the delphic expanse

MOD'S NOTE: If you haven't seen the magnificent update of Sherlock (Season 2 is just starting in the US), I highly recommend reading NO FURTHER. Seeing it spoiler free really enhances it. If you want to discuss it spoiler free, you can start another thread.

Spoilers will be allowed only once episodes have aired in the US, so right now Season One is fair game.


As far as I'm aware, the second series is about to start in the USA, so what better time to make a thread?

I'd been told to watch this several times by a dear friend of mine and I finally did a few weeks ago and now I am completely and utterly hooked, to the point of growing distress as I remember it will be at least a year before they even start production for series 3. It's not often I fall so hard and fast into a fandom, and even rarer that I burrow myself deeply into writing fanfiction and making fanvideos, but... this show is just that good. The relationship between Sherlock and John is one of those great fictional friendships that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have captured and interpreted perfectly.

You guys are in for a treat with series 2!

I loved the first season of Sherlock! I've never been that into the whole Sherlock Holmes thing, but my husband wanted to watch the series, and I'm so glad he did. It's such a clever show, and you're so right about the great relationship between Watson and Sherlock.

I can't wait to watch season 2! We loved the first season!

I just started the 1st season, and I love, love, love it. As soon as my semester is over, I'm going to go on a binge. Of course, I love Stephen Moffat's work on Doctor Who and so I love this. I think it's a textbook example of how to update classic material.

This show is a perfect example of several things.

1) It's a perfect example of how you update something. I heard Steven Moffat on Fresh Air the other day, and he talked about how he thought Sherlock would embrace modern technology like text messaging because it's so efficient and how he'd love the internet. Another great update is that John blogs about their adventures. Both Sherlock and John do not seem out of place in the modern world. Also, with the rise of psychology, everyone seems quick to not just see Sherlock as eccentric but pathological in some way.
2) I love how the show embraces, jokes and encouraging the obvious slashing of the two. I thought the running joke about everyone assuming the two are couple would get old, but it just gets funnier.
3) I love how the plots are inspired by the classic stories, but twisted up so that they are still unpredictable and there are always small moments from earlier that mean something, as well as some that don't.
4) Great updates on all the characters, especially Myecroft, Irene Adler and the DI. Rupert Graves is fantastic. Moriarty is very improved upon, too.


No wonder people have gone bonkers in fandom over this. It really is fantastic. And talk about leaving them wanting more! Three episodes a season. Ouch. But of course, I haven't yet seen a bad episode.

Everyone who hasn't watched, should watch. And be as unspoiled as you can!

I'm really looking forward to Masterpiece tonight. I just hope I can stay awake. After 8 hours of editing speech recognition (it's "recognized" all right, but as what?), I usually feel like I've been hit by a truck. And if for some reason all I get is that little blue box of "no signal", then cry, scream, whine isn't going to begin to cover it!

The one thing that strikes me as odd is that Watson has a gun. I know that's a bow to the original stories where Watson kept his service revolver from his time in India/Afghanistan (is there ever not a war going on over there?), but I thought British gun control laws were much stricter than those in America. At one time, as I understand it, even the British police didn't carry guns. So would Watson have been able to legally keep his sidearm? Can one of our British members straighten this Yank out?

That is a good question. Since he's someone who doesn't seem to have a problem with *ahem* bending the law if necessary, I didn't worry to much about it. But I did have the same question about a character in the second episode of Season 2.

I've decided to mark this section as a spoiler section. I saw season one unspoiled, and it really made a huge difference in my enjoyment. So, I think of all shows, spoilers should be very well marked.

Honeybee wrote:2) I love how the show embraces, jokes and encouraging the obvious slashing of the two. I thought the running joke about everyone assuming the two are couple would get old, but it just gets funnier.

I love that it always reeks of "the lady doth protest too much" in a fantastic way, as John always draws attention to it when you're least expecting it. If one thing sells, it's homoerotic subtext, and of course there's no question that there is a deep bond between them anyway, just without the sex. I love relationships like that.

Honeybee wrote:4) Great updates on all the characters, especially Mycroft, Irene Adler and the DI. Rupert Graves is fantastic. Moriarty is very improved upon, too.

Mark Gatiss is a superb Mycroft, I really, really love him. And Moriarty, too, as portrayed by an excellent Andrew Scott, they've elevated him from typical super villain to genuinely deranged and unpredictable, proper scary and strange.

And thanks for the added note, Honeybee. I really didn't want anyone to be spoiled in this thread, it nearly happened to me and it really was better seeing it without knowing what to expect at all.

And on guns, it's true that the police do not carry guns in this country, so I'm with Honeybee in assuming it's just held illegally, what with all the other law-bending going on around 221B. And as for the other character you mentioned, Honeybee:

I assume you're talking about Henry? It makes sense he would buy one because he was scared of the Hound and/or suicidal, doesn't have to be legal.

I assume you're talking about Henry? It makes sense he would buy one because he was scared of the Hound and/or suicidal, doesn't have to be legal.

Yes, I was talking about Henry! He had that handgun, and that made me think he must have obtained it illegally.

I love that it always reeks of "the lady doth protest too much" in a fantastic way, as John always draws attention to it when you're least expecting it. If one thing sells, it's homoerotic subtext, and of course there's no question that there is a deep bond between them anyway, just without the sex. I love relationships like that.

It's a great tease in the show, a sort of acknowledgement that you can read their relationship in multiple ways, but in truth they are the most important people to each other. It's a kind of marriage no matter if they are having sex or not.

I loved it when Irene Adler basically told John that it didn't matter if he was gay or if they were having sex, that they were in love. At least, that's how I read her remarks to him.

And speaking of spoilers, two things got me Season 1. In the first episode, I bought the setup it was Moriarty that "kidnapped" John and was really shocked that when he revealed himself to be Myecroft. I love that the series co-creator and writer plays Myecroft, and does so so well. He's amazing.

I was also totally and completely floored when "Jim" was revealed to be Moriarty. I thought that was an awesome twist, and the actor is so fantastic.