Television: Elementary, "While You Were Sleeping"

Better than the pilot, despite the clichéd episode title.

Even though I felt the show telegraphed a lot of the plot twists, what I like about Elementary as opposed to Sherlock is that the stories are original instead of updates of Doyle's. That's not to say Sherlock doesn't do a brilliant job with their take, but for those who know Doyle, it does mean we're not left in much suspense about what will happen. With Elementary, the stories are all new. What they do need is to be a little less predictable. Tricky when writing a procedural, I'll admit, but we'll see where things go.

I also enjoy Jonny Lee Miller's version of Holmes in which he's upped the impulsive aspect of the character. His twitchiness befits not only a recovering addict but Holmes in whole, who was known to be restless except when on cocaine (not an option for this Holmes . . . yet . . .). In particular, in last night's episode when he set the violin on fire, my initial thought was !!! But when I thought it over, yes, Doyle's Holmes might have done the same when in a fit of pique.

Also, I at first thought it was strange that Holmes and Watson kept calling each other by their surnames, but after consideration this also seems right; they are not yet really friends and each has an interest in keeping some distance for personal reasons. (Though if I recall rightly, Watson did call him Sherlock at some point last night? When calling to get his attention? Or was that someone else?)

All told the episode was solid and left me looking forward to the next one. Alas, we must wait two weeks. And I'll be at the Austin Film Festival when the next episode airs, so I'll be playing catch-up. Why is it, no matter if it's books, television, or film, Sherlock Holmes is always leaving us waiting and wanting more?