tells Donovan and the rest of the world that from now on, it’s ‘Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson’.
